Low velocity plinker .308 and .30-06

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Random 8

Random 8

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Looking to put together a plinker load in the above calibers using the Speer 100 gr half jacket for use by some youth shooters to introduce them to centerfire rifles a few years before they come of age for hunting, and for short range camp vermin. Would also be open to a commercial cast bullet going forward if this experiment is a success. I have Unique, Red Dot and HP-38 in stock that should be suitable. I have an idea how to proceed with this, but would like to hear experiences from those who have done this.
 
My friend does this, not me. That said I think he gets 30 carbine bullets cause they're lighter and uses 14 +/- grains of unique under them. I would certainly confirm this with others as being viable, seems fine to me but I've never done it. You can also make up some loads using .32 caliber round balls, I think they're actually .311" but they're soft and can be used for 30 caliber rifles.
 
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gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm
I used this a a basis for low power loads.
I've used Universal with good results. So unique would be good for you.
 
Although not the components you listed thus is a good option.
 

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I load the Lee soup can that casts at 118 grains in my mold over 12 grains of unique in 3006. Very accurate and minimal recoil. With cast I would start at 10 grains and work your way up. With jacketed I would probably start at 12 grains.
 
Use Trailboss and follow their loads or procedures for developing reduced velocity loads. I use it for subsonic 308 loads. Very light shooting, but you don't have to go sub to get the benefit of Trailboss.
 
Random 8 said:
using the Speer 100 gr half jacket
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Make sure jacket and all leave the barrel.

AA 5744 will make great reduced recoil loads, but I would use coated lead, or a fully jacketed bullet, I just don't trust the half jacketed ones. Might just be me of course. ;)

Trailboss will make powder puff loads for you.
 
STCL01 said:
Use Trailboss and follow their loads or procedures for developing reduced velocity loads. I use it for subsonic 308 loads. Very light shooting, but you don't have to go sub to get the benefit of Trailboss.
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Xtreme 150 grain plated round nose flat point (listed as 30-30 bullets) with 17 grains of trailboss has been good in 30-06. Groups ok, very little recoil in a hunting rifle. Shoots 3 to 4 inches low at 50 yards. Have also loaded 165 309 lead flat points with 15 grains. Works ok but shoots lower.
 
I have shot some cast an coated 150’s pushed by 11 grains of trailboss for backyard 308 loads (I have a larger than average backyard). I’d go with 147’s in a 9mm carbine personally. If I am plinking slow, cheaper bullets, smaller powder charges and cases to work with. Every time I turn an otherwise decent rifle round into a low velocity plinker, I remember I have a pistol caliber rifle that does the same thing for less cost and with bullets designed to work at the low velocity.

One can get aquatinted with a rifle with a .22. A .22 Hornet is very low recoil and doesn’t shoot like a subsonic rainbow, the .223 isn’t bad either and can even teach at much further ranges.

What is the end goal? If it’s handling, no need for centerfire, same goes for trigger control/accuracy and such. If it’s hitting stuff at longer ranges easily, slow is the wrong direction.
 
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jmorris said:
I’d go with 147’s in a 9mm carbine personally.......................................One can get aquatinted with a rifle with a .22. A .22 Hornet is very low recoil and doesn’t shoot like a subsonic rainbow,
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Two good choices for low recoil fun. Like them both a lot.

.22 Hornet, lots of cheap low recoil fun.
 

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When I didn’t care, because everyone had a gun, we did all sorts of things.

When I started seeing people that thought guns were “evil” I changed my tactics.

Now it’s, what does it take for you to be comfortable and I’ll make sure it’s not uncomfortable on your end.

I see odd positions sometimes.

F205D85E-9D8D-4E1A-9EB0-F9C8653A5FFD.jpeg

Other times the results are undeniable.

B21ED6FE-1E9B-45B5-BD59-04F0EFF272F3.jpeg

Both of the above beat turning a potential shooter off, so I do understand your “plinker” load idea.
 
jmorris said:
I have shot some cast an coated 150’s pushed by 11 grains of trailboss for backyard 308 loads (I have a larger than average backyard). I’d go with 147’s in a 9mm carbine personally. If I am plinking slow, cheaper bullets, smaller powder charges and cases to work with. Every time I turn an otherwise decent rifle round into a low velocity plinker, I remember I have a pistol caliber rifle that does the same thing for less cost and with bullets designed to work at the low velocity.

One can get aquatinted with a rifle with a .22. A .22 Hornet is very low recoil and doesn’t shoot like a subsonic rainbow, the .223 isn’t bad either and can even teach at much further ranges.

What is the end goal? If it’s handling, no need for centerfire, same goes for trigger control/accuracy and such. If it’s hitting stuff at longer ranges easily, slow is the wrong direction.
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The end goal is to introduce children that are not my own to 3 specific rifles they may actually use for big game hunting in the near future without the expense of purchasing new rifles for kids that are not my own. I'm looking at the progressive approach here. They are already competent with .22s, and I have a single shot Henry .357 in the arsenal, the daughter has claimed this one as hers. Looking at moving them up to the bolt action centerfires, and eventually working towards a power level suitable for short range whitetail. Their parents are young and not wealthy, so not much of a gun budget for specialty rifles there, any they buy will have to be multi-kid, multi-purpose. I've offered up a few of mine for loan, but the recoil with anything approaching full power is too much for the youngsters. I also have a relatively short shooting range at the cabin, so the low velocity plinker will be useful for dinging steel and tipping birch "pins" without full report and recoil for this as well. The speer half jacket is just a 100 pack purchase to test the concept, I will likely go to a 125-150ish cast bullet moving forward. I do not cast my own, so will be a purchased bullet.
 
