Cheap .30-06 Ammo

[Oceans]

Hey guys, i'm new to this forum and new to large bore rifles but my girlfriend just bought me a Savage Axis in .30-06. I've been looking around for some cheap ammo as I don't have too much money and I found some by a brand called Golden Bear. Couldn't find many reviews, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these rounds or if you can recommend any other cheap rounds. I know I should be using some better quality ammo but i'm anxious to get out there and start shooting. Thanks!

[11011500a]

Wideners.com 30-06 $11 abox
Have not used any brown bear yet

[TERRYGER]

all ammo shoots differently in different weapons. even thsos that are "identical"

buy what you can afford and see how it does. worst case sceanrio is you don't buy it again.

just be sure to verify the problem is the ammo or the gun and not your lack of ability before deciding a particular brand is "not any good"

[bumpo628]

The Russian ammo like Golden Bear is not reloadable (except for Wolf Gold). Even if you do not plan to reload these yourself, you could always sell the brass cases when you get enough; 100 empties go for around $25. Or, you may change your mind about reloading later.

You might want to pick up some ammo locally so you can shoot while the stuff you order comes in. In that case, go to Wal-Mart since places like Turners or Bass Pro probably only have $1/round ammo. The best ammo out there is the Greek HXP stuff. However, since it is magnetic some ranges do not allow it. In that case, I would go with the Wideners PRVI ammo since it is cheap and reloadable.

Wal-Mart
Federal Power-Shok 30-06, 180gr, SP, BR/BO/NC ammo for $15/20

http://gun-deals.com/deals/5194

CMP surplus ammo
Greek HXP .30-06, 150gr, FMJ, BR/BO/NC, Magnetic, $96/192 Enbloc clips in a .30 cal can
Greek HXP .30-06, 150gr, FMJ, BR/BO/NC, Magnetic, $98/200 Loose in a .30 cal can

http://thecmp.org/ammosales.htm

Also available on Gunbroker.com - search for "HXP"

Wideners
PRVI Partizen 30-06, 150gr, SP, BR/BO/NC $11.00/20

http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=8728&dir=18|830|850

Cheaper Than Dirt
Golden Bear 30-06, 145gr, FMJ, $10.29/20

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/AMM678-1.html

SP = Soft Point
BR = Brass Cased
BO = Boxer Primed
NC = Non Corrosive

[Oceans]

Thanks for the help. I guess I'll just start out with a couple boxes of some cheap stuff just to get out there and maybe order some other stuff online.

[Munk]

Thanks for the help. I guess I'll just start out with a couple boxes of some cheap stuff just to get out there and maybe order some other stuff online.

Get the greek stuff. It's great and is reloadable.

Non-corr means they use a more modern primer that doesn't use a corossive explosive, so you don't need to clean your gun every trip if you don't want to. (failing to clean gun when using corrosive ammo is just mean).

Boxer primers are the ones that are removable (usually) and reloadable. There's a few rare exceptions but with .30-06 it's very unlikely you'll find them.

Your Savage looks to be a little lighter than my Rem760, so the recoil will be sharper. You will definitely want to get a good shoulder weld when firing it... I found out the painful way what happens if you pull a .30-06 away from your shoulder.

[Oceans]

Yeah I'm looking forward to shooting it. I grew up with shotguns and watched my friend when we were younger try to shoot a 20 gauge without putting it up to his shoulder because he was scared it might hurt him. Needless to say he never went shooting with us again.

I might try to find an affordable reloading setup since this ammo seems to be pretty expensive. But I've been hearing a lot about this Greek stuff so I'm gonna have to make that my first ammo purchase.

Any suggestions for a scope setup? I haven't learned too much about scopes yet but I've read that anything over 4x for a variable zoom isn't really going to be that helpful.

[Divernhunter]

For a scope if you plan to hunt with it get a Leupold 3X9X40 duplex reticle or a 3.5X10X40 same reticle and you will be set for life. Just start your hunt on the low settings and if you have time and need you can go to higher setting. I have about 20 of them and never a problem while friend with other brands have had troubles over the years especially in bad weather..

[Munk]

Yeah I'm looking forward to shooting it. I grew up with shotguns and watched my friend when we were younger try to shoot a 20 gauge without putting it up to his shoulder because he was scared it might hurt him. Needless to say he never went shooting with us again.

