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I've been lucky with 165 PT and 180 PT but you couldn't tell by the 100 yard group, about 1.5" group. Then one day I had targets on the 300 yard line, 1.5" group again. I then shot at 16.9oz water bottles at 450 yards and could usually hit then 8 out of 10 times. Don't ask me why, it just does.
I use both Speer and Sierra 200 grain bullets in my 30-06's and they work very well indeed. I get about 2630fps out of the 'O3A3 and around 2575 fps out of the Ruger M77s. The velocity difference is due to barrel length, the Rugers having a 22" tube and the '03A3 having a 24 inch tube. I'm using IMR4350 and Superformance for both bullets. Handloader magazine lists a load for Superformance with the new Federal 200 grain Terminal Ascent in its August/September 2020 issue giving a velocity of 2,576fps average from a Ruger 22" barrel, so I used that as a baseline for my loads with it. It works pretty good. You should be able to work up a load that'll give you around 2550 to 2600fps with the Partition. You might look at the Speer Hotcor(bc of 485 or so) or the Sierra Gameking(bc of 550 or so), too. They'll do anything you want to do with them from an -06 and they're more available and less expensive. I have shot them out to 600 yards at steel and hit the steel consistently, wind permitting.
Great bullet in the .06 for the heavier game at say 0-250 yards or so, I've always liked H4831 powder in it with 200gr to 220gr As for whitetail I'm thinking it works but... 400? that might be a little long for the combo of Deer and Bullet, you can do better with a slightly lighter, flatter shooting bullet for Whitetail, unless you plan on bumping into a big bear in the bush where Whitetails are mostly found'...., and you might have to punch his ticket, then sure'..., go with the 200gr or 220gr. for Whitetail hunting. They all pretty much kill Whitetail dead. Good luck.
Believe it or not, they used to call that bullet nodding. Some bullets don't stabilize completely until they get out past 150 or 200 yards. They yaw slightly in closer, and then somewhere farther out, they quit yawing and its like they are on rails. Just because a rifle doesn't have an ultra tight group at 100 yards with a particular bullet doesn't mean it won't shoot it very well at distance. I actually verify groups at 100, 200, 300 and 500 yards when I have the time. you'll be supprised what the results can be. It also lets me fine tune bullet drop at distance, which is important when I'm hunting at altitude.
Yes that's what one of the guys suggested to me at Nosler. But I believe Litz said that's most likely not what is going on. There's really no way of absolutely proving it without high speed cameras so I just shoot and not worry about it lol. But anyone that's thrown a football can believe that some yaw could happen and then stabilize further down range.
