Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles What's the best powder for 30'6 with 150 grain bullets????

I'd like to work up some 150 grain loads with an '06. What is the "best" powder for this combination? Thanks, rbh

'15, 4895, 760, 414, 4350.

4350 is my powder for 150's but damn near everything works.

Your rifle will tell you what "it" likes best, but some of the classic loads for the 30.06 with 150gr bullets are H4350 or IMR4350 with at or near maximum loads (depends on your rifle chamber & barrel and what pressure you see). Another older powder that works great with 150s is IMR4064.
Of the "newer" powders both Varget and RL15 work good with the lighter bullets.
In the 30.06s I shoot currently H4350 is accurate and gets the best velocity, while IMR4350 gets about 50fps less velocity but is more accurate.
Either H4895 or IMR4895 work well also, and if you like ball powder for your powder measure H414 is about perfect.
Steelhead called it right -- The 06 is not picky................
Good Luck,
Ted

Don't know about the "best" powder but H 4350 has worked well with 150-200 gr bullets for me. Right now my Ruger is sighted in with 150 gr E Tip's and 57.5 gr of H 4350. I have more on backorder and will lock in to a good supply when it comes in. Ramshot Big Game didn't do as well for me but would be a top choice to try as well.

Win760/H414 is tough to beat...unless you try N550....grin.

I have used both 4350's with good luck.

There are all kinds of good combinations, but for quick and easy if 52 grains (or maybe a pinch more) of IMR4064 doesn't shoot well it would be a suprise.

I have settled on 52.5 grains of IMR 4064 form my 30/06 loads.

I've shot lots and lots of H414 with 150s. As has been pointed out, it's awfully hard for the 4350s not to be considered.

I also like 4350 and seem to remember that O'Connor used 4320 a lot in his 30/06 loads.

I have used H414 or RL 19.

Never tried 4064, but RL15 has worked decently for me. I love 4350 with about anything, but for my '06 I have to get upward of 59 grains of IMR 4350 to get good accuracy and velocity with 150's. With RL15, 53 grains or even less does the trick.

57.3 gr if IMR4350 with a 150gr Core-Lokt seems to work for me.

I have alway had good luck with one of the 4350's. I did just get back from the range and Rel 17 produced a three shot group that i could almost completely cover with a dime.

To quote Jack O'Conner - "If a 30 06 does not perk with 52 grains of 4064 under a good 150 grain bullet it must be plain stupid". Maybe not quite verbatum, but close!

Keep it coming, after a while I'll come up with a common denominator (as "mathman" would say :))

Old Data but 3031... not only accurate but some pretty quick velocity if you are into that sort of thing...

won't say the velocity cause I don't wanna attract the normal Naythsayer crowd...

4064

Another vote for 4064.

Now several years ago I did do some experimenting with powders to be used in the 30-06 caliber. I am going back to the early 1970's and there have been several newer powders put on the market since those days.

However, out of all the powders I did try, I will list them for you, just so you know and make your decision perhaps on what to use.

3031, 4064, 4895, 4320, shot 3000fps MAX LOAD!

H380, 4831, H450 shot 2900fps MAX LOAD!

Now only the IMR-4350 was able to produce a velocity of 3100fps with a 150 grain bullet MAX LOAD!

I had 2 powders that reached a MAX LOAD! Velocity was 2900fps with a 165 grain bullet. Now both these powders were H450 and IMR-4350 remember to always start low and work your way up the powder scale, keeping a watchful eye for adverse pressure signs etc.