Patience - Right powder & 30-06 Can Shoot!!

[bullet]

Well, as Jerry said, I needed to continue to shoot and have patience taking my time putting different loads through my 30-06 Hawkeye and it would start shooting good. Well he was right and my hopes were founded on the belief that the evidence I was seeing suggested this M77 would begin to perform.

I was very windy today with gust hitting 30mph and a consent wind of 18-20mph but I just had to shoot because of my schedule this week.

I was using H4350 today and I will show my worst group today, then the average group and then last but not least my smallest group for the day using 165gr bullets. Worst group was with BT, the second target is a Speer 165gr flat base SP which represents where most groups were and then the smallest group was 165gr Sierra HPBT which was .430"

I do not believe I will need to bed the rifle for it's use as a hunting rifle. I also believe I will have better groups as time goes on.

Worst group of the day

Average group of the day with fps

Best group of the day with fps

Turned the group to the side to measure better - minus bore .430"

 

[russ808]

Isn't it great when it starts coming together. Looks like a keeper to me.

 

[bullet]

Isn't it great when it starts coming together. Looks like a keeper to me.

Yes it is an out of the box keeper and for a hunting rifle it is doing it's job. I think that with a little seating depth manipulation I will get them even tighter. This is good to go for hunting purposes and without any work done to the rifle except load work. :grin:

 

[JDMAG]

Lookin good Bullet! :grin:

 

[bullet]

Lookin good Bullet! :grin:

Thanks!!! Yes, I am starting to be pleased. :lol:

 

[bullet]

Yes, the 30-06 does have a lot of life in it when you use a modern 06 you can load to 270 and 25-06 pressures and get accuracy also. This is a 22" barrel and I do not have flattened primers, base is not expanded beyond normal, and very easy ejection. Good load. Same load I used in my Mark V Custom 30-06 which had a 24" barrel and gave me 2973fps with this same bullet.

 

[tx7mm]

Howdy Yall! I have just joined your forum and hope to learn from this great collection of experts.
Now, I have just inherited a Remington 742 in 30-06. Shooting factory ammo is NOW too expensive. So I will be reloading for it out of economic neccescity. I have Nosler Ballistic tips and partitions on hand. Looking forward to getting my "spazmatic" to sing! LOL! Thanks! TX7mm

 

[bullet]

Howdy Yall! I have just joined your forum and hope to learn from this great collection of experts.
Now, I have just inherited a Remington 742 in 30-06. Shooting factory ammo is NOW too expensive. So I will be reloading for it out of economic neccescity. I have Nosler Ballistic tips and partitions on hand. Looking forward to getting my "spazmatic" to sing! LOL! Thanks! TX7mm

tx7mm, Welcome to the forum, you have come to a good place to reload and the 30-06 is one of my favorite cartridges. You have to great bullets to begin with in the Ballistic tip and Partition. Great hunting bullets for sure.

 

[JDMAG]

Welcome tx7mm. Does the 7mm in your name have anything to do with guns also?

 

[GB300wm]

WOW bullet. Your right on track. Those velocities are also very nice. :grin:

 

[bullet]

WOW bullet. Your right on track. Those velocities are also very nice. :grin:

Yes, you were so right about just keep shooting, and the more I shoot the tighter it gets. This is dispelling the notion that the Rugers can not shoot out of the box and that they need to be bedded. I wonder how many people have not put a 100 rounds or more through their Rugers and assumed it would not shoot or needed to be bedded or freefloated.

I am glad you encouraged me to continue to shoot this Cold Hammered Forged barrel, just for the simple reason they are tougher and by the way do last a long time. Even though I knew I needed to keep shooting your advice continued to motivate me to shoot and really find out if it was a shooter or needed to be fixed. Ruger does have it right this is the second Hawkeye out of the box that has shot for me.


You know it took just over a 100 rounds in the 358Win and all of a sudden it began to tighten up and it really did do well. I am all most at the same point and number rounds with this 06 as I was with the 358Win when it started to really shoot.

 

[FOTIS]

Good deal...What is your load?

