[Apex-Predator]

So after nearly blowing another deer in half the other day my brother finally agreed it is time to change up the load in the 06. Need something that will take them quick and clean without blowing bowling ball sized chunks out of the shoulder/backstrap. Love that SGK load but it needs to be shelved while we are hunting the brush it has made a mess of them every single time. I cannot get my brother off the 30 cals he is a 30-06/308/300 Win Mag junkie to the core. I need to work up something either slower or something tougher built then the SGK to keep damage to a reasonable level. I have a nice selection of bullets to choose from in 30 cal: SGKs, TTSXs, BTs, Interlocks, Hot Cores, Partitions, Core-Lokts, Deep Curls, SSTs, Speer BTSPs and Accubonds ranging from 125gr to 200gr and just about any suitable 30-06/308 powder.
Would it be better to go heavier/slower or to step down in weight to dump more of the energy in the vitals and not through the offside shoulder?
Deer around here are on the smallish side, 80-150lbs being the norm, so I don't need mega penetration.
BTW this is what it did to the last two deer.
The larger one was as large as my size 9 1/2 boot.

[Sniper03]

I use 150 Gr. Hornady SSTs! But I am also not a neck shooter. I always place my shots 2 inches behind the from shoulder using the 308. Picks up the heart and the lungs and the exit is not that bad. If I loose much at all it is in the rib area on the exit side. With my 7MM Rem. Mag for longer ranges in Texas I use the Hornady 150 Gr. Viral Shok. I hold back about 4 inches behind the shoulder and let the effects of the bullet take the heart and lungs out! Therefore not damaging much meat.

[Apex-Predator]

I am a behind the shoulder shooter too, my point of aim is 1" behind 1/2 way up. My 120gr Ballistic Tips in my 6.5x55 perform very well with that shot placement and does not destroy hardly any usable meat. Exits range from 1.5 to 2" and vitals are always mush or completely liquified, never had to track one with that setup, but blood is usually really good if I ever had to. I call that about perfect for white tail but my brother thinks you gatta have a .30 or .338 cal for deer, my 6.5x55, 270 and 7mm-08 are just sissy guns LOL
He normally shoots through the shoulder but as you can see that load causes excessive damage and it has forced him to take the neck at close range, use that load for a high shoulder shot and you might as well bury that deer.

[awaysaway]

30-06 Barnes TSX 180gr. Plus, don't shoot where the meat is at try heart/lung shots.

[bamashooter68]

All Ive ever used in my 30-06 was either remington cor-lokt 150gr or handloads with sierra gameking 150gr. I have yet to tear a deer up like that 1st pic. Like other have said I go for the heart lung shot most of the time.

[Apex-Predator]

Those heavy/slow 180gr TSX put them down pretty quick? I have some of the lighter TTSXs thinking I would have to push copper pretty quick for maximum cavitation in hopes of bang flop kills since I won't get any secondary wounding via fragmentation. They do make a beautiful spiral wound tract in ballistic gel though. 42" of gel penetration seems a bit much for these sized deer (as does any 30 caliber larger the a 30-30 IMHO). I could shoot through one lengthwise and still expend most of the energy out the far side LOL

[awaysaway]

In my experience with this load (about a dozen deer) 30 yards of travel after shot
was about the normal result. The heavier bullet just blows thru. Exit wounds about silver dollar size. For my .308 however I have a 110 gr Barnes TTSX load thats great under 150 yds.

[locutus]

I use Speer 150 BTSP bullets. I shoot heart/lung, and I've had no problems.

[Apex-Predator]

My 308 loves those 150gr Speer BTSPs at the range, like almost 1/2 MOA loves them with a mild dose of Varget at 2720fps, but I have never used one on a deer before, heck never used a 150gr 30cal on them before I am a 6.5mm fanatic myself. That 150gr in the 2700fps range might be the ticket for this close up brush hunting, somewhere in between my max load 30-06 and a 30-30. If that is too messy for these tiny deer I'll try to work up a TTSX load.

[Nickwashere]

Originally Posted by Apex-Predator

My 308 loves those 150gr Speer BTSPs at the range, like almost 1/2 MOA loves them with a mild dose of Varget at 2720fps, but I have never used one on a deer before, heck never used a 150gr 30cal on them before I am a 6.5mm fanatic myself. That 150gr in the 2700fps range might be the ticket for this close up brush hunting, somewhere in between my max load 30-06 and a 30-30. If that is too messy for these tiny deer I'll try to work up a TTSX load.

I'm in florida, we have those small dear and what some of these folks don't understand is they are harder to hunt then their trophies as they are do pressured that they are nocturnal until rut and even then they are skittish as heck, I use a 150 gr .270 core lokt.. Moves slow (for a .270) so it hits hard, usually exits about the size of a silver dollar.. I never get shots greater then 250 yards so I don't no about distance but (inspite of popular belief) it does ok in brush (150 gr)