200 grain partition for 30-06

[rustyshackleford]

The numbers jumped out at me because 2750-2800 is below starting loads for my 30-06 with a 150gr SST. I got 2840 out of the gate and hit 3000 when I was still 1.0 gr below the Hornady book max. I think Hornady trends conservative with their data generally, and these weren't exceptionally hot rounds specifically.

In my opinion any numbers you see in any manual for 30-06 are conservative since they are limited to 58 ksi. Most people load until they see pressure. I'm not one of those but I know good and well a quality rifle in 2020 is stronger than an 03 and it's also not a Garand. Same thing as limiting yourself to trapdoor 45-70 loads when in reality a marlin or Henry will handle 30-40 ksi without issue. A friend of mine is a load until you see pressure and work back down type. I think his load after backing down from pressure was ~2750 ft/sec with either a 200 or 212 eld-x over reloader 16. I REALLY like RL-16 with bullets over 180's in the 06. For 165's and 180's I got top velocity and good accuracy with H4350. Most accurate load to date has been over Ramshot Hunter with a WLRM primer

 

[Stammster]

Fine. Then reduce the 200 gr load to 2400 fps to get an apples to apples comparison to a light / moderate velocity with 150-165 at 2700-2800 fps, and see how well that opens up at 400 yds when it drops below 1700 fps. Or load the 165 to 3000 fps and get beat up.

A 170 lb whitetail deer ain't that hard to kill.

 

[greenejc]

I see this post has gone the normal way with suggestions and calibre creep moving in.

From his initial post Samuel has the 200gr Partitions on hand and the only suitable calibre is his 30-06. He can surely try and trade or swop the bullets, but it seems as though your component shortage might not make that an easy task. I therefore stuck to the data supplied and showed that with RL26 he can get a very safe load with a speed of 2650fps, which will satisfy his hunting needs. HARPERC confirmed the efficacy of such a load.

I think Samuel now needs to make up his mind and see what accuracy he can get with the suggested components and then go hunting. I am quite sure they will be adequate.

I know they'll be adequate. I use 200 grain in Speer and Sierra in my -06's and they will shoot just fine. I generally use IMR 4350, but I found some data on Superformance, too, and have several pounds of that on hand, so I'm experimenting with it. Velocities for both powders are hovering around 2575fps or so from 22" tubes. There are several powders which will work, though. Email Speer and they'll give you data for their bullet. You can then use their data to work up a good load for the Sierra, Nosler or Hornaday 200 grain bullets in the future, and the Nosler Partitions you have available now. RL 26 is a good listed powder in Speer's manual, but has been hard to find all year. I've been able to find Superformance pretty much here in Colorado, so I've been using and experimenting with it as an alternate for IMR4831 and 4350. If you can find it, start at around 53.5gr. and work up CAREFULLY, watching for pressure signs. Keep in mind that it isn't recommended by Hodgden for 200 grain bullets. I found load data for it with the Federal 200 grain bullet in Handloader's edition of August, 2020 for the -06. I loaded 1 grain below the listed load, and got very good accuracy from my 22" Ruger. It didn't show pressure signs. I also load my loads from a couple of older, less lawyer prouffed manuals. Even so, I get no pressure signs.

 

[Buttstock]

I have used the .308" 200 grain Speer hot-cor flat base spitzer over 54 grains IMR 4350. No chrono, but guessing about 2525+ fps from a 22" barreled 30-06. It shoots flatter than you would think. Zero at 200 yards, it is about 2.5" high at 100 yards and down almost 9" at 300 yards (measured). Trajectory isn't much different from a 180 grain at about 2700 fps.

You can apply a "triple double" estimate for trajectory to 500 yards. For a spitzer bullet, zeroed at 200 yards: take the drop at 300 yards (ie 9"), and TRIPLE it to get your drop at 400 yards (~3x9" = 27" drop at 400 yards, or just under 7 moa drop-(27/4 = 6.75 moa) from your 200 yard zero). Then DOUBLE the 400 yard drop to get the 500 yard drop (27" x2 = 54", or almost 11 moa from your 200 yard zero. 54/5= 10.8 moa). Pretty close estimation for spitzer bullets.

Apply this pragmatically. My 30-06's 4x Leupold has a duplex reticle. There is 9 moa from crosshair intersection, to the pointed lower plex post. At 300 yards, you hold the crosshair intersection on the upper body fur line for a central chest bullet impact. At 400 yards, you hold the lower plex post point just below the top fur line for an upper center chest bullet point of impact. 200 yards or closer? Hold the crosshair intersection in the center of the chest, aligned with the front leg (broadside aspect for all scenarios).

