It seems cartridges such as the 257 Roberts, 260, 6.5 Creed, Swede, and 7mm-08 are becoming more popular, maybe even stealing some of the thunder ot the perennial favorites like the 270, 308, 30-06, and 7 Mag.

While I undestand that the larger, older standbys are just not required for the smaller big game most of us are hunting, I keep mine for the just in case versatility. I dont need a 30-06 for deer, but would love to hunt elk one day and its very good at anchoring black bear in thick stuff etc.

So my question is, why dont we download more often? If the owner of a 270 wants a smaller deer cartridge like the swede, why not load a 130 at 2700-2800 fps, or a 30-06 150 2700 fps? It seems the versatility in handloading has taken a back seat to all out perfromance seeking. Anyone else feel this way or am I being frugal? Anybody else running an old standby at mild levels?

Yeah, I did exactly that with my 06 for a number of years while hunting. I shot 150's at 2600fps from it for deer and loaded some 170's to about 2K for turkey hunting.

I eventually got a little older, less poorer and bought more rifles and played with more stuff. I'd happily go back to about 3 good rifles.

My '06 load for deer is the starting load for H4885 from the Hodgdon manual, but with a Partition. At 2800fps or so, it's not really what I'd call reduced.

Such loads are eaier on brass and barrels, and on meat up close. If I hunted where long shots were common, I'd crank things up for the flatter trajectory.

Almost sounds like a Barnes TSX commercial. "Drop two sizes in weight" for more versatility, less recoil, flatter trajectory, yet big load kill power. Doing that now, from my old 06 180pt load, to a 150tsx load.

I still think of downloading, however, as a plink load using pistol bullets.

Glad Im not the only one. You hear in the 30 cal realm how good the 300 sav, 308, 30-06, etc is on x game. If you own any 30 cal from 308 to a magnum, you can always drop it a down a peg with a slightly reduced charge and a proper lighter bullet.

Really Im just justiying to myself why I shouldnt get a 257 Roberts or Creedmore I made a committment to own less and do more hunts. Hope to go do a muley hunt in 2018.

So looking back was it worth it experimenting with other stuff? I have played around some and its been fun, but in all honesty was really like walking in circles.

When the Remington 660s were in the Remington catalogs I loved the look of the stocks on the magnums. I bought a 660 350 mag and load it down to 35 Rem with 200gr FTX bullets. It's very accurate and hardly any recoil.

Look at loads using H4895 for almost 60% on up with no worries of spikes

Saying that pork chops are the best is a tough sell if you ain't ate beef, chicken or fish.

You don't know till you know. Still, I haven't fired a 30/06 in anger in a dozen years. It's just too much for 99% of my hunting.

The topic usually results in the "unplugging wires" drama, but have never understood why more fellas don't.

Viva La 30-06....

I think a good majority of the older generation recognizes that 100 fps means nothing in on game performance. No reason to push the limit. Ive found accuracy more often than not at moderate loads. If one wants more speed its easier and smarter to choose a bigger engine than to push pressure extremes.




Trystan

ive even "downloaded" the 243 with H4895. 100 g boolet at 2700-2800 fps mows down whitetails just fine. typically load the 308 to 300 savage levels. either way, accuracy is usually BETTER, for whatever reason.

Most of my hunting loads are 'downloads"...

I hunt at what I call 30/30 ranges...
so almost regardless of caliber ( exceptin' magnums), I usually load them anywhere from 30/30 MVs to 300 Savage MV...

2200 fps to 2600 fps...

why do I need a 500 yd elk load to take down a 100 blacktail at 100 yds or less?

I've just gone thru a "sell everything and start over" mulligan...for too many reasns to go into here.

So, in the makeover I've decided to limit the number of calibers to 2 mebbe 3...and right now I'm at 3 in 4 shooters with too much overlap if ths was a strictly "pure" effort. All 4 for my new or new to me shooters could be construed as too much of a good thing in too narrow a selection in a 260, 7x57 and a pair of 270's in 2 distinct applications as one of them is a less expensive NIB Marlin SS XL7 270 to use as the proverbial brush/truck/loaner and a BACO M70 blue Ult' Shadow in a 24" barrel that is in the process of getting to wear a BACO takeoff wood Sporter stock.

To come full circle to this thread's subject...my Plan is exactly what is being discussed here, in using the "short" SS 270 as a woods/swamp gun at whatever "mild" MV's that is accurate out to not more than 200 yards in 150gr'ers with 25-75 yard shots way more common...and crank the heck out of the BACO CRF 24" 270 in whatever bullet works best for hunting at West Texas distances....as I'll never go to the Rockies again.

The variant to this threads soft load ?? for me is ...what do I do with the 1982 "collector" 7x57 Fwt XTR Vs's the T3 HUnter Grade 260 which both fulfill the softer recoil issue I need to begin addressing sooner than later ...

