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150 vs 165 in a .30-06

redpete
A friend of mine says that because of the 1 in 10 rate of twist in a .30-06 barrel, the 165 gr bullets will shoot more accurately than 150 gr bullets.

I'm guessing he is probably correct, but will it be a noticeable difference for a hunting rifle?

I will be reloading for this round...
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • Herschel
    No, there will be no noticeable difference.
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  • bpost
    The 168 SMK may, by its design, shoot more accurately but all things considered 150-180 grain bullets in a 30-06 do just fine; dead is dead.
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  • tsr1965
    It all depends on a lot of variables. What type of rifle action you are using is one, and your expectations and needs are another, then there is bullet construction. You see, how a bullet shoots in a certain twist rate, is not actually determined by the weight of the bullet, but rather the length. Since most bullets are constructed of a copper jacket and lead core, weight becomes a factor of the length. However, if you were to use for say, the new Nosler E-Tip, Hornady GMX, or Barnes TSX bullets, they are all copper with no lead core. Therefor a 150 would be as long as a 165 or 180 grain. I love the Barnes Tipped Triple Shock X bullet of 130 grain in my 30-06 and 308. Coupled with great accuracy, and devastating ground speed, they are awesome performers on deer, antelope, and Black bear.

    To answer your question now, there might be a little difference, but you will not know what it is, if any, until you try both of them on paper.

    Best
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by redpete
    A friend of mine says that because of the 1 in 10 rate of twist in a .30-06 barrel, the 165 gr bullets will shoot more accurately than 150 gr bullets.

    I'm guessing he is probably correct, but will it be a noticeable difference for a hunting rifle?

    I will be reloading for this round...


    Obviously given a choice of bullet "X" and bullet "Y". . .ONE of them is likely to be more accurate, but in this case, I doubt the difference in accuracy just purely based on that difference in bullet weight is going to be of any practical difference.

    In other words, whatever the difference is, I doubt you'd notice or care in any usual hunting scenario.

    Ultimately, the quality of your load (and that includes specific bullet choice within the given weight class) is probably more important for accuracy than the absolute bullet weight anyway.

    Good bullets are available in either weight. The main thing is just to make sure you're satisfied with the on paper accuracy of the load(s) you work up. Once you do that, don't drive yourself bonkers worrying about some other hypothetical load that "might" be better.
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  • wpage
    In 06 uncle sam liked 150. Several million rounds later still going strong.
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  • elubsme
    But the match loads were 173 grain.
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  • 41 nut
    I've had excellent results both with accuracy and with game stopping using the 165gr bullets in the 06. I use them for both deer and moose.
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  • dcs shooters
    I'm with 41. My Remington liked the 165's better.
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  • heavyiron
    Hi,

    My Remington 700 will hurl 165 grain bullets more accurately than 150 grain bullets. The difference is measurable when target shooting because the groups of the 150 grain bullet are wider in this rife. When using the 165 grain bullets (Sierra soft point boattail or Sierra Match King) the groups get measurably smaller.

    Both these Sierra bullets are long with high ballistic coefficients and seem to be more accurate in this rifle after some lengthy experimemtation. After making some measurements, the longer OAL of the 165 bullet appears to have less jump from the chamber to the rifling which also improves accuracy with this rifle.

    Having said all this, I don't believe there will be any noticeable difference in a hunting rifle using 150 grain bullets verses 165 grain bullets under field conditions. There are too many variables which cannot be controlled while hunting to take advantage of any extra accuracy no matter how it is attained. It is probably more important to understand how your rifle shoots 150 grain bullets and to be well practiced with your rifle using your handload. I would use the 150 grain bullets without any hesitation.

    Good hunting.

    Heavyiron
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  • gearheaddad
    Refer to my sig. line.
    My Grandpa knew what he was talking about!!
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