30-06 bullet weights and accuracy?

[garrett1955]

ok i am shooting a 150 grain bullet from my 30/06 with a 2 in group at 100 yds. i would like to tighten it up a bit, would shooting a 180 grain bullet help that, or do i need to go heavier thats at least what i understand???
thanks garrett

 

[ocabj]

At 100 yards, the difference between in bullet weights does not really factor into accuracy. Actually, you will find that lighter bullets shoot more accurately at shorter ranges, especially flat base bullets.

You may want to try different powder charge weights to tailor the velocity. Also, try seating the bullets such that the ogive is seated a few thousandths from the lands.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Just about any decent bolt gun is capable of +/- MOA, but some can be finicky about bullets. Not necessarily weight, but the bullet itself. As ocabj said, if you handload, tinker with different bullets, powder types, charge weights and seating depths. Different rifles like different things, and freebore can play a huge role in accuracy.

If you don't handload, buy a few differnt types of factory ammo and see what shoots best in your rifle.

 

[Art Eatman]

My father used the 150-grain Hornady Spire Poinbt, exclusively. I've had excellent accuracy with both the Remington Bronze Point and almost any of the Sierra line--weight and shape, no matter.

Art

 

[garrett1955]

hey thanks guys, the gun is a browning a-bolt. i dont reload but my friend does, ill have him help me with this.

 

[Steve in PA]

Depends, each rifle is different.

Some may shoot 150's better than 165's, or shoot 180's better than both.

I've settled on Hornady 165 BTSP in my Win 70. However, I had another Win 70 that shot better groups with the spire point than it did with boat tails.

 

[Bottom Gun]

What Steve said.

Finding the most accurate load is a matter of experimenting with various bullets and powders. Even different brands of primers will make a difference to some extent.

 

[Fumbler]

I had a Win M70 in 30-06.

It shot the best groups with the 150 and 165gr Nosler ballistic tips loaded by Federal. It also shot well with the 150gr Interlock form Hornady.

The only way to find out which shoots best is to simply try different ammo.

I think most 30-06's do well with the 150 and 165/168 variety.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Medium size

IMX, 'most all rifles, not just '06's, are happiest--that is, most accurate--with a bullet somewhere in the middle of the range. For the '06 that is 150 gr and 165 gr, possibly up to 180 gr.

But this middle-size-bullet thing seems to hold true elsewhere also.

Now there are good reasons to go outside that middle sometimes, e.g. were I after cape buffalo I'd want a .458 WinMag or a .458 Lott with the heaviest bullet I could stuff in there. But you don't shoot cape buffs at very great distances, and penetration is the name of the game.

If that same .458 were being loaded for greatest accuracy, it would probably call for a considerably smaller bullet. About the middle of the bullet size range for that caliber.

 

[USSR]

garrett1955,

Buy a box of Federal Gold Medal Match. If your rifle doesn't shoot this at 1MOA or less, your rifle has issues which should be addressed.

Don

 

[garrett1955]

USSR i will get a box this week, i will be heading to the range in the next few weeks. i will give a range report when i return. oh what grain do you reccomend with that ammo? thanks.

 

[HankB]

In my .30/06 Model 70, I find that bullet brand & type, as well as seating depth, have more effect on accuracy than bullet weight.

In order, best to worst, my rifle shoots most accurately with Sierra 168 Matchkings (3/4" 5-shot groups), Nosler 180 Ballistic Tips (7/8"), Sierra 180 Flat Base (1"), Hornady 165 Flat Base(1+"), Sierra 180 Boat Tail (1 1/4"), Nosler 180 Partition (1 1/4" - 1 3/8"), Winchester (?) milsurp 147 FMJ-BT (around 2" or so), Barnes 180 X-bullets (4"), and Speer 100 grain Plinkers (many off the paper.)

Group sizes are not absolute, but can be regarded as "typical" if I do my part on a calm day.

My "standard" hunting load is one of the 180 Noslers over 61.0 grains of ReLoder 22 in Winchester brass with a Winchester primer. This load is warm, but does not exceed published data from Nosler and Speer - if you have your buddy load up this ammo, pay attention to seating depth, work up frum below, etc.

 

[USSR]

garrett1955,

Only comes in one flavor: 168 grain Sierra MatchKings.

Don

 

[Drue]

My M70 (1955) in .30-06 seems to like 165-168 bullets the best. I have loaded many combos of 150gr through 180gr bullets and different powders. The 168gr Matchkings grouped the best (duh!?) but the 165 Gamekings were a close second. I could not get any of the 150s to group all that well (2") but the Hornady Lite Mag 150 factory loads shoots with the Matchkings(3/4-7/8). These are 5 shot groups at 100 yards. As everyone else has said, each rifle is an entity unto itself.

Drue

Drue

 

[Vern Humphrey]

What I would do is this -- have your friend load up 10 rounds with a suitable powder, beginning wth the starting load and going up in small increments to the recommended maximum. Then shoot from the bench, noting each round through the scope. What you will normally see is that some of these rounds will cluster tightly, others be outside of the group. For example, if rounds 1, 2, and 3 are outside the group, 4, 5, and 6 form a tight cluster, and 7, 8, 9 and ten are outside, then select number 5 for your accuracy load.

