Girly 30 06

wag

Well-Known Member
About a year ago I went through the loading process on my 30 06. I had 165 gn Nosler partitions and VV150.
If I'm honest I normally plumb for mid powder weights from A manufactures data. So I went in at 52gn of viht 150. Grouped and it was more like a shotgun pattern. Back to the drawing board so loaded with 48 gn. Group was astounding, 4 touching.

So a year down the line whilst chronoing my 243 fox rounds I took my 30 06 just out of interest. The group was still spot on , However speed was only 2500f/s. I'm not going to change a thing, but just felt a bit disappointed.
 
About a year ago I went through the loading process on my 30 06. I had 165 gn Nosler partitions and VV150.
If I'm honest I normally plumb for mid powder weights from A manufactures data. So I went in at 52gn of viht 150. Grouped and it was more like a shotgun pattern. Back to the drawing board so loaded with 48 gn. Group was astounding, 4 touching.

So a year down the line whilst chronoing my 243 fox rounds I took my 30 06 just out of interest. The group was still spot on , However speed was only 2500f/s. I'm not going to change a thing, but just felt a bit disappointed.
You're not alone in this, a lot of people run their rigs much slower than they realise.
Least yours is deer legal....
 
I didn't see data for that bullet / powder combo but you can find that at slower speeds the groups are good and as the load increases the group opens then tightens again. if you are disappointed with the speed, perhaps increasing the load will tighten the groups. its all down to what the rifle likes and harmonics.

also you may have more success with a different powder. with my 243 I started on H380 and was impressed with the groups but thought the bullet was too slow so I changed to ramshot hunter and ended up with great groups and an 85gr head running over 3000pfs.

the ramshot hunter is what I am going to start with in my 30-06. I think the ramshot is really good powder and good value for money plus they have a lot of load data on their site

from ramshot datasheets for hunter powder- nosler partition 165gr min 55.7gr = 2,746 fps & max 61.9gr = 2,991 fps
 
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Hi Greg, I am still using H380 in my 243 and 3006. Both 2750 fps +- and both grouping really well. The 243 is running 100gn game kings, the 3006 is 150gn i think. Powder is 35gn and 55 gn so mid range in both.

This makes for easy shooting as both have very similar drops in practice at the same differences, and as you know i run 2 prohunters with identical scopes. Hope Tillypronie is still working well for you.

Wag, i was also surprised that they were slower than i thought, but like you it is working so well i dont think i will change it, and both have the desired results on deer.

Dave
 
to be honest I used the H380 in the .243 with 85gr gamekings and was blown away with how tight the groups were, I just wanted to try and get circa 3200 - 3300 fps and replicate the speed / trajectory of the 80gr federals which my rifle likes. both shoot well, but the ramshot is cheaper and a little faster.

next time I am down visiting my folks I will give you a buzz and can drop off my tub of H380 to you if you want it, still more than 3/4 full and free to a good home if you fancy.

greg
 
No pressure signs at all. Ive just looked at the vv data on the site and 52gn with a 168gn is max. So i may try a tad more to see what happens.
 
Charlie, it's deer legal, accurate, goes bang when you pull the trigger and presumably the deer don't question what velocity the round was going at once they're on the ground.....?
Enjoy, and don't worry about it? Plus, your powder will last longer!
 
A good friend of mine used a 30/06 load for years with excellent results on Moose , Elk and Deer . He didn't have access to a chronograph , but , according to his Hornady manual , he was supposed to be getting around 2700 cps with a 180 gr spire point . After using the same load for about 8 years , we finally ran some of them over my crony . He was shocked when he found out he was getting just under about 2550 ( give or take , it was a while ago ) Everything he shot went down quick and clean , long story short , he still uses the same load .Like deerstalker.308 says , if it works , don't worry about it . Most people would be in for a surprise if they chronographed the ammo they were using .

Good hunting AB
 
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