30-06 Load Development

[Rudolph Ferdinand]

I have been reloading with varget powder.. is that why my groups are not great?

The old 30-06 is my top cartridge to reload...started twenty-five years ago but lately, I wanted better accuracy out of my reloads, so I started trimming the cases using LE Wilson case trimmer same length. I use H4350 only the best velocity but started doing precision reloading. I learned about Scott Satterlee load development looking for the best charge weight and this will take a chronograph a tool that all Reloaders should have one that will give you the SD/ES readings. I have also found that dumping the charge of powder into the case does work but finding the balance of powder charges works better for accuracy. Many years I did it the old way, now I am doing it a better way for accuracy.

 

[Old Rooster]

I like the reply to break in your barrel,clean it well and start over.
It sounds like you have used factory rounds,what size groups was it printing?
In my 2 30-06 rifles one likes to be loaded out farther but stay in the SAMMI specs!.To find the distance to your lands and grooves take an unloaded case(no primer and no powder)put the bullet in enough to hold it the case.Put it in the rifle and close the bolt.Remove carefully and measure and record it.Again,stay in SAMMI specs.
For a Barnes load 3 at .020 off lands and grooves and 3 at .015 and see which shoots best.One of my 30-06's likes .018 off lands and grooves and the other likes .012 for Barnes 165g.I have heard of some rifles likes much longer loaded round but again stay in SAMMI specs.
I use IMR 4350 powder and have a group so small it looks like 1 ragged hole in both rifles if I'm having a good day and do my part.
In my older Barnes manual it shows only 1 168 bullet and its a coated bullet.It's hard to clean moly out of a barrel so I don't shoot them anymore.
Never start at max loads!
My older manual shows IMR 4350 min load at 53.0 grains and max at 57.0 grains but my manual is older.
Old Rooster

 

[Old Rooster]

I forgot to say this about finding the distance to lands and grooves.
The distance you measure will be only good for that bullet make and weight.
Since you like Barnes it will be good for that bullet weight and only for Barnes bullets that size.
There is Tangent ogives,Secant ogives and hybrid ogive bullets and the distance to lands and grooves are different for each bullet.
Also record EVERYTHING to load so as not to duplicate that try.
Have a good day.
Old Rooster

 

[BUCKWORKMAN]

If you are in a lead free zone like me, the Barnes 168 grain TTSX and Hornady Superformance powder and has been an excellent performer for my Rem. 7400 semi auto with a O.A.L. mag. Length limitation. This rifle is not known for its long range capabilities. But with this powder and W.L.R. primers it will shoot tidy groups out to a decent range with Awesome D.R.T. performance. Good Shooting to ya'

 

[Karey Kimmel]

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?

Took me about 6 months and at least 2 dozen reload combos but I finally found a recipe that performs very well out of my Browning 30-06 Hunter A-Bolt. As many people have already said, every has its own preferences. I tried several different OTC loads and only found one my rifle liked (Hornady Light Magnum 165 gr SST's) ... but then Hornady discontinued manufacturing them...! So the research and reload search began. I have a 1:10 twist rate and a 22" barrel. Based upon the physics of it all, most 30 caliber rifles shoot 165-180 gr bullets the best (now bear in mind that there are a lot of other variables to consider but this should be a good starting point for you). I will not bore you with all of the variations I attempted in seeking my most accurate load - so here is the result: 165gr Sierra Game King SBT bullets, Hornady once fired brass (from my rifle - so it was fire-formed to my chamber), 56.0 gr IMR 4350 powder, Winchester Standard primers, and sized the OAL so the bullet was .002" off the lans of my rifle. I changed out the trigger to a Timney and refloated the barrel but everything else is standard. I can consistently shoot inside a DIME @200 yds from a bench on sandbags with my off-the-shelf Browning A-Bolt. I've taken several mule deer, whitetail deer, antelope and an ELK, many at between 200 and 300 yards. All but a few were DRT. I'd start with my recipe and go up and down .2 gr of IMR 4350 (but DO NOT EXCEED the max load). Load 3 to 5 rounds and take them to the range to shoot groups. Allow your barrel to cool between shots too.

 

[73driver]

I have also found that dumping the charge of powder into the case does work but finding the balance of powder charges works better for accuracy.

Please elaborate. I have been reloading for 45 years and have no idea what you just said.

 

[Oldschool280]

Please elaborate. I have been reloading for 45 years and have no idea what you just said.

I read it as "i'm dangerous and a lousy shot but am an experienced tracker"

 

[Trnelson]

Come on guys. This is getting seriously off track and way deep in the weeds, consider whom asked the question. OP is a newbie, he doesn't need to hear about specific loads to try in his rig. He doesn't likely understand the difference between half of it yet. He needs to get his nose in a manual, it doesn't matter from whom. We should be advising the OP to learn proper, safe loading techniques.
JOR1034, I'm sorry this got so far off track, we are usually a lot better than this. Welcome to the forum and reloading, feel free to DM me anytime, and I'll be happy to help.

 

[Greywolf18]

My -06 loves 165gr Accubonds over H4350. Lapua brass and CCI primers. I've shot my best group ever with it out of 22" Brux barrel.... .189" 3 shot group @100 yards, my ave is under 1/2"

 

[Mike 338]

So... how to find a good load. There's a million ways. Here's one.

