30-06 165 Accubond accuracy load

I’ve got a P64 30-06 Featherweight. I’d like to put some loads together for hunting. What are you folks favorite 165 grain 30-06 loads? I was planning on trying some IM4350 But I do have access to just about anything else out there.

Winchester Brass - Federal 210 match primer
165 gr. AccuBond or Partition (Same exact load for each bullet! Got really lucky.)
IMR4350 - 57.4 grs.

Now pressure signs in two rifles and shot equally as well in both. A real winner with great ballistics.
One rifle was a Remington 700 ADL the other is my Ruger 1B.

Your load was the reason I was going to try IMR4350.

Any idea on speed of your load David?

H4350 but I think either 4350 works great

WAIT did I read right SCOTTY got a 30-06???????
OHHHH I'm gonna have a big one.
Glory be Scotty got a 30-06 I can't stand it. :shock: :shock: :? :? :roll: :roll: :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:

RP brass win or fed lr primer 56grs IMR 4350 165 Nosler Part. Rem 700, Dan.

Scotty out of my 1B I get 2940 fps on the chronograph. No pressure signs and excellent case life.

Now your overall length will probably be different but I was amazed this worked for me. In my 700 I had before I sold it the overall length was 3.375 with the Partition. When I got the 1B I had ammo loaded so I figured out I had nothing to lose and tried it for a few groups. It shot amazing. Three shots touching with a 4x Leupold if I do my part at 100 yards!

So I went with 3.375 for the 1B also. They finally come out with the AccuBond so I had to try them. I used the same 57.4 grs. of IMR4350 and seated the 165 gr. Accubonds without touching the seating die figuring that where the curvature of the bullet hit and how much distance between that intersection and the lands and grooves would be the same. It worked and the Accubonds shot amazingly well using the same seating depth as the Partition. Now with the longer tip and slightly different bullet dimensions, the overall length with the Accubonds came out to be 3.410. Velocity and everything just about exactly the same as the Partition within about 20 fps if I recall correctly.

I figure I was pretty lucky for it to work out like that. Hard to say what your chamber length will be. Hope this helps. I also had real good luck with CCI 200 primers and the same load. One thing I did notice was this. I can use Winchester brass or Remington brass and they will shoot nice groups about the same, but the groups will be about an inch away from the other brand of brass. Folks here would not be surprised by that I'm sure. I have not tried any Nosler brass yet in my 30-06. It looks like fine stuff though so I might have to give it a shot!

Yeah, I have had this one in the safe for a couple of years. Did a tiny bit with it 2 winters ago, but decided to give it a shot with something serious.








So far with 165 AB's, Hornady cases, CCIBR2 primers and IMR4350 I am a little slower than what the book says I should be and very slow compared to David's data, but it isn't horrible..



I do see a wide spot right in the 2800 range that might be excellent. Shot those this evening just before dark.

I loaded up another 5 to take me up to 61 just to see if anything else shakes out a little higher on the speed range.

I am about .075" off the rifling with this load set up the way it is right now, so I am going to run with that. It seems to be about the spot the Accubonds like to be for me so I am giving it a shot. Not in any blistering hurry with this one, just would like to see it up, zeroed and set back in the safe just in case I get accused of being a 30-06 hater again :lol:

I also have a M8 4X Leupold on this one now though. Fine little scope for this rifle. It is a great little package and it is darned near as decent as the same rifle in 270 Winchester! HA!

SJB358":3b8davdc said:

I’ve got a P64 30-06 Featherweight. I’d like to put some loads together for hunting. What are you folks favorite 165 grain 30-06 loads? I was planning on trying some IM4350 But I do have access to just about anything else out there.

Click to expand...

FC F210 SWF 165 SCI RL15 48 2704 +/- 16
FC F210 HDY 165 SST IMR 4831 59.5 2864 +/- 7 1.1
WW WLR SIE 165 SBT H 4350 57 2760 +/- 18
WW WLR SIE 165 SBT IMR 8208 XBR 45.5 2649 +/- 31
FC WLR BAR 168 TSX RL 17 53.5 2715 +/- 24
WW F210 HDY 165 IB IMR 4831 59 2931 +/- 12
WW F210 HDY 165 IB IMR 4831 59.5 2905 +/- 11
FC F210 HDY 165 GMX IMR 4831 58.5 2902 +/- 10
WW F210M NOS 168 ETIP IMR 4831 55 2580 +/- 18
FC WLR NOS 168 ETIP RL 17 52.5 2737 +/- 19

IF you were loading for an '06, one of these loads might work, Scotty.

Thanks Mike. I have a few of those combos I could try as well.

I also have a jug of Hunter which some folks say is real darned good. 4350 might work out decent. Should get a chance to try it out this weekend on paper.

