.30 cal 165 gr Partition vs water jugs

Guy Miner

Master Loader
Apr 6, 2006
17,453
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From my .30-06 with a muzzle velocity of 2750 fps, range to the jugs was 20 yards.

Recovered from the 5th jug weighing 107 grains, and measuring .62" dia:

IMG_4781.jpg


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This has long been my standard load for the .30-06, and the bullet shoots very well from it, as well as from my .308 Winchester at roughly the same velocity.
 
Picture perfect Guy.
IMHO, its the best all around bullet for the 308 Win and 30-06 with more than enough penetration on all but the biggest of big game.

JD338
 
Agree my friend. They're a fine general-purpose bullet, fully capable of fine performance on most game. Have been really pleased with how well my son shoots the .30-06 when it's loaded with the 165's, and have also been impressed with the sub MOA accuracy the bullet easily achieves from my .308 Win.
 
Thought I'd bump up this old test, for folks who might want to compare the results with the 165 gr Ballistic Tip test that's being discussed.

Frankly, both had rather similar performance - as did the .30 cal, 165 gr AccuBond tested by David/6mm Remington.

He did have a fair bit higher velocity though...

Guy
 
That is what I have loaded for my 30-06. H4350 2880 fps
 
Guy Miner":41qik9r9 said:
Thought I'd bump up this old test, for folks who might want to compare the results with the 165 gr Ballistic Tip test that's being discussed.

Frankly, both had rather similar performance - as did the .30 cal, 165 gr AccuBond tested by David/6mm Remington.

He did have a fair bit higher velocity though...

Guy

After seeing the 165 AB in elk country the fall and getting to do the butchering I can't imagine a better bullet for the 30-06. I've said it a few times but it's motivated me to look for a 30-06. I was very impressed. 2900 start speed and crushed both front legs on a great sized Wyoming bull at 200 yards. I'd have very little qualms with running that bullet out of a 300 magnum.
 
I haven't loaded and hunted much with the 30/06 other than the 165 Nosler Partition since the 1980's and it's still true today. I've used or seen them used on whitetail,mule deer,elk and black bear.

I've also used them on the same stuff driven almost 3250 from a 300 Win Mag. There is nothing I've seen better on big bodied whitetails and mule deer. It's a sudden death killer and cuts a vicious wound channel. I've seen it blow pieces of mule and whitetail deer clockwork and spray over 6-8 feet of fresh snow.

That said I think they are a tad tender on elk sized stuff from a 300 magnum and velocities over 3200 fps. I'd take the 180 for that work.

The bullet below is the only 165 NPT I have ever recovered from an animal. This bullet hit both scapula on a mature bull elk at about 300 yards with a 30/06. MV was 2900 fps.





 
I'm running the 165 Partition out of my Kimber Montana in 308. I'm getting just over 2700fps with slightly over MOA accuracy. Makes for an excellent all around big game load.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
What a classic combo - a good 165 gr .30 cal bullet at 2700 fps...

Yes, that will do quite nicely.
 
Nice recovery Bob. That bullet doesn't look much worse than the 180 PT we pulled out of an elk that hit about the same amount of bone.
 
Scotty yes I've pulled a few 180 gr 30's fired from 300 magnums out of elk. It can be hard to tell them apart sometimes. The 180 just seems to have a bit more base to it.

Below is another view of the same bullet showing the base,which you can see started to cave in from the stress of impact. Just a reminder to us all that while firing into a medium can be great and is a worthwhile test,a bullet frequently comes out a bit worse for wear when it impacts tough hide, meat and heavy bone.

Forgive the lousy cell phone picture.



 
BF375":32wax36d said:
Scotty life gets tough for bullets when they hit those heavy bones. :)

YES! While I really like to drive bullets into water jugs and anything else I can find to shoot in, leg bones and joints seem to really show a different picture. I guess digging these bullets out of elk and deer is the most fun for me.
 
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