Finding the right load for a 30-06

[flur60]

Edmon,

My x-bolt perfers 165 - 168 gr. bullets (Noslers, Hornady & Barnes). I tried 150's & 180's with OK results but the rifle shines with 168 gr. Barnes TSX's. My load of choice is:

Remington Brass, Winchester LR Primers, 51.0 gr. of IMR-4064, & Barnes 168 gr. TSX bullets. The bullet needs to be seated .055" - .060" off the lands for it to perfrom well. Best group to date is 4 shots @ .131". Average group is a little less than .500". If you crowd the lands the group will open up significantly (like 2" @ 100 yds)

That load is pushing the upper limits for that powder so start lower and work your way up.

Try it, you'll like it! Good Luck.

 

[-JR-]

You guys sound like you know what your talking about...I need some advise.

1st Riffle 308 norma mag Bullet choice 180 hornity SPBT
2nd Riffle 25-06 Bullet choice 117 Hornity SPBT
3rd Riffle 243 Bullet chice around 80

I just want to buy one can of powder which would be better for all 3 riffles
IMR 4831 or H4831

 

[flur60]

I can't reply on the 308 or the 243

For the 25-06 I use:
H4831SC w/ 80 gr. Barnes TTSX & 75 gr. V-Max
RL22 w/ 115 gr. Barnes TTSX & Berger VLD's

 

[Bart B]

Bart,....I'm not implying it shoots like that all the time. I will say I spent a lot of range time developing that load. I have duplicated those results a few times depending on me, if I have a good range day. It has not shot larger than a 3/4" group. The gun and load are capable of those .442 results, the shooter must do the rest to make that happen.

Well then, you've got a 3/4 MOA rifle as you shoot your ammo in it. It's also capable of shooting under 1/10th MOA. As half the shots fired strike somewhere outside your call relative to the center of your aiming area and the other half inside your call, all you have to do is shoot enough groups until one shows up where they're all inside your call and you'll get that .093 MOA group. This happens every once in a greatwhile. I once put 5 shots from a .308 Win. into 2 inches at 1000 yards....with aperture sights and slung up in prone. But there's no way I'm gonna claim that Palma rifle's a .200 MOA rifle at that range. A large part of that was sheer luck; same as virtually all benchrest records 'cause they're the smallest group the rifle that shot them ever produced.

The above aside, if your rifle was clamped in a 3-point machine rest it would probably shoot no worse than 1/2" groups. I know of anybody who shoulders a .30-06 factory barreled rifle atop a bench and shoots ammo no worse than 1/2 MOA all the time. There's too much recoil moving the bore axis away from where it was pointed when the primer detonated and the bullet's going down the barrel. Which means you've come up with a good load that shoots great in your factory rifle.