Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles .30-06, H-4831 and 180 grain bullets

I picked up a Remington 700 .30-06 that I'm trying out with 180 grain Hornady Spire Points and H-4831. I'm using the Hornadys because I think they are excellent bullets and the H-4831 simply because I have lots of it around for use in my .270.

So far, the recommended max load of 60.0 grains has been getting 2540fps from the 700's 20" barrel. Similarly this load developed 2470fps in a 22" Winchester 70.

From what I've been reading, H-4831 is on the slow side for .30-06 applications and this is normal. However, Hodgdon shows this load as developing 44,300 CUP and 2710 fps. Hodgdon has .30-06 data with loads at 50,000 CUP and much of Hodgdon's .270 data is loaded over 51,000 CUP.

I also see references to people loading higher and I've heard you can't use enough H-4831 with a 180 grain bullet in a .30-06 to be a safety problem. Sam Fadala has an article where he speaks well of loads using 62 grains of H-4831.

I'm planning to try a ladder test using 60.0, 60.3, 60.6, 60.9, 61.2, 61.5, 61.8 and 62 grains. Does anyone have any thoughts, feedback or experience to share?

I don't know about those volumes but 59.0 gr of H4831 behind a 180 gr hornady or TSX is the fave load in my wifes " Africa gun"...a Mark X in .30-06
It only clocks at about 2650 IIRC but stuff keeps falling fown dead in front of it....

Ingwe

What barrel length are you working with?

My experience started - before I even had an '06- with this thought: "Run a case through a tub of powder, shake it down enough to get a bullet started, seat the bullet ad hunt. It doesn't get any better than 4831."

I was doing some loading at the time so I "knew" that was unsafe.

When I got an '06 some time later, I discovered that 60.0 grains, as frequently listed, is a perfectly good load and kills big stuff perfectly well.

Then I got a chronograph and discovered I was wrong. It's no good.

Later, (thank that no-good Barsness ), I reconsidered 60.0 as being less than max and tried a bit more. No problemo and works well also.

But there really is nothing so wrong with a 2600 fps load of 180 grains of bullet that a moose or similar can't prove worthy. It's a good, working load.

I think you have got a good idea there. It could never hurt to try. It sounds like you are going to be safe-so go for it. I have noticed that all the new Hodgdon data seems to show lower max powder charges than they did even just a few years ago. Especially with H-4831. I have a Hornady book from 1979 that shows a load for the 264WM that is 11.0 grains less than the current Hodgdon data for H-4831. I could not believe the difference.

However I picked up an extra 100 fps in my 30-06 with Rl22. Do you have any of that laying around. You have to fill the case, but the old girl will take it. Tom.

I have shot that basic load (60 H4831 and a 180) in a lot of .30-06's and the velocity will vary widely with the rifle and bullet.

In one tang-safety Ruger 77 one particular lot of Speer Grand Slams got right around 2800 and well under 1" accuracy for 3 shots at 100 yards. In other rifles with other bullets velocity has been lower and accuracy varies. That's tbe best combination of accuracy and velocity I've seen.

These days I generally load 58 grains of Ramshot Hunter with 180's. Velocity is more consistent from rifle to rifle (2750 in most and 2800 in some) and accuracy more consistent as well.

24" IIRC.....must be a "slow" Bbl....

Ingwe

With my pre 64 .06, 60 gr of H4831 is above max an I get sticky bolt lifts. I find 57 gr is my best accuracy and it does not lack in killing power for sure.
With 165 gr bullets, you can't get enough 4831 in to be a safety problem ,but some 06's you might just have a problem, with 180 gr bullets some won't as always ,work up to it.

I loaded alot of 150 and 165 gr, .06's by just dipping the case efull, tap on a bench and fill it up then seat the bullets. Probably at least 10,00 rounds ,back when 4831 was 42 cents a pound

What's kind of interesting is that Hodgdon's http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp
shows 60.0 grains with a 180 BTSP for 44,000 CUP as max while they show a 190 BTSP with 61.0 grains for 50,000 CUP max.

I may be recalling the wrong "facts" now, but it seemed like 60.0 was about all one could get in the case years ago, well before they dreamed up the short-cut deal.

