What is your 30-06 load charge using IMR 4350

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Good Bad and the Ugly

Good Bad and the Ugly

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Greetings from Wisconsin as I am a new member here....I am getting ready to load up some 30-06 using IMR 4350 for my Savage model 114 and would like to know what kind of charge you are using in your Savage bolt action or comparrable rifle. My components are as follows ,......

Rifle Savage model 114 Euro Classic Bolt Action
Barrel length - 22"
Case - Remington
Primer - Remington 9 1/2 LR
Powder - IMR 4350
Bullet - # 3045 Hornady 165 Grain SP-BT
Bullet seating depth - 3.215"
Bullet Jump - .037"
Powder Charge - 56.0 Grains
Velocity - Approximately 2,800 FPS / according to the the Hornady manual 9th edition
Am I on the right track with this powder charge , to high maybe ? . Your input will be greatly appreciated...
As a side note out of curiosity I removed the bullet from a Remington 165 grain Core Lokt and Winchester 165 Grain super X to see how many grains of powder they where using. Powders in both looked to be of the same type, flattened ball but powder charge in each one was different. The Remington had 54.0 Grains and the Winchester Super X had 57.9 Grains. Bullets where the flat base type. I also measured the COL on these factory rounds finding them to varry by as much as .013".
 
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My powder charge has zero relation to what yours should be. Charges of an unknown powder in a factory round have zero relation to what your powder charge should be.

The correct powder charge for your gun will be the one that produces the best accuracy.
 
Welcome to thehighroad. IMR 4350 has been one of my favorite powders for the 30-06 with a 165 grain bullet and I have taken many deer with them. My favorite load with either Speer or Sierra boattail bullets is 57 grains and I use that load in several rifles. However, the load depends on the particular rifle and the bullet that you select. The Sierra and Speer bullets shoot very close to the same point of impact at 200 meters. However, when I change to Berger bullets the load changes to 54 grains and the point of impact is about 1 inch lower at 200 meters. With Nosler bullets the powder charge is 57 grains but the point of impact is about 2 inches lower at 200 meters. I assume that you are developing hunting loads, so with this in mind fire at least one round at 54 grains, and one round at 55 grains and look for pressure sighs before using the 56 grain load. This caution is to make sure you are measuring your powder correctly. The 56 grain load should be a good load, but most often the 57 grain load can be used with little change in accuracy but will give higher velocity. Your overall length of 3.215 seems to be a little short. I would think it would be something between 3.250 and 3.300 depending on the bullet. Most of the 165 grain bullets have a long tapered point.
 
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sage5907 said:
Welcome to thehighroad. IMR 4350 has been one of my favorite powders for the 30-06 with a 165 grain bullet and I have taken many deer with them. My favorite load with either Speer or Sierra boattail bullets is 57 grains and I use that load in several rifles. However, the load depends on the particular rifle and the bullet that you select. The Sierra and Speer bullets shoot very close to the same point of impact at 200 meters. However, when I change to Berger bullets the load changes to 54 grains and the point of impact is about 1 inch lower at 200 meters. With Nosler bullets the powder charge is 57 grains but the point of impact is about 2 inches lower at 200 meters. I assume that you are developing hunting loads, so with this in mind fire at least one round at 54 grains, and one round at 55 grains and look for pressure sighs before using the 56 grain load. This caution is to make sure you are measuring your powder correctly. The 56 grain load should be a good load, but most often the 57 grain load can be used with little change in accuracy but will give higher velocity. Your overall length of 3.215 seems to be a little short. I would think it would be something between 3.250 and 3.300 depending on the bullet. Most of the 165 grain bullets have a long tapered point.
Click to expand...
Thanks! for the reply sage. I worked for the state of Oklahoma and retired from them back in 09. My avatar pic was taken coming down from Mount Scott. These will be used for deer hunting this coming season. I measured the overall length of a 20 round box of Remington Core Lokt 165 grain and the lowest reading was 3.185" , highest was 3.198" and everything in between. The reason I set the bullet at 3.215 is it puts the end of the case mouth in the middle of the cannelure where it should be on these bullets and puts it a little closer to the rifling than the Remminton's and the Winchester's. Hornady list's this bullet COL at 3.230" in their 7th edition and 3.210" in their 9th edition.
 
