30-06 with 125 Grain Bullets

[Paul Barnard]

I picked up a Ruger Ulralight 30-06 last week at Cableas. It's a brand new Hawkeye with a 20" barrel. Got it for $435 and got a $50 gift card on top of that. So good a deal I couldn't pass it up! To illustrate how bad the gun buying addiction can get, I'll cut right to the punch line. I need shoulder replacement surgery. I can tolerate 257 Roberts and 6.5 Creedmoor recoil just fine, so what I want to do is to try to take the -06 recoil down a notch. I bought some 125 grain NBT's and box of Nosler Brass. Cabelas had those on sale too.

Here's what I'm thinking. I have a variety of medium fast burning powders. I figure with the 20" barrel and light for caliber bullets, I need somewhat faster burning powders. I have Winchester 748, Ramshot Tac, Varget and IMR 3031. I want to develop some mild but accurate loads. I'd like to start even milder than the listed published starting loads I have seen.

Here's where you come in. Do any of you have any pet loads with these powders and 125 grain bullets? I know reduced loads can be finicky relative to accuracy, so having your voice of experience would help. Have any of you ever used 125 NBTs on game, and if so, how did they perform? Anything else I should consider as I delve into this? How's my thinking on all this. Other than buying a gun I didn't need that is.

BTW the triggers on Hawkeye rifles are great. At least the two I have are.

 

[26NosFan]

Hodgdon recommends H4895 as being the best for reduced loads via the 60% formula.

https://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/H4895%20Red ... 0Loads.pdf

thet actually use 30-06 125gr as an example

"Example: 30-06 cartridge with 125 gr. Sierra SP bullet. Max load shown in the Reloading Data Center with H4895 is 53.7 grains. 53.7 X .6 = 32.2 grains. The shooter begins with this load, and may work up from there to obtain the desired velocity and accuracy for his reduced load. "

Back in the day my dad used to load 110gr half jackets with pistol powder and piece of tissue paper stuffed on top in my .308 for plinking and squirrels so I could hunt and practice all year with my deer rifle.

 

[Paul Barnard]

Hodgdon recommends H4895 as being the best for reduced loads via the 60% formula.

https://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/H4895%20Red ... 0Loads.pdf

thet actually use 30-06 125gr as an example

"Example: 30-06 cartridge with 125 gr. Sierra SP bullet. Max load shown in the Reloading Data Center with H4895 is 53.7 grains. 53.7 X .6 = 32.2 grains. The shooter begins with this load, and may work up from there to obtain the desired velocity and accuracy for his reduced load. "

Back in the day my dad used to load 110gr half jackets with pistol powder and piece of tissue paper stuffed on top in my .308 for plinking and squirrels so I could hunt and practice all year with my deer rifle.

I have encountered that info and as luck would have it 4895 is about the only moderately fast burning rifle powder I don't have. I hope I can work up a decent load with what I have. If not, 4895 will be the next powder I buy.

 

[kraky]

I wouldn't wander from published data but the secret is keep checking sources for the mildest data w/powder you have. That means hogdon online, nosler online etc. You should wind up w/about the kick of a 3030 carbine I would think.

 

[Guy Miner]

Yes, loaded 125 gr Ballistic Tips for a friend, in her .308 Win rifle - a real lightweight little rascal. Shooter and rifle! :grin: This was not loaded lightly. I didn't chronograph her load, but I'd estimate around 3,000 fps.

She shot a fat whitetail buck with it. Dropped him instantly via a shoulder shot. Bullet was recovered, well expanded, from right under the skin on the opposite side.



Link to info on the bullet performance: viewtopic.php?f=50&t=26561

I was impressed. Oh, and the load shoots like a match rifle for 3-shots from her lightweight SAKO rifle.

BTW - take a look at the published drop figures for your .30-06, moving a 125 gr Ballistic Tip fast. When I did, I sort of wondered why I needed my good old .25-06 rifle...

Regards, Guy

 

[Guybo]

I've killed countless deer in the past with the 125-130gr bullets from the 30.06. I've used Hornady 130gr SP, Barnes 130gr TSX and the Sierra 125gr PH. I never got around to trying the 125gr BT in my 30.06 but I have no doubt that it would be very effective on deer. I purchased a 25.06 and the 30.06 just doesn't see much time in the field anymore. This thread makes me want to get it out and use it again .
I did however harvest 2 deer last season with the 125gr bt with my .308, one fell on the spot the other ran about 15yds and dropped. Both bullets exited and did a superb job. The powders that worked well for me using light bullets in the 30.06 were IMR4064, IMR3031, IMR4895 and RL15.

 

[26NosFan]

As a kid my go to load was a 130grer and IMR3031, took my first deer with that combo.

 

[Guy Miner]

Was that the old 130 gr Speer hollow point?

What a bullet!

BC of a brick, but it worked well...

 

[Paul Barnard]

Yes, loaded 125 gr Ballistic Tips for a friend, in her .308 Win rifle - a real lightweight little rascal. Shooter and rifle! :grin: This was not loaded lightly. I didn't chronograph her load, but I'd estimate around 3,000 fps.

She shot a fat whitetail buck with it. Dropped him instantly via a shoulder shot. Bullet was recovered, well expanded, from right under the skin on the opposite side.



Link to info on the bullet performance: viewtopic.php?f=50&t=26561

I was impressed. Oh, and the load shoots like a match rifle for 3-shots from her lightweight SAKO rifle.

BTW - take a look at the published drop figures for your .30-06, moving a 125 gr Ballistic Tip fast. When I did, I sort of wondered why I needed my good old .25-06 rifle...

Regards, Guy

I favor a high shoulder shot like that. It anchors them in their tracks more reliably than any other spot. I have looked at Nosler's ballistic tables. It'll get things done at any range I am comfortable shooting at. I think I am going to end up with starting velocities in the 2800 range.

