What reloading dies, bullets and powder for 30.06?

[Master Blaster]

I was trying to decide what dies to order to use in my rockchucker to load 30.06 for a bolt action remmington 700 adl.
RCBS, Dillon, Lee, Lyman 2 or three die sets? Neck sizing, seperate crimp? benchrest? Reddding Micrometer?????

My head is spinning so many choices!!!!

What is a good set to get started reloading rifle rounds???

Any advice for light 110 grain bullets to reduce recoil??

What powder and primers do you all recommend?

I fired 50 rounds of winchester 150 grainers yesterday, and my shoulder still has a sore spot!!!

What loads do you all use for target shooting, and to reduce recoil??

Thanks

 

[critter]

I have used RCBS, Redding, Lyman dies. All are good and all are 2-die sets for rifles and have full size capability. (That is NOT to say the others are not good-just no experience here.)

Powder for the old -06: MANY are appropriate. IMR 4895 is comperable to old military powder for use in gas guns and will give good servive. It is also good for reduced loads (using either jacketed or cast bullets) to lower the recoil for 'fun' loads and practice. IMR 4350 is a much slower powder and is good for high speed close to top end loads for hunting.

You may want to try many powders, loads, primers, etc. to find one combo your gun likes for accuracy, desired speed, terminal effect, etc.

Good luck on a fun hobby!

 

[Bottom Gun]

I've found that IMR 4064 works best in my 30-06 rifles.
I use Sierra 110 gr HP's and get good results. Another bullet you may want to consider is the Speer 125 gr TNT HP.

Please note both of these bullets are intended for varmints and are too explosive to be used on big game.

 

[mparris71]

I would pick up a set of the Lee Deluxe Rifle Die set. Comes with a collet neck sizing die and a Full length sizeing die and the seat and crimp die.

 

[Steve in PA]

RCBS full length dies......set to partially resize the case. Have a set of neck size only dies.....but settled on partially resizing. No crimping.

Hornady 165gr BTSP bullets.........

Hodgdon H414........tried several different powders, IMR 4064, 4350, etc.......this one gives me excellent accuracy and meters very well.

CCI LR 200 primers, Remington cases. Use a RCBS Precision Mic to play around with bullet seating depth etc.......I don't recall right now my COL for my hunting load.

I normally get 1" or better groups (often better) at 100 yards out of my Winchester M70 .30/06.

Now.......for plinking......I use IMR-4895, 150gr FMJ-BT and a M1 Garand!!!!!

 

[Art Eatman]

I've always used 3031 for 100- or 110-grain bullets. The former were loaded light, as plinkers and practice in eye/finger coordination. The latter has been my main varmint load. For 150-, 165- and 180-grain bullets, I use 4064.

I've mostly used Sierra stuff, although I got excellent results with the 150-grain Remington Bronze Points. I vaguely recall that I changed due to Sierra's boat-tailed bullets; I hunt in wide open country, and wanted every little bit of trajectory help I could get. My father killed a seriously large number of deer with the 150-grain Hornady Spire Point.

I've always used either Remington or Winchester primers. My rifle doesn't seem to care, giving equal groups with either.

Once I've fired a case in my rifle, I never full-length resize again, until the case has stretched a little. I neck-size maybe 80% of the length, +/-. I never have noticed any variance in group size for different brands of dies--and I've used some that many of the younger folks probably haven't heard of. C&H, Redding, Pacific...

(Right-handed) I have long arms. To aid in reducing recoil for a long course of shooting, I'll reach around and curl the fingers of my left hand around the butt of the rifle. This spreads the recoil over a larger area, as well as letting my left arm take some of the load. And, there's not a thing wrong with folding a towel to use as padding. Make life easy! It takes no smarts whatsoever to hurt yourself, and we don't give Attaboys for that.

Art

 

[SodaPop]

I experimented with several powders and came to the conclusion that IMR 4064 worked very well for the 30/06. I've pretty much stuck with 150gr and 200gr for the '06 and get within 1 MOA with a Model 70. The groups for the 200gr stay just under 1.5MOA out to 500yds. Pretty darn good if you ask me....

 

[achadwick]

For recoil reduction try the Kick-Eze recoil pad. Put one on my A-Bolt 30-06 and it works great.