I use a 165 grain SGK BTHP for whitetails and I believe my load is either 56 or 57 grains. I'd have to check.
The rifle is a Weatherby Vanguard with a 24" tube.

As far as whether it is too high, you should always begin with the starting load and work your way up.

As far as how many grains of powder was in factory loads, that doesn't matter whatsoever. Don't even consider that when you're looking at loads for your gun. Stick with the book.
 
I shoot a 165 Nosler BT with IMR 4350 in a Weatherby, but worked up the load to 58gr. You’ll need to start at the minimum and safely work up to what shoots well in your gun. As others have said, don’t reverse engineer a factory load.
My Hornady 10th edition doesn’t have IMR 4350 listed. I used online data from Hodgdon, but it wasn’t a Hornady bullet.
Good luck and be safe!
 
With a 165/168gr bullet my most accurate load is 57.0gr IMR4350.

For many years now I'm using nothing but IMR or H4350 in the 30-06 in several rifles.

Welcome to the forum.
 
57.5 gr IMR 4350 under a 165 gr Sierra Gameking BTSP out of my Savage 110. Put down a many with that combo.

I tried the SGK HPBT but it didn’t drop them as well and did some decisive damage to the exit wound.

Lyman’s 49th shows 57 grains max in their offerings but Speer’s 13th shows 58 grains.

The complete reloading manual for the 30-06 lists 56 grains at max. Also, that book calls for 3.185” COL for the HPBT and 3.330” for the BTSP bullet. Recommend using an OAL gauge or the old fashion OAL with bullet in case and black marker technique to give you an idea of your rifles max COL.

I mention this because it’s best to cross reference several manuals, load up incrementally and watch for signs of overpressure. Each rifle responds different and I assume that’s what mrawesome 22-250 was alluding to in not the gentlest way.....
 
Hodgdon says 60 gr is max @ 2934 fps. I've used IMR4350 in the past and I used 58.5 gr for about 2880 fps from my 22" rifle. They show 56 gr as the starting load.

I've changed to H4350 simply because it is more stable to changes of temperature. I get virtually the same speeds and accuracy with my best load. Load data isn't interchangeable though. They show 59 gr of H4350 as max.
 
I've run IMR 4350 in the '06 with 180 grain bullets from start loads to full max per Hornady 9th, or maybe it was Lyman data. I've found it to be relatively flexible in terms of producing good groups with less than max charges.

I actually download mine into the .308 velocity range as my shooting distances are not particularly long. If I were you, I'd find the load that produces satisfactory groups and trajectory for your purpose, it may not be at book max.
 
I prefer H4350 as less temp sensitive, but IMR4350/is also good. Generally, I start 2 grs below published max and work up to the accuracy node, almost always below published maximums. Enjoy!
 
I use IMR 4350 under a 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. I believe I use 57 gr. I worked up that load for a 700 BDL about 25 years ago. I used it for deer in the fall and groundhogs during the off season. I never needed to look for a better load.
 
jmr40 said:
Hodgdon says 60 gr is max @ 2934 fps. I've used IMR4350 in the past and I used 58.5 gr for about 2880 fps from my 22" rifle. They show 56 gr as the starting load.

I've changed to H4350 simply because it is more stable to changes of temperature. I get virtually the same speeds and accuracy with my best load. Load data isn't interchangeable though. They show 59 gr of H4350 as max.
Click to expand...
I also wanted to use the H4350 powder for the same reason but it seems to be out of stock everywhere...
 
The sweet spot for my old Rem 700 ADL is 57gr under 165gr Nosler Partition, same charge seems to work equally well under a Hornady 165 BTSP. It chronos at 2700 in my rifle. I'm using Federal 210M primers BTW.
 
