Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Youth Deer Load Options

I�m reviewing my loaner youth options for this season.
Have a .357 single shot carbine and a .308.
Have IMR 4198 and 2400.
Have .308 Sierra 125 Flat Nose HPs for the 30-30 (#2020).
Have .308 Hornady 150 SP Interlocks (#3031).
Have .357 Hornady 158 grain XTPs.
Looking for 100 yards max, more likely under 50 yard shots on southern size white tails. Could be a hog or two in there.

What would you recommend for minimum tracking and recoil. Any experience with these projectiles would be welcome. Thanks.


Ella

My option would be 125gr NBT with a reduced load of H4895.

[img:center]https://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/H4895%20Reduced%20Rifle%20Loads.pdf[/img]

IMR 4198, and the 125 grain .30-30 bullet.

When my son was younger, I loaded his 30-06 with the 150 gr Hornady's and enough H335 to simulate the 300 Savage velocity. He shot a 10 point at about 75 yds, it staggered about 50 yds and fell over dead.

I had also loaded the 150's with Reloder 7 to simulate the 30-30 but he never shot anything with that load.

All the data was in the 47th Lyman manual.

Dale

I've got recipes for other powder/bullet combos. I was hoping to use what I had.

Anyone have experience with the interlocks at low speed?
Or the 30-30 bullets at low .308 speeds?

Thanks.

Ella

35gr H4198 gets right at 2610fps from my A-Bolt w/21" bbl using 125gr BT's. With very mild report and recoil. The same charge of powder in IMR's version with those 125gr Sierra's should still put you in that 2500-2600fps range.

Use the Hornady 150 with starting loads and go kill deer.

This is probably your best bet. My old RCBS #10 lists a reduced load of 23 to 27 grains of IMR 4227 for a max velocity of 2260fps with a Speer 130gr FN. Your 4198 is just a bit slower than 4227 and your 125's just a bit lighter so you should be able to extrapolate from there and come up with something that will work. I wouldn't be afraid to start with 25gr of 4198 and see what kind of accuracy it gives.

My old IMR loader's guide shows max charges of IMR4198 with several weight bullets paired as follows:

(110, 38.5)

(150, 35.5)

(180, 33.5)

Plotting these three points, fitting a line to them, and using said line to interpolate suggests 37.4 grains would be top charge with a 125 grain bullet.

Doing the same thing with the bullet weights and associated velocities suggests the 125 could be made to go about 2860 fps.

IIRC the 308 youth load from Remington goes about 2600 fps with a 125, and some forensic work by another poster lead to IMR4198 being the factory powder.

I'd start at about 30 grains and work up to 2600 fps looking for accuracy on the way.

Thanks for that info. That gives me some guidance. The Sierra prohunter holds together?

Ella

Sierra suggests 2500-2600 max.

Here's another source:

http://stevespages.com/308_13_125.html

Also shows 25 grains of IMR-4198 to be a starting load.

I'm grateful for all the useful information. Will load some up tonight to test. Thanks.

Ella

I think we're on to something. Thanks again for the help.

This was a load I developed for my kid when he was 10 years old. This thru a Ruger M77 Mk-II compact.

31.0 gr IMR-4198, 130 gr Hornady SSP, v = 2,245 (16.5" bbl)

He shot his first deer with this load.

For low recoil I recommend the 357 magnum rifle.

The recoil out of my Win 94 trapper 357 magnum with hot 180gr loads is a fraction of a Win 94 22" barrel 3030 with 150gr.

I have shot 1 deer with my 357 rifle: a medium sized doe. The load was a 158 Hornady XTP-FP over a max charge of H110. Quartering to front shoulder shot, 75 yards, drt. Found the bullet in the hide on the far side.

This is a low power load, so if the recoil of a 308 or 3030 is tolerable then I would shoot them. The 357 has a lot less recoil and is effective though. I would keep shots under 100 yards preferably under 75 yards with the 357.