# 30-06 load



## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

Well all my equipment is ordered and will be to me very soon. I have the Lee Anniversary Kit coming with a set of deluxe rifle dies from Lee also, plus some of the other tools i will be needing to begin reloading. Now all i need is what to make my first load. I decided on getting Winchester brass and will either go with CCI or Winchester primers as Federal primers are supposed to not be able to be used with the Lee auto-primer and they are both available locally in Devils Lake. Anyone have preferences on the two?? I plan on going with a 150gr bullet for the first load that i work with as that is what i shoot for deer. Right now I'm not sure what bullet I want to use beings there are so many choices. I want something that is going to hold together and not blow apart, also I would rather stay away from ballistic tips. Any suggestions there? The last thing i need to decide on and most important decision i think i will make is what powder im going to go with. A few people on here have reccomended IMR4350 and Hogdon 4350, also one of the reloading books I got suggests the most accurate that they tested in a universal reciever was IMR4064 starting with a 48gr charge at 2695fps with a max charge of 53gr at 3012fps. That max load is also the fastest that they have listed. They didn't even test the H4350, but they did the IMR4350 and gave that a starting charge of 49gr at 2545fps and a max load of 57gr at 2887fps. The 57gr charge is a compacted charge.

So, where do i start??? Anyone near with a chronograph and a love for reloading wanna go shooting sometime?


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

You can shoot 165gr Partitions that fast, or darn close, with H-4350. That's my all around back-up rifle load for wherever I go.

Why don't you like balistic tips?


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

I guess I've seen the mess ballistic tips can make if you happen to hit a major bone. Seems a little messy to me. I guess if a guy knew he was always going to make a nice heart/lung shot they wouldn't be so bad. I guess the only experience with them that i have tho is out of a 300 mag and thats a lil bit different from a 30-06. Maybe I'm wrong. I believe you are the one that told me about the h4350 for the 30-06 csquared. How many grains do you use?


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

I'd rather not say. But I will say it is absolutely safe in my rifle. The standard deviations are usually in the single digits, and some w/w brass has been loaded 6 or 7 times and still holds a primer as tight as ever. And it's more than 60gr. But let your rifle decide that for you. I WILL say, though, that H-4350 is the ONLY powder that I've tried that will do that. IMR-4350 doesn't let me get even close to 3000fps before pressure signs start to show.

If you're talking about 150gr ballistic tips in the .300 mag, then I see what you mean. I'm not up on .30 ballistic tips, but I would bet a call to Nosler would tell you that 150's are meant for .308 Win velocities, not .300 Win mag.

I really like Partitions for deer because I like to hit high in the shoulder, but sure like "light for the caliber" ballistic tips (100gr in .25/06 or 120gr in .284 Win) on antelope. Usually takes a few minutes for the dust to settle after a good hit!

I'm sure there are a lot of guys out there who know, but I'm guessing the main reason for the existence of 165gr ballistic tips is to shoot deer with a .30/06. But I'd still use a Partition.

Enough of my opinions. It's someone else's turn.

Good luck!


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

Anyone tried the Hornady SST bullets? I guess maybe they are a ballistic tip though. I kinda like the idea of using boattail bullets and they are that. The Nosler Partitions do seem to be a very good possibility tho.


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## clampdaddy (Aug 9, 2006)

I've tried the SST in my 25-06 but have never shot any big game with it yet. I worked up a load with the 165gr Hornady InterBond (thier bonded core ballistic tip) and IMR-4350 that shoots great in both of my 30-06s as well as my cousins and puts deer down with athority. If you want to stay with a 150gr load, I've had good luck with the swift Scirrocco in one of my rifles (also loaded with IMR-4350) but not so great results in my other rifle. I know you were trying to stay away from ballistic tips but I would give the interbonds a try


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

Well I think I will start out with the H-4350 and try out the 150gr Hornady SST's and see how that goes. I can always change my bullets if i decide i want something else for deer season. Thought about making loads with H-4350 and with the IMR-4064, but without a chronograph that wouldn't make sense to really compare the two. I'll see what i can get with that combination for accuracy and see how high i can go with the powder when I start seeing pressure signs i'll back off. Am I good to go if i go with the CCI large rifle primers?

One more ? If i start with a minimum load and want to work up how much more powder should i go for my next load? Also when you are testing a certain powder charge how many shells should a guy make to be sure the load is going to be safe?? I was thinking of maybe loading 10 with a minimum load and then maybe doing another 10 with an extra grain of powder on top of the minimum for starters. Does that sound ok? As im getting to more and more powder should I go down to 1/2gr increments to be safe?


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

700, I usually load 5 of each when searching for best powder charge. I think that's enough to get an accurate standard deviation assessment. But since you don't have a chronograph that's a moot point. You really should make it a priority to get one. Increased pressure does not NECESSARILY mean increased velocity, meaning that although it is fair to say that adding powder will "always" increase chamber pressure, it does not always lead to any real added velocity. So the only way to know if the added powder helped is with a chronograph. I have also come to trust info obtained by the chronograph more than any other single source to determine optimum chamber pressure. There is just so much they can tell you once you learn a little bit about how to use them that I think it's a waste of time to shoot seriously without one.