 

[Khornet]

My faves:

Hunting: 4064, 50 or 51 grains, Hornady 150 gr spire point flat base, CCI 200 primer, Winchester brass fully prepped ( trimmed, sorted by weight, primer pocked uniforrmed, neck turned, flash hole reamed), neck sized with Wilson Hand dies and bullet seated with Forster Micrometer die, no crimp. 0.5-0.75 MOA with my 03A3 scoped sporter.

Target: 4064, 45-47 gr, Sierra 168 BTHP, CCI 200 or Federal 210 Match primer, same brass treatment and loading procedures. I try to seat my bullet almost touching the lands. Touchin lands in my old rifle is 3.800" with a Wilson Comparator (that big hex-nut like thing), so I seat to 3.790-3.795. My throat is really long, though.

I put a rubber recoil pad on my rifle using a pad shaping/installing jig I got from Brownells (B-Square, I think) and I can fire all day with a T-shirt on, from the bench.

Accurate 3100 58-60 gr has also done well in the hunting load above. My rifle doesn't like 4895, 4350, 4831. 110 gr bullets have never done well in this rifle, but it's a 1943 2-groove military barrel.

 

[BigG]

When I first started reloading, RCBS or Lyman were about the only ones out there. I later tried the Lee dies and they were just as good, cheaper, and come with the shell holder. Now, I buy Lee if they have my size available. Less than $20 a set. IMR 4064 is among the very best for 30/06. Will get a 150 gr bullet up to 3,000 fps.

 

[dan_s]

I use Hornady dies and neck resize. Powder IMR 4064, and I currenty use Hornady boattails. Have a box of Amax I can't wait to try out..

 

[Johnny Guest]

Master Blaster, you're just scratching the surface here.

The ‘aught six is has been around for a long time and it would be surprising if there weren't a bunch of different opinions on loading for the round. Likewise, there is really no One True Path to Success. I bet every opinion expressed on this topic is true and valid for the poster and his/her rifle. Check out the details of what is offered, and then make your best judgement as to what suits you.

I've been using the same set of RCBS dies for decades, and they still work, so why change? I have a Redding neck size die, but seldom use it. I agree with the principle, but neck size only may not work (probably will NOT work) if the ammo is to be fired in different rifles. When I standardized on my everyday ‘06 load, my hunting partner and I each had Ruger 77 rifles, and my Elder Son later began using a Springfield 1903 sporter. Since the same loads might be exchanged amongst us, it was better - -for US - - to full length size.

I began loading 150 gr. Bullets with IMR 4895 powder back in the 1960s. I walked into Knight's Gun Shop in Fort Worth and asked Hollis Pricer what I needed to get started loading. He put the RCBS dies on the counter with a box of Remington 150 gr. bullets, some kinda primers, and a can of IMR 4895 powder. He said to load blank grains, will there be anything else, that'll be twenty-one forty, thank you sir. That load worked well in an old Mauser sporter and later in a Remington 742.

In later years, I spent a lot of time working up a load of 4064 powder for the Sierra 165 HP bullet in my then new/used Ruger. Killed a lot of game with the load, too. My friend Doug came along later and converted me to IMR 4350 powder and bulk pack Remington 165 CoreLokt PSP bullets and this became my all around plinking and practice load. We killed a lot of deer with that load, too, and I still use it with various bullets.

I still like the Sierra Game King bullets very much, but I can get along with Hornady, Speer, or the old Rems. I'll stand flat footed and admit that my old favorite Ruger 77 rifle is NOT a sub-MOA piece. It will hold 1.5 inches at 100, and this will suffice. I've shot enough small groups that I still have hope, but I need to be realistic. I DO shoot under-one-inch groups with other rifles, but I can't guarantee ‘em with the old 77R.

So - - all my handloading with the ‘06 has been with four powders: IMR 4895, 4064, and 4350, and some ReLoder 19. The vast majority of my experience has been with 150 and 165/168 bullets. Remington 9-1/2 primers work well for me in the ‘06. I have a load that works fine for me, and I'd rather do my experimentation with other cartridges.

Please keep us updated on your progress. Best of luck to you - - -
Johnny