Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Still playing around with 30-06 loads....

I use 59 grains of IMR 4350 with 150 Ballistic tips in my Remington 700. I hunt deer and pigs. It does great on them. Never tried heavier bullets.

Yep. I hear you. Don't recall the exact dimension, but the OAL would LONG to reach the land with 165's. I though it odd that it shot best at a realitvley short 3.285" OAL as comparted to 3.300 or 3.330" that I loaded.

With 180's I should be able to check a longer OAL and still have some more bullet left in the neck. I'll be trying that.

Thanks.

Classic load, I did the same for years, but did it with Sierras and Hornady flat based bullets. I also found 58gr IMR4350/165 anything shot in every '06 I ever tried it in, same with your load. Watch out for redbugs!

Jim, did you find flat based to be more accurate than tails with those loads?

Got some loads loaded for tomorrow. Loads for RL16, Hunter, RL17, and Big Game. All with 150gr Accubonds. Also have some I loaded about 2 weeks ago
in 165gr and 180gr. Mostly with Norma MRP and RL26.

GunTruck50: I wish you well for tomorrow. Let me know how it works out.

I loaded up 5 shots of each various combinations of OAL and powder weight. I found one combo that is particularly interesting: 46gr of H4895 under a Sierra 180 flat based spitzer with COAL of 3.330". 2nd shot was 1" from the first but shots 3, 4, and 5 just opened up the 2nd hole to about 40 caliber! Got to load 10 more with that combo and try it again next week. Maybe that first shot was a flukey flier and my rifle just LOVES 46gr of H4895 and 180 grainers. Here's hoping.

No surprise, but my shoulder is a tad sore this morning. 30 rounds of heavy -06 tenderizes the meat on both ends! I was also shooting my Accura V2 while the -06 cooled downed between grous. That didn't help.

The first shot may have been because of a clean cold barrel.
Since 1988, I have used 180 grain Nosler Solid Base pushed with 44 grains of H-4895 after reading of Wendell Swank. He collected game specimens in East Africa using his '06 with 48 grains of 4895 and 150 Sierra spitzers for the smaller animals and 44grs.4895 and 180 Sierra spitzers. His bag included kob, wart hogs, hartebeest. lion, buffalo, and hippo. So I figured it would work as well here in N. America and it has.

Could be. The was clean and ambient (90F). Next out, I'll have cleaned, fired 5 shots, and let it cool for 1/2 hour.

Thanks Joe.

Wowzer! I was using 57 grains of IMR-4350 and getting some really flat primers and did (upon close inspection) have one case crack. Not sure how your getting away with 59 grains. Bet that bullet is smoking down range!

In a 30-06 with a 150 I can tell you with a high degree of certainly that 57 grains of 4350 isn't going to crack brass in good condition.

Where was the crack, and how was it oriented?

How many firings on the case?

How are you sizing the brass?

59 grains of IMR 4350 is a plenty stout load, brass fatigue and failure wouldn't surprise me though I wouldn't be all that concerned about one case. I load 56 grains of IMR 4350 and get acceptable accuracy and feel no need to load any heavier.

I've shot 59grs with 150's for years and never had any issues.

Just goes to validate the fact that nearly every rifle is different as to what show pressure and what shoots just fine.

In my Sako Finnlight 30-06, 22.441"/570mm barrel, 54.3gr of H414 , CCI-250 primer , Lapua brass and a 200gr Accubond at factory COL easily hits milk jugs a 540 yards. This combo runs 2690 ft/s with an ES of 10ish ft/s.

+1, Not real fast but very accurate.

Circumferential about 3/8" from the base. Crack is 1/4 of the circumference.

3.

Sunday didn,t work out well with the 30/06. Magnetospeed keep sliding around and I got error messages. I was also shooting a Sako A7 in 270 wincheste,
no problem with the Magnetospeed on that fluted barrel. Did 2 loads with 3 shoot averages. first was 59.0gr of RL16, 150gr Accubonds WLR primer Win case.
3.250 OAL. I had worked up to this load earlier. Average was 3046fps SD 6.4. Yeaterday I reduced the load to 58.5gr and will try on Saturday. Along with my
270 win load. Other load was 57gr of RL16 R/P cases 165gr Accubonds CCI250 primers, 3.260 OAL. 3 shot average was 2976fps and SD of 18.6. Tried to get
a Ramshot hunter load but I lost the Data when I hit the wrong button on the Magnetospeed.

To me that reads like a head separation caused by thinning of the brass, not by pressure in a typical 30-06 load. How are you sizing the brass? If full length are you adjusting the die to suit the chamber, or are you following the generic instructions in the die box?

I think it's resizing also. When I first stated reloading I had this problem with 22-250 and 300 win mag. Backed off the die and problem disappeard. Ed k

I also notice he got "really flat primers" with what should be a relatively modest charge. Could that be the excess headspace, low pressure --> primers back out a bit and get flattened back in phenomenon?