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.

John Barnsness (MuleDeer) has a good article on this exact topic in this months campfire newsletter:
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/newsletters/May_2009.html

+1 on 4064!

I'm having some good sucess with some 150 AB's and R-17. I can't remember the numbers but will look them up if interested.

BP...

We use IMR4350 and have for years

Hod 4350 or IMR and Ramshot Hunter are my favorite

In the past I've gotten good accuracy at 3100 fps with 60.5 grains of W760 and 150 Nosler Ballistic Tips out of a 24" barrel. Lately I've toned it down some. The past two years I've been shooting 150 Sierra Pro Hunters with 50 grains of 4064. At 2825fps out of a 22" barrel it's consistently accurate and has very mild recoil. (might be why it's consistently accurate)

Do what RyanTX suggested. It's a must read for anyone who would load the 30.06. My favorite powder for the 150gr bullet? H4350, as much as you can get in the case and still seat a bullet.

H 4350 worked the best in 2 06,s with Nosler E Tips 150 gr. 57 gr was max. in my rifles.

Agree with PaleRider, mathman and a few others that IMR4064 is a very good powder regarding 150's in the .30-06. 52.0gr seems to be juuust about perfect. Haven't shot 150's for some time, been shooting 165's using 60.0gr Hunter in one 30-06, 180's using 57.0gr H-4350 in the other. Lots to choose from. Have fun!

Sidenote here. Been using a load JB has talked about recently, and that is 58.0gr Hunter with 180's in the 30-06. This does work REALLY well!

Work up to 52 grains of RL 15 in a careful manner and they group up tight for me in a Rem 700 at a little over 2800 fps from 22" barrel.

My old Win70 '06 likes 4064 and 4350, but it absolutely loves IMR 4831. 60.5 grains (compressed load) under most any 150 grain bullet shoots bugholes in paper. Never seen a critter that liked that load much though.

Jay

I would be interested to see velocities with the R-17 and '06 150's, as I have that in stock for my 300 wsm. thanks. rbh

Velosities are not barn burners but accuracy is very good.

150 accubond
-010 off lans

56.5 = 2765 fps
57.0 - 2785 ''
57.5 = 2809 ''
58.0 = 2841 ''
Largest 5 shot group was under an inch including a called flier.


BP...

Have found that if a 30-06 does not like 52 gr/4064 and a 150 gr Sierra flatbase bullet, it won't like anything. I have found this on over 30 rifles, mine and others, over more than 35 years.

There are no doubt other great combinations, maybe some better than this, but this is my experience. I've had good luck w/ IMR 4350 w/ 165 Nosler PTs and 180s as well...but if I have to shoot for money w/ a 30-06, it's 4064 and Sierra 150s. I'm not shot with Sierra bullets for shooting game, but they sure shoot.

My M-70 liked IMR-4064,so I tried it in my M-700.Usually one load works equally well in both rifles,not this time. I tried IMR-4350 in the M-700 and got a great load.

So many good powders are available today it would be hard to choose just one to try, but I have always had good results with IMR4350 And RL-19 in the 30-06

52 gr RL 15 has always done very well for me, but if you're doing to go w/ several different bullet weights you couldn't go wrong w/ IMR 4350, as others have said.

H4895!

*this should be a sticky

I've settled on both of the 4350's with H4350 being my favorite. I was able to get 3030fps using H4350 and 150 TSX's out of my JC Higgins '06 with it's 22" barrel. Accuracy was at 5/8" to 3/4". One of the best loads I've ever put together. Brad gave me the info, and it worked.

I'd hunt everything but Brown Bears with that load. Want to use it on a Grizzly one of these days.

As is obvious from the preceeding posts, the '06 does well with many powders. However, R-19 w/150's was a genuine 1 holer with my Tikka.
Good luck.

Ironically, I've got both 4350's, r15,r17, r19, varget, 4064, and H4895 all in stock. The only question now is which one to start with. I'm leaning towards that 52 grain load of 4064. I've got sierra 150 pro hunters to try in my Browning A bolt compostite stalker. (I know....not a real rifle, but it does tend to be a good shooter).

Ive been reloading since 1971 and have reloaded for many 06s My go to load to determine accuracy is a 150 gr bullet , CCI200 primers and 51 or 52 gr of 4064.

A plus with a 4064 load, is that it uses less powder,which was why it was my first choice.