:):)
Good Bad and the Ugly said:
ifle Savage model 114 Euro Classic Bolt Action
Barrel length - 22"
Case - Remington
Primer - Remington 9 1/2 LR
Powder - IMR 4350
Bullet - # 3045 Hornady 165 Grain SP-BT
Bullet seating depth - 3.215"
Bullet Jump - .037"
Powder Charge - 56.0 Grains
Velocity - Approximately 2,800 FPS / according to the the Hornady manual 9th edition
Click to expand...

Welcome to THR GB&U!:)

Your load is almost identical to the mule deer, pronghorn and black bear load I used in my own 30-06 (Model 77 Ruger – 22” barrel) for nearly 30 years – from the early ‘80s until 2010. I got my 308 Norma Mag in 2010, and I use it for all my big game hunting nowadays.

At any rate, the only differences are: I used CCI LRM primers, 56.2 grains of IMR 4350, and I seated my 165gr Hdy BTSP bullets to give me a COL of 3.290” – which in my 30-06 gave me an approximate 1/16” jump to the lands.

I don’t have a 9th edition Hornady Manual (I got my load from the 3rd edition) and I did chronograph it way back when. According to my notes, it’s averaging a little better than 2840fps. It’s wonderfully accurate (4 shots in an inch at 100) and while I never did kill a pronghorn or black bear with it, I lost track a long time ago of how many mule deer I killed with it. From 20 yards to an honest-to-goodness, paced-off, 465 yards, that load puts mule deer down real quick if you do your job. In honesty though, I did lose a mule deer I shot in a hind leg one year. No excuses – I messed up, and should never have taken the shot in the first place.:oops:

At any rate, there is one thing that bugs me about those Hdy BTSPs in my 30-06 – when I fire a round, the recoil of the rifle causes the bullets in the remaining rounds in the magazine to be slammed into the front of the magazine, and that smashes those soft lead, pointy noses, flat. It doesn’t seem to hurt anything, I’ve shot plenty of good groups with those not-so-pointy anymore bullets, but it still bugs me.;)
 
.308 Norma said:
:):)

Welcome to THR GB&U!:)

Your load is almost identical to the mule deer, pronghorn and black bear load I used in my own 30-06 (Model 77 Ruger – 22” barrel) for nearly 30 years – from the early ‘80s until 2010. I got my 308 Norma Mag in 2010, and I use it for all my big game hunting nowadays.

At any rate, the only differences are: I used CCI LRM primers, 56.2 grains of IMR 4350, and I seated my 165gr Hdy BTSP bullets to give me a COL of 3.290” – which in my 30-06 gave me an approximate 1/16” jump to the lands.

I don’t have a 9th edition Hornady Manual (I got my load from the 3rd edition) and I did chronograph it way back when. According to my notes, it’s averaging a little better than 2840fps. It’s wonderfully accurate (4 shots in an inch at 100) and while I never did kill a pronghorn or black bear with it, I lost track a long time ago of how many mule deer I killed with it. From 20 yards to an honest-to-goodness, paced-off, 465 yards, that load puts mule deer down real quick if you do your job. In honesty though, I did lose a mule deer I shot in a hind leg one year. No excuses – I messed up, and should never have taken the shot in the first place.:oops:

At any rate, there is one thing that bugs me about those Hdy BTSPs in my 30-06 – when I fire a round, the recoil of the rifle causes the bullets in the remaining rounds in the magazine to be slammed into the front of the magazine, and that smashes those soft lead, pointy noses, flat. It doesn’t seem to hurt anything, I’ve shot plenty of good groups with those not-so-pointy anymore bullets, but it still bugs me.;)
Click to expand...
Thanks! for the reply. 308 Norma. I was thing about maybe using the Hornady 165 grain SST bullet. They have a non lead nose on them and shouldn't get damaged like that.
 
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Thank!s for all the input thus far folks. I'm only interested in 165 grain BT bullets used in a bolt action rifle. Besides the powder charge please list the case and primer you are using. According to the lyman's latest manual , some primers run hotter than others and can effect loading charges. They list from the coolest to the hotest in the following order...
Remington 9 1/2
Federal 210
CCI 200
WLR
CCI 34
 
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