Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Tell me again about 30-06

Conflicted? I wouldn't say so. I am kind of scratching my head on it however. I haven't really stopped to think about it until now. The load has done a good job for me over the years. If I can knock off a couple of grains and keep going, I probably will.

What has me confused is how I came to be shooting the load in the first place. My best guess is that I had IMR 4895 on the shelf and someone suggested 165 grain bullets as a better all-around choice. Back in 2000, my hunting habits were not that well settled. I'd had a friend die and lost access to my last piece of deer hunting land. I just didn't know what I'd be doing next. Over the next summer, I closed on the 200 acres that's now the family deer camp. I went out and bagged two nice deer with that load and the rest is history.

Do you have a chronograph, what's the velocity?

Well I'll be dipped in . . .

Ah! I have it figured out. The load I looked at was the Hornady 165 gr GMX -- 46.7 grains MAX. You're right about the Sierra being a better fit.

Okay. I feel a bit better. I won't worry about reducing the load next time.

I don't feel I've wasted my time either. It's been good to pull up this rock and look underneath.

Since the powder jugs were acquired pretty far apart in time there could be a small difference needing a little tweak for best accuracy, but I don't see a safety issue. In fact 30-06 data is generally rather conservative. If a load really tightens up groups a few tenths above max in a modern bolt action I wouldn't worry about it.

Your Garand is a different matter though. Keep its loads separate.

It's been ages since I chrono'd the load, but I seem to remember it was right at 2700 fps or just a hair under. I have not chrono'd it with my new Ruger Hawkeye.

What I do remember is the doe I hit this past season. I caught her in the last minute of legal hunting. It was too dark to follow what happened after I shot, and my eyes were still boogered from the muzzle flash. I just unloaded, reached for the walkie-talkie and called for the deer wagon to come pick me up. Sure enough, she was toes-up at 150 yards.

Unless you have a chronograph and know the velocity of your load you haven't looked underneath any rock.

The Garand gets loaded with milsurp brass to keep it separate. I took it out of the deer rotation when my son stopped using it as his Yute rifle. I just took it out a couple weeks ago for the first time in a few years. I used 49 grains of H4895 under a 150 grain Rem PSPCL with the idea of maybe taking it out this year. This round completely eviscerated a buck at close range. My son hit him in the chest, but there was enough pressure generated that the abdomen opened up and all the guts spilled out intact. Yikes!

+1. That's all I would change. The OP's experience almost mirrors mine. However, lately, the only thing I've been experimenting with has been 200gr. nosler partitions though. RL26 and RL22 look like promising powder for the heavier pills.. When I was younger, I burned up truck loads of factory Remington corelokts, 150's, 180's and 220s. When I started handloading, I settled on the 165gr. hornady interlock with IMR4350 and didn't look back. Then it was the almighty 180gr. partition with H4350, then I tried to make the switch to H4350, but still keep IMR4350 around. It's been my go to powder for many other cartridges and the powder I use in many pet loads. H4895 is also a great powder that I use in my buddies 22-250.

shaman,

I would just keep using the same load to kill deer, and not worry about it!

Yup,if it's not broke,don't fix it.

I've been loading for and hunting an '06 off and one since 1960.
H4895 is a great powder for accurate, mild pressure loads. Works in my .280 and my .308's as well as the '06'.
Usually, less than top end loads, milder recoiling loads in the '06 don't shoot very accurately. But, with H4895, they do.
If you insist on top velocity, then I'd recommend either Ramshot Big Game or H4350 with 150 gr. bullets. If you want less recoil, and longer case life, then I'd recommend H4895 or the new IMR 4166.
I've shot everything from the 4198's up to H4831 in my current '06. Bullets from 110's to 220's All them hunting loads or milder practice loads that shoot the same zero(s) as the full power stuff.
I'd suggest you decide what you want from your ammo and then try out some loads. You may well be surprised at what you can do with a little testing. I was. E

Every rifle loony should have one constant in life, one that works day in and day out no matter what. The rest of the guns get tinkered with, but not this one. The "go to" rifle in other words.

Mine is a .30-06 custom Mauser which has been shot with the same old boring load of 4895 and the 165 Sierra HPBT for 20 years now. Does it get used much? Nah. It's there if I need a gun that I know is dead nuts on, and dead nuts reliable no matter what. It's like the mother hen looking after all the other rifles nestled beside it, and is content to stay behind when the rest get taken out for a fling. Am I tempted to experiment with that one? Nope. Every once in a blue moon I shoot up the couple boxes of ammo I keep handy for it, then reload it fresh.

