Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Favorite 30-06 loads

What are your favorite loads for 30-06 with 150-165g bullets.

I found one of Mule Deer's magazine articles on line, which if I recall properly (i've read a couple of different ones this week) he seems to like, 4350, Big Game, & 4451.

The Garand guys seem to like Varget, 4064 and some 4895.

One author likes full to compressed loads of slower powders for 170g+. 4831, R22, MPR etc.

Nice to read that the '06 doesn't seem too picky.

I'll dig through my book and send you a text. Most of mine are 180s, but I do have a few for the 165s

46 pages of good '06 loads in the reloading forum:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/3216390/good-30-06-loads#Post3216390

Alas, predominanatly posted by non-Gunwriters . . .

150 grain TTSX and either 60 grains H-414 or 62 grains superformance.

For 150's, 165/168's & 180's, it's hard to beat H-4350 if you have it or can get it; 4451 is a close dupe.

Big Game is unobtainium for me.

For 200's, switch to H-4831, 7828 or RL-22.

MM

Jeff:

I looked back on my notes from a number of years ago where I tested a number of powders and compared velocities and pressures to factory loads. All of the loads were with 165 gr bullets (the handloads were all with 165 Partitions). These were not accuracy tested, just pressures and velocities and were shot in a Remington Ti. All of these were within 1,000 psi of the highest of the four factory loads tested (50,000 psi), in this rifle.

H4350 60gr 2878 fps
I4064 54 2919
Hyb 100V 60 2866
N204 60 2801
VV550 58 2925
Big game 58 2843
Hunter 61 2890
R17 60 2854
R19 63 2789
R22 64 2821

I'm not a Gunwriter but my '06's like 57.5 grains of IMR4350 with a Hornady 165 grain SP. This worked well with a 165 Nosler BT too. The deer, on the other hand, aren't too fond of that combo.

My Remington '06 likes 52.5gr of IMR4064 with a 165 grain bullet. It does not like any flavor of 4350. I need to shoot my pre64 M70 in '06 to see what it likes.

People usually don't think about light bullets in the '06.

If a bullet will blow thru a WT and if WT's are what you're hunting, there are advantages to using 125 gr. and 130 gr. bullets.

I started with those when I built an HVA, which is a very light weight gun. I didn't want to be belted by heavier bullets.

I've been so impressed with light bullets hitting a deer at 3,100 fps that I haven't shot heavies in that rifle.

BG is a fav for those loads. Loaded some 125 NAB's for my hunting bud. He's a fan.

Rifle and target. Ralph Council's 130 gr. is a BR bullet, but this gun shoots 125 gr. and 130 gr. hunting bullets almost as well.

DF

125g Accubonds will surely impress you, and there are a number of powders that do very well. I shot some very big bucks with Sierra 125g spt and 125g Nosler ballistic tip also, velocity is 3100+. I also killed a dozen or more deer with the Sierra 135g single shot pistol bullet at 3200 fps, very accurate...too bad they discontinued the bullet. I was shooting some flavor of a Remington Rifle at all times.

I have never used anything other than IMR 4350 in the 30-06. Always used used max loads out of the Hornady Manual. Had excelent results on paper and critters with Hornady Interlocks and Nosler Ballistic Tips. The Hornady 165 spire point flat base was an awesome killer that exited on deer for a good blood trail if needed.

I always use IMR4895 for the Garand and 4350 for everything else. I was gifted 2 lbs of H380 and heard it did good with a 150 gr. in the 30/06. Anyone use it?

Speaking of 135's, here's an interesting option. Expensive, but they work. .308, not '06 but they'll work as well in the bigger case.

Here's the link. I wrote a review. https://cuttingedgebullets.com/308-135gr-er-extended-range-raptor

DF

It's the cat's meow in the .338-06, haven't tried it in the '06.

DF

My pet 30-06 load it the 165 gr. Nosler Accubond over 56.0 gr. W760, Winchester brass and WLR primer. Velocity runs 2880 GFPS on average from the 24" barrel with usually sub-MOA accuracy. It did a very nice job on a large cow elk a couple of years back that ran maybe 30 yards before expiring.
Paul B.

As we know, I'm a fan of H414/W760.

Story on my life! I designed a 8mm Mag wildcat specifically to shoot 220 Rem CoreLokts back when they were considered premium. Remington will never stop making them, right? Riiight!

Absolutely love 256g RWS H-Mantel in the 9.3 x 62. They are sort of turbo Partitions. Discontiniued. Oh well, leads to more experimentation.

59 grains of IMR 4350 with a 150 Nosler bullet. I use Ballistic tips. They kill the deer and pigs I hunt as well as the partitions I used for years. Accubonds would be outstanding also.

Thx!
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Unobtanium here too!

The bigger the better