30-06 Load Development

[Sjspin]

I would check action screws are torqued correctly. If I remember correctly, 35 inch pounds. No more or you will crush the plastic tab on the bottom metal. Also, make sure the bottom metal isn't binding in the atock.

My Tikka 30-06 likes RL 22, Hunter with 180 grain Noslers, Imr and h 4350 for 165 grain Sierra/Speer/Hornady/Nosler, and IMR 4064 and Big Game for 150 grain bullets of all types. Accuracy has been excellent. Consistent 5 shot loads hover around .75", although some 3 shot loads hover around .5". It has proven easy to load for, but slower than other barrels.

 

[rustyshackleford]

If your 30-06 won't shoot sierras you can sell it or get it fixed because it won't shoot anything. I honestly can't recall working up a load with a Sierra that wasn't sub MOA

 

[tigerrose01]

For my 30-06, I use Nosler brass, CCI large rifle match primers, IMR-4350 powder, and 168 gr. Barnes TTSX bullets. It will provide one-hole groups all day. I do weigh each powder charge. My particular rifle likes those bullets to be seated at 50 thousandths off the lands. Before using the Barnes bullets, I was using the 168 Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets which were accurate with the other components listed as well. I switched only to reduce meat damage and have been happy with the switch for many years.
I didn't post powder charges because you are just starting to reload and should carefully follow your reloading manual...the one that is specifically written for the bullets that you're using. Load data is not the same for the 168 gr. Nosler BT and the 168 gr. Barnes TTSX despite the same bullet weight.

 

[HunterShooter]

My Win Model 70 30-06 with a 22" barrel loves the 168 TSX, but not the TTSX. My grouping is 0.3-0.5" using IMR 4350. Make sure you read up on TSX seating depth. They like a jump so set them back from the lands a ways.

 

[marvee]

I'm totally new to reloading so I don't know much about it. So how do I develop a good load for my Tikka T3 22inch barrel 30-06! I have a Barnes 168g that I want to work with and figure out what I'm doing. I'm using IMR4350 or Varget. I have been testing the different powder charges but I'm having a hard time with my groups.. What's the best way to go about making a good load?

Use Rem 760 pump/imr 4350 56.5 grns/2850fps/ Speer 165 grn Grand Slams/2 inch groups all day long. Don't shoot elk over 300 yes. Stalk an kill. Head shot all but one.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I load the 168 Barnes TTSX with 55.0 grains of IMR-4350. It has been the most accurate load for my 30/06, a TC Venture.

 

[igorts]

i have 3 tikkas. all shoot subMOA.
22" light 30-06 and 24" Varmint .308 both have 1:11 twist; count it in.
30-06 is on steady Barnes diet(in CA), and likes 180 grn , tsx, ttsx on varget or H380.
lately switched to 175 grn LRX and Superformance, with great results for 30-06. 0.05 of the lands.
.308 Tikka likes 155-168 grn bullets and does not like barnes at all.

 

[73driver]

When I last worked up a load for my MOD70 Classic in 30-06 I did extensive work with Sierra 180 & 165 GK's and ended up trying mostly H4350 and IMR4350. My rifle liked the H4350 better and both bullets shot better with a near max load (from Speer manual from 90's). The H5350/180GK chronographed at 2825fps with 24" barrel and just under max load per Speer. An 06 in a light rifle will challenge your skill at shooting groups. Thats a fair amount of recoil and getting square behind the rifle and using good consistent form holding it is very important. That said take a Sierra 165 GK and load it 25thousands off the lands then come 2 grains off max with H4350 and load up 4 rounds each going up in .4gr increments. Find the best accuracy powder load then adjust bullet setting say in 3 thousands increments jump to lands for accuracy. Now with a good powder load and bullet jump try loads with + .2 & .4 gr and - .2 & .4 gr and see what works best.
BTW I know I used Sierra bullets and Speer loading data, which is supposed to be a no no. My thought was Speer cup and core bullets are similar enough to Sierra cup and core that differences were minimal.