Ranging is easy. At 300 yards, A deer (18" high body) fills 1/3 of the space between upper and lower vertical plex points. At 400 yards, the deer's body fills 1/4 of that spacing. Makes for a very simple, effective sighting system. It also shows you don't need an expensive scope that had a zoom range of 4-6, and an upper magnification of 12, 18 or 24 power. Nor do you need to "dial up" elevation. The "KISS" system personified.

The 200 grain carries about 2000 ft-lbs of ME at 300 yards with a MV of 2525+ fps, and holds well inside 1.5 moa (more like 1.25 moa) to 300 yards from my JC Higgins model 50 30-06, FN m98 action). In my opinion, this is an overlooked bullet. Recoil is on about on par with 180 grainers. Very satisfied with it.

 

[greenejc]

Hello all like everyone probably know nosler bullets are really hard to find and I've been looking for accubond and partition and all I have been able to find are 200 grain partition and the biggest caliber rifle I have as of right now is a 30-06 and I wanted to know has any one used the 200 grain bullets for 30-06 if so what are some good loads and what are the pros and cons and how was terminal performance and what would expected velocitys be also are they going to be a waist of time for white tails at 10 to 400 yards. Thanks in advance

I load both the 200 grain Speers and the 200 grain Sierras. I use IMR4350 and Superformance. I use the old manuals for the IMR and I found a load on Handloader magazine for the Superformance. My loads are near max and are 54.5 grains of IMR4350 for about 2580-2600fps from a 22 inch Ruger M77MKII with both bullets, and 54.5 grains of Superformance(one grain under listed in the magazine) for about 2550fps with Sierras. They shoot very accurately and are flat enough from my -06 for distances out to 600 yards. I use Remington 9 1/2 primers and Winchester LR primers in the loads. 5 shot groups are about 1" at 100 yards in the Rugers and about .75" in my 03-a3. Year before last I went two for two on antelope at just over 200 yards with the IMR load and had exit wounds the size of silver dollars. I shot the Sierra bullet. I also shoot the Speer Hotcor bullet in 200 grain. BC for this bullet is .480 so it shoots pretty flat in the -06 and can be pushed to around 2650fps from a 24" and about 2600 from a 22" barrel.

 

[gyrfalcon]

Hello all like everyone probably know nosler bullets are really hard to find and I've been looking for accubond and partition and all I have been able to find are 200 grain partition and the biggest caliber rifle I have as of right now is a 30-06 and I wanted to know has any one used the 200 grain bullets for 30-06 if so what are some good loads and what are the pros and cons and how was terminal performance and what would expected velocitys be also are they going to be a waist of time for white tails at 10 to 400 yards. Thanks in advance

I used the 200 grain NP for many years in the dense poplar forests of Alberta for moose and Elk. I used them for the short range shooting in those forests, enabling some angling shots. Rainbow trajectory, but no problem within 150 yards. Not a good choice for white tails at 400.
Instead look at streamlined 165 grain hunting bullets.

 

[greenejc]

Hello all like everyone probably know nosler bullets are really hard to find and I've been looking for accubond and partition and all I have been able to find are 200 grain partition and the biggest caliber rifle I have as of right now is a 30-06 and I wanted to know has any one used the 200 grain bullets for 30-06 if so what are some good loads and what are the pros and cons and how was terminal performance and what would expected velocitys be also are they going to be a waist of time for white tails at 10 to 400 yards. Thanks in advance

Yes. I use Speer 200 grain HotCors and Sierra 200 grain Gamekings in both my 30-06's with considerable success. The -03A3 posts at around 2650 fps and the Ruger M77MKII with a 22" barrel gets about 2580fps from each bullet. Accuracy is about 1" in the Ruger and sub inch in the A3.

 

[greenejc]

The Speer 200 grain .308 bullets are available on Midway right now, or they were yesterday. Correction: they are available as of about 30 seconds ago. You don't need a bonded bullet for the -06 and velocities below around 2850 fps. Speer HotCors act like a bonded bullet, though, because of their construction. The Sierra 200 grain Gameking isn't available right now, but it works great in the -06 and is of heavier construction than the 180 grain GK. The Speer 180 grain HotCor and Boat Tail bullets are also available, and worth trying out. The 200 grain bullet is $.44 a bullet, and the 180 grain bullets are $.32 and $.34 a bullet. That's the best price you'll see on the market unless you buy blemished bullets, which I have done with the Sierras and the Speers on occasion. I have found the blemished Speers and Sierras to shoot just as well as the others but they tend to cost about a third less, so I use them for load development and some varmint shooting. Try the Speer 200 grain HotCor. And at the price (about $10.00/hundred less than Sierra and maybe $20 less than Nosler) if they work, you're going to be able to shoot a lot more.

