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Successful 30-06 Load!!!

uni82
Well, yesterday was the day for me. I was at the range with my freshly loaded 30-06 rounds. I have a Tikka T3 with a 3.5-10 Nikko Sterling Scope. When I finished sighting it in at 100 yards, my buddy and I were about to leave the range when we decided to shoot at the 600 yard bench just for kicks (no intention to hit anything just to spend a couple extra rounds). Before yesterday, I have never shot anything further then 225 yards (hunting or at a range).

After setting up and getting settled in, I loaded my first round. Compensating with a south bound wind and about a 48" drop (which I read in my sierra book), I aimed accordingly. After I squeezed the trigger, to my amazement my buddy said that I was about 3 feet off!!! After loading my next round, i shot again and hit the 12"x12" plate!!! This may not be exciting for a person who shoots at this distance all the time, but for someone who never shot a round past 225 yards, I thought it was amazing. After pinging it a couple of times, I realized that I was using my own ammo as well (second handload that I found). I am a novice reloader. I can see myself buying a better scope for my 308 so I can achieve this feat again.

30-06 Load:
190gr sierra Match Kings BTHP
53.5 gr of IMR 4350
CCI Large rifle primer
Misc Brass
2650 FPS at muzzle.
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Comments

21 comments

Date Votes
  • XXCross
    Sounds like someone's got the bug. Now lets see if you can do that laying on your belly....no bench, no bi-pods. (twenty times)
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  • sandwarrior
    Congratulations! Now you're really HOOKED!![:D][;)][:D]
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  • uni82
    yea, im hooked and next time i visit the range I will do it prone. I will update ya..... I just want to reload about 100 rounds and go ape bababooey at 600 yards.
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  • grandman
    Settle in and take your time and don`t let the miss shots get you down. You will be hooked when you get your eye for it. Congratulations you now belong to the 600 yard club. Good luck![:D]
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  • bpost
    quote:Originally posted by uni82
    yea, im hooked and next time i visit the range I will do it prone. I will update ya..... I just want to reload about 100 rounds and go ape bababooey at 600 yards.

    Yep, you are hooked! Next you will be discussing neck tension, runout, tight chambers, Bat actions and Jewell triggers.......
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  • jonk
    .........Now try it with open sights. [;)]
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  • bpost
    Then you will get hooked on cast bullets! Rifle shooting with cast bullets at 300 yards is FUN!!!!!!!!!!
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  • uni82
    Yea my father actually sends me cast bullets for my 357 mag (158 gr hp) and i'm gonna use them through my 358 winchester. I expect big things when i scope it at 300 yards too =) I never reloaded for competition, but I have an open mind on how and would like to do it in the near future for my 308 or my soon to be 300 wsm.

    What are your thoughts on a 300 wsm for 600 yards? I was thinking of buying a 338 lapua but the required resources for reloading is astronomical in price compared to a 300 wsm. Or maybe even the 7mm WSM. It uses about the same powder charge as the 30-06 but shoots flatter? Get it in a single shot savage action with a 26" hart barrel?
    Thoughts and concerns?

    Thanks for all the support and yea, still definitely hooked.
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  • uni82
    anyone have ideas of the 300 wsm? or the 7mm wsm? for 600+ yard shooting? See above.
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  • bpost
    IMNSHO.......

    New is not necessarily better, the .308 makes a fantastic 600 yard cartridge, rifle combo with the benefit of having thousands of rifles already built, ready for the range. Load data is available by the ton for the 308 and it is even fun with cast bullets!

    There is super accurate factory ammo available for the 308 too!

    My .02
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  • XXCross
    Thinking in terms of "magnum" cartridges for a 600 yard gun is looking to beat yourself up. Even thousand yard (1000) matches are handily won with the likes of the 308. I made it into "Master Class" using the 7mm Mauser cartridge. I've shot alongside competitors that were using the 243 Winchester for an across the course gun...and they were tough to beat ! You don't need anything bigger than what you have.
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  • uni82
    Thanks. I think I will just buy good optics for my 308 instead of a whole new rifle. I have a browning A bolt with a 22in .875 bull barrel. Very heavy. All I'm missing is a good optics. I will just buy a nice mil dot scope probably leupold or nikon. Thanks for your .02 You guys have a lot more experience then i do.

    -JD
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  • JustC
    308 is plenty of fun at 600yds. welcome to the long range game[8D]
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  • 1988z01
    Hey There!

    You will definitely enjoy reloading for YEARS to come. I was reloading today, and found military brass from 1943, 1956, and 1930. They still look beautiful. It is definitely a bug, but a GREAT one to have.

    I just reloaded a new load for my M1 Garand
    Hornady 168 Grain BTHP
    CCI Primer
    44.2 grains of Hodgson H-4895
    SL 43 Brass
    FA 30 Brass
    I'm lookin at 2500 fps

    This is the first load specifically for the Garand, and I am excited to see how it goes.
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  • uni82
    Good luck with that! I heard through a grape vine that the garand can't use normal 30-06 ammo, it needs to be mil speced. Is that right?