1. Pick a well known bullet/powder combination (no need to re-invent the wheel). Also, don't get hung up on velocity. Just try to pick something that most people have found to work well.
2. Pick a primer. Federal and CCI are both popular.
3. Pick a COL (case overall length). Typically, the manual will give you a measurement which is just fine.
4. Find your maximum charge weight. Most manuals recommend starting 10% below book max. That's the right advice. I usually start at 5% below and just load a single bullet per charge in 1% increments. Use a chronograph if possible and shoot each charge noting your velocity. I don't even shoot at a target because all I'm looking for are pressure signs and noting velocity. Stop when you see signs of pressure or your much beyond what the manual says you should be getting for velocity. Your true max load is about 2% below where you saw pressure signs (not where you hit pressure). Note: your best load is often below book recommended max charge so again, don't get hung up on the most velocity.
   
5. Seating depth: If you know how to find where your bullet touches the rifling, then note that measurement. If not, just note the bullet seating depth that will fit in your magazine. Cycle a round in your rifle and note any engagement marks on the bullet to be sure max magazine length does not engage the barrel rifling. For hunting ammo, your bullets should not touch the rifling. Load 5 shot strings of various seating depths (powder charge about 4% below max charge weight), ranging from .010", .040", .070", 100" and 130" off the lands (or max magazine length). Shoot for accuracy at 100 yards. One will most likely shoot better than the others. Use that seating depth going forward. Note: Seating depth affects pressure so if you note signs of pressure, stop. Another note: Bullets seated real close to the rifling and really deep into the case can cause major spikes in pressure so it's best to start in the middle and work your way towards the extremes, noting any pressure signs along the way. One more note: If you start at max magazine length as your longest COL, don't just assume you can cram the bullet .130" deeper into the case. If the bullet looks freaky deep or compresses the powder to much, just skip that one.
   
6. Primer test: Get your hands on a small amount of every type of primer you can find that will fit in the cases you use. Pick an arbitrary powder charge, say 4% below your maximum charge. Load 5 shots each of each type of primer and go out and test for accuracy. That's your primer. Note: primers affect pressure. That's why you test well below max.
   
7. Time to test powder charges. In 1% increments, load 5 shot strings, starting about 6% below your max charge. Don't skimp on your shots here, even if you need to make two trips to the range. Shoot for accuracy and go from low to high. Don't overheat the barrel.
   
8. Chances are, one load will be best. Go back and fine tune your powder charge in .2 grain increments on both sides of that previous best powder charge. If you find a range where they all shoot the same, pick the middle charge.
   
9. Go back and fine tune your seating depth in .005" increments, on both sides of your previous seating depth. If you find a range where they shoot the same, pick the middle one.

At this point, you probably have a good load. Confirm it at longer ranges. Sometimes loads that shoot great at 100 yards, fall completely apart at longer ranges. Gott'a test 'em.

People like to talk about an awesome load they came up with but don't give anybody your ammo to shoot. It's custom made for one gun and one gun only.

Here's where a previous suggestion really counts. If you didn't figure out how your gun likes to be shot before you did all this load testing, then all of your accuracy data may be suspect. Trust me when I tell you this. I've been shooting a while now and even so, I just had to re-do all my load testing because I skipped this part. Turns out this newer gun really needed more attention to shooting form than the previous one and all my testing data was junk because I wasn't giving the rifle a chance to shoot well. Oh well, I guess that's how you know things!

It's fun.

 

[Telford29]

When I was a kid we had a lot of timber and my dad always carried a 30-06 with good ole 180 Remington Core-Lokt Roundnose. In fact almost everyone in the camp did. They killed a lot of elk, deer and some bears too. I shoot 150/ 165/ and 180s out of my 06's.I don't grab them out of the safe much anymore but after reading this post I believe I just might have to knock the dust of soon. I think the best advice is to stick with the manuals. We all have friends that have powders/ different Bullets that they use very seldom on their shelves. I have done a pile of load development by just trading 10 or 15 Bullets.Ask around, don't rush it, be Safe and have fun! You will find a load and bullet that you are happy with.

 

[Jor1034]

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.

I'm using a Redding seating die with the micrometer on top. And I'm using a L.E Wilson FL bushing die for sizing.

 

[Jor1034]

Come on guys. This is getting seriously off track and way deep in the weeds, consider whom asked the question. OP is a newbie, he doesn't need to hear about specific loads to try in his rig. He doesn't likely understand the difference between half of it yet. He needs to get his nose in a manual, it doesn't matter from whom. We should be advising the OP to learn proper, safe loading techniques.
JOR1034, I'm sorry this got so far off track, we are usually a lot better than this. Welcome to the forum and reloading, feel free to DM me anytime, and I'll be happy to help.

Thank you!

 

[Rudolph Ferdinand]

Please elaborate. I have been reloading for 45 years and have no idea what you just said.

When I first got into reloading, I went to a reloading manual and found a charge that I filled was a good load did the shooting to see what type of accuracy the rifle and I together produced. Since last year I started paying attention to how I was putting together a load after watching on YouTube a video by 65Guys discussing a new type of precision reloading by a former special op guy named Scott Satterlee's load development. Now, I always got good accuracy from what I was producing but building three precision rifles, I may as well put together loads with low SD/ES readings. Something to strive for since I've put all this money into better barrels.