30-06

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

hellow fellow handloaders. I have a 30-06 ive started reloading for.so far only bullet loaded for it is a 165 grain ballistic tip. Ive only shot factory 150 grain power points.Everything else has been 165 gr factory.But it does shoot them abit more accurate than it did the only 150's I shot. Of you who have a 30-06 what grain does it like best.Having a hard time finding 165 grains for it but have saw a few boxes of 150's

 

[rcmodel]

Accuracy depends far more on bullet quality then the bullet weight.

IMO: High quality 150's will out shoot, or at least shoot as well as lesser quality 165's in about any rifle at typical ranges.

rc

 

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

im tempted to try some 150 grain accubonds or e tips

 

[rcmodel]

I'd Gofer It!

rc

 

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

RC do you know anything about the E tip

 

[rcmodel]

Only that every plastic tip bullet I have shot is about as accurate as it gets in that caliber.

I'm just too old school to try the solid copper or gliding metal bullets like the E-Tip.

I still prefer my jacketed bullets to have lead in the middle.

rc

 

[Kp321]

The 165-168 gr bullets have no real advantage at short to moderate ranges. They will outshoot the 150's at long range due to a better BC and higher retained velocity at extended ranges. Without ballistic tables in front of me, I can't tell you how much further the 168 will stay supersonic than the 150.

 

[hovercat]

I like 165gr as well. If you switch to 150gr you can work up a load that is as accurate. Start with a powder charge that will give about 9-10% velocity increase over the 165. Stay with published loads. Tweak it a bit up or down, you may have to go with a slightly faster published powder to find what your rifle likes.

 

[Rem700CDLSF3006]

im debating trying some 150's only be used for deer

 

[Kachok]

Accuracy depends far more on bullet quality then the bullet weight.

IMO: High quality 150's will out shoot, or at least shoot as well as lesser quality 165's in about any rifle at typical ranges.

rc

You have never shot my 308 before It loves both 150s and 180 but for the life of me I cannot get it to group with 165-168gr, weirdest darn thing I have ever seen in my years of reloading and yes I have tried many quality bullet/powder combinations, every time I take it to the range I have some other magic recipe that works like a charm for everyone else and every time I get 2"-4" results while both my 150s and 180s I have nailed down to the 1/2-3/4" range. My range master is a fellow 308 reloader and he has never heard of such either.
Find what your rifle likes before you start making plans for it, I was going to use my 06 for 180gr and my 308 for 165gr but as it turns out my 308 shoots the 180s slightly better and the 30-06 loves 150s. I cannot be upset, I am getting remarkable accuracy out of both just not how I expected it to all go.

 

[witchhunter]

The great thing about reloading is trying new loads. One, you will know exactly what load that each of your guns shoot well. Two, you will become a better shot, just by the amount of target shooting you will do during load development. this is not the easiest time to find components, but if you are persistant you will definitely see the value of your efforts. Try the 150's you just might strike gold with em....

 

[jmr40]

I've been using Hornady 165's in my 30-06 and 308. I shoot 150's some, but there is not really much reason to do so. A 150 is really all that is needed for deer, but the 165's just don't give up much trajectory to the 150's and have proven to be a tiny bit more accurate in my rifles. I rarely use them but the same can be said of 180's. Out to 500 yards there is only about 2" difference between 165's and 150's. About the same between 180's and 165's. The heavier bullets give much more energy with only a small difference in bullet drop.

Hornady's are hard to come by locally right now, and I'm conserving what I have. I did find a local store with a generous supply of the Berger Hunting bullets at a good price. I bought 200 of the 155's and another 200 of the 168's. Only had 1 range trip with 1 load for each bullet weight, but things look promising.

I've also experimented a little with the Barnes bullets. This is one of the times where lighter is better. The Barnes bullets are a lot tougher, but need to hit much faster in order to expand. I wouldn't use anything heavier than a 150 in a 30-06. I use 130's in my 308 and push them and the 150/30-06 to over 3000 fps at the muzzle. The lighter, tougher bullet penetrates and performs more like a 180 gr conventional bullet. If you shoot them too slow they don't expand.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I shoot mostly 165gr bullets in the 30-06 because I don't like lighter bullets but if all you can find is 150gr bullets they will kill game well too. I think i would rather shoot a 180gr bullet instead of a 150gr bullet in the 30-06 if available. In the .308 I would go with the 150gr bullet but not in the 30-06 because the case has sufficient capacity to push that heavier bullet to acceptable velocities.

 

[gamestalker]

I've pretty much loaded mostly 165's, a lot of have been ballistic tips too. I try not to go above the 165's though, but mostly because I like to chase velocity, and I do get very good accuracy with them also. I killed a bull elk with the a 165 ballistic tip and IMR-4350, it dropped with only one well placed shot.
Get er dun, get er dun, get er dun, dun, dun!

