Winchester Supreme 780 and the .30-06

[ojibweindian]

I've got a bunch of 780 and am curious to see if anyone's used this powder in the development of a load for the .30-06. I'd like to try it using a 165 grain Hornady BTSP and Federal 210's.

Anybody have an idea of the range of weights for this powder that would be safe?

 

[NCsmitty]

I haven't used it yet, but a link to Hodgdon's site will give you data to make choices.

Hodgdon does not have a load for a 165gr bullet with that powder, but do with heavier bullets.
There are better powders for the '06.

www.hodgdon.com


NCsmitty

 

[rcmodel]

+1

Supreme 780 is too slow to make a good 165 / 30-06 load.

It doesn't start coming into it's own until you get past 180 grain bullets.

rc

 

[ojibweindian]

Does Reloader 19 work well with 165 grain bullets? I've got a lot of Reloader 19, as well.

 

[NCsmitty]

Yup, Rel-19 is a better choice.
IMR4350 or H4350 are very good too.

Link to Alliant powder data.

www.alliantpowder.com


NCsmitty

 

[ojibweindian]

Thanks!

 

[Rokman]

Reloader 19, H4350 and IMR4350 have worked very well for me with 168gr. Nosler Btips.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I agree W780 is too slow a powder for use in the 30-06 with a 165gr bullet. W760 on the other hand works very well and if you can't find W760 buy H414 because they are the same exact powders.

I personally prefer 4350 for my 165/168gr and 175gr 30-06 ammo. For lighter bullets I use 4895 or Varget.

 

[ojibweindian]

I've been using H380 for the past 7 years in load development for the .30-06 in bullet weights <= 165 grains. I wanted to try 780 because I bought 8lbs of it for a 7mm Rem Mag and thought it might also work for the '06.

Anyway, thank you all for your knowledge and recommendations

 

[ArchAngelCD]

ojibweindian,
I would say give it a try but Hodgdon doesn't even list W780 for any bullet lighter than 180gr for the 30-06. Loads using W780 don't start to match the velocity of the other powders until you get to the 200gr bullets. (according to Hodgdon) It just seems this is one of those powders that works great for the calibers it was made to serve but not for other calibers. (unfortunately for you since you have 8 lbs of the stuff) Sorry....

 

[ojibweindian]

Arch

Don't be sorry, I bought the powder primarily for my 7 mag, and was just wondering if it'd also work well in a .30-06. My primary .30-06 powder is H380 and I was wanting to try something different.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

If you're just looking to try something new go out and buy yourself some 200gr .308" bullets and load them up. I'm betting that combination will work very well and hit like a brick too... (don't forget the range report)

 

[ojibweindian]

Arch

Ya know, that sounds like loads of fun

 

[smbaas]

ojibweindian

How did the supreme 780 work for the 7mm Rem Mag...I am looking at working up a load for a 139gr. and 154gr Hornady SSTs? Since it is spherical I am hoping I can get some consistent drops with my hornady lnl powder drop for a change.

 

[ojibweindian]

smbaas

I've not yet had the chance to go to the range to see. Hopefully I'll get a chance this Sunday.

 

[azar]

ojibweindian,

I would be interested in the performance of the W-780 as well. I nearly bought some a week ago. I only hesitated because it's a new enough powder the only place I've seen loads is hodgdon's website. I usually like a little bit of cross-referencing before I use a powder.

I picked up IMR 7828-SSC instead. They were out of Reloder 25 and Retumbo, two that were high on my list.

Have you loaded many 160-175 grain bullets? If so, what has been your favorite / most consistent powder in the 7mm RM?

 

[ojibweindian]

azar

In the 7mm RM, I've only played extensively with 150 grain bullets. So far, the best load I've developed has been 150 grain flat base over 60.7 grains of RL-19 touched off by a WLR primer.

I've played around a bit with 150 grain Sierra Gamekings and H1000 and have yet to find a charge weight that produces anything near MOA. I've also tried 162 grain SSTs with H1000 and CCI large magnum primers and, again, I've yet to find a good load. Hopefully 780 will perform well enough with the test loads I've developed to warrant further work with the Gamekings and SSTs.