|
|
|
Discussion Forums
Forum Index
> Rifles general discussion
> The 30-06 Revisited
The 30-06 Revisited
@ 02:49 am (GMT) |
Luke LahdenrantaI've been studying the knowledge base and reading the book series and I think I'm suffering from some information overload and need some advice to get my head back on straight with regard to hunting loads. The main rifle in question is my primary hunting rifle one I have owned and used for quite a few years, it is a Tikka M695 30-06 currently equipped with a Leupold 6x42 scope. A good long range capable scope is on the buy list as well as probably a bedding job, trigger has been tuned to under 2lb as per Nathans book. But the first task first is to build some decent hunting loads and solidify my shooting skills to 300-400 yards. After reading through the books and knowledge base I'm ready to revisit the 30-06 completely with a clean slate and look for 2 maybe 3 loads to take advantage of its versatility. I live and hunt in British Columbia Canada where we have a wide variety of game ranging from smallish Black tail deer up to Grizzly and bison. But wilderness dream hunts aside, mostly what I hunt are deer (Black tail/Mule/Whitetail) and black bear with a side of moose and elk if we get a draw tag or opportunity to go.So here is what I'm thinking for load ideas, I need some help picking through the vast selection of .30 cal bullets and need a couple of bullets to try for each purpose. Just a good economical option for regular 300-400 yard hunting. Load A- primarily light to mid weight deer/smaller black bear let's say to about 250 lb max reasonably flat shooting to 400 yards max. Load B- Elk/moose/larger black bear say to 250-300 yards maximum. Currently I am sighted in for 180 gr Hornady IL with 57.5 gr H4350 but accuracy is only okay around 1.25 MOA, I know both the gun and I are capable of better, with a fresh look and a bit of work. I have some Sierra PH RN in 150 and 180 gr and most of a box of Hornady 165 gr IL in stock now, I'm just looking for another one or two bullets suggestions to try out this winter and hash out two good sub-MOA loads for practice and for hunting. Probably the spring 2017 black bear season looking to get out to north Vancouver Island. |
Replies
|
@ 03:35 am (GMT) |
Luke LahdenrantaRe: The 30-06 RevisitedJust to add briefly to my above post. I guess the short answer to nearly all .30 caliber related questions is to just load the 180 gr Nosler partition. I do have a very small handful on hand, but not really enough to do any load development and I managed to lose all my old load noteso, which perhaps is just as well, I can approach the rifle from scratch again. I have been somewhat shying away from the partitions, for no other reason than cost. While getting my 30-06 up and running to where I want it is my priority for this year, I do have the care and feeding of both my dad's old Remington 30-06 and my brothers T3 30-06. So with the Noslers running about $70/50 CAD, I'm hoping to find acceptable performance for cheaper if possible. But perhaps in the end itso false economy to avoid them, I dunno, I think I've managed to get myself completely turned around! |
@ 03:50 am (GMT) |
Bob MavinRe: The 30-06 RevisitedHi LukeI've tried many different projectiles but now I use 168gn Z-Max (A-Max) in my 30-06. At 2860fps I'm very happy, I shoot a lot of Deer I've had no failures with that pill. Bob |
@ 06:34 am (GMT) |
Bryan WebsterRe: The 30-06 RevisitedFor mule and whitetails I would go with the A-Max 168 grain as Bob has noted.For everything else you mentioned, when I hunted with my old 30/06 I used Speer HotCor bullets. Very low cost and they are very effective on moose and elk as well as bear. My rifle used to love them and was sub .5 moa with them with an average weight retention of 75% and good expansion. You can also use them for practice, or use the 180 grain Speer SPBT for practice shooting. Those shoot into 1/2 inch at 200 yards with my .308 and my son's 300 WSM. A decent alternative as one does not waste expensive bullets on target practice anyway, is to use 180 gr Nosler Partitions on moose, elk and bear. |
@ 06:42 am (GMT) |