 

[bullet]

Good deal...What is your load?

The best load was the same as my Mark V Custom 06 liked. In fact my Mark V had a 24" barrel and got 2973fps and this 22" barrel is getting 2914fps. The load is 59grs H4350, Sierra 165gr HPBT, Win brass, Fed 210 primer and seating depth was 3.180"

 

[FOTIS]

Cool I will stash that one away! :twisted:

 

[DrMike]

Looks like another winner, Bullet. That load seems to be just the ticket.

 

[bullet]

Looks like another winner, Bullet. That load seems to be just the ticket.

Looks that way, surely not through yet as I allow this barrel to find it's groove, so to speak.

 

[bullet]

I will use the 165gr bullet in the 30-06 for my long shots on gas lines when hunting deer, hogs and coyotes. I will use my 358Win for thick woods and 300yd shoots if need be but also for my heavy and dangerous game needs.

I will have to test this round although it will more than likely do as it has done in the past out of other 06 when actually tested on long shots and not from a ballistic table.

To give and idea of what I will do with it, I am setting it 2.83" high at 100yds.


Yards---------------Velocity-----------------Energy------(above/below line of sight)

0---------------------2914--------------------3110.5----- (-1.5")

100------------------2658.9------------------2589.7----- (+2.83")

200------------------2413.7------------------2134.1----- (+2.22")

246------------------2304.8------------------1945.8----- (Zero)

300------------------2180.4------------------1741.5----- (-4.38")

348------------------2073--------------------1574.2----- (-10.06" Point Blank-hold/top shoulder)

400------------------1960.3------------------1407.7----- (-8.26" from top of shoulder)

430------------------1897--------------------1318.2----- (-14.12" from top of shoulder)

 

[1Shot]

If you have the time and want to experiment a little more try you 51.2 grs IMR 4064 with a 150 Nosler BT with a CCI-BR2 or Fed 210M primer. All those bullets may just go into the same hole with that 06. This is the most accurate load I have ever found and it shoots in about every bolt rifle I have ever tried.

 

[bullet]

If you have the time and want to experiment a little more try you 51.2 grs IMR 4064 with a 150 Nosler BT with a CCI-BR2 or Fed 210M primer. All those bullets may just go into the same hole with that 06. This is the most accurate load I have ever found and it shoots in about every bolt rifle I have ever tried.

Now that is one interesting an unique load. Don't ever recall anyone using that one. That is worth a try. I am all out of my Nosler BT 165gr. Need to order some and can get some of the those 150gr BT also.

 

[1Shot]

Bullet: The 51.2 gr IMR 4064 powder charge load with 150 gr bullets I gave was found in the 4th edition Sierra manual as the accuracy load. I have found that these loads that are listed by Sierra are about right on the money. You can tinker with the primer and seating depth a little some times and really make them one hole shooters. The load will do 2900+ or - fps. It all depends on the rifle. You can go up to the listed max load of 52.8 grs IMR 4064 with 150 gr bullets. I have a buddy that loads 52 grs.

Now if you want to really get ambitious and create a really flat shooting deer thumping load try this one. Again the powder load comes from the newer 5th edition Sierra manual as the accuracy load. 53.1 grs Varget but use a 125 gr Nosler ballistic tip 3100 fps. This is not a light blow up varmint bullet. It is a real deer drop them in their tricks killing bullet. I personally don't hunt with a 30-06 any more but my buddy does a lot of reloading for people that really praise this load. I use this 125 BT in my 308 at 3050 fps and my 30X47 HBR at 2850 fps and out of around 25 deer shot with the 125 BT I have never had a deer even take a step after taking a front shoulder shot. I killed the biggest body and racked deer of my life this past season with my 30X47 HBR at 112 yards with the 125 BT. It was bang flop.

I too hunt in areas with a gas line and power line and bean fields in East NC where you get some long range shots at deer. With the 125 gr load you can sight in 3 inches high at 100 yards and only be 3 inches low at 300 yards. You can hold dead on the center of a deers shoulder and not have to worry about shooting over or under him. At least this is how it works out with my 308 at about the same speed.