Suitable powders for 6.5X55 & 30/06 ?

[boatbum101]

Been wondering about these & watching the QL data being posted .What can you tell me about them ?
Norma URP
N-165
N-170
N-560
N-570
H1000
Superformance
Big Game
Hunter
Magnum
RL17
RL23
RL25
RL26
Primarly for 129 thru 160gr in 6.5X55 & 150 thru 180gr in 30/06 . Hunting loads not target .

 

[1Shot]

Which ever ones are in the burn rate of IMR 4350 will work fine. Neither one of those calibers are hard to get good results with medium slow powders.

 

[EastTNHunter]

RL17 has been good to me in my 30-06 with 165s. Can’t speak for the 6.5

 

[boatbum101]

Most of the above are slower than 4350 . I've used 4350 & RL19 in 30/06 before & never had any luck with it in the 6.5 . MRP & RL22 have been the powders for 6.5 that I reach for first . I've been looking at the velocities & accuracy in the data for the ones above . I've been looking at a bunch of 6.5 data from Norway & Sweden & have seen data posted here on RL 25 & 26 for 6.5 . For the '06 I'm going to look at the Ramshot powders along with RL 17 . Guess I should of broke them up caliber wise . For 6.5X55 I'm interested in H1000 , URP (with 120 - 130gr ) , IMR 7828 & 4955 look good , all the Vihtavouri listed as they're too slow for the '06 , RS Magnum , RL 23 , 25 & 26 for the 140 - 160's . For the '06 interested in Superformance , RS Hunter & Big Game , IMR 4955 . I'll see if they give better results than 4350 / 4831 .

 

[SJB358]

17 or 16 would work great in both. Hunter is supposed to be excellent as well. Can’t hardly go wrong if you pick anything in that range. 17 to ME, is the most versatile though.

 

[Polaris]

One you do not list is IMR 4064. I've had fantastic results accuracy wise in both the 6.5x55 and 30-06 in the lighter range of bullets you list. Not sure where it falls in the velocity range though.

In my experience, the slowest burning powder suitable for a cartridge/bullet combination may produce some of the highest velocities, but seldom the best accuracy, especially in variable temperature conditions and cold barrel shooting as you will encounter with real-world hunting loads. Pick your poison.

 

[Tjay]

These would be my choices. I have not used VV powders so have opinion on them.
Superformance
Big Game
Hunter

RL17
RL23

 

[2ndtimer]

Been wondering about these & watching the QL data being posted .What can you tell me about them ?
Norma URP
N-165 ok for 6.5 heavy bullets too slow for 30/06
N-170. too slow
N-560. no experience
N-570 no experience
H1000 too slow
Superformance no experience
Big Game no experience
Hunter no experience
Magnum too slow for 30/06
RL17 should work in both
RL23 too slow for 30/06
RL25 too slow
RL26 too slow
Primarly for 129 thru 160gr in 6.5X55 & 150 thru 180gr in 30/06 . Hunting loads not target .

Decent other options for both would also include IMR-4064, W-760/H-414, Reloder 15 and 16. The odds are that while these would provide acceptable results in both, optimal results would be a different powder for each cartridge and rifle. Just depends on how much you want.

 

[Tjay]

I guess 26 is not to slow for the 06.

From EastTNHunter
2875fps out of a 22” barrel with 180 Accubonds is more than impressive. I’m going to load up some more to test out in different conditions over time.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I guess 26 is not to slow for the 06.

From EastTNHunter
2875fps out of a 22” barrel with 180 Accubonds is more than impressive. I’m going to load up some more to test out in different conditions over time.

From 180gr up it would be good, but that is a FULL case, compressed load. I doubt that you could get enough powder in the case for optimal performance on lighter bullets

 

[Jimbeaux82]

I have used N160 successfully in both 6.5 x 55 (140 gr bullet) and 30/06 (180 gr bullet) getting a combination of good accuracy and velocity in both.

 

[ShadeTree]

I don't want to bad mouth or deter someone from using what might be a very good powder for them, and I know there's plenty of fans of 4064, but I haven't been impressed. Maybe the can I'm using out of is from a bad lot. Something about mine is different because too many people like it.

In both the 06 and 6mm with the lighter bullets where it should shine, it produced less than stellar results. When using with 85-87's in 6mm and 150's in 06, it wasn't horrible accuracy wise but ran the table with it on loads and seating and couldn't match the accuracy I was getting with 4350 and those same bullets, and was noticeably dirtier than the 4350.

 

[boatbum101]

The old classic 30/06 of 52.0grs IMR 4064 w/ a 150gr bullet is like the classic 57.5grs IMR 4350 w/ a 165gr bullet . Both are good loads but not every gun likes them . My 1903 Springfield likes both but my Rem 700 don't like either . Figure guns are like people they'll tell you what they want , we just gotta listen .