 

[Guy M]

H4831sc will get 2600 fps pretty readily. Kills pretty well from coyotes up. A forum member killed a nice grizzly with the 200 partition. Others as well.

Yup that was me. I was impressed with the 200 grain Nosler Partition. Loaded it to 2600 fps with H4350, got good accuracy, and it seemed to shoot surprisingly flat out to 300 yards, zeroed at 200. Also, interestingly the recoil seemed to slow a bit, and wasn't a problem at all. That is subjective of course.

Rifle is a 24" Remington 700 CDL. Had an old 2-7x Redfield on it then, replaced it later with a 6x Leupold.

I've only shot two animals with it, a wolf, and the grizzly. The wolf was at 200+ yards, as I recall around 250 yards. I was pleased to see that the 200 grain Nosler Partition obviously expanded. Of course it completely penetrated the wolf.

Next up was the grizzly, four shots from about 40 or 50 yards down to about 15 yards, along with shots from the guide's 338 Win Mag. We recovered one 200 grain Nosler Partition from the bear, and a 225 grain Barnes TSX that I fired into the downed bear to finish it. If I'd shot better initially, the other shots wouldn't have been necessary. I may have been a wee bit excited when I saw the bear suddenly appear at such close range.

I have an excellent general purpose load with the 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip at 2940 fps that's taken elk, black bear, mule deer and pronghorn. I think it's a better load for deer hunting, but I'm sure that the 200 grain load would work fine, since it expanded nicely on the 75 pound wolf.

200 grain Nosler recovered from the grizzly:

Regards, Guy

 

[Gravel Road]

Yup that was me. I was impressed with the 200 grain Nosler Partition. Loaded it to 2600 fps with H4350, got good accuracy, and it seemed to shoot surprisingly flat out to 300 yards, zeroed at 200. Also, interestingly the recoil seemed to slow a bit, and wasn't a problem at all. That is subjective of course.

Rifle is a 24" Remington 700 CDL. Had an old 2-7x Redfield on it then, replaced it later with a 6x Leupold.

I've only shot two animals with it, a wolf, and the grizzly. The wolf was at 200+ yards, as I recall around 250 yards. I was pleased to see that the 200 grain Nosler Partition obviously expanded. Of course it completely penetrated the wolf.

Next up was the grizzly, four shots from about 40 or 50 yards down to about 15 yards, along with shots from the guide's 338 Win Mag. We recovered one 200 grain Nosler Partition from the bear, and a 225 grain Barnes TSX that I fired into the downed bear to finish it. If I'd shot better initially, the other shots wouldn't have been necessary. I may have been a wee bit excited when I saw the bear suddenly appear at such close range.

I have an excellent general purpose load with the 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip at 2940 fps that's taken elk, black bear, mule deer and pronghorn. I think it's a better load for deer hunting, but I'm sure that the 200 grain load would work fine, since it expanded nicely on the 75 pound wolf.

200 grain Nosler recovered from the grizzl



Regards, Guy

Don't sell the 200 partitions short on deer either. They actually work excellent and expand nicely at any range. I've had good results from 200-500+ yards on deer.
Theses bullets are simply amazing, and I'd be comfortable taking any game on the planet. Well, something larger might be more appropriate for elephant

 

[Guy M]

Don't sell the 200 partitions short on deer either. They actually work excellent and expand nicely at any range. I've had good results from 200-500+ yards on deer.
Theses bullets are simply amazing, and I'd be comfortable taking any game on the planet. Well, something larger might be more appropriate for elephant

The performance on the 75 pound wolf is what led me to think the 200 gr Partition would be just dandy on deer as well. It obviously expanded well on the wolf, so I figured it would do fine on a deer of pretty much any size too. 200 grains isn't too much for the 30-06, not at all.

Regards, Guy

 

[xsn10s]

I may have been a wee bit excited when I saw the bear suddenly appear at such close range.

That looks like one big bear! If you don't get excited by seeing that at 50 yards you either see one everyday, or need to see a doctor lol. Great job Guy!

 

[HARPERC]

The performance on the 75 pound wolf is what led me to think the 200 gr Partition would be just dandy on deer as well. It obviously expanded well on the wolf, so I figured it would do fine on a deer of pretty much any size too. 200 grains isn't too much for the 30-06, not at all.

Regards, Guy

It expands on coyotes not half that size as well.

 

[asd9055]

It expands on coyotes not half that size as well.

I used 200 Partition and AccuBond in Africa on game from springbok to Zebra in 300WBY. from 150 yeards to 350 yards. They performed well. I might load some for my 30.06 after this season.