Rigby HS 30/06 Owners Bullet Weight Choice For PG

pc3 · Aug 24, 2026

For owners of 30/06 HS rifles what weight bullets are you opting for.

If one were to hunt Eland with a HS in 30/06, firstly what bullet weight would you opt for ?and secondly would you be comfortable using the 30/6 on Eland ?

I was thinking the Woodleigh 180gr protected point in the right spot would do the job, then there is the 220gr RN, would a Rigby HS stabilise this bullet ? and the 165gr PP.

Woodleigh's are plentiful in Australia and its good to support the local manufacturers where one can.

65A		165gr PP SN
	65B		180gr PP SN
	65C		220gr RN SN

SFRanger7GP · Aug 24, 2026

I have a Highland Stalker in 30-06. It has gone to Africa twice and I used Barnes 180gr TTSX factory ammo. I would not hesitate to use it on an eland. Mine shoots every bullet great that I have shot through it from 130 - 220 gr.

Safe hunting

Schüler Jumbo · Tuesday at 4:50 AM

pc3 said:
and secondly would you be comfortable using the 30/6 on Eland ?

I would not be uncomfortable using the incredible .30-06. But, if I had a choice I would prefer starting with a .338” caliber 250 grain bullet.

R eight · Tuesday at 5:12 AM

Mate, it’s a 30/06 it’ll work with any decent projectile.

I’m using 180 grain Nosler partitions with AR2209. (55 grains ? IIRC) I also have loaded up some 180 grain Sierra GK’s with the same powder charge and she shoots pretty much to the same POI. I’ve only shot pigs and dogs with mine.
I’ve also shot Norma, Sako and Federal (Premium and Blue) factory loads with 180 grain pills. The rifle shot them all accurately.

I’d happily hunt any antelope with a 30/06 using premium bullets.

You’re going to love the HS.

pc3 · Tuesday at 6:15 AM

Thanks All.

R8...I cant hardly wait !

I am pretty excited, I have to say.

Who shoots 220's and what was you load

In relation to slings would a sling like the Trader Keith on with sling swivels work with the connectors on the highland stalker or do you need to use the leather loop set up......I'm not sure I trust the leather loop set up......would need convincing

R eight · Tuesday at 6:53 AM

pc3 said:
Thanks All.

R8...I cant hardly wait !

I am pretty excited, I have to say.

Who shoots 220's and what was you load

In relation to slings would a sling like the Trader Keith on with sling swivels work with the connectors on the highland stalker or do you need to use the leather loop set up......I'm not sure I trust the leather loop set up......would need convincing

Leather loop is what I use. No issues yet…but I’ve used the rifle for no more than 3 weeks in the bush since I’ve owned her…which I guess is not much of a recommendation.

JPbowhunter · Tuesday at 7:16 AM

pc3 said:
Thanks All.

R8...I cant hardly wait !

I am pretty excited, I have to say.

Who shoots 220's and what was you load

In relation to slings would a sling like the Trader Keith on with sling swivels work with the connectors on the highland stalker or do you need to use the leather loop set up......I'm not sure I trust the leather loop set up......would need convincing

I use the leather thong end one on my HS. It’s been holding up well. It is leather though so keep it hydrated and don’t let it perish. I rub in a bit of neatsfoot/beeswax blend into all my leather stuff time to time.

Rare Breed · Tuesday at 5:33 PM

pc3 said:
For owners of 30/06 HS rifles what weight bullets are you opting for.

If one were to hunt Eland with a HS in 30/06, firstly what bullet weight would you opt for ?and secondly would you be comfortable using the 30/6 on Eland ?

I was thinking the Woodleigh 180gr protected point in the right spot would do the job, then there is the 220gr RN, would a Rigby HS stabilise this bullet ? and the 165gr PP.

Woodleigh's are plentiful in Australia and its good to support the local manufacturers where one can.

65A 165gr PP SN
65B 180gr PP SN
65C 220gr RN SN

In my experience it is really hard to beat a 180 grain all around PG bullet for the 30-06. I would argue it is big enough for the largest Eland. For myself so I am not a hypocrite, I have a ton of 220 grain Remington Corlok that I personally like and that shoot great out of my rifle.

Wyatt Smith · Tuesday at 5:53 PM

Am I mistaken or does the Rigby Mauser use a 1 in 11 twist for the 30-06? I always wondered how they would handle the longer bullets like the 220s.

pinotguy · Tuesday at 6:00 PM

pc3 said:
Woodleigh's are plentiful in Australia and its good to support the local manufacturers where one can.

65A 165gr PP SN
65B 180gr PP SN
65C 220gr RN SN

I would consider the .30-06 to be a sensible minimum for Eland and would lean toward a heavier bullet. Not sure what twist rate Rigby uses for their .30-06 barrels but maybe take a look at the 240-grain Woodleigh PP. They recommend a 1-10", which seems to be fairly standard.

Dan458 · Tuesday at 9:46 PM

Mine loves factory 180g TTSX. They have been so effective that I don’t worry about reloading for it. Two shots on the shoulder of this scrub bull were complete pass throughs. Also went end to end on a donkey so penetration will be more than adequate for Eland. Good hunting!

