Which weight barnes in .30-06?

[DocJohn]

Sorry but how do you manage to drop down to 1525 fps from 2800 in only 245 metres??

My error, sorry, and thank you. At 250yds MV should be 2313fps using shooterscalculator.com. I read the adjacent muzzle energy column by mistake.

The stag did not react to the shots. This brings me back to my concern that those three LRX bullets did not appear to expand, two leaving tiny exit wounds. All three were chest shots. Barnes say they get expansion above 1600fps.

My plan is to use this load of 20 and review the results on various deer as they present. Thanks again.

 

[DocJohn]

Not sure how you’ve reached that figure - based off a 2800 FPS muzzle velocity and a 127 LRX using an applied ballistic custom curve (usually very accurate inside 800m without truing) I’m getting a terminal velocity at 245m of 2289 FPS.

What I would say is with that small of a bullet I wouldn’t necessarily expect to see a huge exit in the carcass, just expanded bullet diameter (0.4-0.5” ish), with the temporary wound cavity and related permanent wound channel having effected the first 8-12 inches of soft tissue in the wound tract.
The more telling story on bullet performance is seen in the gralloch generally - What was the gralloch like, was there signs of expansion within the lungs/heart?

Thank you. Mea culpa. I’ve replied elsewhere re my MV mistake. I misread the columns.
The heart was cleanly separated from the great vessels. There were two neat 3-4” slices through the lungs from the other two shots. No obvious shock damage.

 

[Acm]

Thank you. Mea culpa. I’ve replied elsewhere re my MV mistake. I misread the columns.
The heart was cleanly separated from the great vessels. There were two neat 3-4” slices through the lungs from the other two shots. No obvious shock damage.

It honestly sounds like it’s working well, 25m is nothing for a well shot stag to cover. Good luck with them though, ultimately you need to be happy with them, so I hope you find a load that works for you

 

[jthyttin]

As a TTSX bullet fan and a 60 year '06 shooter I am with you all the way. A 165 TTSX will give you the penetration of the conventional 180RN and shoot flatter with less recoil.

Rather the 168gr for 30-06, since Barnes designs their bullets for different terminal velocities. Look at the numbers in post #33

 

[jthyttin]

25m is nothing for a well shot stag to cover

He put three chest shots in the stag, that either stayed put or walked slowly (description is not accurate at which point the stag started 25m "death walk").

IME when you get over 200m or so, deer won't many times react to the muzzle blast. But I wouldn't say the bullet worked as expected (desired) in this case. In the time you put two extra rounds to the beast and it walks 25m, the death run might well have been 150m plus if the beast had reacted to the first shot.