My inclination is A. to find a do all 7-08 to pair with the Mauser and eliminate the 260all together...or B. baby the Mauser to only using it on clear dry days to preserve it's 95% condition and use the 260 as originally intended as the gun I wind up with as my last shooter at the fast approaching age and state of grace of 80? ...and my kids can kiss my arse if they think they are getting any of my guns when I'm gone.
Ya'lls thoughts??
Ron

Years ago, when we were young and didn't know any better we used 170 grain cast bullets in the 06 for deer. Now that we know so much more we've graduated to jacketed bullets with more power. The cast bullets worked well though, but deer are tougher now.

Seriously, I'm not considering buying the smallest caliber for shooting white tail but am considering cast bullets. My rifle inventory is getting to be larger bore (35 or more). I think a 35 caliber bullet cruising through a deer at 2,000 fps will work every time if I can do my part.

Use one with a flat nose profile.

I'm in the reduced load mode. The 30-06 has gone from max velocity 180's down to 150's at 2750fps for deer. I was considering rebarreling the wife's 308 Kimber to 260Rem or getting a Creedmoor but decided to just shoot mild loads with 130's. Bullet selection has has been 1 of the reasons I've always been a 30 caliber fan.

I've intentionally downloaded a couple of rifles, 243 and 260 using IMR4198, both for young family members.

I have a couple more light loads that came about accidentally, both loading per my Nosler manual. What the book showed as a full house load in my 25-06 ended up running 257 Roberts speed over the chrono. Same in my 7Mag. Book load ended up running 280Rem speed. Both were very accurate. I ended up switching powder or upping the powder charge to get to the book velocity and also found accurate loads there.

Heck, I download my 375 H&H to about the 375 Win for deer and its a hoot to shoot and deadly. Downloading isn't just for kids but it helps them get the right start too. I think it should work wonders on hogs too.

The 235 grain Speer at modest velocities is a great medium game and range bullet. Done that when I had my M70.

I have the 130 TTSX on my list to try but RL15 seems scarce!

I see no benefit in loading the 30-06 or .270 down, they are the best deer calibers ever..they are not too much for deer and are sufficient for elk and Moose..All that Africa has to offer except perhaps the big 5 and I say perhaps because most PHs as kids shot their first elephant and buffalo with one..

If you want to load them down, why try to justify it, just go ahean and do it and be shooting less rifle..or buy factory ammo, its pretty mild...If the 06 kicks too much then loading down is justified I suppose, but if one can't handle the recoil of an 06 he probably ought to take up golf or ping pong...

This ^^^^^ ... Hodgdon claims you can take the H4895 max load from their data for any bullet/chambering combination, and safely reduce down to 60% of the max load without issue.

If you can find it, SR4759 is also a good reduced load powder. (I grab every can of it I can find since it has been discontinued...)

Accurate 5744 as well, tho I could only find cast bullet loads for 5744...

Always have a can of H4895 for this reason. Worked real well in the 270, but prefer RL15 for the 30-06.

The only thing I download these dys is plinker for my .45-70.

13.5g HS-6 under a 300g or 350g hardcast yields 1167fps and 1097fps respectively. Very accurate with half the recoil of many .30-30 loads. My girls love them.

I downloaded the 30-06 for my son, and I liked the loads so much that I kept on using them for myself even after he graduated to full-power ammo. Ken Waters talks about the "30-30-06", a 30-30 bullet at 30-30 velocities over a reduced powder charge in a 30-06 case.


Okie John

Recoil has little to do with it unless you are starting out a new shooter. Over the last 50 years I have come to the conclusion that a muzzle velocity of 2750-2800fps is all I need for adequate ballistics and spoils less meat if circumstances dictate less than ideal shot placement. YMMV

The rifle that sees the most use in this house is a .243 that is usually loaded with a 55gr. Nosler soft point at 2500 fps. Gives better ballistics then the rimfires , kills small stuff plenty dead and to further ranges then I ever would have thought and is very economical. 12.5 grs. of unique last forever by the lb. ......

I have a 7mm ultra mag. I use the starting load, it's still a little faster than a maxed out 7 rem mag.

Don't load 'em down too far. Hydrostatic shock is a wonderful thing!

I tried a search for Kens writing on this. Any one have a source for the article. Or what powder he discussed. Ken is a writer I don't have much on the shelf.
Thank you

Most recent issue of Handloader has a whole plethora of light loads ala Mule Deer.

one of the most accurate and consistent loads I've ever used is the fire-form loads for my 6.5-06ai. it is a max 6.5-06 load per Hornady but has about 5% less velocity. the only problem with them is I need new brass.

when my only bolt .30 was a .300WM the first load I worked up for it was .308 level followed by one at 30-06 power. both were accurate but once I got a .30-06 neither was used again.