You definitely don't need to shoot 10 of each, and 1 grain increments is fine for a case with that capacity. I would go 1/2 grain with small bolt face cases, and even LESS than that for the fireball variations and smaller.

Pay attention to case brands. Doesn't matter which you use, but once a load is worked up in one brand don't assume that charge weight is OK in a different brand.

How are you planning to assess pressure? What signs will you look for?


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

I did plan on staying with Winchester brass, they are available locally if i need some quickly. As for the signs that I'll watch for they are the ones in the reloading manuals I have read through quite a bit and will go to them alot until I'm used to what to look for. What I've read is to watch for are the obvious things like cracking cases, the ring around the bottom that would suggest head separation, loose primers, black soot coming from around the primer, any dents in the case, or anything else that looks abnormal about the case.

Is there something else i should be watching for?

Oh by they was thanks Csquared for helping me out, it seems noone else feels like typing lately. Its appreciated

Matt


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

Well, Matt, that's why I asked. By the time you see the signs you've described, you've got real pressure issues!

It is SO hard to describe what to look for, and almost as hard to find two people who would interpret those signs exactly the same.

I'll try to help. Starting with a charge listed as light in the book, get used to what the bolt feels like when lifted after the shot. Get used to what a primer looks like when it's subjected to low chamber pressures. Most typical factory loads will barely flatten the primer. Which in my opinion, is not necessarily a good thing. I've found that pressure usually needs to be high enough to flatten primers pretty good, with a good load, but the key there is knowing the difference between a flat primer and a cratered primer.

I guess one rule of thumb is this. It takes some shooting to determine with this method, but my gunsmith calmly states that if you can load a case 5 times, with the same load, and the primer stays in when primed for the sixth time, your load was within reason. Now I'm a little reluctant to quote him freely on that as it could seem a bit simplistic to some, but hopefully you see his point.

Be watchful of changes in ambient temperature as you're shooting for pressure checks, since a load that has no pressure signs at 30 degrees can act like a totally different animal at 90 degrees.

I'm not trying to scare you, not by any means. And although it IS rocket science that propels your bullet, it certainly isn't so picking safe handloads, but please be careful, and take your time.

Again, you really should get a chronograph. I firmly believe standard deviations are a great indicator of what's going on inside your barrel, and by watching them as powder is increased you will most likely see signs WELL before the things you've mentioned above start to happen.

I have an old chrony I'll give you if you PM me your address. It's not pretty (been shot at least once!) but last time I tried it it worked fine. Sure would like to see you go about this the right way.

Good luck!


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## clampdaddy (Aug 9, 2006)

I usually do half grain graduations when working up a new load. One grain graduations are fine for finding your max pressure but that "sweet spot" that combines speed and accuracy may fall in between the full grain graduations. That's just me though. My old handloading mentor still gives me hell because I don't use .3 grain draduations.
As far as pressure signs go, I use the flatened primer as the main tell tale. By the time you are getting extrusion marks or soot around the primer you are way over pressure. By the way, what make/model rifle are you loading for?


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

Right now I'm going to be loading for a savage 110. Its what I've been shooting since i was 16 or 17 when my brother and I went and picked it out. Its what im used to shooting so I figured thats what i should start loading with.

Hopefully soon I either want to start building a 22-250 or maybe purchase a 300mag. Haven't decided yet tho. If i go the way of the 22-250 ill be posting lots of ?'s in the rifle forum as I've never built a gun. I think I would start with a Remington action and work from there, or maybe buy a a $300 700 from Wal-mart and work with that If i go with the 300 I think I'll just buy one.


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## clampdaddy (Aug 9, 2006)

I have a 223 load that shoots well in every savage I've ran it through but I've never ran my 06 load through a savage. I know that every rifle useually likes something different but for some reason my 06 load seems to shoot well in every winchester mod. 70 I've tried it in. You shouldn't have any problem finding a good pet load for your savage. The reason I asked what you were shooting is that I wasn't sure if you were shooting an autoloader or bolt. Autoloader powder selection can be a little tricky.
Building a rifle can be alot of fun and a great learning experiance. I've done a mauser in 25-06 and am currently building one in 7X57 mauser. I think it will be my last one though, It's cheaper to buy one thats already done. But every hunter should have a custom rifle and it is alwys neat to be able to say that you built it yourself. Have fun!


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## ac700wildcat (Oct 30, 2006)

I thought about doing a 300 but i figured i could have more fun with the 22-250 building that with all the available varmint stuff thats available out there. Lots of options to play around with.


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## clampdaddy (Aug 9, 2006)

If you're going to build a varmint rig and are getting into hand loading, a 22-6mm would be a kick in the pants.


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