Bullet for 30-06 Remington?

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PinnedAndRecessed

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I've got a Remington 700 BDL, mid 80's vintige, in 30-06. I'm about to start reloading for it and wonder what the twist rate is for the barrel?

If you know that, then maybe you can tell me what weight bullet I should use for maximum accuracy.

And if you can tell me that, then maybe you could tell me what powder to use.

Oh, and primers.

Actually, how about I just send you the brass and...........
 
I reccomend starting out with a remington 165 grain core-lokt slug in a remington case. Remington primer. Powder? Maybe H4350. Why?

My 30-06 BDL will put three factory remington 165 core-lokt rounds in 1 hole at 100 yards. Three different shooters, same result. So I'm saying to try and duplicate that factory round.
 
Nolers, Speers, Sierras, Lymans, Hodgdons, VV or Hornadies manuals plus any of the powder companies pamplets will tell you what you want to know.
 
I've got a Remington 700 BDL, mid 80's vintige, in 30-06. I'm about to start reloading for it and wonder what the twist rate is for the barrel?
Click to expand...

This is easy to check. Get a cleaning rod, patch jag, and a tightly fitting patch. Push the patch down the bore and measure how far you have to push it in order for the rod to make one complete turn (it helps to make a mark on the rod). When you've got a measurement, that's your twist rate.
 
All of the .30-06 rifles that i've had in the past will shoot anything between 150gr and 200gr well.

Steve
 
165 grain hunting bullets give the most consistent accuracy with IMR4064. The 165 grain bullet is the best all round weight for any game in North America. Any large rifle primer will do nicely.
Beginning with the starting load, load 5 rounds only. Go up by half a grain of powder, loading 5 of each keeping them separate until you get to the max load in your manual. Then go shooting. Shoot at 100 yards, for group only, slowly and deliberately, off a bench. Change targets between strings of 5 and allow time for the barrel to cool. When you find the best group, sight in 4" high at 100. That'll put you on target out to about 300 yards with no hold over.
 
My 06 shoots 150 sst's really well with 50 grains of varget or IMR4064...all guns are laws unto themselves however
 
It is really going to depend on what you plan on hunting and which load works for your gun. My pet load for deer is 125 gr Sierra driven by 50 grs for IMR3031 sighted in at 250 yrds. It a flat shooting round with plenty of energy for deer. My gun loves the round and keeps them within a 2" group at 250 yrds, but my friend's Savage had a 4" group at best at 100 yrds and we never could find a good load for the125 gr bullet for him so he went to 165 gr which has historically been a good round for 30-06 and .308
 
Idano,
Very interesting load you have there. I hunt FL and south GA and the deer just aren't that big. I've thought about playing around with some smaller bullets in the 30-06. My rifle is pretty light, so the milder recoil of the smaller bullet would be welcome.
What kind of velocity are you getting?
How does the bullet react on deer? I'm sure you avoid the shoulder:rolleyes: .
 
PinnedAndRecessed

In .30-06, I've had great results with Remington's 165gr Core-Lokt and Hornady's 165gr Spire Point, 53.6 grains of H380, assorted brass, and WLR.

Both loads gave 5/8" 3-shot groups at 100 yards using a Savage 110 and a Winchester M70 Black Shadow.
 
Sunrays development method works very well when you get ready to work a load up.

And as already mentioned 165 grainers generally (but not always) give the best accuracy in 30-06.
 
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My current jewel out of my Savage 110 is 165gr Sierra Gameking over 59.5gr of IMR 4350 and WLR primers. Gives me consistent 1/2" groups at 100yds and have taken 3 deer (2 whitetails and 1 mulie) with this load in the last year.
 
Pure accuracy? You need to start with a benchrest bullet. I've had good success with Berger. Weight should probably be 168 grains.

Powder probably doesn't matter much.

Primers should be Federal Match.

Cases should be Norma.

IMO, powder charge rarely has much effect on accuracy. Going up and down a few tenths is usually a waste of time, again IMHO. Playing with seating depth is much more productive. You'll need a dial caliper, a bullet comparator, and a seating depth gauge. Stoney point makes decent products for a good price.

Start with .020" off the lands. Many guns like this. Some guns like farther out, but I've never met one that did best with greater than .040". Some guns also like closer in. Careful about closer than .010"; pressures can rise rapidly, and if you try to remove a cartridge unfired from the chamber, the bullet may remain stuck in the lands.

And don't bother with standard dies, they're a crapshoot even from the best manufacturer. Straightline benchrest dies are best, but you'll need a special press. For factory rifles, benchrest style dies with a sliding sleeve and micrometer top are available to fit standard presses. I like Redding's the best.

Have fun!
 