I might try to find an affordable reloading setup since this ammo seems to be pretty expensive. But I've been hearing a lot about this Greek stuff so I'm gonna have to make that my first ammo purchase.

Any suggestions for a scope setup? I haven't learned too much about scopes yet but I've read that anything over 4x for a variable zoom isn't really going to be that helpful.

LOL@ your friend.

It's not that the Greek stuff is super awesome, it's just priced well, meets mil-spec, and uses good enough components that it's worth reloading it. Since it comes in roughly 200rd increments, it means you will have plenty for reloading.

Glass is a major factor if you expect to be shooting at decent distances. You want to make sure that what you purchase is built for powerful rifles. a little tasco 10mm will just explode with the first few shots you fire (almost kidding). Great glass will cost far more than your rifle. You probably won't be going beyond 100 yrds, so you don't need insane glass. Getting a lower end leupold or something similar will easily meet your needs. If you do become a distance shooter, you'll probably spend double what your rifle cost on a scope.

Also: For scopes... make sure your rings have the right height on them to bring the rifle into line with your eye while shouldered. Having a scope too high or too low makes it a pain to shoot comfortably.

[mjsweims]

For a scope, Nikon Prostaff has a decent range at a reasonable price. As another poster said the more you pay the better the scope. With a Leupold you'll keep the scope when you upgrade the rifle.
Some of the cheaper ammo is soft steel and the rim will tear after firing and being extracted/ejected (more with a semi-auto than a bolt like yours).
to reload you can set yourself up with a good (RCBS or similar) single stage and all the necessary accessories for under 400 and it will last you as long as the rifle. You can add other items (case trimmer, micrometers) later.

[gunboat]

For the 06 cheap ammo ultimately means reloading -
I agree with the others that suggest the greek ammo is probably todays best value.
Reloading for the 06 need not break the bank.
As you will likely not want to reload hundreds of rounds per sitting the less expensive tooling will do the job fine.
Happy hunting -

[Oceans]

It looks like I should start saving my money now then for a leupold. Exploding glass near my face doesn't sound like my idea of fun. I heard they have some at walmart so I might have to look into those for prices. now should I go for fixed or variable zoom? Hmm... Decisions decisions...

[Full Clip]

Regarding the scope: "Buy once, cry once."
Get the best you can possibly afford and it will serve you well and hold value if you ever need to sell it.

[supra95tt]

Ammo: I would buy good reliable ammo such as Remington or the Federal. Nothing is going to hurt worse when you see that trophy and you misfire, miss completely or your bullet wobbles out of the barrel. Incidentally while hunting you may only shoot a round or two. Incidentally, during my last hunting trip where five of us went I was the only one who shot our rifles and it was only one round. (Of course we shot hundreds of rounds out of our "fun guns" during the day). You will use more rounds sighting in prior to the hunt.

Scope: I personally wouldn't spent upwards of $600 on a Leopold. On my hunting rifles I have a Bushnell, a Barska and a Simmons and I think my son has a Bushnell. All work flawlessly and are within the $100-200 range each. I just bought another Simmons from MidwayUSA for my Remington 7400 30-06 on sale before XMas for $70 and Simmons was offering a 25% rebate up until 12/31/10.

When buying a scope don't settle for anything less than fogproof, waterproof and shockproof and make sure you are buying one for a large caliber rifle. A .22 scope won't live long on a 30-06.

Just my .02cents.

[TERRYGER]

Exploding glass near my face doesn't sound like my idea of fun.

been around guns and scopes a long time and have never heard of this happening. .........caused by scopes anyway.

would put that concern at the bottom of the list.

glass is relative. if you are spending 10k on a hunt don't skimp on the glass but as was mentioned a lot game has been taken with far less than leupold or svorovski glass, including tasco!

high quality glass has gotten to be much more avaialable at much cheaper prices with the advent of newer technology. not like when i was a kid and there were only 4-5 scope companies/models to choose from.

[quote]Incidentally, during my last hunting trip where five of us went I was the only one who shot our rifles and it was only one round. (Of course we shot hundreds of rounds out of our "fun guns" during the day). You will use more rounds sighting in prior to the hunt.[quote]

this is pretty common for most hunting scenarios.

and it may even have to do with all the fun shooting that was going on during the day