My first reloading session and range report!

bhhacker · May 20, 2013, 11:29 PM

I made 50 rounds yesterday for my Browning BAR semi auto 30-06.

I paid 60$ and bought some .308 caliber 150 grain blemished bullets on midway and they finally came in the mail!

I went over to my friends house and he helped me out with his press.

I made 25 of the following load...

47 grains of IMR-4895 and the 150 grain bullet and also 25 of...

12 grains of Green dot using the same bullet.

My goal was to see if it would reliably work for hunting and plinking and i had pretty good results.

First thing I did was make sure my BAR was sighted in correctly. At 25 yards i took a few shots with some factory ammo to make sure i wasnt super far off. I wasnt.

After that I went to the full power loads. It was pretty accurate at 25 yards and at 100 yards all shots i took were in the "kill zone" for hunting. At this point and time the barrel was good and hot so i will go back and fire a few with it being cold just to make sure.

I shot my .22lr for a little while to let her cool down and then went to my eagerly anticipated "gallery load"

at 25 yards, i didnt need to adjust the zero at all. It was SUPER accurate. I have a feeling the reason why is because im not afraid of the recoil and i can really get behind the gun. Thats just a theory though. They did not cycle my action, so i just pulled the bolt back and they ejected fine and looked good as well. I shot it at 100 yards and they also all hit in the Kill Zone and that was surprising as i had expected them to be shooting low with only the 12 grains in there. Boy was i amazed! I was giddy as a schoolgirl with an ear to ear grin almost all day afterwards!

Heres a pic of one of my bullets. They appear to be the Hornady SST but im not sure.

This is my shooting at 25 yards with the 12 grains of green dot. This is actually 6 rounds.

bhhacker · May 21, 2013, 12:58 AM

I forgot to mention i had a quick question...

With the 12 grains of green dot, what would that be good for? Just paper punching or would it be an ok load for small game as well?

Is it hard enough hitting for it to be used for deer in a pinch? Our blacktail deer we have here are pretty small, and i will be doing all sorts of fun tests before taking it hunting, but i figured with all your guys experience, you might know its limitations a lot better than me.

ArchAngelCD · May 21, 2013, 03:55 AM

Green Dot is not a powder that's usually associated with light rifle loads. Personally I wouldn't use it. There are plenty of fast shotgun/handgun powders that can be used.

As for your question, what would they be good for, I would answer "nothing" since they won't cycle your BAR. Be very careful not to stick a bullet in the barrel with that load.

As for the IMR4895 load, that load is a classic. Most reloaders will use a 150gr bullet over 47.0gr IMR4985 for the M1 Garand and other semi-auto rifles. It's no wonder it was very accurate in your BAR. You picked a good load there for sure... Thanks for the range report.

gamestalker · Yesterday, 06:52 AM

I would be on my toes watching for a bullet that didn't exit the barrel with that Green Dot load, especially in an auto loading action and using jacketed bullets. Green Dot, jacketed bullets, and auto loading high power rifles don't go well together. Loading a low velocity lead bullet using Red Dot, Green Dot and other pistol / shotgun powders is typically just fine. But jacketed bullets require significantly higher pressures to get them out of the barrel. And running that load in a BAR only increases the risk, as a good deal of pressures are lost just because it's an auto loader. The fact that they won't cycle the action is a pretty good indication you are on the edge of sticking a bullet, in my opinion. For your sake, I sure hope one doesn't happen to slip by unnoticed?

And no, that Green Dot load would not make a good load for hunting deer of any species. I doubt that load would do well on coyotes for that matter. You'll likely just wound it and then lose it in the Alaskan wilderness.
GS

bhhacker · Today, 03:50 AM

Gotcha. I had test fired the green dot loads at 25 yards and every time i fired, made sure the bullet was exiting the barrel.

I will be switching the bullet from jacketed to lead my next go around. I have a bunch of .30 cal 135 and 165 grainers that arent gas checked that i can try. (bought from Missouri bullet co)

Do you have any suggestions on the load out for those or would those not be ideal to use in an auto loader for reduced load plinking?

