30-06 Out Of The Gate

[Vince]

I'm heading to Texas to attend a wedding and spend half a day hunting hogs.

I've got a new to me 30-06 that I didn't have time to work up loads for. Some of you may be aware of the difficulty I've been having trying to get the Accubonds to shoot in my .338 Win Mag. It was nice to sit at the shooting bench and have two loads that were acceptable the first time out of the gate. I'm sticking with the second load as it's a little faster and groups just a hair better.

I only worked up three loads, three shots each, using the Barnes TTSX since that was what I had on hand. I liked the way they shot so much I went and traded a few boxes of Accubonds for some Barnes bullets to see if I can get them to shoot in my .338 Win Mag. I'll hit the range one morning before work to finalize my load and sight in with the Barnes bullets.

I'm going to ask an amigo if he will be so kind as to post a couple of pictures for me. It's been a long time since I felt good about a load and this was just plumb easy. I'm a blind squirrel and I found a nut. :grin:

Vince

 

[DrMike]

The '06 should serve you well with the hogs. Go get 'em, Vince.

 

[Vince]

The '06 should serve you well with the hogs. Go get 'em, Vince.

Thank you sir.

Did you get my email(s)?

 

[FOTIS]

If my 356 win can nail them your 30-06 will shine~!

 

[ScreaminEagle]

Get some federal blue box 180gr for that 06 and you will be in good shape.

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Tapatalk

 

[Oldtrader3]

Vince, good luck with your, new to you, -06. What model is it? I get great results in mine with either 165 Accubonds or 165 Partitions. I have killed several deer and one elk with my .30-06 and just put a new Leica 2.5-10x42 scope on mine. Let us know how it shoots?

 

[DrMike]

The '06 should serve you well with the hogs. Go get 'em, Vince.

Thank you sir.

Did you get my email(s)?

Didn't see them until midnight, Vince. I'll post them first thing in the morning. I wrote my previously post earlier at the church while waiting on a program to load on the computer.

 

[DrMike]

These are Vince's pictures. I trust he will be along shortly to give us a summary.







When a dime will cover three shots, that is pretty exciting. That is a pretty sweet looking rifle, as well. The gray toned laminates are kinda growing on me.

 

[Vince]

Thank you Mike!

I guess you got my email. :grin: I'm not too advanced technologywise and when trying to send an email from my "smart phone" I ended up sending it to myself. If you got more than one I apologize for pestering you like a three year old as I just turned four. A little humor there as I will always be a kid.

The rifle is a new to me Ruger 30-06 with a 22" barrel. I did a spring change on the trigger and mounted the scope with the help of a friend but other than that it's been left alone by me. The previous owner bedded the action and floated the barrel but his bedding job leaves some to be desired. I probably won't mess with it because as the pictures show, it shoots.

The scope is a 3 - 9 x 40 Zeiss Conquest with a Z6 Reticle that I found as leftover stock and got on sale. The only reason I bought it was because it was a left hand action in a model I liked, the stainless barrel and grey laminate stock. It's a pity Ruger isn't making this model anymore. The only other non-stock item is the Limbsaver recoil pad that I had to drill the stock to get to fit. "Drop In" and fit are two words that are not always synonymous with each other I've found out.

I had three boxes of Barnes 180 grain TTSX bullets, unopened until the other day, that I never got around to trying in my .300 Win Mags so I figured, "What the heck." Load data wasn't in the book for IMR 4350 so I gave the folks at Barnes a call. They gave me a range for powder and being somewhat limited for time, hog hunt this week, I loaded a max load with three bullets and two more loads in half grain increments moving downward. When I fired them I started with the lightest load first. It was a gamble that paid off in this case.

100 Yards, 80 degrees, 15 MPH wind, speed unknown. The 55 grain load was sub MOA, the 55.5 grain load was within two MOA, and the 56 grain load is what you see here. Wednesday morning I'll stop at the range on the way to work and finalize my sighting in before leaving on Thursday. I shot half a box of ammo getting the scope on paper, Federal Powershok ammo, and even that showed a tendency to want to group well so I think I lucked in to a shooter.