Next, check seating depth. I normally simply put a bullet, nose first into the muzzle and mark it. Then I put a bullet backward into a case with a little toilet paper to hold it in place and chamber it. Chambering will push the bullet deeper into the case when it hits the lede (origin of the rifling.) Measure the overall length of this round, and add the bullet nose length. This is your maximum Over All Length, and loading to this length will put the bullet right into the lands.

(Note to all you experts -- I know about Stoney Point gauges, but this works even if you don't have one.)

Now back off from that a couple of thousands, and load ten more rounds with different OALs and the powder charge you selected above. Again, shoot them in sequence, find the rounds that give the tightest group, and select the OAL right in the middle.

This should give you all the accuracy your rifle is capable of.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Clarity

Garrett1955--Vern's advice is good; 'bout what I'd do myself. I feel a need to point out that he means you to load 10 rounds EACH with the different weights of powder. (And I'd mark 'em on the base with a felt tip pen so as not to confuse them!) Then you shoot each weight and note its group size. Then go to a different bull and shoot the next weight. Etc. Wait for the rifle bbl to cool between shots.

Yes it's tedious. It also gets you the weight of that powder your rifle prefers with that bullet, case, and primer. Worth all the messing around IMHO.

With the OAL's, Vern meant the same thing. Using the exact same load for each cartridge, load 10 of each OAL to be tested. When you shoot 'em, again, take yr time and do it right. One source I recently read contended that getting the correct cartridge OAL was the single most important factor in obtaining accuracy with a rifle.

Vern--Apologize for horning in. And if I mistook yr meaning, please say so!

Re the measurement of OAL: I've been Mickey Mousing around with getting that measurement myself. I'll try yr method. Frankly am kind of frustrated, and am about to pop for the $50 or so for a Stoney Point and be done with it.

Question: When you "Put a bullet into the chamber and mark it" what is it you mark? And then why put a bullet into a case backwards, chamber it, find the distance from bolt face to leade, and then add to that?

What are you accomplishing by doing it this way?

I'm not calling your method bad, I'm just trying to understand it. If I can get a reliable, easy OAL measurement without going the Stoney Point route, that'd be a Good Thing.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

When you "Put a bullet into the chamber and mark it" what is it you mark? And then why put a bullet into a case backwards, chamber it, find the distance from bolt face to leade, and then add to that?

What are you accomplishing by doing it this way?

Hmm . . . I should proofread before I commit.

You put the bullet, nose first, into the MUZZLE and mark it. This shows you how much the bullet nose extends beyond the point where it would contact the rifling.

Then by inserting a bullet backwards you establish the breechblock-to-lede dimension. By adding the length of the nose, you have the OAL for THAT bullet that would just touch the lede or origin of the rifling.

In developing a load, I go by the quick-and-dirty method of loading 10 rounds, each round with an incrementally heavier charge (from starting to max load.)

The rationalle is that rounds launched at or near a vibration node will group together. Those launched on an ascending or descending branch of the vibration curve will be separated from the group. The pattern of holes in the target is actually a representation of the vibration curve.

Again, when you shoot ten rounds with ten incrementally different OALs, you will find that those near the "sweet spot" will group together.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Oal

Vern--Thanx for explaining--now yr method for determining OAL makes perfect sense! I'll give it a try!

In load development, though, I strongly feel that you need more than one of each different load--one is such a small statistical sample, and if you jerk the trigger or something, you screw up 100% of your sample. So I shoot 10-round groups. Mebbe it's that I don't trust myself to shoot perfectly. I freely admit that my way is more costly in terms of both time and money.

 

[CB900F]

Garrett;

Hank B touched on this, I'll expand. It's not just A bullet weight, or A brand. For instance, you state you're shooting a 150 gr bullet & getting 2" groups at 100 yards without letting us know what ammo/bullet combination you're using.

So, you may be able to have your friend load 10 rounds using a Speer 150 gr. spitzer bullet, and another 10 using the Hornady 150 gr. spitzer, keeping all other factors equal except the bullet, and determine that either one is more accurate than the other, or 'my gun doesn't seem to like spitzers'. Then say, try the Nosler ballistic tip 150's, woo-hoo, big increase in accuracy - maybe. But wow, do those puppies cost! T'were me, I'd then try the Hornady SST bullet, same idea as the ballistic tip, but at a more reasonable price, & see if they wouldn't produce equal accuracy.

With the .30-06 there are probably literally millions of possible different recipies for handloading your own. Part of the fun is experimenting. However, for practical purposes, there are a few areas that will usually produce tangible results with the least amount of effort. They are: OAL, as has been discussed, powder brand, charge weight, and bullet weight/style.

Get and read a couple of good reloading manuals. As a suggestion, I'll say Speer #13, and Hornady #6. I like them because the data is produced from real world guns, not test barrels. I'd just about bet the ranch that either will give you several .30-06 loads that will improve the accuracy you're currently seeing. But, you have to read not just the cartridge load page, you really should go through most of the data in the book.

900F

 

[garrett1955]

thanks for that info. i will be going out by my friend who reloads tonight, so hopefuly we can put some different loads together. and i can get to the range next week. i will also pick up a box of federal gold match ammo just to see what it does with my gun. thanks for the help guys.