Well, I'm going to go ahead with my ladder test in the next couple days. I'm sure that 2600 fps would work fine. But I'd appreciate getting over 2700 of possible otherwise I'm going to feel like I'm shooting an inefficient .308 Winchester.

I'd like to try Ramshot Hunter but it's really hard stuff to find in Canada. More likely, I might try H-4350.

Fraser,

I'm certainly not as experienced as everyone here but since I am currently working up the exact same load as you are I'll give my two cents.

I'm currently practicing with my to-be fall hunting load in a 22" marlin xl7 in 30-06 using H4831sc lit with a cci250 and the hornady interlock 180 SP (#3070) seated to 3.22" (seems I have a fairly short throat).

In my rifle I chrony'd 60 grains behind the 180 interlock 3070 and got 2600ish. Then I ran 62 grains and got 2700ish. This is what I am planning to stay with. Just shot a bunch today, still learning the rifle myself.

"I might try H-4350." Yeah, I tend to think I might do better with H4350 as well but I still have 2.5lbs of H4831sc so I'll continue to experiment with this.

One thing I have learned is that, at least the batch I have, a magnum primer is important for consistency. YMMV.

59.0 grains of H4831sc will give 2650-2700 fps in the 24" barrel of my Model 70. If you are interested in picking up a bit more speed, I have found that the 4350s are much better at that than is H4831 with 180s. Just my experience - nothing absolute about it.

IMR 4831 is what I decided was the berries years ago when I thought I needed to make 2700 with 180s in a seemingly slow barreled 30-06 I started with. It's a good load combination, but it does seem to cause a more "active" ignition than does the H version. Perhaps it reflects life changes, but I now find that 60.0 grains or a bit more of H4831 is a perfectly adequate, simple, safe, and effective recipe. (It's one of the memorized loads I use, kind of like the same bullet in the 300 Win with 25% more [75.0 grains] of H4831.) These recipes just seem to work well across a range of rifles.

I think 4350 might be a better choice. However I don't see anything wrong with what you've got going now. Lotsa stuff killed with a 180 going 2500fps.
I'm like one of the other posters. I had a "perfect" load for my '06 using 4350. Accurate!! And it fetched everything I sent it after. This was before every kid on the block had a Chrony so I used it for years before I found out just how pitiful and anemic that load was. After trying to squeeze an extra 100fps out of the rifle with several other powders, I ended up using the original load.
You might want to try another bullet. Seems that each manufacturer has their own idea of how big a .308 bullet should be.

I won't likely get to do my ladder test until Monday or Tuesday when I can shoot longer ranges at my father-in-law's farm. However, I did get to shoot the 60.0 grain H-4831 load again. It was running around 1.25" at 100 yards.

So far this is fine with me since it is the first load I've tried and while the barrel is floated, I haven't bedded the action yet. More results to follow....

My .30/06 likes 60 grains of the 4350's but the majority of others like around 58 grains for 2800fps. Accuracy is always good with many rifles shooting regular 3 shot .5-.7MOA from a cold barrel.

JW

So it took me a while to get at it again but I finally have more information. Through ladder testing on Sunday at 400 yards I came up with the most potentially most accurate load being 61.9 grains. I shot again last night and found this load to be grouping around 1" at 100 yards and velocity was at 2615 fps.

Right now, I would be satisfied except for one thought. While I know there's nothing wrong with with a 180 grain .30 calibre at 2600 fps for most uses I can't help but thinking that burning almost 62 grains of powder to get there makes this a really inefficient .308 Winchester. 1" groups with a .308 are really routine and my last .308 (a 20" barrelled Model Seven) got 2580 fps with a 180 grain bullet.

Anyway, now that I'm done with my little efficiency rant, I'm going to load some 180 grain Partitions and try those before the day is over.

I would not use any 4831 in a .30/06. I never saw it outperform the better balances 4350's. The case simply isn't large enough for the bore diameter in my opinion.

I have read contrary evidence for years but have never been able to achieve it in any .30/06 regardless of bullet weight.

JW

I have spent a lot of time at the range working out loads for my 30-06. With a 180 grn. pill the most accurate, .33100yds has been H-4350 max. book load. Buckfever1

Partitions went 1.25" at 100 yards with a velocity of 2636 fps.