Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 220 Grain .30-06 Loads

I'm going to try out my .30-06s with 220 grain bullets and I would like some advice about what loads have worked well for others. I'm hoping that Phil Shoemaker will offer his two cents worth on this topic. If people don't want to share exact data I'd still be appreciative of hearing about what bullet and powder you used and how it turned out for accuracy and velocity.

I load 58&1/2 gr of H4831 for my Pre-64 Win FWT using Sierra 220 gr RN. Chronied at 2500fps. Work up to it and I take no responsibility for the information. It works in my rifle without excessive pressure signs

Fraser, The only ones i have loaded were for 2 friends, one for a CA hog hunt the other for a WA disabled cow elk hunt, one shot each for success, same year same load batch. The load was Nosler's book max load of RL-22 and the 220 partition semi spitzer, book says 2,602 w/24" bbl. Both guys said the loads kicked too hard for them though, to bad!-Muddy

They do have a little bit more recoil for sure. However if an old fart of 70 who doesn't weigh 150 pounds can still shoot them, others should be able to. I try to shoot only three a year. Two to check the scope and one to kill and elk. So far that has worked for quite a few years.
I don't think at 2500 fps you need partition. If you want a partition, step down to 180 gr and save your shoulder. It will work just as well. I like the 220 because I hunt close in and at 25-50 yards it really smacks those elk, but holds together too. At least the few I have recovered. Most are pass thrus on double lungers.

BTW, for load I listed above,you might have to use a drop tube.

56 grains of RL-22 with the 220-grain Partition. That's one grain below maximum per Nosler's manual and has been accurate in every .30/06 in which I've tried it.

I always thought that if I were to hunt for grizzly and moose with a .30/06, that's the load that I would use.

I'm assuming your rifle is like 98% and has a 1-10" twist. I've had 2 Husqvarna rifles in 30/06 that had 1-12" twists and they weren't fond of the 220gr Partition.

Hard to beat the 200gr Partition in the 06 for a heavy

^64,000 posts, crazy man!

Last fall I worked a load with some 220's that I got in a lot. Recoil to me wasn't bad at all. No problems in the accuracy department.

52gr IMR-4350 with Hornady 220gr RN from my 1-10" Remington 700.

I have loaded more 250s that 220s and I used H4831 for that. Suspect it would be a good powder for the 220s as well. I also think the 200 grain partitions are about as good as it gets for big stuff in a 30-06.

Bullet Load Powder O. A. L. Velocity Energy Comments

220gn Sierra RN
56gn Win 760 2560
57gn Win 760 2605 1.2 MOA
57gn H 4350 2524 .556"
59gn H 4350 2603 Warm
51gn IMR 4350 2393
52gn IMR 4350 2403
52gn Rel 19 2170 .7" Mild

Yah, the rifles that I've run that 220-grain Partition load through are M-70 Winchesters, both pre- and post-64. I think they were all 1-10" twists.

I agree that for a heavy, or for an all-around bullet in the '06, it's tough to beat the 200-grain Partition. It would shoot a little flatter.

Not to hijack the thread, but I'm mostly a deer hunter now and have been running a lot of 165s in my various .30 caliber rifles.

200gn Nosler Partition
57gn H 414 2733 3318 1" Good Load
58gn H 414 2762 Warm 1.5"
58gn H 4350 2556 Mild
59gn H 4350 2651 2"
55gn Rel 17
61gn H 4831 2496 Mild - Compressed Load
62.5gn H 4831 2559 2909 Mild - Powder too slow

220 Hornady RN over somewhere between 51 and 54 grains of IMR4350. Jack O'Connor recommended 51 grains as an accuracy load, I think back in the 50's.

I remembered his comments a few years ago and tried it. Darned if he wasn't right! I went up to 54 grains and while not quite as accurate as the 51 gr. load it was still good enough for hunting purposes.

Jim

Thanks for the tip. Any idea of what kind of velocity it produced? Powder might be hard to get but I actually have IMR4350 on hand.

Sorry I've never chronographed these loads. Reference to loading manuals suggests in the range of 2450 to 2550 fps.

Jim

Looking at some old reloading notes, the load of 56 grains of RL-22 with Nosler's 220-grain Partition in a Winchester case and goosed along with a F-215 primer produced 2,496 fps.

This is from a Pre-64 Model 70 with a 24" factory barrel.

Shot my first big game animal, a bear and a couple months later my first moose with the old 220 gr Silver Tips in a 30-06. Not surprisingly they worked but I did have one come apart on the moose, the second shot that hit the spine. The 220 gr Partition is an excellent bullet, I used them in my old 308 Norma Mag on a black bear and my friend used them in his 300 Win Mag on a couple grizzlies and a mountain goat.

My 700 takes 58 or 59 gr of RE22 and Nosler or Hornady 220s with with inch plus 200 yard groups. Same in an M-70 both 22" barrels.
2600 fps and surprisingly flat trajectories.

I found that 57-57.5 grs. of H4831SC works well in my custom mauser with either the Hornady or the Nosler Partition 220's.
The 200 gr. Nosler Partition clocked 2672 fps. with 59 grs. of the same powder. It shot just as flat as the factory 180 grs. loads but did kick noticably harder. 24 inch barrel and 1-1.2 MOA accuracy for all loads. E

A 30-06 with 220grs @ 2450fps is all a person needs for the largest brown bear in Alaska. IMHO opinion it it equal to the 338 with 250gr bullets, maybe because of the length of the 220 bullet, or people just seem to shoot the Ole 06 with out thinking of magnumitis and the kick that comes with it. For brown bear guiding I do like the big mags!

I can tell you from personal experience that a 220 Partition at 2500 out of an '06 does a very quick job on one-ton-plus Woods Bison.

Ted