As for bullets and powder choice, darn near any of it works in an '06. Find a combo that is accurate in your gun and stay with it, if it's your "go-to" gun. If it's deer we're talking, close your eyes and pick a bullet between 110 and 180 grains- they'll all send a deer to kingdom come. It ain't rocket science, and personally I have a lot more to contemplate/worry about in life than which bullet is the best for whacking a garden-variety deer.

I've found the 4895/4064 class of powder to work nicely in the 30-06 with 165/168 grain bullets when the last bit of velocity isn't a big deal.

A friend of mine bought a new Ruger American in 30-06 and topped it with a VX-2 4-12x40AO, and I couldn't resist the urge to make some ammo for him.

In my collection of "stuff" I had a stash of once fired brass squirreled away even though I hadn't been loading 30-06 in a long time. I prepped a batch and assembled them into cartridges along the lines of what would be a Garand appropriate match load with the Hornady 168 bthp.

My friend went out and tested five different loads IIRC, and my zero load development "Garand match" stuff was tied for first place precision. Well under MOA at 200 yards.

Almost as esy as a 308.

See, I'm not all that worried about getting top velocities out of this load. The maximum range I'll be shooting a deer is about 250 yards, and the past 20 or so deer taken with it have all been 150-175 yards. That is not stretching the envelope for '06.

I'm also not all that worried about experimenting with this load. It knocks the snot out of deer. I just couldn't figure out why I picked the combination in the first place. If I was to show up today on 24hourcampfire with my head as full of mush as it was in 2000, I'm sure I'd go H4350 under 150 grain bullets. However, there's probably nothing particularly wrong with what I've got.

Keeping the velocity down a bit ain't a bad idea with cup and cores used up close, unless you like to grind your burger in the field. A .308, or an '06 loaded like one, works just fine. I shoot for the top of the heart, and unless the angle puts the bullet forward into the shoulder, meat damage is minimal.

If my '06 makes it into the woods this season, it'll be loaded with the 170gr Prvi Thunders I got last year, kind of a poor man's Serbian Trophy Bonded. RevMike's plugged a couple of his piggies with them of late. Might go for a shoulder shot with these as there's only a tiny core in the nose.

Gnoahh: You're absolutely right. We really don't know what goes on inside the gun safe when the door is closed. My personal feeling is that a good deer rifle inspires the others to perform better and gives them confidence.

Conversely, the first time I took out this H4895 load was back in 2001, and I tried to cap a nice 6 pointer on the Opener. The Win 670 just went "click." I blamed the rifle and put it off by itself for a year in disgrace. The next weekend, I used the same batch of ammo in my Rem 742 to nail that same buck AKA Spike the Wonder Buck with my 8 yr old son beside me in the blind. That's been my only failure to fire in 15 years. The WIN 670 came out of the closet the next year properly chastened and has functioned flawlessly since. I gave it to #3 son when he reached the proper age. He took a nice 9 pointer with it last year. Sometimes you have to make an example of your deer rifles so the others know that poor performance will not be tolerated.

Totally agree, and his 30-06 with the 47.0 H4895 makes it a 308, which is about ideal.

I feel 150's work best on deer size game but if black bear or similar are on the menu I like 165's. If I only used my '06 on Elk/Moose I'd stick to 180's. This whole thread is something of a skullf**k though.

Sorry for your skull. It's a middle-aged equivalent of waking up with a tattoo you cannot remember.

I called my buddy Big Bob and asked him what I was thinking. Bob is a retired gun editor. He's80. Bob said I was trying to cook a load that worked with all my 06 rifles including the Garand. He reminded me that I was hot on buying a Dillon press in those days and was thinking high volumes. I had forgotten completely.

For thin skinned BG, such as WT's at the usual distances, don't forget about lighter bullets, 125's, 130's, etc. I'm not talking about 500 yds, etc. I have other options for that.

I get good performance with the 130 gr. Hornady at around 3K fps, full penetration with chest shot WT's, bleeding from entrance and exit holes, impressive wound channels and mostly DRT.

Accuracy can be impressive. Here's a 130 gr. load shot in a Husky '06, using Ralph Council 130's. They work on WT's, too. Have posted this one before.

I've shot the 135 gr. Cutting Edge Copper Raptor in my .308, accurate and a killer. It would work as well in the '06, another lighter weight, high performance bullet. And, of course don't forget Barnes bullets of similar weight.

The speed of those light bullets, the killing performance with light recoil makes them pretty impressive, IMO.

Both groups being the same isn't some giant right wing conspiracy, just coincidence. Hillary said for you all to trust me on that...

DF