BruceS · Tuesday at 10:07 PM

pc3 said:
For owners of 30/06 HS rifles what weight bullets are you opting for.

If one were to hunt Eland with a HS in 30/06, firstly what bullet weight would you opt for ?and secondly would you be comfortable using the 30/6 on Eland ?

I was thinking the Woodleigh 180gr protected point in the right spot would do the job, then there is the 220gr RN, would a Rigby HS stabilise this bullet ? and the 165gr PP.

Woodleigh's are plentiful in Australia and its good to support the local manufacturers where one can.

65A 165gr PP SN
65B 180gr PP SN
65C 220gr RN SN

The 220gr in 30 cal is very effective. Hemingway used a 220 to take a rhino. I wouldn't recommend it for DG (lol) but for plainsgame it works.

pc3 · Wednesday at 6:52 AM

I see Woodleigh also make a 200gr protected point...it says for the .300 WM but I dont see why you could not load it in the 30/06.

The 180gr option is obviously the most popular option....but I think these might be worth a try.

65E

200gr PP SN

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50

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.301

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.450

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RIGBY · Wednesday at 9:55 AM

pc3 said:
For owners of 30/06 HS rifles what weight bullets are you opting for.

If one were to hunt Eland with a HS in 30/06, firstly what bullet weight would you opt for ?and secondly would you be comfortable using the 30/6 on Eland ?

I was thinking the Woodleigh 180gr protected point in the right spot would do the job, then there is the 220gr RN, would a Rigby HS stabilise this bullet ? and the 165gr PP.

Woodleigh's are plentiful in Australia and its good to support the local manufacturers where one can.

65A 165gr PP SN
65B 180gr PP SN
65C 220gr RN SN

Hi @pc3,

The twist rate on the HS should be sufficient for the heavier grain bullet. Just make sure that the throat on the chamber will accommodate the larger/longer bullet. Most standard HS are throated for the 140g bullet. The throat can be opened by a competent gunsmith if needed. All the best and look forward to your hunting reports! Please reach out if you have any interested in getting a story published.

DieJager · Wednesday at 10:19 AM

R eight said:
View attachment 787407Mate, it’s a 30/06 it’ll work with any decent projectile.

I’m using 180 grain Nosler partitions with AR2209. (55 grains ? IIRC) I also have loaded up some 180 grain Sierra GK’s with the same powder charge and she shoots pretty much to the same POI. I’ve only shot pigs and dogs with mine.
I’ve also shot Norma, Sako and Federal (Premium and Blue) factory loads with 180 grain pills. The rifle shot them all accurately.

I’d happily hunt any antelope with a 30/06 using premium bullets.

You’re going to love the HS.

View attachment 787405
View attachment 787406

Off topic but is the first one a dingo? Always interested in hunting one and that is a fine specimen.

JMM · Wednesday at 10:30 AM

I did an interesting test with the 06 during a cull hunt. Shot 50 wildes. Used:
180 Swift A-frame
180 Swift Sirocco
180 Sierra Pro Hunter
200 Nosler Partition
240 Woodleigh SP

Shot 5, recorded results and changed ammo. Result, all 50 died with one shot. A-frame pass thrus 100%. Surprisingly, it shot to a different point of impact at 100 yards compared to the others. Sirocco was also all pass thrus with more violent reactions. Pro Hunters all pass thrus with massive internal damage. Partition all pass thrus and quick kills. Woodleigh all pass thrus, nothing dramatic one way or the other.

spike.t · Wednesday at 10:32 AM

RIGBY said:
Hi @pc3,

The twist rate on the HS should be sufficient for the heavier grain bullet. Just make sure that the throat on the chamber will accommodate the larger/longer bullet. Most standard HS are throated for the 140g bullet. The throat can be opened by a competent gunsmith if needed. All the best and look forward to your hunting reports! Please reach out if you have any interested in getting a story published.

Mmm...think you got mixed up with the 275 there with 140grn bullets...

spike.t · Wednesday at 10:36 AM

Not a Highland Stalker but in my mauser m12 I use sako factory 200 or 220 grn bullets....if clients need to rent a rifle it's the one I let them use....never on an eland but zebra..waterbuck and sable plus smaller stuff....it prefers those heavier bullets to the 180 grn for some reason..

RIGBY · Wednesday at 11:12 AM

spike.t said:
Mmm...think you got mixed up with the 275 there with 140grn bullets...

You’re right – my bad! My brain was thinking 275 Rigby. You can just ignore my last comment

R eight · Wednesday at 3:33 PM

DieJager said:
Off topic but is the first one a dingo? Always interested in hunting one and that is a fine specimen.

Yes, a dingo.

Rigby HS 30/06 Owners Bullet Weight Choice For PG

pc3

SFRanger7GP

Schüler Jumbo

R eight

pc3

R eight

JPbowhunter

Rare Breed

Wyatt Smith

pinotguy

Dan458

BruceS

pc3

RIGBY

DieJager

JMM

spike.t

spike.t

RIGBY

R eight

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