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

Wait until you try the Hornady 180gn BT. It is probably the best I have tried and there have been many, many, .5 MOA 3 shoters over the years. When they perform like that with 5 shots, then you really have something.

JW

My Tikka using 60 gr of H4831sc and 180 partitions is giving me just around and inch - sometimes just under, sometimes just over, and I am clocking just over 2750 out of a 22" tube. Most of the moose I shoot can't tell the difference between a 168 @ 2900 and a 180 @ 2750, though most of them die trying to find out.

Aussie Gun Writer.I have a whole pile of elk and deer antlers and a mess of cow elk teeth ,all taken with an .06 and H4831 with either 180 gr to 220 gr bullets .Elk don't read all that ballistic gack and die when hit with these combinations

I load 55 gr of the IMR version w/ a Hornady RN Interlock for use through my Smith-Corona-built Springfield 03-A3 at a ludicrously slow 2500-something and the buck I shot last fall had nothing bad to say about the combination.

I like what another poster said... "I thought it was a good load, and then the chrono said it sucked..."

Animals falling dead is all that matters. If you like the thought of more speed I certainly can't fault you there, but when you get off the bench and shoot reactive targets out to 300 yards or so its likely that whatever advantage velocity-wise you gain won't be noticed.

Just my $.02...

I am not surprised. Killed a few things myself with some pretty bad cartridges, expecially ones not recommended by others. I find it best to use what you like, pass the info on if someone asks, and not worry too much if they don't listen. All perfectly normal.

JW

The 4831s are great for more over-bore (case powder capacity over bullet diameter) cartridges like the .270 Win. & the .300 Win. Mag. but the 4350s are better in the '06.
You just can't get enough of the 4831s in an '06 case. Rather than compress the crap out of a powder I'll go to a faster powder & the 4350s are as in general faster than the 4831s.

As mentioned above the 4350's work very well with the 180's in the /06. I use a top load of H-4350/Win WLRM (mag)primer under a 180 Accubond in Remington nickeled brass for a chronographed 2735 out of a 22" M700. I use H-4350 for its insensitivity to temp changes. OTH you still can't sneeze at a 180 at 2600 fps.

I get great groups 180gr eTip with 52grs of IMR4350. That doesn't sound like a lot of powder but that bullet has a very long bearing surface and I seat them to 3.255. YMMV

Try 4350. 55 grains should be the sweet spot with a 180-grain bullet. 57 grains is about right for most 165's.


Okie John

I tried some H4831 today under 180 Nosler Partitions in a 24", SS M70. Here are the results:

60.0, 2786, 1.86"
61.0, 2805, 2.58"
62.0, 2848, 1.45"

I got plenty of velocity but not so much on the accuracy. I'll try tweaking around 62.0 a bit to see if I can get it closer to an inch.

I figure the list of what you can't do with that load would be a heckuva lot shorter that what you can do with that load.

I would shoot the next set of loads at 200 yards just for grins. I have often found better accuracy beyond 150 yards, the distance at which parallex is corrected for in many scopes. Beyond seems better than in front of that distance and sometimes bullets have settled down more at 200 and beyond.

This thread is almost a month old..

however I was posting loads on another forum and was getting flamed all over the place by the naythesayer and chicken little crowds...

one guy came on and supported what I had to say...so he got flamed and was asked did he have access to pressure equipment to back up his statement, you can't get enough H 4831 in an 06 case to get into pressure problems...

so he responded, yes I do have access to pressure equipment to back that up and please feel free to call me with any questions..

I noticed it had a 541 area code here in Oregon, so I called the guy up.. Hello Nosler Bullets was what the receptionist answered the phone as...

a few other guys evidently called it up also, as the flaming stopped ASAP.. and it was on page 3 and 4 in about 24 hours..

I've seen 60 grain loads with a 180 grain bullet, listed in the 46,000 CUP range...in several manuals that will actually list pressure...

well I worked it up slowly to 65 grains with a 180 grain bullet...

that was using the SC version.. and also one had to crimp the bullet from the powder slowly pushing the bullet out of the case..

accuracy was excellent in all of my 06s.. as I tested in multiple times in each...case life was just fine.. ran a batch 10 reloads and primer pockets were tight on the 11th reloads..

velocity was impressive also...

if anyone does follow that up tho, work up.. as you know all rifles are an entity unto themselves...

and remember you'll have to crimp it, to keep the bullet in the case...

but as the ballistician at Nosler verified.. I don't think you can get enough H 4831 SC in an 06 case to over pressurize it..

I used to shoot a load with the 180 Hornady and H4831, crimped at the cannelure (Lee FCD). Shot lights out.

H-4831, IMR-4831 and IMR-4350 has always been very reliable for all hunting loads and bullet weights in the 30-06.

For the last twenty years I have loaded H-4831 and then H-4831SC with 60 grains under a Nosler 180 grain Partition bullet. This is with Federal 210 primers and R/P nickel brass. This is for an 03A1 Springfield with the original 24" 4 groove barrel. Chronoed velocity has been consistently from 2680 to 2720 fps, accuracy from 1 1/4 to 1 3/4" five shot groups. This is the only load in this rifle I use for both deer and elk, or any other critter in season I run across.