Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters RL26 in .30-06 and 200 gr bullets?

55 GR of RL 17 and 200 gr Nosler Accubond and Partition I see 2735 FPS in 2 30-06 22 " rifles around 1.25" in both.

I wanted to settle on one hunting bullet for my 06' for most everything I might hunt with it. Saves time in load workup and allows me to keep the rifle spot-on-target.
(and gives me more practice with one load and what it does at different yardages)
So, I'll stick with the 200 partition until it lets me down.

Many, many people shoot the 180 grain partition on everything, and adding just another 20 grains (11% weight) won't dramatically change things but does penetrate even a little better than the 180.

:-)

John I know you used it for your elk hunting there is Montana. Was wondering what some of the other people used it for and where they lived and hunted

I've used it in the 300 Win Mag and 300 Weatherby years past for elk. In the 30/06 I've mostly used 165. That's another partition I have yet to recover,along with a 200 gr..



Oops I take it back! I DO have one 165 Partition in the bullet collection.

Yeah, I've seen one 165 stopped. A number of years ago a friend and I were hunting mule deer on a DIY hunt in Colorado, and managed to get a couple of good bucks. I was using my NULA .30-06 with 165 Partitions at 2900+ fps. My buck didn't stop one, but the scope on my buddy's .308 went screwy so I loaned him the .30-06. On the last day he shot a beautiful, classic 4x4 about 27" wide. The bullet hit a shoulder going in on a quartering shot, and we found the bullet under the hide about halfway along the ribs on the far side.

Have also only seen one animal stop a 200 Partition. I shot a raghorn elk, by coincidence also in Colorado, maybe 10-12 years ago with a .300 Weatherby. The first shot landed in the heart at around 300 yards--but low in the heart, probably due to a wind coming downhill along the slope. (I held enough into the wind but not enough up!)

The bull hobbled very slowly away for several seconds, then stopped at around 375 yards, facing directly away, angling up the slope. I held at the base of the neck, knowing the bullet would land somewhere in the spine, and the bullet hit the tailbone. The bull dropped, apparently dead instantly, and during field-dressing the bullet's path was traced through the diaphragm into the chest. Since it hadn't exited it was in there somewhere, but we couldn't find it.

Mule Deer
Can you clarify RL-17 gets more velocity than both, and 4000-MR is around 100 fps faster.

Bob, I'm certainly not JB or any of the other ballistics experts here, but imho, the 200 gr 30 cal partition is the perfect blend of diameter, weight and velocity from 2700 fps on up, it is one of the truest flying hunting bullets out to 500 yards that I've ever fired.

And I believe we have all seen/read about it's effectiveness.

byd,

I referred to Alliant's published loading data for 200-grain bullets in the .30-06. You can look it up on their website.

Bob, I've had elk catch 180 gr. partitions from both the 30-06 and 300 WSM. I figured I'd give the 200gr. partition a try. When they were $15.45/bag at SPS, that gave me even more incentive to try them out. My new rifle loves them and my old 30-06 fwt likes them too, so it's a win win for me. My load is running kind of slow though and this thread really peaks my interest. A 200gr. partition at a muzzle velocity around 2700+fps is nothing to sneeze at. Hopefully I'll get a chance this elk season to test them out in one of the old 06's...

BSA, that is a wicked combo really.

I've seen a few 180's caught in elk, same for the 200 AB.

From what I've seen, the 200 PT launched at 2600-3100 should be wicked on just about anything.

My sons 300 WBY runs 3060 with the 200 Partition. It's one of those combos I wouldn't worry about hunting anything with.

I agree Scotty. Speaking of the devil. Looks like SPS has them on sale again:

Great deal on 200gr. partitions

If I didn't already have 4-500 of these, I'd be buying some more. I took my new to me rifle out the other day and fired off 3 shots to confirm zero:



I'm thinking this dog will hunt. Good enough for this year anyway. Funny, this is the load I worked up in my left hand remington 760. The m1917 deserves a load of its own. Maybe I'll find a sub moa loading with the new powder too. I'll try some RL26 in the old girl when I run across a good deal. Right now I have a line on about 5 pounds locally for $40.00/pound, but that price is too much. It will come around at a cheaper price eventually...

I don't imagine an elk or muley will escape that sorta accuracy. Very nice.

I'd think even at a modest 2500 it'll still hit pretty hard out to 400.

I know this is an old thread, but I shot some 200 grain Hornady ELDX bullets out of a 30-06 with RL26 today. Shot over a Magnetospeed. Beretz has got me shooting a range of powder over a chrono lately to identify flat velocity spots. Combined with playing with seating depth. Seems like a good logic based way to find something your rifle likes.

Can't get the image to post...
30-06, Bartlein barrel, chambered with 30-06 Serengeti reamer, .0337 neck
Nosler cases
200 Hornady ELDX, about 0.03 off lands
GM215M primer
RL26 powder

61.8 2821 fps
62.0 2802 fps
62.2 2816 fps
62.4 2813 fps
62.6 2823 fps
62.8 2837 fps, slight ejection mark

[img]https://i.imgur.com/qcjHagr.jpg?1[/img]

Curious was 61.8 2821 fps a typo?

What barrel length

Not a typo. Pretty consistent results from what I see using the Magnetospeed, there’s some up and down velocity variation as the charge goes up.

Good point, 24 inches.

Yes, 26 is the fastest I have tried so far with my Wife's 6.5 Creedmoor (RAP) with a 22" tube with 140's. I figured RL16 would be better for that little case but not for the heavies, 16 might be better for the 130 and under, will see.
I have a 30-06AI Win Model 70 Fwt, I had better try RL26 with 200's in it from what I am seeing here.

Thanks Joel, The 26 powder is doing great in the 30-06.

For the .30-06 Speer Manual #15 lists a maximum load of 57.8 gn of Reloder 26 with their 200 gn bullet.

Using The Rules (thanks JB) on data for the .270 Win I calculated that 190 gn bullets in the '06 could get 2740 fps (20 3/8" barrel) and 200 gn bullets could reach 2660 fps.

I do not recommend that any one else try this but I got the following:

190 Accu Bond LR - 62.0 gn R26 - Win cases - Win 120 primers = 2738 fps
200 Accu Bond - 61.0 gn R26 - Win cases - Fed 210 primers = 2656 fps
200 Partition - 60.0 gn R26 - Win cases - Fed 215 primers = 2615 fps

Five-shot groups at 100 yd were .75" or less for all three loads. The 215 primers gave a lower extreme spread with the 200 Partitions but I did not fire enough shots to call it statistically significant. None of the loads seemed excessive in any way. I bought the 120 primers at a garage sale around 1987 and they still work well.

Cheers,
Walt