The other option in cast is a coated bullet made for 32 revolvers. Should fit, low cost and low recoil
 
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/category/shooting-acc/caliber-conversions

http://mcaceak.com/adapters.html

http://mcaceak.com/rifle-inserts.html

PDF’s for reduced loads here.
https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/reloading-education/tips-and-tricks/low-recoil-loads

B4C4894A-0654-42B1-8E79-191F5367B9ED.jpeg

One can also buy or build a rest that cad absorb the recoil and facilitate learning how to aim by “holding” the alignment the shooter inputs to it.

D1BA1B67-9134-41E1-B3D5-8F5191A1253E.jpeg

If you plan on using optics, make dam sure they have generous eye relief. One good “scope dope” can turn a potential new shooter away in an instant.

If they have never shot anything I would still start them out on a .22 or pellet rifle. A cheap pellet gun will cost less than a couple boxed of reduced recoil 30-06 and if they can make good hits consistently with a modern kids pellet gun trigger the single shot required out of a 308 or 30-06 while hunting should be easy.
 
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When Hodgdon bought IMR, they discontinued certain powders. The **perfect** powder for 30-06 with lightweight plinking bullets was the discontinued SR4759.
 
Random 8 said:
The end goal is to introduce children that are not my own to 3 specific rifles they may actually use for big game hunting in the near future without the expense of purchasing new rifles for kids that are not my own. I'm looking at the progressive approach here. They are already competent with .22s, and I have a single shot Henry .357 in the arsenal, the daughter has claimed this one as hers. Looking at moving them up to the bolt action centerfires, and eventually working towards a power level suitable for short range whitetail. Their parents are young and not wealthy, so not much of a gun budget for specialty rifles there, any they buy will have to be multi-kid, multi-purpose. I've offered up a few of mine for loan, but the recoil with anything approaching full power is too much for the youngsters. I also have a relatively short shooting range at the cabin, so the low velocity plinker will be useful for dinging steel and tipping birch "pins" without full report and recoil for this as well. The speer half jacket is just a 100 pack purchase to test the concept, I will likely go to a 125-150ish cast bullet moving forward. I do not cast my own, so will be a purchased bullet.
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Those half jacket bullets are excellent.
In my experience, they had to be seated with the top of the jacket flush with the case mouth.
Even with rifle powder, they were low recoil.
 
cougar1717 said:
When Hodgdon bought IMR, they discontinued certain powders. The **perfect** powder for 30-06 with lightweight plinking bullets was the discontinued SR4759.
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AA 5744 fills that same role these days. Good stuff. I actually still have one metal one pound can of SR-4759 left.
 
Any of those powders you have will work for lite plinking loads. I'd go with 12gr of any of them in the 308w and 13gr in the 30-06 with those half jackets.

Some plinking loads out of a 308w with a 20" 1 in 10 twist bbl (cheap er shaw bbl) and home cast bullets with home made aluminum gas checks. 10-shot groups @ 50yds.
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I was given a # of ww super handi-cap powder and burned it up with plinking loads on the rifle range with cast bullets. The 311291 bullet is a 170gr cast bullet and the #50 is a 125gr cast bullet.

Those 10-shot groups @ 50yds pictured above were with bullets cast from free range lead (+/ 9bhn) and loaded in mixed 308w nato cases. These types of plinking loads can be what I consider accurate enough to be used as a learning load/low recoil load.
 
jmorris, Love the photos of the little girls at the range. They made my day. It reminded me of teaching my best friend's boys to shoot so long ago. They are in their 30s now, still love to shoot, and make sure the 'old men' observe safety rules.

I'm lucky enough to have several pounds of 4759 powder but found AA 5744 to be almost as good.

Jeff
 
The main thing to watch out for when loading fast pistol powders into large rifle cases is the possibility of an accidental double charge.

It's a good idea to charge by batches. Place the charged cases into a loading block, go down the rows and visually inspect for missing or double charges. Even better is using a piece of dowel rod marked to indicate the height of a proper charge.
 
Yes, an incident several years ago (not the dangerous kind) led me to follow a very strict protocol. With thrown charges, they go directly to bullet seating. With scaled, 5 at a time and the funnel holds the place, always towards me. In cases with possibility of doubles, I seat bullet immediately after charging each case.
 
For a 308 Win. I load a 125 Nosler BT with 16gr of BlueDot and a F-210 primer, 2.75" col
 
Success. Now I know why I keep Unique in the stable. 12 grains in Wcc military brass with the 100 plinker seated as deeply as my stem would allow with a mild crimp. Group is at 50 from a clean bore over a field expedient rest. I feel no need for further experimentation with this loads stated purpose. I see my title may have been misleading, looking for m1 carbine level ballistics which this load delivered.
 

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