Cor NepgenRe: The 30-06 RevisitedHi Luke,I am in a similar situation where I am saving up a bit for the reloading equipment before I start load developing for my M700 06. I have been thinking quite a bit regarding bullet selection so perhaps my current thinking may help you. I live in South Africa and get opportunity to hunt some really small deer (Duiker) once in a while. Apart from these target species are Springbok and then the larger African game. I think with this in mind I prefer heavier bullets. The smaller buck are not as tough so o not require massive wounding to ensure a clean ethical harvest. The heavier bullets do not encounter enough resistance to really open up so meat loss is minimal. The heavier game are tough and needs quite a bit more trauma to achieve the same results so the sectional density of the 180-200gr bullets should be plenty for these. Hunting distances are between 100-300m so I am not too worried about velocity. A higher BC bullet should carry enough speed over that distance. My rifle has a 1:10 twist rate so also prefer the heavier bullets. I have narrowed the bullet selection down to either the ELD-X or Tipped Match King. Think both will provide more than enough wide wounding for my purpose with a good BC to retain velocity. Good luck with your load development! Cheers, Cor |
|
@ 04:15 pm (GMT) |
Luke LahdenrantaRe: The 30-06 RevisitedThanks for the responses and ideas. I admit I hadn't really considered the 168 gr a max for all around work on deer, thinking of it more as a long range bullet. For those of you that have used it extensively, have you found any wrinkles in its use up close say 0-100 ? Do you dual load it or just use it for everything, up close and further away? |
|
@ 04:28 pm (GMT) |
Bryan WebsterRe: The 30-06 RevisitedFor really close in hunting in heavy bush I have always switched to 180 grain Round Nose Sierra bullets. In close they oftern require little if any adjustment for point of impact as well.You could just use head or neck shots with your A-Max but risk snapshot opportunities if a deer jumps up and runs in really close. These same bullets are good for close in bear, elk and moose as well. |
|
@ 06:49 pm (GMT) |
Bob MavinRe: The 30-06 RevisitedI shot a sow pig yesterday at 30yds exit hole was the same size as the entry. I've shot about 1100 168gn Z-Max and only recovered 1 projectile, the others all went through even on big Rusa stags |
|
@ 09:38 pm (GMT) |
Luke LahdenrantaRe: The 30-06 RevisitedQuote: For really close in hunting in heavy bush I have always switched to 180 grain Round Nose Sierra bullets. In close they oftern require little if any adjustment for point of impact as well.
You could just use head or neck shots with your A-Max but risk snapshot opportunities if a deer jumps up and runs in really close . These same bullets are good for close in bear, elk and moose as well. Well that is a happy coincidence, I do have some of the Sierra PH round noses on hand, both in 150 and 180 gr weights. Along with the amax/eld, there is also the SST that's worth considering along with the Speer btsp and Sierra game king. That's the trouble with the .30 calibers, we are practically swimming in good bullet choices. Ah, first world problems, as the saying goes. Thanks for the ideas! Luke |
@ 06:05 am (GMT) |
Mike DellisRe: The 30-06 RevisitedLuke I would suggest the 180gr Remington Core Lock. It's a bullet I have been hunting with in various cartridges with same boring consistent 1 shot DRT results. I started using the CL in the 7MM Rem Mag. I was shooting 150gr Noslers and the expense was limiting practice. I ordered 500 from Midway and loaded them. I found a very accurate load at about 3150 fps and was shooting a box or two in practice leading up to a guided Mule deer hunt in Wyoming. As more often than not expenses started to mount and I was forced to use the Remington bullet on my hunt. On day number 3 of my hunt I had an opportunity at a nice 4x4. Range was later lasered at 161yds. The Buck was facing directly away just below the crest of a ridge. With no time to waste I shot him about 2" below his anus. The big boys legs splayed out to the side. He couldn't get his legs under himself quick enough and started to run off. He made it about 20 yds and piled up. When we field dressed the buck we found a PERFECTLY mushroomed bullet in the center of his chest. That experience got me to try the CL in various calibers from .257,.277, .284, and .308. All have produced excellent results. I long ago decided that for me I would just find a good load for a given rifle and then shoot that load for everything PERIOD. In the Thirty caliber it is the 180 for me.Another good bullet that will not break the bank is Hornady Inter Locks. They have maintained an excellent reputation over the years and my personal experience would tend to validate that . With todays powders you can safely approach 2800 fps with the 180gr bullet. With a 200 yd. Zero you will be about 7 inches low at 300yds and that is a poke. I've hunted in some country that has got some pretty common long range opportunities. 400 yard shots are pretty uncommon. And it's good ethics to try and close the gap. The animal deserves a quick clean kill. |
