Reduced load 30-06 for a youth advice

[Vol1975]

Boy is 8 years old and I'm going to try my hand at reduced load instead of new smaller caliber

Gun is a feather lite 30-06 Winchester with 22 inch barrel. Light gun. One of my primary woods gun

looking to reload the Barnes 110 with h4895 Using the hodgdon 60% load data.
what your thought on this combo. Or Other light loads with powder and load combo.
thought about imr 4160 with 120 gr.

I don't have any 4895 so I'll have to find some. Have plenty of other powder but I want to make this as much less recoil as possible.

any way. just general thoughts on light bullets with light recoil for a youth.
thanks.

 

[Laguna Freak]

You got 150 gr boolits and 4350 powder?

Easy enough to produce an effective low recoil load.

 

[Aggie1999]

See this. I've used the 125 gr and they are pretty light recoil.

 

[Monteria]

25gr 4198 under what ever bullet you want, though 125s would be my preferrence. Google 4198 youth loads by "seaferer" (that screen name is by memory) for more detail.

 

[Aggie1999]

Veteran just posted that Powder Valley has H4895 in stock.

 

[assasinator]

so, for reduced loads its hard to beat 5744.

i use it for my lead bullet loads when using light bullets. its a generally great powder for loads that are slow and light.

this is a load from loaddata.com. heavy bullet moving very slow.

there are many other load data for that powder.

.30-06

110

Speer RNSP, TMJ RN or Spire SP

Accurate

AAC-5744

26.0

1956

180

Sierra Jcktd HPBT

Accurate

AAC-5744

33.0

2314

 

[RegionRat]

I think we should mention that right now the bigger challenge with this project would be that H4895 is not going to be easy to find.

In fact it will be very difficult to find and it is one of those rare powders that tolerates downloading.

A low recoil gun in general will be easier to find than H4895. Just food for thought.

Maybe something like a bolt action 7.62x39 (for cheaper factory ammo) or 300 BO (for sharing 30 cal bullets) or along those lines?

In time, maybe the H4895 will come back around and you can ramp into downloading 30-06 again.
I would ask Hodgdon if they expect it any time soon and base my plan on their input.
If they say the youngster will be married with their own kids by the time H4895 shows up again, then I would run with a different caliber for this summer and revisit the whole 30-06 download concept again later. Kids don't stay with us for long, it goes in a blink of an eye.

In any case, good on you for getting them started.

 

[Buttermilk]

I loaded Nosler 125 Ballistic Tips with H4895 @ 60% charge based on Hodgdon data for a reduced recoil load for a 12 yr old. Loaded worked to perfection.

 

[adk hunter]

BT way better choice for reduced loads IMHO
Mono's all like speed.

 

[Turpentine21]

41.3 grains of Imr 4895 win or primer with a 150 sst runs about 2525fps. Works like a champ for a friends daughter that I load for. Very good wound channel and kills quick. Generally exits so it leaves a blood trail too.
44 grains of imr 4895 with everything else the same runs about 2650-2675 and drives tacks. Recoil with both is negligible. Just more of a good thing.
You might also consider a 125 grain bullet with 38-40 grains of H4895 and a magnum primer. Put as much weight in the stock hole as you can on a feather lite rifle and use a Limbsaver recoil pad. My son started with a similar load in a full sized model 70 with a shortened stock And Limbsaver pad.
The perfect caliber for a small kid in my opinion is 6.5 Grendel in either AR or bolt action. Very low recoil and muzzle blast. I actually prefer the AR version because of the adjustable stock. I know it's a semi auto but you can single load it if you choose. I build more of these for kids now than any other type. My niece has used one since she was 7. The good thing is with the adjustable stock is that it'll grow with them.

 

[171farm]

100% do not mean to offend and knowing each 8 year old is different. But there is no way I would have gave my son at 8 a light 30-06 to shoot. Your son might be bigger and able to tolerate, especially if he was already shooting something else, but giving a kid a gun that kicks too much or is overly loud is an easy way to scare them for life. But only you know if your son is able to tolerate something and if he is then give it a go.

It might be easier to get some Hornady Custom Lite ammo. My son uses the 243 custom lite and his Mossberg shoots them lights out and is 5 for 5 one shot kills with them.

 

[assasinator]

100% do not mean to offend and knowing each 8 year old is different. But there is no way I would have gave my son at 8 a light 30-06 to shoot. Your son might be bigger and able to tolerate, especially if he was already shooting something else, but giving a kid a gun that kicks too much or is overly loud is an easy way to scare them for life. But only you know if your son is able to tolerate something and if he is then give it a go.

It might be easier to get some Hornady Custom Lite ammo. My son uses the 243 custom lite and his Mossberg shoots them lights out and is 5 for 5 one shot kills with them.

243 WSSM for my 8 year old. model 70 lol.