MAGNUM PUNCH in an '06

elkaholic

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I have a proposition for you guys who have a good shooting '06 but desire more punch. This is an inexpensive fix that will gain you around 200' with nothing more than a rechamber. You don't even have to set the barrel back. You use a 270 or 280 case necked up to 30, fireform, and have at it. You get an 11% increase in capacity, wsm velocity and great barrel life. I can reach 3100' with 190 grainers in a 28" barrel. You could expect to max out around 2950' with a 24". The case is a 300 Sherman and is compared to a .270 case in the pic.......Rich DSCF0465.jpg
 
I really like the 06 and put together one little over a year ago. I almost did the Ackley thing but after a long conversation, my smith convinced me to keep it stock so I did. It is a tack driver and am very satisfied. When I see something like this I get the itch but then it's not really a 06.
 
I really like the 06 and put together one little over a year ago. I almost did the Ackley thing but after a long conversation, my smith convinced me to keep it stock so I did. It is a tack driver and am very satisfied. When I see something like this I get the itch but then it's not really a 06.

Decisions:D The Sherman has about a 5% capacity gain over the A.I.
 
Just guessing here,but it looks like it has a straighter case body as well. The .30 Gibbs is pretty popular in these parts. A local smith has a full selection of Gibbs reamers and does the re-chamber thing for folks. I considered it for a spell. I'm thinking I like this a little better. I have a spare otter6 here in a T3 Tikka. Hmmm.
 
I like the old o6 just like it is. I guess my thoughts are if i want more ill just grab a 30 mag of some sort. Brass is everywhere and all i have to do is size and load it. Bottom line is that an 06 will take care of about any hunting in the US just as it is. I know some just like to play with something differnt and if thats your thing go for it. But just dont think your reinventing the wheel or making something that is vastly superior to whats allready out there. Another thing i look at is the fact im getting old and someday my guns will go to my grandkids and who knows if they will be an avid enough shooter and loader to fool with a wildcat and they can be hard to sell if they decide they dont want them. Just my opinion though and i know that doesnt count for much. If everyone thought like me it would be a boring world.
 
Great way to give the old '06 some punch without blowing a hole in the family budget or buying another rifle and optic!! I like it a lot, min case taper, good shoulder angle and it has good neck length. To bad our only 30-06 is already a 6.5 Sherman :D
 
Just guessing here,but it looks like it has a straighter case body as well. The .30 Gibbs is pretty popular in these parts. A local smith has a full selection of Gibbs reamers and does the re-chamber thing for folks. I considered it for a spell. I'm thinking I like this a little better. I have a spare otter6 here in a T3 Tikka. Hmmm.

The only problem with the Gibbs was a VERY short neck. Ballistically, it is identical with the Sherman. The Sherman case has the advantage of the case capacity of the Gibbs with a much longer neck. You are correct that it has less taper than the A.I. and also, the shoulder is farther forward. By using the 270 case, I was able to get the best of both worlds.......Rich
 
I like the old o6 just like it is. I guess my thoughts are if i want more ill just grab a 30 mag of some sort. Brass is everywhere and all i have to do is size and load it. Bottom line is that an 06 will take care of about any hunting in the US just as it is. I know some just like to play with something differnt and if thats your thing go for it. But just dont think your reinventing the wheel or making something that is vastly superior to whats allready out there. Another thing i look at is the fact im getting old and someday my guns will go to my grandkids and who knows if they will be an avid enough shooter and loader to fool with a wildcat and they can be hard to sell if they decide they dont want them. Just my opinion though and i know that doesnt count for much. If everyone thought like me it would be a boring world.

Good reasons to keep your old '06! My cartridge certainly is not for everybody........Rich
 
I love the idea!
I already converted my good ol' -06 to a 300WSM, & couldn't be happier, but your approach would cost LESS THAN HALF! Now youve got me thinking about finding a used Model-70, for cheap, & having fun! It'd be a great LR Deer, & Bear whacked in Hells Canyon!
Hmmmm
Great way to breathe new life into an already capable cartridge, & make it fun again Rich! Cool idea for my 2 boys too!
Yep, pretty sure you'll be receiving some angry emails from my wife in the next year or two:D haha
 
I love the idea!
I already converted my good ol' -06 to a 300WSM, & couldn't be happier, but your approach would cost LESS THAN HALF! Now youve got me thinking about finding a used Model-70, for cheap, & having fun! It'd be a great LR Deer, & Bear whacked in Hells Canyon!
Hmmmm
Great way to breathe new life into an already capable cartridge, & make it fun again Rich! Cool idea for my 2 boys too!
Yep, pretty sure you'll be receiving some angry emails from my wife in the next year or two:D haha

To be honest with you, I was even surprised how well it performed. My original build, as most of you know, was the 6.5 Sherman , which I love. I decided, why not neck it up to 30 and see what happens. The result was pretty impressive. What I've noticed is it likes several powders loaded to near max for great accuracy. My two favorite loads with my 190 SXR's was 63 grains IMR 4831 and 60 grains RL 17. Both would get well over 3000' with near one hole accuracy.........Rich
 
I have a proposition for you guys who have a good shooting '06 but desire more punch. This is an inexpensive fix that will gain you around 200' with nothing more than a rechamber. You don't even have to set the barrel back. You use a 270 or 280 case necked up to 30, fireform, and have at it. You get an 11% increase in capacity, wsm velocity and great barrel life. I can reach 3100' with 190 grainers in a 28" barrel. You could expect to max out around 2950' with a 24". The case is a 300 Sherman and is compared to a .270 case in the pic.......RichView attachment 18013

I just realized that I posted that the pic compared my case to a 270 and of course, it is an '06 case. My parent case is a 270. Left to right 30-06, 300 Sherman, .270W ......RichDSCF0466.jpg
 
The only problem with the Gibbs was a VERY short neck. Ballistically, it is identical with the Sherman. The Sherman case has the advantage of the case capacity of the Gibbs with a much longer neck. You are correct that it has less taper than the A.I. and also, the shoulder is farther forward. By using the 270 case, I was able to get the best of both worlds.......Rich

The short neck of the Gibbs is exactly why I haven't rechambered a rifle for it. I can't see the expense of the barrel work,combined with the cost of the custom dies to end up with a short neck. I've also read accounts of folks having case forming problems and preasure spikes with the Gibbs. I'd love to see a range report on your build. Maybe a photo tutorial of case prep. I wish my Tikka had a 24" barrel to better make use of the higher case volume though.
 
I couldn't find much for old targets but these were in the shop from some various tests so it might give some indication. Pardon the expensive targets :D I will try to put the forming process together later. The first pic was sighting in at 100 for a 300 yard zero. The shots were a little off on windage so I moved the poi a couple of clicks and shot at the other bull, if that makes sense. Imagine what the group would have been if all 4 were fired at the same bull! The other targets are just an assortment of various loads etc. so you can kind of get the idea. I wish I had kept some of the targets/groups that were more meaningful......Rich

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Elkaholic
Very impressive Sir. Excellent Accuracy and performance.
Have you done any pressure testing? I run a 30-06 Ackley using 61 grains of N160 to push a 175 Grain Berger at 2975fps but have no idea if i am fooling myself by getting these figures at the expense of high pressures.
Does the Ackley and your Sherman shape of case mask pressure signs untill things get interesting?
My Ackley cases show no signs of pressue and have been loaded many times.

What i am saying is if we were to load a standard 06 to the same pressures as my Ackley and your Sherman would we see much of a difference in performance?

Many thanks

Brit.
 
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