Why don't more people use 220 grain bullets in .30-06's and .300 Magnums?

I've never had a need to shoot 220 gr. Maybe if I found myself in dyer circumstances with a charging Polar Bear or Sasquatch both who are 3 ft in front of me. Maybe then a 220 gr. cartridge or two in my rifles magazine might come in handy. ~~~Um then again maybe not.

Otherwise I seldom reload any 30 cal cartridge I require beyond 170 gr. in bullet weight. That includes my 30-06. Don't own a Magnum caliber. To much Gun for my quarry. i.e. 300 lb Whitetails.
 
I forget what magazine it was but the late gun writer Finn Aagaard was using a 30-06 and 220 gr. bullets to cull excess Whitetail does from the Texas ranch he was living on. Pictures include both entry and exit wounds. I wish I could locate that article as he had interesting results. Finn did believe in getting in close, then ten steps closer.
Paul B.
 
Bell's famous shots were taken as the animals were quartering away, placed behind the ear into the brain pan. Not exactly stopping a charge of angry pachyderms.

Bell also mentioned that after changing to a 318 Westley Richards, his "inexplicable misses" went away....
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I doubt all 1011 of 'em were going away shots. None are supposed to have been charging shots but I'm sure some were no doubt facing him.

And he also said the 318 had lots of misfires. That is why he used them to shoot flying birds something like 100 yards up in the air.

Now if we are talking only bear protection and not just shooting them from a distance then from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has lots of info on it.

http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr152.pdf

"The light recoil potential and the good overall ballistic performance make the .30-06 a reasonable cartridge for protection from bears. Because of the deeper penetration of the 220-gr bullet, it is better than the 180-gr bullet. For inexperienced persons or those of small stature, the .30-06 with 220-gr bullets may be a better choice than one of the large- or medium-bore magnums.

A 7- to 7.5-lb .30-06 with a 20-inch barrel would be a handy, portable rifle for protection from bears. The use of the .30-06 has a major advantage over use of magnum cartridges -magazine capacity is increased to five rounds. Another advantage is the availability of left-handed bolt-action rifles in this caliber. The .30-06 is also available in slide-action and semiautomatic rifles."

Not the best round for protection but.. not bad and if all you have is your '06, then a 220 gr. bullet is indicated as the best load.

Oh, and if you google 'Alaska 30-06 popularity' don't be shocked if the '06 is not used real lots in Alaska. Here is a hint..

http://www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com/What_to_Bring.html

"Rifles: Bring a rifle you are comfortable with and can shoot well: The 30-06 was sufficient to kill the world’ record Brown bear and still is. Alaskan game may be larger than you are used to but proper bullet placement is still more important than muzzle energy and bullet construction more important than bore size. Sight in for 100 yards and bring two boxes of ammunition with heavy premium bullets like Barnes TSX, Nosler Partitions, Swift A-Frames, Federal Trophy Bonded or Woodleighs. If you need or desire a new rifle I recommend the .338 Win or .375 Ruger or H&H. "


Not a sexy round but very very capable and used often.

Deaf
 
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Sure you don't need it for deer. But would it better? For a double lung shot, you could use .243 or 30-30.

I hunt in dense woods. I wonder if the deer would run 10 less yards. Also there are beliefs that heavier bullets work good with 1-10 twist. Which is more important punching paper.
 
No, use the '06 for south end shots on north bound deer. I have no doubt a 180 grain partition will go ALL the way through.

Deaf
 
180 Gr. Partition bullets in a .300 Win Mag have certainly been sufficient for elk in my experience - one bullet per elk. If I ever hunt elk again I will use my .270. I can't imagine a need for a 220 grain bullet south of Alaska.
 
Well Guys,

Thanx for bringing my thread back to life after all this time, and here's an update:

Because I was so devoted to 220gr bullets in my .30-06, I packed up the family and moved to Alaska. OK, that's an exaggeration, it was a job transfer. But, here we are in the land of giant moose & bears and my rifle is still loaded with 220gr ammo. So, the moral of the story is; if you find a particular load that shoots really well in your gun, don't change loadings to suit your local game animals, move to where the game animals match your ammo. ;)

Life if a journey, Dave.
 
Wait a minute ... I'm sure I saw this on t.v. ...

... Those hardy folks on "Life Below Zero" and "The Last Alaskans" all stuff their '06 rifles with 200gn and 220gn cartridges to fend off sneaky bears and the occasional lumbering moose hanging 'round their cabins.

Why, in one episode, that cranky dudenal who's holed up buy himself and always b*tches about some bear who raided his cabin when he was away one day (he has the Eskimo pup named "Ruger") loaded up his Winchester mod 70 with some 220gn '06 reloads and proceeded to zero it on an empty plastic jug.

Got a decent 3-shot group too. After that, he was, you know, "loaded for bear," as the real Alaskans always say. :rolleyes:

Yep, it was right there on the tube, raw and uncut. So it must be true.
 
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