I never planned on having a 30-06 but that is quickly changing. I'm still working with my .338 Win Mag and having trouble getting it to shoot to acceptable standards. I'll be trying the TTSX bullets in it when I get back from Texas. I traded almost $300 worth of unopened Nosler Accubonds for some .338 Barnes Bullets and 6.5 bullets as my next project. I've only got one rifle, Winchester Model 70, 25-06, that shoots a Nosler Bullet well. It puts the 100 grain Partition in to a sub MOA group, also with IMR 4350. It's a good thing I have, and like IMR 4350. I don't shoot the 25-06 much anymore as it's a right handed action and I've vowed to make the switch to all left handed actions.

The 25-06 will be my "Loaner" gun for those that need to borrow a rifle, or learn on, and I'm loaning it to a friend for our hog hunt. I hope to report back how the 180 grain Barnes do on feral hog in a week or so. Thank you Mike for posting those pictures for me and I apologize again for being a pest.

Vince

 

[truck driver]

If my 356 win can nail them your 30-06 will shine~!

Looking good Fotis. Always nice to share a hunting experience with your children.

 

[Guy Miner]

Vince - that's remarkable accuracy, and a fine looking hunting rifle. I'd be extremely satisfied with such performance!

That tight cluster is from the 180 gr Barnes bullets?

If so - I wouldn't change a thing. My limited experience with Barnes is that the TSX's, particularly in smaller calibers (like the .25) can be a little "iffy" on expansion but deliver in spades on penetration. The TTSX, with the bigger opening and the plastic tip, seems to do well with both penetration and expansion. If it's shooting like that, don't change a thing. When I was using Barnes bullets I did have to clean my factory barrels more often, the soft all-copper bullets tended to foul the bore more rapidly than gilding metal jacketed bullets (Nosler, Sierra, etc).

With a good, accurate .30-06, particularly with premium 180 gr bullets, I'd hunt anything in North America. Anything.

I didn't know that Ruger discontinued the stainless/laminate version of their bolt action. That's sad, it was an excellent rifle for the all-weather hunter.

Regards, Guy

 

[truck driver]

That is some very nice shooting Vince. and a nice looking rifle. You might want to give Scotty a chance on the 25-06 since he is looking for a rifle for his daughter.

 

[JD338]

Nice work Vince, she is a shooter.
FWIW, years ago I shot the same load with a 180 gr PT or Hornady and had the same kind of accuracy.

JD338

 

[gerry]

That has to be even more gratifying considering all the trouble you have had with your 338 WM. There is nothing on this continent that wouldn't fall nicely to a 180 gr TTSX. Congrats on a great load and good luck on the hogs

 

[sask boy]

Vince you have that 06 shooting great. Barnes makes a premium bullet and with groups like that you will never have to worry about stopping something here in North America.
Good luck on your upcoming hog hunt. Remember shoot straight, have fun and be safe.
Looking forward to a good story with some photos .

Blessings,
Dan

 

[DrMike]

It would be difficult, to say nothing of unnecessary, to change that load. I suspect it will be all you want for about anything you could ever hunt.

 

[SJB358]

Very nice Vince! Seems like that rifle will get it done in spades! Can't ask for anything better than that! Way to go.

Good luck on the hog hunt. Hopefully you bring home some bacon.

 

[OU812]

Very nice shooting. Groups like that or ever so slightly larger is what I have always gotten out of Barnes bullets. Good luck with your hog hunt.

 

[Sas874runner]

I would say aim for the eye! Should be no problem with that group. Even on a fly

 

[Vince]

Loaded up 25 more of these tonight for a final range trip, sight in, and the awaiting feral hog stalking I will do in Texas.

Good God, "feral hog stalking" makes me sound European. :grin: I'll take a poke at the eyes and want them to get so close I see the whites of their eyes. I'm hunting with a mate from Sweden, and his son. They are in Texas for his wedding to my former boss. Yes, I am guilty of introducing them. This is my way of apologizing to him.

I already told the bride to be that if the hunting is good we may be late for the wedding. She doesn't do my evaluations anymore so I'm not worried. :grin: