I have searched but not found alot of data for using RL-7 in a 30 '06 to produce mild deer hunting loads. I would like to use 150 grain Hornaday or Sierra spire points as I have lots of them on hand.
Hoping to find a suitable load for my 12 yo son to practice with and perhaps hunt whitetails within 50 yards or so.
I'm looking to use components I already have on hand, so please limit suggestions to RL-7 and 150 gr jacketed bullets. Thank you.
I have some load test data I'll post when I can later today.
Mark in Ga
All Loads used CCI 200 Primers and Hornady 150 gr Intelock Spire Flatbase loaded to 3.220". Velocities are from a 22" Ruger M77 MK II. Obviously some of these aren't reduced level loads, but you can see what ranges the powders worked over.
For what you are trying to do and using Reloder 7, I would try things around the 32-36 gr charge level and see what your rifle will do.
Caliber Powder Chrg. Avg. Vel. Hi Vel. Low Vel. E. S. S. D. Est. CUP
30-06 Sprg H-4198 32.0 2300 2343 2264 79 27 34,058
30-06 Sprg H-4198 34.0 2432 2443 2409 34 19 37,671
30-06 Sprg H-4198 36.0 2568 2576 2562 14 7 41,524
30-06 Sprg H-4198 38.0 2657 2672 2632 40 22 45,628
30-06 Sprg H-4198 40.0 2755 2762 2741 21 12 50,000
30-06 Sprg RL-7 32.0 2311 2361 2274 87 45 32,570
30-06 Sprg RL-7 34.0 2412 2425 2404 21 11 36,025
30-06 Sprg RL-7 36.0 2535 2573 2492 81 41 39,709
30-06 Sprg RL-7 38.0 2598 2636 2533 103 53 43,634
30-06 Sprg RL-7 40.0 2687 2693 2680 13 9 47,815
30-06 Sprg RL-7 42.0 2871 2916 2825 91 64 52,265
30-06 Sprg RL-7 44.0 2895 2914 2877 37 26 57,000
30-06 Sprg H-4895 40.0 2429 2441 2398 43 24 39,303
30-06 Sprg H-4895 42.0 2544 2553 2496 57 33 41,024
30-06 Sprg H-4895 44.0 2661 2677 2630 47 27 42,723
30-06 Sprg H-4895 46.0 2735 2781 2705 76 40 44,400
30-06 Sprg H-4895 48.0 2889 2935 2827 108 56 46,056
30-06 Sprg H-4895 50.0 2995 3026 2960 66 33 47,691
30-06 Sprg Varget 40.0 2413 2434 2397 37 18 31,602
30-06 Sprg Varget 42.0 2501 2536 2498 38 19 34,510
30-06 Sprg Varget 44.0 2605 2624 2595 29 16 37,601
30-06 Sprg Varget 46.0 2670 2695 2624 71 40 40,883
30-06 Sprg Varget 48.0 2730 2772 2702 70 37 44,368
30-06 Sprg Varget 50.0 2875 2921 2841 80 41 48,067
30-06 Sprg RL-15 40.0 2337 2353 2322 31 16 29,085
30-06 Sprg RL-15 42.0 2453 2466 2440 26 13 32,442
30-06 Sprg RL-15 44.0 2586 2589 2583 6 3 36,105
30-06 Sprg RL-15 46.0 2587 2616 2546 70 35 40,099
30-06 Sprg RL-15 48.0 2678 2720 2619 101 52 44,450
30-06 Sprg RL-15 50.0 2757 2768 2745 23 12 49,188
30-06 Sprg RL-15 52.0 2891 2897 2882 15 8 54,343
Note, the Hodgdon loads are in CUP and the Alliant loads are in PSI.
Excellent. Thank you very much.
Blue Dot is also a good powder for reduced loads. "Seafire" is a member here that has given me some decent data for light loads with 150 grainers for my wife's practice loads. They work well.
My son wanted a 30/06 for his first rifle, even tho I had other lighter calibers for him to pick from.... of course he couldn't shoot 30/06 standard loads...
so for years his rifle has been handloaded with 30 grains of RL 7 and a 150 grain ballistic tip, for 30/30 MVs...I have slowly upped it to 35 grains, which he was toting this season....for an MV in the 2400+ fps range... even tho he is 19 now...
all that is more than adequate at the woods ranges we hunt at near home...
I zero it 3.5 inches high at 100 yds and it is dead on at 200.. which he practices at before season....and produces groups at 200 yds that can go as small as being covered by an old Half dollar or Silver dollar...
For 150 gr. bullets, the 47th Lyman manual shows a starting charge of 32.5 gr and a max of 37 grains of Reloder7. Velocities are listed at 2372 and 2750 respectively. They dropped the data in the 48th.
I split the difference and used 35 with 150 gr Hornady spitzers for my son. Never chronied it but guessed that it should be about the same as the 30-30.
BTW, the next step for us was with 43.0 grs of H335 to duplicate the 300 Savage. He killed a darn nice 10 point with that load.
Dale
My light load is 18.0 grains of SR4759 with a 150 grain Remington PSP for a velocity of about 1600 fps. It makes about 850 ft lbs of energy and the recommended minimum for deer is 800, so shots over 50 yards aren't recommended.
30-35 grains of 4198 is what my son uses in his 30-06 under a 125 CoreLokt.
It kills so well that sometimes I just take it myself.
All Loads used CCI 200 Primers and Hornady 150 gr Intelock Spire Flatbase loaded to 3.220". Velocities are from a 22" Ruger M77 MK II. Obviously some of these aren't reduced level loads, but you can see what ranges the powders worked over.
For what you are trying to do and using Reloder 7, I would try things around the 32-36 gr charge level and see what your rifle will do.
Caliber Powder Chrg. Avg. Vel. Hi Vel. Low Vel. E. S. S. D. Est. CUP
30-06 Sprg H-4198 32.0 2300 2343 2264 79 27 34,058
30-06 Sprg H-4198 34.0 2432 2443 2409 34 19 37,671
30-06 Sprg H-4198 36.0 2568 2576 2562 14 7 41,524
30-06 Sprg H-4198 38.0 2657 2672 2632 40 22 45,628
30-06 Sprg H-4198 40.0 2755 2762 2741 21 12 50,000
30-06 Sprg RL-7 32.0 2311 2361 2274 87 45 32,570
30-06 Sprg RL-7 34.0 2412 2425 2404 21 11 36,025
30-06 Sprg RL-7 36.0 2535 2573 2492 81 41 39,709
30-06 Sprg RL-7 38.0 2598 2636 2533 103 53 43,634
30-06 Sprg RL-7 40.0 2687 2693 2680 13 9 47,815
30-06 Sprg RL-7 42.0 2871 2916 2825 91 64 52,265
30-06 Sprg RL-7 44.0 2895 2914 2877 37 26 57,000
I found 34.8 grains of RL 7 with a Hornaday 150 to be perfect. Low recoil, sub MOA, pleasant to shoot. I used the odd charge weight only because that's what my measure threw.
Thank you.