    That bug bite me pretty hard. my fiance is already sick of hearing about my reloading tales and my rifles. I keep telling her, u have horses and i have things that go boom. HA

    -JD
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  • sandwarrior
    quote:Originally posted by 1988z01
    Hey There!

    You will definitely enjoy reloading for YEARS to come. I was reloading today, and found military brass from 1943, 1956, and 1930. They still look beautiful. It is definitely a bug, but a GREAT one to have.

    I just reloaded a new load for my M1 Garand
    Hornady 168 Grain BTHP
    CCI Primer
    44.2 grains of Hodgson H-4895
    SL 43 Brass
    FA 30 Brass
    I'm lookin at 2500 fps

    This is the first load specifically for the Garand, and I am excited to see how it goes.


    That load may come out a little dirty for ya!...but if it does bump it up to up to 48 gr. of 4895 (stop there) for the standard mil-spec load of WWII. But if it comes out clean enough then stick with it. I always knew the M1 Garand didn't like max loads for the 30-06. What I didn't know until I'd been on here a while is that it also doesn't like loads with slower powder. The 4895 you're using is what you should use. That way you don't get too much pressure down the barrel at the gas port. Like I said I learned that here, not from reloading for years somewhere else.
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  • 1988z01
    quote:Originally posted by sandwarrior
    Originally posted by 1988z01
    The 4895 you're using is what you should use.


    Thanks. I have learned quite a bit here about reloading I never knew, and I have been reloading for most of my life. As far as the 4895 goes, I am curious to know what the big difference is between IMR 4895 and Hodgdon 4895? Of course, starting out with something new, I went with the Hornady book load, but not the max. I only did about 50 of those. There are so many powders out there now I can't believe it.
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  • uni82
    quote:Originally posted by 1988z01

    As far as the 4895 goes, I am curious to know what the big difference is between IMR 4895 and Hodgdon 4895? Of course, starting out with something new, I went with the Hornady book load, but not the max. I only did about 50 of those. There are so many powders out there now I can't believe it.


    I did a thread about 4-5 months ago regarding those same powders IMR 4895 vs H4895. I can't find the thread but the replies were very helpful and consistent. They informed me that they are almost exact powders, but should be worked with as if they are different. The burns are extremely similar (almost identical), but they are different powders. So work up your loads carefully.

    Its like buying a Ford or a Mercury, same car, just different label.

    -JD
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  • sandwarrior
    quote:Originally posted by 1988z01
    quote:Originally posted by sandwarrior
    Originally posted by 1988z01
    The 4895 you're using is what you should use.


    Thanks. I have learned quite a bit here about reloading I never knew, and I have been reloading for most of my life. As far as the 4895 goes, I am curious to know what the big difference is between IMR 4895 and Hodgdon 4895? Of course, starting out with something new, I went with the Hornady book load, but not the max. I only did about 50 of those. There are so many powders out there now I can't believe it.


    Originally, H4895 was milsurp powder. Pulldown or surplus 30-06 powder. Then IMR4895 came along as the civilian version. It was pretty much the same formula but off just a bit. Almost like different lots. Sometime about the 70's, Hodgdon ran out of Milsurp powder and had to get powders made in Australia. This was decidedly faster than IMR4895. Then about ten years ago they re-did the formula, which cut the size of the kernels almost in half. They then coated it with a burn retardant to slow it down to the speed of the old H4895. Even though it's pretty much a new powder they called it 4895 so that you could use H4895 data. With the burn retardant coating it's a little more forgiving if you overload a smidge. As in a few extra tenths. Which still isn't much. But it meters a lot better than the old stuff, and IMR4895 now, by a long ways.
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  • ENBLOC
    Well....I like 48 grains of IMR 4895 under a 150 grain FMJ for Hi-Power plinking with my M-1 Garand. Seems to work/function everything just fine.
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  • sandwarrior
    quote:Originally posted by ENBLOC
    Well....I like 48 grains of IMR 4895 under a 150 grain FMJ for Hi-Power plinking with my M-1 Garand. Seems to work/function everything just fine.


    Enbloc,

    As a little irony to this, IMR/Dupont was one of the major operators of Government powder-works. Here in Rosemount, Minnesota there was a giant powder-works operated by Dupont, Gopher Powder-works. They produced thousands of tons of 30-06 powder (what later became H4895) 20mm and 37mm powder and 90mm and 105mm powder. All dismantled after the war. A lot of it ended up right here in MN again in Anoka where Federal Cartridge Co. used it. Thousands of tons of it went out to Hawthorne NV Ammunition depot and various other ammunition depots around the country. This is the stuff Bruce Hodgdon started buying and selling to the public.
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