Which of these three bullets would you use for leopard in 30-06?

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codofish

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165 grain Remington Core-lokt tipped, 165 grain HSM Spitzer Boat Tail Sierria Game King, or 172 grain Remington Speer Impact.

Please don't suggest other loads or weights, these are the only ones that will group well.
 
I've never killed a leopard, but the SGK has a long history of standard lead core performance . I like a bullet with a long track record of "boring" consistency that would give me confidence if I were in your shoes.


I know you've tested all of these loads. If the HSM load with the SGK prints a decent 5-shot group and goes bang every time, I'd use it. Just my opinion, for whatever it's worth.
 
I have never used any of those bullets. I have shot all my cats with Accubond. I would go with the softer bullet. Looks like Sierra is the softer of the 3.

Bullet Softness Comparison
Understanding bullet "softness" comes down to how easily the projectile expands upon impact. This behavior is determined by whether the jacket and the lead core are chemically fused together (bonded) or simply pressed together (cup-and-core).

BulleConstruction TypeHardness / Expansion Behavior
165 gr HSM Sierra GameKing SBTStandard Cup-and-CoreSoftest. Rapid expansion; standard thin jacket and soft lead core.
165 gr Remington Core-Lokt TippedMechanically Locked Cup-and-CoreMedium. Controlled expansion; features a progressively tapered jacket that thickens toward the base to control mushrooming.
172 gr Remington Speer ImpactMolecularly BondedHardest / Toughest. High weight retention; the jacket is chemically fused to the core, preventing fragmentation.
 
Out of curiosity what other loads have you tried and how much worse was the grouping? In my experience 30-06 tends to prefer heavier bullets in the 180+ range.
 
Skshyk said:
I have never used any of those bullets. I have shot all my cats with Accubond. I would go with the softer bullet. Looks like Sierra is the softer of the 3.

Bullet Softness Comparison
Understanding bullet "softness" comes down to how easily the projectile expands upon impact. This behavior is determined by whether the jacket and the lead core are chemically fused together (bonded) or simply pressed together (cup-and-core).

BulleConstruction TypeHardness / Expansion Behavior
165 gr HSM Sierra GameKing SBTStandard Cup-and-CoreSoftest. Rapid expansion; standard thin jacket and soft lead core.
165 gr Remington Core-Lokt TippedMechanically Locked Cup-and-CoreMedium. Controlled expansion; features a progressively tapered jacket that thickens toward the base to control mushrooming.
172 gr Remington Speer ImpactMolecularly BondedHardest / Toughest. High weight retention; the jacket is chemically fused to the core, preventing fragmentation.
Click to expand...
If this is all I had to choose from then I agree with this assessment. You want rapid expansion and expend all energy inside the cat. All three of these bullets are designed for longer ranges than you will be dealing with.
 
Any or all are fine. I would select Corelokt if it were me. I uses a TSX on mine.
 
Skshyk said:
I have never used any of those bullets. I have shot all my cats with Accubond. I would go with the softer bullet. Looks like Sierra is the softer of the 3.

Bullet Softness Comparison
Understanding bullet "softness" comes down to how easily the projectile expands upon impact. This behavior is determined by whether the jacket and the lead core are chemically fused together (bonded) or simply pressed together (cup-and-core).


BulleConstruction TypeHardness / Expansion Behavior
165 gr HSM Sierra GameKing SBTStandard Cup-and-CoreSoftest. Rapid expansion; standard thin jacket and soft lead core.
165 gr Remington Core-Lokt TippedMechanically Locked Cup-and-CoreMedium. Controlled expansion; features a progressively tapered jacket that thickens toward the base to control mushrooming.
172 gr Remington Speer ImpactMolecularly BondedHardest / Toughest. High weight retention; the jacket is chemically fused to the core, preventing fragmentation.
Click to expand...
I like your chart, is that part of a larger chart that has more bullets? Just like the way it is organized.

Thanks,
AJ
 
...As per your request: Remington 165gr Core-Lokt
 
Yes, whitetail in The States. I was interested in this bullet because of the molecular bonding process which I expected to be the same as employed
on the Gold Dot bullet which I have used for years. Accurate and fairly priced bullet. No complaints.
 
Wyit76 said:
Out of curiosity what other loads have you tried and how much worse was the grouping? In my experience 30-06 tends to prefer heavier bullets in the 180+ range.
Click to expand...
I have tried every factory load there is other than solid copper. The rifle is very picky and doesn't like anything over 172 grains except the Bergers. It groups the 185 Berger Classic Hunter well and even the 210 grain VLD pretty well but I have never hunted with Berger and after everything pro and con I read about Berger I don't know if I want my first time to be on a leopard. It doesn't like Swift or Hornady and hates all Noslers.

As I said on another thread, this rifle is pickier than my first wife.
 
dchum said:
I've never killed a leopard, but the SGK has a long history of standard lead core performance . I like a bullet with a long track record of "boring" consistency that would give me confidence if I were in your shoes.


I know you've tested all of these loads. If the HSM load with the SGK prints a decent 5-shot group and goes bang every time, I'd use it. Just my opinion, for whatever it's worth.
Click to expand...
all three of these loads will print a single ragged hole at 50 yards from the bench
 
I’d take the 172gn Speer. Leopards aren’t tough like a lot of other game. You need to put the bullet in the right spot. I also think of the options it will work best for any other game you pursue.

FWIW I took my leopard with a 180gn PMP standard cup and core bullet out of a .308
 
Core-Lokt
 
codofish said:
I have tried every factory load there is other than solid copper. The rifle is very picky and doesn't like anything over 172 grains except the Bergers. It groups the 185 Berger Classic Hunter well and even the 210 grain VLD pretty well but I have never hunted with Berger and after everything pro and con I read about Berger I don't know if I want my first time to be on a leopard. It doesn't like Swift or Hornady and hates all Noslers.

As I said on another thread, this rifle is pickier than my first wife.
Click to expand...
I know my line of questioning is not your initial topic but troubleshooting picky rifles intrigues me and the inconsistency in what your rifle prefers has me curious.

Have you done much experimenting with the lighter bullets, sub 160gr? I know it is out of the norm for the 06 but could be worth a try, lean into the Weatherby ideology with extra speed.

You also say you have not worked with the solid coppers and I am assuming you mean bullets like the hornady CX and Barnes line up and I am curious what cut them from your list of testing.
 
Game King (150 gr in an ideal world-lower SD is effective on cats!) 165 is my favorite bullet in 30s for deer-sized game (higher V, better ballistics than lighter) but for what you're trying to accomplish, lower SD, lighter construction/rapid expansion (and placing that bullet precisely where it needs to go) are key for cats. Unless number 2 shot significantly better, 3 is out (too toughly constructed/high SD-it's going to punch right through.) GL and let us know what/how it worked out! A box of your favorite traditional bulleted "Whitetail" ammo in the US is just what the Dr. ordered for leopard (rel. thin jacketed, exposed lead tip, etc. I'd favor one of the higher V variants to ensure the lower SD is put to work inside.) 180+ is too heavy IMO
 
'Simply wanted to add that the 06 was originally designed for 150 gr bullets, but that said, most all mass-produced slugs shoot well out of its 1:10 twist (110 varminters up to 220 gr.) We've used 'em all at home and in Africa, but anything larger than 165s are too much SD for cats....Disrupt that nervous system at the highest V you can produce (w/ good accuracy!) GL!!
 
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