May 20, 2013, 11:29 PM	#1
bhhacker Member Join Date: June 12, 2007 Location: Juneau, Alaska Posts: 372	My first reloading session and range report! I made 50 rounds yesterday for my Browning BAR semi auto 30-06. I paid 60$ and bought some .308 caliber 150 grain blemished bullets on midway and they finally came in the mail! I went over to my friends house and he helped me out with his press. I made 25 of the following load... 47 grains of IMR-4895 and the 150 grain bullet and also 25 of... 12 grains of Green dot using the same bullet. My goal was to see if it would reliably work for hunting and plinking and i had pretty good results. First thing I did was make sure my BAR was sighted in correctly. At 25 yards i took a few shots with some factory ammo to make sure i wasnt super far off. I wasnt. After that I went to the full power loads. It was pretty accurate at 25 yards and at 100 yards all shots i took were in the "kill zone" for hunting. At this point and time the barrel was good and hot so i will go back and fire a few with it being cold just to make sure. I shot my .22lr for a little while to let her cool down and then went to my eagerly anticipated "gallery load" at 25 yards, i didnt need to adjust the zero at all. It was SUPER accurate. I have a feeling the reason why is because im not afraid of the recoil and i can really get behind the gun. Thats just a theory though. They did not cycle my action, so i just pulled the bolt back and they ejected fine and looked good as well. I shot it at 100 yards and they also all hit in the Kill Zone and that was surprising as i had expected them to be shooting low with only the 12 grains in there. Boy was i amazed! I was giddy as a schoolgirl with an ear to ear grin almost all day afterwards! Heres a pic of one of my bullets. They appear to be the Hornady SST but im not sure. This is my shooting at 25 yards with the 12 grains of green dot. This is actually 6 rounds.

May 21, 2013, 03:55 AM	#3
ArchAngelCD Member Join Date: November 25, 2006 Location: PA, USA Posts: 13,845	Green Dot is not a powder that's usually associated with light rifle loads. Personally I wouldn't use it. There are plenty of fast shotgun/handgun powders that can be used. As for your question, what would they be good for, I would answer "nothing" since they won't cycle your BAR. Be very careful not to stick a bullet in the barrel with that load. As for the IMR4895 load, that load is a classic. Most reloaders will use a 150gr bullet over 47.0gr IMR4985 for the M1 Garand and other semi-auto rifles. It's no wonder it was very accurate in your BAR. You picked a good load there for sure... Thanks for the range report. __________________ Remember boys and girls, gun control only prevents law abiding Americans from owning guns because the Bad Guys don’t obey the laws, no matter how restrictive or lenient the laws are!

May 21, 2013, 12:58 AM	#2
bhhacker Member Join Date: June 12, 2007 Location: Juneau, Alaska Posts: 372	I forgot to mention i had a quick question... With the 12 grains of green dot, what would that be good for? Just paper punching or would it be an ok load for small game as well? Is it hard enough hitting for it to be used for deer in a pinch? Our blacktail deer we have here are pretty small, and i will be doing all sorts of fun tests before taking it hunting, but i figured with all your guys experience, you might know its limitations a lot better than me.

Yesterday, 06:52 AM	#4
gamestalker Member Join Date: September 10, 2008 Location: SW Arizona Posts: 4,226	I would be on my toes watching for a bullet that didn't exit the barrel with that Green Dot load, especially in an auto loading action and using jacketed bullets. Green Dot, jacketed bullets, and auto loading high power rifles don't go well together. Loading a low velocity lead bullet using Red Dot, Green Dot and other pistol / shotgun powders is typically just fine. But jacketed bullets require significantly higher pressures to get them out of the barrel. And running that load in a BAR only increases the risk, as a good deal of pressures are lost just because it's an auto loader. The fact that they won't cycle the action is a pretty good indication you are on the edge of sticking a bullet, in my opinion. For your sake, I sure hope one doesn't happen to slip by unnoticed? And no, that Green Dot load would not make a good load for hunting deer of any species. I doubt that load would do well on coyotes for that matter. You'll likely just wound it and then lose it in the Alaskan wilderness. GS

Today, 03:50 AM	#5
bhhacker Member Join Date: June 12, 2007 Location: Juneau, Alaska Posts: 372	Gotcha. I had test fired the green dot loads at 25 yards and every time i fired, made sure the bullet was exiting the barrel. I will be switching the bullet from jacketed to lead my next go around. I have a bunch of .30 cal 135 and 165 grainers that arent gas checked that i can try. (bought from Missouri bullet co) Do you have any suggestions on the load out for those or would those not be ideal to use in an auto loader for reduced load plinking?