Interested in different powders, velocity and especially accruacy. Don't need to push the envelope on pressure just a good load in the 2750 to 2800 fps range. This bullet seems to be represented in manuals at a large varience in powder used. In fact Sierra says max. in a 30-06 is 54.5 grns. of H-4350 2 grains less than IMR-4350. Others have loads in the 57-58grn range. Just a bit confused by the wide range of listed loads.
Thanks buckfever1

57grs of W760 works wonders for me.

Try 56 grs of IMR 4350.

My standard load for that bullet is 58.5-58.8grs of IMR-4350 with a WLR or Fed210M primer. I start 10 thousants off the lands. Very accurate in at least 10 different 30/06s I have loaded in the past few years. Velocity varies from rifle to rifle but on average about 2830fps.Rick.

I have a 30=06 so I've spent a lot of time looking at data for the best load with 165 gr bullet. There are many good powders that work well in the 06. At the top of the list is either H 4350 or IMR 4350. Look at the sticky at the top of this page or in the gunwriter section for JB's getting the most out of your 30-06.


What your seeing in different powder charges is where the best accuracy is found in different testing/rifles. A classic load for the 06 and a 165 gr bullet is in the 57 to 58 grain range with either 4350. Others may find better accuracy at higher or lower powder charges. H 4350 has been ever so slightly reformulated in the last couple of years to closley match IMR 4350 grain for grain. This is per JB and Hodgon's info.


In my 30-06, 57.5 grains of IMR 4350 with a 165 gr Hornady btsp is what works best. What steelhead is recommending is another great powder that works well for a lot of folks.


On Hodgon's website they list 59 grains H 4350 as max with a 165 gr Sierra btsp at 2938 fps 49,400 cup. That's not a hot high pressure load. The starting load is 53 grains. I don't have the Sierra manual and I may be wrong about this but the 54.5 H 4350 as max sounds low.


There's nothing wrong with being conservative about loads and as always, work up loads to see what works best for you in your rifle.


fish head

I'm with Steelhead on this. Loads of 55-57 gr. W760/H414 are the berries for me. Excellent accuracy.

165/168 in 30-06, 4064. 3-way marriage made in Heaven.

I used to be a 4064 fan, but I've taken a liking to my powder measure instead.

Plenty of good loads listed, the Sierra HPBT has been one of my favs about since it came out.

Dober

59grs of H4350 is gonna be a tight fit. And I'm wondering if they're quoting data for the older version of H4350.
I run 57gr of I4350 for 2800fps and FWIW, the Lyman 48th shows a max of I4350 as 57grs at 56.6K pressure and 2800+fps. They also show it compressed. IIRC, (it's been a while since I had to load for a '06) even with 1X cases, the powder was into the neck. So, 59grs and 2900+fps sounds like a bit much. YMMV

I've pretty much found that if your gun doesn't like the 165 hpbt bullet in any 30 cal with popular powders there maybe NO BULLET your gun will come to like. It shoots great in anything I put it in.

165 Sierra GK / N 160 / 60.5 (HPBT interchangeable with GK 165 BTSP. Same P.O.I., same accuracy)

I shot the Sierra 165 before I discovered the 165 ballistic tip. Both bullets shot quite accurately over 60.0 gr H4831 with a CCI 250 primer in military brass. Muzzle velocity would be right in the range you suggested.

When I wanted to knock over a ground squirrel at 250 yds or cut the head off of a grouse at 80 yds, this was the load I could depend on to get the job done.

At the end of a long day shooting whistle pigs, we would line up a big line of empty soda cans along the side of a ridge, then we would hop in the truck and drive over to the adjoining ridge where we would shoot the pop cans.

First guy to miss had to pay for all three at the bar that evening.

Range was 300 yds plus, position was down in the dirt. I always grabbed that old Win 670 and my 165 gr loads. And I never did have to pay for beer.

58 gr RL-19 does very nicely out of my rifle.

If you go the H4350 route, use a drop tube like the one from Midway. You can also settle in the powder by giving the case some gentle taps after charging the case.

WW760 is a great powder, produces great velocities too. Only issue is its temp sensitive if that matters to you. Use a magnum primer.

RL22 and RL19 are worth trying, some '06s do really well with these two powders.

MtnHtr

A strong dose of IMR 4895 under a 165 HPBT is it. It's my favorite powder for 30-06..270..308. Less powder and same FPS with less powder.

You can use alot less powder and get almost the same FPS with heavy boolits.

With the lighter boolits, you'll get more FPS with less powder.

It works.

My abaoluste favorite 30-06 load, and one with which I've killed a lot of game is 57.5 gr/IMR 4350/165 gr NPT (or other good 165 - the NPT has always worked well from coyotes to elk).

...oh, and that is "absolute" vice the jibberish that my fingers found!

Plus ONE...

I use 50 grains of IMR 4064 for the 2800 fps...

52.5 grains if I pump it up to 2900 fps..

darn good bullet....

57.0 H-4350 or 60.0 Hunter has worked very well. FPS is right where you want to be[2775-2850], depending on powder used. Tom

Sounds like some choose not to use a good propellant because it "cuts" in a charge thrower due to the length of the kernels. Never has been a problem as I'm still strong enough to get the cutting done and the charge weight doesn't change because the kernels that get snipped are the last one or two kernels through the window. I use an old RCBS Uniflow. Long kernel powders, as in 4064, will easily stay within 1 or 2 tenths of a grain from charge to charge.
Kind of a crude old machine. Some of the high $$$ charge throwers of today are no doubt better.

My go-to '06 load is currently 57.0 H4350 under a 165 Hornady SST. Accurate and deadly.

Some who choose not to use said propellant have done tests weighing long strings of thrown charges from RCBS and Redding measures. These tests showed 4064 will on occasion throw a charge a good bit more then one or two tenths off. Furthermore the "off throw" was not necessarily detectable during the throw by feel of the measure handle.

If you want a scary accurate load that won't rattle your eyeteeth when fired in a light rifle, try 40 gr. of 4064 behind the Sierra 165 BTHP for 2400fps on the nose. It makes shooting my 7lb. Mauser sporter actually fun instead of a teeth gritting experience. Performance in the field is more than adequate too. It is in fact the only .30/06 load I've hunted with for 12 years now. I can't honestly see any difference in "killing power" from the 2800fps loads I had been using since the late 70's, with that bullet.

I stumbled onto this load when looking for something to lessen the pain in my arthritic shoulder generated by the full house stuff I was shooting. Now it's all I shoot (in the '06).

Just because one gun shoots a particular bullet and/or powder well does not mean another will, but its a start in the right direction..

The 06 shoots a bunch of powders and bullets well, one of the reasons its so popular, that and it kills most things very well.

mathman, Any math to throw in along with those "tests weighing long strings"? Does the "off throw" weigh more than or less than the intended charge? And how many tenths were they off? Seems you may have some hard data to share. Thanks.

I dug around in my "filing system" and found the stats for a couple of twenty throw strings with the Redding BR-30.

The extreme spread of the 4064 string was 0.6 grains, compared to 0.3 for 4895.

For the 4895 string the charges not right at the average were distributed pretty evenly above and below.

For the 4064 string most of the throws were just below the average with a few high ones that contributed to the higher ES.

Just fooling around with different powders in the shop I've found the throw strings of 4064 to be more ragged than those from 4895, RL15 and Varget. The 4064 generally shows an OK string overall, but marred by the occasional 0.4 or 0.5 grain hot throw.

Edit: These were in typical 308 size charges.