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

Hatari there is a reason garand shooters like those powders. the op rod. 4895 and varget and n-140. for my bolts any number of powder and bullets . they all like lapua brass

Got it! Gas pressure curve.

I have a couple of favorites, 46 grains of H-4895 or 49 grains of IMR-4320 with 150 grain bullets. With 180 grain bullets I use 60 grains of Accurate MR-3100 or 55 grains of H-414. I had an excellent load with 180s and 55 grains of RL-21 and killed coyotes to elk with it. Only have enough of it left for maybe a box.

Out of a Rem 700 with a 24 inch barrel I get about 2900 fps with 165 grain Accubonds and 57.5 grains of H4350. With a 168 grain TTSX I use 56.5 grains of H4350 for a bit under 2900 fps. The 168 TTSX is my elk load.

Max book load of 4064 with 150gr Interlocks is the most accurate load I have found. I've had good luck with a fairly stout book load of H4350 with 180's.

For many years I used two loads in the .30-06, 58.5 grains of IMR4350 with 165-grain bullets, and 59-60 grains of the original mil-surp H4831 with 200s. In the .30-06 I had when starting to use those loads, a tang-safety Ruger 77, both shot to the same POI so could be used interchangeably.

More recently have used various other handloads in my New Ultra Light Arms Model 24:

150 Nosler AccuBond with 60.0 grains of Ramshot Big Game, for 3000 fps.

168-grain Berger Hunting VLD with 58 grains of H4350 for around 2850.

175-grain Barnes LRX with 56.0 IMR4451 for around 2800. (Just used this in the field last week to take a mule deer doe at 327 yards.

185-grain Berger Hunting VLD with 58.0 grains Ramshot Hunter for around 2800.

200-grain Nosler Partition with 59.0 H4831SC for around 2675.

All of them group three shots at 100 yards into .5 or a little more. The biggest diffference in POI is around .7 inch in elevation at 100, between the 150- and 200-grain loads--with the 200 landing higher.

They have all killed some sort of big game very well, despite the disparity in bullet construction.

It may seem odd but im excited to use a 30-06 as ive only had limited time with it as a youngster, and it worked then. Back then i didnt appreciate it but now im a bit older and appreciate it and like that its common and has a vast amount of data for it.

I could have a wrong approach but i like heavy for caliber bullets. A 200gr load holds lots of interest for me.

I suppose that depends on what you want to whack with it.

58 grains of H4350 with a 165 Ballistic Tip is very accurate in my Rem 700.

I've used a few different loads over the years-
165 gr Hornady BTSP, ?? gr IMR 4831
165 partition, 57.0 gr IMR 4350
150 accubond, 59.0 gr IMR 4350

My new current favorites are-
165 partition, 57.0 gr RL16
165 Hornady BTSP, 57.5 gr RL16

Several on my '06 rifles have shot their best groups ever with the RL 16 loads. There might be an effect of the copper remover?

46gr H4895 F210 150gr NPT has shot well in at least four ‘06s, one a pump.

56.5gr I4350 WLR 165gr SGK HP works well too, just keep ‘em away from the eating meat.

Both are well under max, so there’s room for more powder or substituting, but no need as far as killing power goes, just bigger holes in the air on the far side and more unintended “aspic”.

My sons shoot 150 Rem Corelokt over H4895
I shoot a 165 grain Hornady SP over H4895

Both loads are off MAX (47 grains under both if I remember). It makes for a very accurate load that knocks whitetail deer down.

Running H4350, Norma brass, Federal 210M primers and 168 grain Barnes TTSX at around 2,832 fps mv out of a 21.5" barreled Husqvarna 1640 light. My old pre-64 Featherweight Mod. 70 in 30-06 is using close to same load with the Barnes 175 grain LRX bullet. I may try Big Game, StaBall 6.5 and IMR4551 with the 175 grain LRX this winter.

The great 30-06, so many good bullets and loading components are available there is something for every one.

I use to reload for my 30/06-----56 grains of IMR 4350 & a 180 grain Hornady interlock. Very accurate & killed everything I shot at. But to be honest the Winchester factory loads at Walmart also kill everything I shoot at. Granted there not as accurate but at $10 a box after the rebate----It's hard to justify the work in reloading. IMO

My favourite load in the .30/06 for pigs, goats and fallow deer is a 150 gn Winchester Power Point loaded over Varget. I get accuracy well under 1 moa in my Browning, and have a record of literal truckloads of one-shot kills with it. One weekend for example I killed 21 good pigs in a row, many of them running, all dropped with a single bullet each. I killed a big red stag with this load too, again dropped from the gallop with a single bullet through scapula and spine, but I suspect that this size of animal is rather testing the limits of such a bullet. On fallow and goats and such though, it typically causes massive destruction inside the ribcage and kills very effectively.

The 150 gn CorLokt (at least the older variety) and a locally-made 150 gn Taipan HP also have done a sterling job for me. I've tried various others from 125 to 220 gn. For bigger stuff I like the 185 Lapua Mega.

I've had excellent results on whitetails with Sierra Game King 165gr. over IMR 4350, accurate and outstanding killing power.

It's strange but my Vanguard 2 won't go for 59 grains of IMR 4350. Go over 56 and the bolt lift gets tight. That's with 150 or 165 SST and 155 Scenar. I do most of my hunting now with 180 SST or 180 Speer Hot-Cor loading with 58.5 grains H4831. Kind of slow, but works out to over 300 yards.

I use 57 grs of H4350 with the 168 gr TSX and CCI 200's.