Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters R15 and the 30-06

Mule Deer:

You and others have recommended Reloader 15 for the 30-06 several times in the past.

Yet when I looked at the Alliant website reloading guide, I noticed three strange things:

1. Alliant doesn't show ANY loads using R15 for the 30-06 using 165 gr or 180 gr bullets.

2. A 150 gr SP has a load using R15 listed, while a 150 gr BTSP does not. Does a boat-tail bullet really make a difference?

3. Finally, in the 150 gr SP load, the max load of 52 grains of R15 only gives 2728 fps, far below velocities attained with factory ammo.

I was really looking for an all-around load using the 150 gr Nosler Accubond in my 30-06 (my Ruger 77 loves 150 gr bullets). Should I be content with 2700 fps, or is the Alliant reloading guide just really funky?

Just a suggestion, but you might want to do a search for posts by Aussiegunwriter and MontanaMarine. Both have posted quite a few load details with R15 in the 30-06.

Nosler #6 doesn't list data for the 150gr bullets. But, a quick comparison shows that similar powders drop two grains as max in the 150gr loads with what was shown as max in the 125gr loads...

I've used RL 15 in the 06 for 150 gr. bullets for years now, and have a load that exceeds your date above, but not by much, aand I pulled it out of some older manuals. it's been accurate in every 06 I've tried it in, and it is in the 2950 range for velocity out of a number of 22" barrels. I go to slower powders for heavier bullets, but RL-15 is a favorite, not only in the 06, but also my .308.

czech1022,

Alliant's data is often baffling, but there's an explanation for some of it.

Around 52 grains of RL-15 usually gets more than 2728 fps, but Alliant and Speer belong to the same overall company. One of the things Speer has long done when putting together their load data is use a presssure barrel for load work-up, then chronograph the loads in a "typical hunting rifle." This supposedly provides handloaders with a more realistic idea of what velocities they might expect.

This sounds logical, but the dimensions of factory barrels are all over the place, so there is no such thing as "typical." Instead it's a sample of one. This is probably where the RL-15 data comes from, since the Speer manual lists the same load and velocity. The barrel length listed is 22", which means it's probably a sporter rifle, perhaps one they've had at Speer for many years, since SAAMI pressure barrels for the .30-06 are 24" long.

I've found RL-15 to be a little fast with bullets heavier than 150 grains in the .30-06, which is also probably the reason Alliant doesn't list any data for 165's and 180's. As for the data being for only one type of 150-grain bullet, Alliant/Speer does that a lot. I'd guess it's due to doing any batch of chronographing with whatever bullet of that weight they have on hand at the moment.

One of the helpful things about reloading the 30'06 is that it can work pretty well with some of the faster, less than ideal powders.
The advantage here is that when burning less powder, while you do loose a little velocity, you also get less recoil and muzzle blast. I find it kinda nice to practice at the shorter ranges with lighter bullets, that usually shoot at or close to the same zero as the heavier bullet loads with both about the same velocity.
While I've never tried Re-15, I have used similar powders, like the Hodgdon line, that have similar burn rates. I've even used powders like Ramshot's TAC with good results.
If I were to try Re-15, I'd look at the starting loads for something like H4895 or Varget and work up from there.
Often these loads are pretty close to factory velocities and very accurate as well. Hodgdon does list loads for 165 and 180 gr. bullets with these powders. E

At the 130-150 grain bullets in the 30-06, the Varget data and R15 data are usually very very close (similar velocity at almost identical charge weights). You could compare numbers to get a good idea of what should be going on.

Thanks, Dakota!

That data is more like it! A 150 gr NBT moves out at 2975 fps when loaded over 51gr of Varget. I'll get my chrono out and build up to 51 grains of R15. It will really be interesting to see how it comes out.

The LEE 2nd manual shows 30-06 with 150 grain bullet:

R15 53.6 grains @ 3005 with 58.5k psi
Varget 51 grains @ 2975fps with 60.1k psi


If you have a reliable chrono, I'd just run either one up to 3000fps and call it good, so long as you don't sense any other bad signs.

When I first started reloading I ordered the Alliant guide which listed 53.6 gr as max w/ 150s & RL15 in the '06. Somewhere in there they dropped it to 52.

I worked up a really accurate load back then of 52 gr and it chronos around 2800 fps. I've flirted with working my way back up to 53.6 but never saw the need.

I run 48 gr under 165 gr SSTs and it is UBBER accurate in my '06 and my BIL's, but also UBBER slow... 2500 fps-ish IIRC. Whitetails don't seem to care about the lack of speed though, and that bullet performs well when you let off the throttle.

I've run up to 54 grains of Varget under the Barnes 130TSX with no problems.

If I was only getting 2800 with a 150gr bullet, I'd load IMR4350 under a 165SST and get 2880fps.

Personally, I've had VERY spotty results with Rel-15 and Rel-17 in my 30-06 and 308s. I think the 30-06 is best served with 165-180gr bullets, but that's just me.

Yep I agree. I run 165s exclusively in one rifle and 200s in another.

With 165s I get +2900 fps from RLs -17 & -19 and Ramshot Hunter. RL19 & Hunter give great accuracy, too.

I've never been able to get that much velocity from IMR-4350, but I do get fantastic accuracy.