|
@ 06:24 am (GMT) |
Bob MavinRe: The 30-06 RevisitedHi Mike.I agree with you on the Core-Lock, I used them for many years in 30 cal with great results, until a few years ago I got a box that shot 3" groups @ 100m. I found the heel of the projectiles had deformities around the edge, a few mates had the same problem. Maybe just a bad batch bought into Australia when we had that projectile shortage. I haven't used them since. Cheers Bob |
|
@ 12:53 pm (GMT) |
Bryan WebsterRe: The 30-06 RevisitedQuote: I shot a sow pig yesterday at 30yds exit hole was the same size as the entry. I've shot about 1100 168gn Z-Max and only recovered 1 projectile, the others all went through even on big Rusa stags
Very interesting Bob. So far my only deer shots using 168 grain A-max bullets were not overly close. I tend to switch to the 180 Sierra round nose bullets in heavier cover in case elk or moose might be encountered and I would want the penetration on those larger animals. I assumed all along your z-max bullets are identical to the regular a-max? |
|
@ 04:49 pm (GMT) |
Luke LahdenrantaRe: The 30-06 RevisitedMike, I agree with you on the Remington core lokts, they are a very good 'regular' bullet. Unfortunately, Remington in their infinite wisdom announced last winter that they are phasing out offering them as a component bullet to reloaders. So if you can find old stock somewhere on a dealers shelf snap them up. I do have a stash of factory loaded 180 gr core lokts in both the round nose and psp, they are my benchmark load for testing and also for hunting. The last boxes I bought both for 30-06 and for the 32 Special showed that again Remington quality control isn't what it used to be, the overall lengths are a bit all over the place and cosmetically the brass and bullets are somewhat tarnished. I was a bit disappointed after I bought them. The 32 Special loads still shot pretty well, I'm hoping the 30-06 loads do as well. As much as I do love Remington, I am getting really 'done' with them and their slips hod quality as of late. |
@ 05:11 pm (GMT) |
Greg PalmanRe: The 30-06 RevisitedWell. I've use my old FN 30-06 on two moose hunts here in Maine, one in 1999 and one in 2016. In both instances I used some old Nosler 200 grain semi-spritzers. These are not a full round nose but sort of half way between a spritzer and RN. In both instance they performed outstandingly. 1999 was about 60 yards and the moose took 3 shots behind the shoulder and collapsed. This year, after my wife hit it with her .308Win, I took the final shot with it standing about 140 yards away, angled with its head pointed away from me; often called a raking shot but with a pretty good angle. The moose dropped in its tracks. The entrance hold was quite large, I think attributable to the almost instant expansion of the blunter bullet. Sadly they don't do that config in the 200 gr but do in the 220. That's would I would use for moose if ranges don't exceed 125-150. If you are pretty sure they will, I would seek a 180 with a slimmer profile to help retain velocity. Consult a good ballistics table or computer program.Regarding A, its pretty tough to beat the Hornady SST 150 gr for that weight class. Personally I think you are pushing your luck with the 06 for 400 yard shooting. I know it will do it, but...are you 100% confident in your rifle/bullet trajectory and wind doping and hold offs? If not, don't shoot at that range. That is pretty far off IMO. Good luck. --Greg |
@ 05:39 pm (GMT) |
Thomas KitchenRe: The 30-06 RevisitedHi Lukeim thinking the 178gr eld-X might be a good projectile to try. the other options are 178gr eld-m, 195gr tmk or 208gr eld-m i know few guys have been using the 208gr with superformance powder in 30.06 with good results so that maybe an option. you'll have to workout magazine length to and workout your c.a.o.l as it just might not be practical to run the long heavy projectiles. the 180gr interlocks should do well, i really enjoy using the 150gr interlocks in my 270 but i push them pretty hard |
@ 09:23 pm (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: The 30-06 RevisitedHi Luke, I have answered this one by PM as I would like to see you do some experimenting. |
|
@ 12:17 am (GMT) |
Luke LahdenrantaRe: The 30-06 RevisitedI just read your email, thank you for taking the time to write. I know your a busy man, your advice is appreciated!Straight to the cruise missiles (208 eld/amax) @2600 fps ! :D |
Please wait
ABOUT USWe are a small, family run business, based out of Taranaki, New Zealand, who specialize in cartridge research and testing, and rifle accurizing.
|
KNOWLEDGEBASE |
KNOWLEDGEBASE |