Reloading for .30-'06

Pinned & Recessed--The 165-168 grain bullet in a .30 caliber seems to be the ideal. Having said that, the thing to do is try several bullets at that weight. You'll have to try several different powder charge weights behind the bullets,too. You will either find satisfactory accuracy or not. If so, end of quest.

If not, try heavier or lighter bullets until you do achieve satisfactory accuracy. Again you'll have to futz with different powders and different charge weights. It's a quest, and unfortunately, each individual rifle has its own preferences. We can tell you what works for us, but only you, loading for YOUR rifle, can tell what it likes best.

F'rinstace, I have an '06 that likes IMR 4350 and 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips or Sierra Gamekings. It spits Speer Grand Slams, and any Hornady bullet, all over the place. You could try those combinations. But, as they say, YMMV.
 
.30-06? How many of you have tried H4831SC in a .30-06's. I mean 59 grains of H4831SC under a 165 Sierra HPBT or SPBT in Winchester cases and WLR primers. Shoots very well from my Browning A-Bolt.:)
 
Sunray and Ben Shepard hit the nail on the head. 'Put the shot in the X ring'!

One thing to do after you go with Sunray's formula. (Is what I do with all of my guns) Then work up the same way if you change bullet or powder.

One thing to add to the work up routine is adjusting seating depth. You'll find that seating the bullet out to .001" or just a bit more shorter than that, just before the bullet engages the lands of the rifling will provide another accuracy improvement. -as long as those longer rounds will function through your rifle's action. And never seat your bullets so they are touching the lands when chambered. Since you're new to reloading, I suggest that you stick with published specs. Just keep these things in mind as you learn more. Also buy a bullet like the Nosler Partition or Hornady BT that has a seating canalure.

Another accuracy step would be to only neck size the brass that's been fired in your rifle. Don't full length resize unless you're shooting brass that wasn't fired from your rifle. You'll get more reloads if you just neck size. Also, verify trimmed brass length. This will help with consistant crimp and seating depth.

One thing you'll find is that different bullets will like your barrel. Some might not. I shoot Speers and Hornady's in my .300 wildcat, where one of my 30-06's prefers Seirra's. Both like IMR 4064 and IMR 4350 for given loads of 165-190gn bullets.

I compare accuracy in my 30-06 to Remington 180gn Bronse Tips. In all other .30 cal rifles I have I compare my hand loads to Winchester Silver tips in a given weight. Handloading, I can reduce group size at comparitive ranges to less than half what factory loads give me.

-Steve
 
I started in with 4064 back some 50 years ago. Works with 150- through 180-grain bullets. I've loaded but not yet shot some 180s with H-414.

I've always grouped inside of one MOA with almost any bullet I've ever tried, from 110-grain through 180-grain, and several brands. For my hunting, I'm happy with the Sierras.

Art
 
I 2nd what Ben Shepherd said. My 700 ADL was made in 1964. With an old obsolete Weaver v12 scope I shoot 2" to 2.5" groups at 200 yds in competition. I use 168 grain Nosler Custom Comp. Boat Tails, 57 grains of IMR4350 with Winchester Large Rifle primers. For some reason my ADL prefers Remington brass. Before this gun I thought any old brass was ok, but there is an accuracy dif. with this one.

Load some by your manuals and find out which load your gun likes best. Good luck!
 
Idano,
Very interesting load you have there. I hunt FL and south GA and the deer just aren't that big. I've thought about playing around with some smaller bullets in the 30-06. My rifle is pretty light, so the milder recoil of the smaller bullet would be welcome.
What kind of velocity are you getting?
How does the bullet react on deer? I'm sure you avoid the shoulder .
Click to expand...

I don't have a chrono but according to tables in my Sierra book it should be in the neighborhood of 3100 fps.
 
PinnedAndRecessed,

Your barrel would have a 1-10" twist. For target shooting, the
Sierra 190gr MatchKing is the bullet for the '06. In 4 years of F Class Competition, I have found the 190SMK and RL22 to give the best combination of velocity and accuracy. Loads of between 60.0gr and 61.0gr will put you in the 2850-2900fps velocity range. I makes for a very accurate and flat shooting load.

Don
 
My pet load is 48.0 of H4895 and a Hornady 150gr SP. Chrono'd at 2800fps, very low deviation, shoots less than MOA out of a couple of rifles.
 
I'm suprised to read nobody has mentioned IMR4350 here. I've not found a more accurate poweder out of my 700 SPS. It is probably my best shooting gun, and also my cheapest!

I use the following:
165 Hornady Interlok
56gr IMR 4350
Win cases
Fed 210M primers

It's cheap and extremly accurate out of my rifle.
 
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