Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Anybody got a 30-06AI

Just wanting to know what your likes/dislikes are on it. What over standard are you getting. Optimum barrel length?

100 fps max, don't like to fireform anymore. I'd go with 24" max and prefer shorter. RL19 works well. These folks sell "fireformed" brass although pricey.

Grayback Wildcats
5306 Bryant Ave
Klamath Falls, OR 97603
541-884-1072

Not much difference, but it is cool. I would say go with a 30-280AI but you cannot not get lapua brass for the 280AI. If I recall correctly I AId mine because I could not get enough of the powder I wanted to use in the case with 208 a-maxs. I was using a compressed load of vv560 to get 2800+fps with the 208s. I later found a 180gr bullet that has a similar BC to the 208 and changed bullets. I am now using a very compressed load of vv 560 and am getting right at 3000 fps. The throat in my rifle was set up to match the magazine constraints of HS DBM so it is a little longer than saami, I think.

The case shines with bullets 180 grains or heavier. Not so much with the lessers. I started with a 26 inch barrel then had it cut to 24 inches. For some reason, I lost no bullet speed using RL22 with 180g NPT's and AB's at about 2900 fps.

I like it because I start to get a flinch with 300 Winmag and above recoil.

I went through a stage where I was wanting to "try everything" gun-wise.

My gunsmith buddy has a reamer, and of all of the stuff he has available, this was one of the few that he admitted made little sense. He built one for himself, didn't see enough "improvement" to be worth it, unscrewed the barrel, and went with something else. He said some cartridges were better suited for AIing, but this wasn't one of them.

Based on his experience, I passed.

I'd be inclined to go the Gibbs route if I was looking to play with the 06 case....

I have a Mauser98 custom with a 24inch Douglas barrel. I shoot 165 Trophy Bonds with 62 grs. of H4831 with a 215M primer in Norma cases. It will usually run 3100FPS or better. This load is ver accurate in my gun

Mine has a 25" barrel and I'm getting 2950 fps with the 180 gr Sierra SBT moly coated and a Nosler book max charge of RL22. I agree on seeing better results with the 180's than with lighter weights.

I took my old custom Rem 700 with 22" Mag-na-ported barrel that on a good day, barely got 2750 and had Dan Lilja turn me a similar, toothpick thin (.556" muzle) barrel, but in 26" SS. I then used data from a gentleman who goes by "Ackley Improved User" over on accuratereloading.com.

I went with his favorite Rel 25 and the 180 BT/AB for almost 3200 fps. I found my accuracy node @ around 68.5 gr which gave me 2997 fps. When I mean accuracy I mean 4.25" @ 818 yds. 68.5 or more grains will go up into the neck of the cart thus you will be compressing the living heck out of the powder. I ran the scenario past the techs at Hodgon and they gave thumbs up as long as the powder was compressed via bullet seating, nothing else. Case life has been fine too.

I hate fire forming the cases. I use WW cases. Love not having to trim cases due to the improved shoulder. Use the Audette Ladder to find the accuracy node. Recoil in my light (7 lb 8 oz with Mk 4 4.5-10) is fierce; very fast/brisant. Make sure you eye relief is set to max. Don't ask how I know .

Alan

I like mine
no not a great improvement
cuts down on trimming
and yea looks cool as said above.
mine shoots 190s with R22 the same as my
standard 06 shoots 180s

I have one with a 24' Lilja barrel on a M70. I get 2950fps using a 180 grain Partition. I would not convert a good standard .30-06 into an AI, but if you are starting from scratch, it is a good round.

Chet

I did it as a solution to a problem. Had a new 24" 308 rem takeoff. Wanted to make a 30-06 but that would require quite a bit of setback. Making it an AI kept the original length as the AI version cleans up the existing chamber.

Sweet Jesus, Audette Ladders and accuracy nodes along with the ever so problematic fireforming.

People baffle me.

I have an 06 ai and a couple of other so called improved chambers also.

It's just a hobby thing. It's a waste of time and money.

Yep, a custom cut chamber, reduced case stretch, reduced need for case trimming, more capacity, and more fps is always a waste.

Hint: when Savage_99 gives advice, the proper choice is almost always opposite his opinion.

I haven't found the AI version all that hard to live with.

I like to use Winchester brass in my AI and my 30-06 AI shoots the cheap Winchester 150 grain Power Point factory load into an inch or so at 100 yards. So, once every other year or so, I buy a couple of boxes of factory ammo and take my rifle out for some target practice. I shoot the 40 rounds from several different field positions, (which most of us don't practice enough anyway). When I am done, I have 40 fireformed cases that seem to last almost indefinitely. I have cases that are several years old that have been loaded 8 times and they still look great and have nice tight primer pockets.

The way I see it, at 2950-2970 fps with 180 grain bullets, I am getting .300 Win Mag/.300 WSM factory ballistics (and about 80%-90% of all the Win Mags out there are used with factory ammo) with more magazine capacity (5) and less recoil. I like to call it my .300 Springfield Thin Mag.

I also like the fact that I can use factory 30-06 ammo when I need/want to and factory 30-06 ammo is avaliable in any well-stocked gas station from Florida to the Yukon. It is sort of a "semi-wildcat" in that regard.

Chet

300 Win Mag is a big improvement!

Similar to Isaac's sports picks!

Yeah, I've got one.

You get four grains extra capacity and whatever that will get you, depending on the chamber and barrel.

It wll put a 180s downrange at about the same velocity as a 7RM with a 175, or for that matter the 165 compared to the 160.

If you like to handload and dink around with combinations you will probably enjoy it...I do.

I had mine long-throated so I could dink around and see what it would do with the heavier monos.

That's my experience too. 180's on up there's a difference, otherwise lighter bullets don't do any better than a factory 06.

IMR 4831 is the only powder that has biven me good accuracy and velocity out of my 22 inch Shilen.


Casey