 

[joekidd]

I have a Rem 700 that was trued & squared. Shilen select match barrel sporter 1:13" at 26" long in 30-06 improved. Shoots 165 & 168 gr. bullets (of choice) well under 1/2" @ 100 yds. For some reason it hates speer grand slams. Won't group them for 50 yard shooting !
I personally settled on Vitavori N 160. Is really consistent for me. I use a high volume for my hunting load, but you can't shoot it in the summer. To high of pressure! Haven't got the opportunity to get a long range shot on big game here in MI, but have taken many a ground hog in Ohio. Longest to date 729 yards. With many in the 500's. Also I use Lapua brass, pricey but worth it. Federal large match primers and Nosler BT & Bergers. Good luck, I always felt load development was the most fun because you are figuring out a process and learning your own skills and familiarity of you gun.

 

[MarkA]

IMR 4350 will work.
If you have some faster burining IMR 4064 you might give it a try. It might work a little better with the 22" barrel.

https://www.barnesbullets.com/load-data/

Barnes says IMR4064

 

[RAGGED EDGE]

Give some thought to equipment also. I loaded my first rifle round 55 years ago for my 250 Savage. I've had very consistent results with Redding and Lee reloading dies. When I'm not hunting, I'm reloading because I love it. Good luck.

 

[30calyooper]

First of all welcome to the sport and hobby! I started out many years ago and my first cal to load was the good ol' 30-06, as my teacher in the military said it was a great cal to learn the ropes with.

A couple of questions: first what kind of seater die are you using, and second how are you crimping? Let me explain...

All dies are not created equal. It makes less difference which full-length sizer you are using, as most brands are reasonably "good enough." But for seating there are two big questions - is the die holding the bullet in proper alignment with the case neck while seating? Poor alignment leads to inconsistent neck tension, lateral runout, etc. In other words, it degrades accuracy. Ditto the proper seating stem...if it does not match the bullet you are seating then the same problems occur plus possible tip deformation.

Next up, crimping. Many of the more affordable seating dies include a crimping ring and instruct you to seat and crimp in one operation. Resist this! Seat first, then crimp in a separate operation. And of course make sure you are using the proper form of crimp. Roll crimp into a cannelure, taper or use a Lee factory crimped if no cannelure is present on your chosen pill. I have seen several new reloaders get this wrong and the results were predictable.

Get a Forster Comp seater and a Lee fac crimper and you will probably see some improvement. Assuming you trim brass to tight specs say plus/minus .0015" and crimp properly to even out the neck tension, your rounds should start with a consistent release pressure. From there you can tweak the powder charge up or down until you find the sweet spot for your launcher.
FYI 4350 is a good choice for the '06 across the spectrum of bullet weights. Varget also does well, but I recommend sticking to one powder per bullet choice until you learn the tricks of the trade. Load a given brass/bullet/primer/powder combo to manufacturer's recommended overall length, tweaking powder charge until you can consistently get best sub-moa groups (3 shots) at 100 yards. Then take that load and play around with seating depth in increments of .005" and you'll maximize the accuracy of that combo.

 

[turkeyfever]

You are seeking advice on forum. Maybe someone lives close and can lend a helping hand and get you started in the right direction.

 

[thwatson2]

I have 3x 30-06 rifles 2 Browning's and a Winchester They all group awesome using Berger 168s with 56 grain of IMR 4350. One of the Browning's does little better with 56.5grains. They all have a 1:10 twist rate, I believe the Tikka is 1:11, which would and should do great with the Berger 168 grain bullets. I use Winchester large rifle primers As far as working up or down, start with 5 rounds at 0.5 grain above and below your starting point, of course make sure you don't get outside safe loads. I believe 57 grains is absolute max. Hope this helps a little. Trouble with hand loads is you will become a great shooter, if that is a trouble. You will shoot a lot to get your favorites. Be careful with using lots of powders. Pick one or 2 per caliber and work the powder to make the rifle shoot