GS

 

[Kachok]

I shoot mostly 165gr bullets in the 30-06 because I don't like lighter bullets but if all you can find is 150gr bullets they will kill game well too. I think i would rather shoot a 180gr bullet instead of a 150gr bullet in the 30-06 if available. In the .308 I would go with the 150gr bullet but not in the 30-06 because the case has sufficient capacity to push that heavier bullet to acceptable velocities.

I would not say that the 180gr 308 cannot be pushed to acceptable speeds. You can safely push one to 2650-2700 depending on your barrel, that is about as fast as a factory 180 30-06, that said an 06 can hit almost 2900fps with the right powder, but at that point you might as well be playing with a 300 mag so you can justify your muzzle brake and or sissy pad because I can tell you from personal experience those loads are no joke in a featherweight rifle! While I have never personally used a 150gr 30 caliber on game I would not hesitate to use them on deer, I prefer 165s and 180s because I really like reliable exit wounds even on off angle shots, I have tracked a few deer for friends that there would be no way I would have found them in this thick brush without a free bleeding exit wound. If you want a 30-06 load to hit like God's left hook try 165gr SGKs at 2800+fps just keep it out of the tasty bits because that is the nastiest bullet I have ever loaded, deer are dead before they hit the ground. Exit wounds range from fist sized to bowling ball sized if they strike bone going out. Too messy for my liking but my brother loves them and tracking is never an issue. I'll stick to my 6.5x55 or 7mm-08.

 

[StretchNM]

*Deleted*

 

[Kachok]

I use 57gr of IMR 4350 with my 165gr SGKs (That is a MAX load so work up) I get good accuracy and devastating terminal performance with it. Rem brass and CCI primers are my go to in 30-06. For my 150s I have had my best luck with RL19, max load and the most accurate in my rifle is 61.5gr, that is a very fast moving load in a 30-06.
Alot of 30-06 guys swear by 4064 but every time I have gone looking for some everyone is sold out so I cannot comment on it.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I use 57gr of IMR 4350 with my 165gr SGKs (That is a MAX load so work up) I get good accuracy and devastating terminal performance with it. Rem brass and CCI primers are my go to in 30-06. For my 150s I have had my best luck with RL19, max load and the most accurate in my rifle is 61.5gr, that is a very fast moving load in a 30-06.
Alot of 30-06 guys swear by 4064 but every time I have gone looking for some everyone is sold out so I cannot comment on it.

Actually, Hodgdon lists 58.0gr IMR4350 under a 165gr bullet as max but when i use IMR4350 I also charge 57.0gr and it's an outstanding load.

Hodgdon lists 59.0gr H4350 under a 165gr bullet and my favorite charge is 58.0gr and it's also an outstanding load. I also use a lot of 165gr SGK bullets for Deer, they do work very well...

 

[USSR]

I would not say that the 180gr 308 cannot be pushed to acceptable speeds. You can safely push one to 2650-2700 depending on your barrel, that is about as fast as a factory 180 30-06, that said an 06 can hit almost 2900fps with the right powder...

Did quite a bit of load development with the 190SMK in both .308 and .30-06. With my 26" barrels, I was able to reach 2700fps in .308 and 2900fps in .30-06 while remaining within SAAMI pressure specs. Of course the key words are "with the right powder".

Don

 

[Kachok]

Actually, Hodgdon lists 58.0gr IMR4350 under a 165gr bullet as max but when i use IMR4350 I also charge 57.0gr and it's an outstanding load.

Hodgdon lists 59.0gr H4350 under a 165gr bullet and my favorite charge is 58.0gr and it's also an outstanding load. I also use a lot of 165gr SGK bullets for Deer, they do work very well...

Every manual will have their own spin on it depending on the rifle they used, but I have never seen an 06 have any problems at 57gr of 4350 and a 165gr and that is the max load in my Nosler Manual which is my "go to" book, Nosler calls that load at 2832fps and Hornady says 2900+ in 24" tubes, all I know is it makes a big mess and kills them right where they stand.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Every manual will have their own spin on it depending on the rifle they used, but I have never seen an 06 have any problems at 57gr of 4350 and a 165gr and that is the max load in my Nosler Manual which is my "go to" book, Nosler calls that load at 2832fps and Hornady says 2900+ in 24" tubes, all I know is it makes a big mess and kills them right where they stand.

I didn't say anything different. I agree 57.0gr is an outstanding load and only offered the load information to say that load isn't even at the max which is a good thing pressure wise.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I rarely take out the -06 for plinking. She is my meat taker so I load 165gr Sierra Gamekings for deer and 180gr Nosler Partitions for Elk. Both over IMR 4350.