 

[wingnut]

Here is a QuickLoad forecast for the powders you have. Note the shorter than SAMMI for the overall length. This is to have .308" of the bullet shank in the neck of the case. These should be mild loads at ~50K psi.

Cartridge          : .30-06 Spring.  (SAAMI)
Bullet             : .308, 125, Nosler BalTip 30125
Useable Case Capaci: 60.782 grain H2O = 3.946 cm³
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 3.144 inch = 79.85 mm
Barrel Length      : 20.0 inch = 508.0 mm

Predicted Data for Indicated Charges of the Following Powders.
Matching Maximum Pressure: 50000 psi, or 344 MPa
or a maximum loading ratio or filling of 105 %
These calculations refer to your specified settings in QuickLOAD 'Cartridge Dimensions' window.
C A U T I O N : any load listed can result in a powder charge that falls below minimum suggested
loads or exceeds maximum suggested loads as presented in current handloading manuals. Understand
that all of the listed powders can be unsuitable for the given combination of cartridge, bullet
and gun. Actual load order can vary, depending upon lot-to-lot powder and component variations.
USE ONLY FOR COMPARISON !

Powder type          Filling/Loading Ratio  Charge    Charge   Vel. Prop.Burnt P max  P muzz  B_Time
                                      %     Grains    Gramm   fps     %       psi     psi    ms
---------------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------------
IMR 3031                            96.3     50.4     3.27    3000    99.9    50000   10468   0.972
Winchester 748                      88.7     53.5     3.47    2982    97.8    50000   10710   0.970
Ramshot TAC                         88.8     53.6     3.48    2938    95.6    50000   10493   0.977
Hodgdon VARGET                      98.2     53.2     3.45    2921    94.6    50000   10322   0.970

 

[26NosFan]

Sure was Guy, at over 3k not a crow, ground hog coyote or deer was safe as far as I could see them.

 

[Guy Miner]

Sure was Guy, at over 3k not a crow, ground hog coyote or deer was safe as far as I could see them.

Ha! Yes. One load. Kills everything. That 130 gr HP Speer is a varmint bullet for sure. Controlled expansion? What? :grin:

For those who haven't looked it up, Nosler has .30-06 loads for their 125 gr Ballistic Tip and their 125 gr AccuBond, at up to 3400 fps!


The pointy little bullets at that speed, have a very flat trajectory to 400 yards... And made me question the "need" for my .25-06 rifle at all... Zero it at 300 yds, only 9" low at 400 yds... Hold on hair all the way to 400 yards, with a .30-06 rifle. Magic I tell you... :mrgreen:

Guy

 

[JohnB]

Paul

Hornady's manual has 130 grain data. IMR 3031 and Varget are listed. Velocities start at 2700 ft/sec.

JohnB

 

[Paul Barnard]

I don't have access to a Hornady Manual and can't find one to download. I went ahead and built up some loads this morning based on the Quick Load data above.

 

[Guy Miner]

Looking forward to your range & field reports!

 

[Wincheringen]

Recoil is physics no matter the cartridge, a 125 grain bullet at 2750-2800 FPS won't be any more recoil than your Roberts.

 

[Bonz]

First things first... That is a beautiful whitetail buck! Really nice body size and a great shot was made to harvest the critter.

On the topic of lower recoil, I put up a load for my Ruger M77 MKII 30/06 with 38/H4198/150 Barnes TTSX for my son to elk hunt with his first year. Charge weight was from a Lee manual. 2600 fps chrono speed and it's a lot more bullet, per se, than a 125/130 grain cup and core (Nos BT, Hornady SP, etc) with a lot less recoil than the loads being talked about for the 125 BT @3000-3100 fps.

I want to digress with the comment about bullets of the same weight at the same velocity having the same recoil no matter the caliber. My experience shows the same weight bullet at the same velocity will have more recoil with a heavier powder charge. The recoil of the above load vs a slower powder (but heavier relative charge weight) loaded down to 2600 fps with a 150 grain bullet is noticeably less. Recoil calculators bear this out too by showing the increase from 38 gr of powder to 50 grains of powder in an 8.5 lb rifle is worth 11 lbs of recoil vs 14 lbs of recoil. That is a 22% increase or decrease depending on how you look at it.

A 125 gr Nos BT at 3100 fps with a 55 grain charge generates 17 lbs of recoil. 35% more than the 150 gr load above.

Trajectory comparison with a 200 yard zero has the 150 gr TTSX @2600 fps 9.5" low at 300 yds vs the 125 BT @3100 fps is 6.6" low. Can any of us hold on a game shot in the field and say 2.9" on a deer's vital zone at 300 yds will make the difference in a clean harvest or not?

You could slice it in anyway, and put a 150 gr ballistic tip or Partition @2600 fps in place of the 150 TTSX and have a potentially more reliable killer out to a long ways with less recoil (35% as shown above) than a 125/130 grain cup and core bullet.

Thought this might offer an alternative and food for thought when working up a lighter recoiling load.

 

[Paul Barnard]

Bonz thank you for the well thought out post. I have already built 60 rounds using 125 grain bullets and the lightest published loads I could find for Varget, 3031 and Tac. If none of those make me happy I will be open to your idea.

 

[Bonz]

Good choices all on those powders! I like IMR3031 in light-for-caliber loads.

For the record in case someone comes along later and isn't reading carefully or knowledgeable enough to understand...

I want to make clear that the powder weights I used for comparison in the post above are based on a safe published load (38 gr H4198) and the heavier powder charge (50 gr) is a generic number plugged into a recoil calculator for the purpose of generating a comparison. The 50 grains is not referencing any specific powder and certainly NOT H4198.