Favorite loads for .280AI, .30-06 and .300 Win Mag

[sierrastalker]

30-06
124gr Hammer Hunter over Varget at 3450, all any whitetail can handle.

Gonna give Varget a try for some 138gr HHT's in my new barrel and see if it works on the hogs and blacktail as well as your load!

 

[HSmithTX]

If Varget works in your rifle and gets the speeds you want it will be superb, I run it in my 308's with 165-168 grain bullets and it is hands down better than anything else I have tried. 26" barrels make about 2800 with a long loaded 168 A-Max, can't ask for more speed. Consistent year round, get up toward the hotter side and SD/ES comes down to fantastic numbers, very accurate across several rifles. I do load toward the top of the range in all of them, accuracy and low SD/ES came together at about the same time and it was when pressures were starting to get on the high side. One of my favorite powders ever.

 

[sierrastalker]

If Varget works in your rifle and gets the speeds you want it will be superb, I run it in my 308's with 165-168 grain bullets and it is hands down better than anything else I have tried. 26" barrels make about 2800 with a long loaded 168 A-Max, can't ask for more speed. Consistent year round, get up toward the hotter side and SD/ES comes down to fantastic numbers, very accurate across several rifles. I do load toward the top of the range in all of them, accuracy and low SD/ES came together at about the same time and it was when pressures were starting to get on the high side. One of my favorite powders ever.

I've gotten some great loads out of it for my 6.5 CM, but haven't tried it in the 30-06 before.....I've mostly gone to H4350 for the 6.5 and I've got nearly 10 pounds of Varget, so this should be a great use for it. My 30-06 is only a 20" barrel, so that will be somewhat limiting, but sounds like I should still be able to get something that will work.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Favorite loads: (start low in your rifle)

.280AI
Peterson .280AI brass
CCI BR2
57.0-58.0gr RL23
175 Elite Hunter

.30-06Spr
Lapua .30-06Spr brass
Fed GM210M
57.0-57.5gr H4350
185 Juggernaut or 175 OTM

.300WM
Lapua .300WM brass (or Peterson .300WM Long brass)
Fed GM215M
76.0-77.0 H1000
215 Hyb

 

[cabelasken]

280 AI WLRP 145 Barnes LRX 60 Gr R-19 3150 FPS. Browning Xbolt 24" Barrel.

 

[Calvin45]

Just another 2 cents for whatever it’s worth….my .300 win mags have both been just standard 1:10 twist rifles and neither of them have done very well with anything under 180 grains and really only start to shine with 195 grain pills and heavier. Far better accuracy both at 100 yards and further out.

180 Nosler ballistic tip
180 federal trophy bonded tip
195 Sierra tmk
200 grain Sierra smk
225 eld match
208 hornady bthp
And beleive it or not the 220 grain round nose interlocks


These are the bullets that have shot the tightest groups out of the .300 win in my experience. And it likes a full case or even a compressed load better than a partial case fill 10 time out of 10.


Never tried Berger’s, nothing against them either just never did end up trying them yet, I head very good things about the 210, 215, and 230 grain pills in 10 twist 300 Winnie’s as well and certainly beleive it.

 

[204_ruger]

Good information on there. My 280AI is still in the box. I am going to try the Hornady ELD M 162 gr 180 gr. And ELD X 162 gr 175 gr. Is anyone shooting the Nosler Accubond LR 168gr? In your 280AI rifle. have 2 boxes to play around with. But I have to decide on a scope soon.

 

[HSmithTX]

I've tried the ABLR in 7mm and 30 cal, they do not load like most other bullets in that in every instance loading them close to the lands they shot poorly. The further away from the lands the better they shot but still not any better than some random box of commercial ammo from the box store. Every other bullet I have loaded for those rifles shot better including 'cheap' bullets like the Custom Competition, Speer BTSP, Sierra GameKings, and A-Max. Others have noted that they can be a pain to get shooting well but have figured out how to do it and have really solid loads using them. I'd suggest starting no closer than .06" off the lands and go longer in .02 increments and go WAY off the lands like a full 1/8" or more on the test. Best I saw was .100-.125" bullet jump.

 

[meatyrem]

My contributions with the standard disclaimer - these are my loads and are safe in my rifles ONLY :

300 Win Mag (Ruger M77MKII)
175gr Barnes LRX - 73gr H4831 - CCI 250- Federal brass - shoots .5" @ 100 yards

30-'06 (Mauser K98)
130gr Barnes TTSX - 56.3gr A4064 - CCI 200 - 3200fps - Remington brass - shoots .5"-.75" @100 yards (19" barrel - 10 twist)

280AI (Mauser M98) ***ALL LOADS ARE IN HORNADY BRASS WHICH HAS MORE CAPACITY THAN NOSLER AND OTHERS***
160gr Partition - 58.4gr RL-19 - CCI 250 - @ 2.797" CBTO - shoots .5"-.75" @ 100 yards (25.5" barrel - 8 twist)

140gr Barnes TTSX - 59.4gr RL-19 - CCI 200 - @ 3.270" COAL - shoots cloverleafs @ 100 yards

145gr Barnes LRX - 57.4gr RL-19 - CCI 200 - @ 3.30" COAL - shoots .75" @ 100 yards (load is still in development)

140gr Partition - 61.5gr RL-19 @ 2.797" CBTO - shoots .8" @ 100 yards (load is still in development)

154gr Interbond (remember those?) - 58gr H4831 - CCI 250 - @ 3.345" COAL - shoots .5-.75" @ 100 yards

139gr Interbond - 58gr Ramshot Big Game - CCI 250 - @ 3.333" COAL - shoots .385" @ 100 yards

Hornady goofed up when they stopped making the Interbond!

Too bad they stopped making the interbonds. I picked up the last of what the lgs had 3box 139 and 2box 154. Have not gotten anywhere with them since. Soon tho.

 

[Palix-Dog]

I've tried the ABLR in 7mm and 30 cal, they do not load like most other bullets in that in every instance loading them close to the lands they shot poorly. The further away from the lands the better they shot but still not any better than some random box of commercial ammo from the box store. Every other bullet I have loaded for those rifles shot better including 'cheap' bullets like the Custom Competition, Speer BTSP, Sierra GameKings, and A-Max. Others have noted that they can be a pain to get shooting well but have figured out how to do it and have really solid loads using them. I'd suggest starting no closer than .06" off the lands and go longer in .02 increments and go WAY off the lands like a full 1/8" or more on the test. Best I saw was .100-.125" bullet jump.

7mm prc .060 off of jam.