Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 30-06 200gr load

Wonder how H-1000 would work with 200 and or 220 grain bullets in the 30-06

There's not room enough in the case to match velocities with slightly faster-burning powders. Hodgdon's data does list loads with H1000 and 200s and 220s for the .30-06, but the top velocities with 200s are in the 2500 fps--at around 42,000 CUP, because no more powder would fit. Even 220s only get the old factory-load velocity of 2400.

Still struggling -

I know this is worthless without pics or velocity but here we go...

I had zero luck with the RL26 at various charges and seating depths. It just won't go in my rifle.

Switched to H4831SC. Shooting three shot groups looking for the best group or a couple of groups that are close to each other in size. While shooting I look for any pressure signs - bolt lift, primers, brass flow into the ejector. Then, I will load at that charge and put the magneto speed on.

Starting at 58.2 I worked up in .2 increments to Hodgdon Max of 59 (for the Accubond). Starting charge was about 1.5" and the next two groups open up to 2" plus. The 58.8 was back down to 1.5".

The 59.0 group was .75 inches - I've done it!
Ahh, but wait. The second shot ejected a split case. Zero pressure signs on the 1st and final shot. The head of the case was fine on all three cases.

New Sig brass run over a mandrel, 59.0 H4831sc, Rem 9-1/2 primers, 200 partition seated off the lands.

Now what?
Load more at 59.0 and shoot with the chronograph to verify velocity/pressure?
Maybe the case was split and I just didn't notice?
Bad case from the factory?
??

A "split case" means little, especially if you mean a split neck. That happens with brass fired more than about 3 times, due to the brass getting brittle--or case-necks the factory somehow failed to anneal after forming, which is necessary due to work-hardening of the necks during forming

That can happen. One example I've mentioned several times is the batch of 7mm Remington Magnum cases Charlie Sisk bought several years ago. He was getting lousy accuracy from the rifle he'd just built, so called me. Eventually I suggested he might try annealing the cases. He'd never annealed any brass, so I told him the "candle method." He tried it, and the rifle then shot half-inch groups.

Split necks have nothing to do with pressure.

Split from below shoulder to above the web.

I’ll load the rest up, get velocity and drops.

Thanks!

In my limited experience case splits are usually related to defects in the brass. As pointed out above case neck splits seem to be caused to lack of annealing or else heavily used brass.

Jim

Buy Lapua brass and revisit RL26

This is all very interesting to me. I've always used 180s as my general-purpose load and 220s when I wanted to use an '06 around brown bears. It looks like the 200 could be a good dual-purpose option. As of late, I've begun using RE26 with 150s in the .270, which suddenly leaves me with plenty of unemployed H4831. Does anyone have any experience with the differences in penetration between the 200 and 220 grain partitions?

I used Remington brass for years (54gr IMR 4350/200SBT) and Winchester brass ( 60gr R22/200 NP) BR2 primers. I have had "1X fired Federal brass (7mm Rem Mag) split like you describe "in the ammo box" from compressed loads! I hate it!

I have only had one 200-grain Nosler Partition stay inside an animal--a rear-angling shot on a bull elk at close to 400 yards, taken with a .300 Weatherby and the 200 at around 3000 fps. It ended up inside the chest somewhere, but never found it. Have also shot lengthwise through a big mule deer buck with a 200 from a .30-06, and that bullet exited the buck's rear end. Another example was 6x6 bull elk about 75 yards away in thick cover, quartering toward me. Put a 200 from a .300 Winchester Magnum into the near shoulder, and it broke the big joint and exited the rear of the ribcage on the opposite side.

Obviously have used the 200 in various cartridges, but more in the .30-06 than any other, and never recovered any of those.

That said, the 220s will penetrate a little deeper. In fact, during a bullet-penetration test Phil Shoemaker did a few years ago, the 220 Partition penetrated deeper than any other bullet tried. Can't remember the others, but Phil probably can.

The 300 gr .375 Partition was one of them !
Not by a wide margin, but definitely deeper.

Which is one reason I have held off on having my Browning 1895 30-06 rebored to anything larger.

Anyone ever use the Speer 200gr 30cal?

https://www.speer.com/bullets/rifle_bullets/hot-cor_rifle_bullet/19-2211.html

I've used a few Speers over the yrs, but never these. Thoughts?

They might work pretty well, especially at typical 2650-2700 fps muzzle velocities.

A long time ago I was using the 165 Hot-Cor in a Remington 760 .30-06 for whitetail hunting, loaded to around 2800 fps. Killed an angling away, running buck at around 100 yards. The bullet entered the rear of the ribcage on the left side, and ended up in the right shoulder--retaining 85% of its original weight.

I have a full box of 50 that i got at a gun show about ten years ago. Haven't loaded any yet but I have a brand new Howa 30-06 that is going to get some soon. Sectioned one and the jacket is way thicker than the 180 hot-cor.

How far did you section one? Many bullets look like they have a heavier jacket if not sectioned halfway....

I usually try to get to the center. I am away from home but will check when I get home.

I have used the 200 Speer In my 30-06. Good results in big Kansas whitetail bucks. I like two holes and the cardiovascular system shut down in between. They did that well.
The 200 Speer in the 8x57 is also a dandy. I would pull the 198 grain fmj from Portuguese machine gun ammo and stuff a 200 Speer in its place. Full pressure loads those. Killed big NY bucks well.

I keep thinking of having my sporterized Model of 1917 30-06 re-bored to 9.3x62... But I've got several boxes of 200 & 220 grain .30 cal Nosler Partitions on hand as well as a few boxes of 165/168 grain monometal bullets from Barnes, Nosler and Hornady on hand...

Not sure the 9.3 would give me much more on game than a 30-06 can do with heavy premium bullets.

Regards, Guy

My general experience with the 9.3x62 is the added bullet weight and diameter does result in quicker kills, on average, than the .30-06 with heavier bullets. In fact haven't been able to tell any difference between the 9.3x62 and .375 H&H.

But have also noticed less difference in "killing power" with widely varying big game cartridges the longer I hunt. Suspect it would take more than one typical "plains game" safari to see any difference between 200-220 grain bullets from the .30-06 and 250-286s in the 9.3x62--or the .375 H&H.

I loaded some up a few years back in a 20” barreled 30-06. I can’t remember exact velocity but I think it was around 2450. I shot 1 whitetail doe and 2 cow elk. All 3 were shot in the ribs/ lungs.
The doe was around 200 yds and didn’t seem to react to the shot. She made it over 100 yds angled up hill.
Both cow elk were shot 50-75 yds. No reactions that I could see. One of them went back into the herd so I couldn’t make a follow up shot. It had to of been a minute and a half to 2 minutes later she fell over.
The other one about the same, except I missed a follow up shot. I was actually looking down at my rifle wondering if I had missed twice. A few seconds later she tipped over.
Didn’t seem to be a whole lot of internal damage.
I’ve since switched to Partitions. Only killed one cow elk so far. Didn’t knock her over but her body definitely reacted at the shot. She made a short death run.