Hunter did show a lot of promise. However, I've had exactly one pound in the last couple of decades.

Scottie, I have tended to go 150 or 180 with my 3006, so don’t have a 165 recipe ready but I have to point out
I have a load 220gn SPH RN with BR2 and RL26 61.5gn cranking at 2665 FPS shooting 0.5” at 100 with a 1-5x24 scope. (Waaauuummmmmppp)
(22” barrel)
IMR4350 loves 150’s in that gun.

So many great choices.


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From John Barsness:

"165-grain bullets:

Here's where good old IMR4350 really shines. For decades my standard load with 165's was 58.5 grains. The extra half-grain may have been superfluous, but did seem to result in better accuracy in more than one rifle than "just" 58.0 grains. Muzzle velocity was around 2900 ft/sec, and this load killed a pile of big game, first with Sierra GameKings, and then with Nosler Solid Bases and Partitions, long before we had today's vast array of "premium" bullets to choose from. In fact, I would still be happy to hunt any game in Montana with a 165 Partition and 58.5 grains of IMR4350.

(By the way, you won't find this load in any manuals, because .30-06 data is kept to 60,000 psi instead of the slightly higher levels afforded more "modern" cartridges. But a few years ago I loaded up some 165 Partitions with 58.5 IMR4350 in Federal and had Ramshot's pressure lab run them through their piezo barrel. The average pressure for 10 rounds was 58,348 psi, with very low standard deviation, so the load was entirely safe even by SAAMI standards - and with the Federal 215 primer, which tends to raise pressures slightly over standard primers.)

These days, however, I am far more likely to load 59.0 grains of Hodgdon's H4350SC, and for the same reasons I load Big Game instead of IMR4350 with 150-grain bullets: H4350SC meters a lot easier and is far less cold-sensitive. In fact in tests at around 0°F it didn't lose any velocity at all from 70-degree levels, while IMR4350 often loses 100 ft/sec or more. The loss of velocity isn't as important as the changes in point of impact that often occur. H4350SC also tends to be a little slower than IMR4350, though this isn't always true from lot to lot, so again watch that chronograph."

I ended up using H4350 with Nosler Ballistic Tips, achieving 2970 fps from the 24" Remington barrel, and handily taking mule deer, elk, pronghorn and black bear. I used the 165 Nosler B-Tip, and a max load of H4350. Have used a slightly lesser charge from a well-worn 21" barreled 1917 30-06, at about 2750 fps with excellent results.

I'd think IMR 4350 would do about the same.

Regards, Guy

Scotty all jokes aside that is one fine looking M70 30-06 and I would be very proud to own it and hunt it.
Hiding that baby in a safe for a couple of years is a sin.
I would change the old style recoil pad on it and put one of the nice brown Pachmyer decelerators on it to dress it up a little since a 30-06 really doesn't need a recoil bad but with your long trigger pull I can see it helping you out or just put it in a differen't stock to hunt with it and preserve the original.
I read about a company in Canada that is making some fine synthetic stocks that they export to the US that might catch your eye and they are less then a Micky.

Scotty with a 30-06 question! A cartridge I have a little experience with!

With 165s I have used IMR4350 and H4350 with the best results. 57.5 grains IMR4350 is my normal starting point, and I see you already found 2800 FPS. That’s about what I see with 165s and IMR4350. This is about the standard 30-06 accuracy load.

With H4350 I can get a little more speed, up to about 2900 FPS. My current load is 59 grains H4350 with the 165 AB, and my rifle really likes it.

I’ve also played around with H4895 and Hunter. Hunter showed good accuracy and speed but wasn’t as consistent across temperature swings as the two 4350s. H4895 would probably be better with 150/155s, and I think it’s the normal Garand powder with 150/155s.




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58 H4350

58.0grs of IMR-4350.

I would never believe my rifle and powder lot were this slow, but it is about 61 grains of IMR4350 to get into the mid/high 2800 range with the 165 AccuBond. Not a lick of pressure on anything at 92* and all is well, but it just seems like alot. Hodgdon says 60 grains is max with a 165 Sierra SBT, but most others seem to be falling out around 58-59 grains.. Ah well, doesn't matter anyhow, I have a couple spots that look to be worth chasing down.



And here are a couple shots with the current scope on it.. Crossing my fingers the old M8 holds up..

Here is what I came up with for a couple nodes I am going to try tomorrow.



I loaded up 5 of each, even though 4 and 5 of just about every group might be better served if I just threw the rounds in the bushes, but I do like to have an extra round or two if I do pull a shot. Plus it keeps me honest.




Joel, between Guy, yourself and a few others I have come to admire the 30-06 with the 165 bullets. I have seen how well the 165 has worked on bull elk and never really had any reservations, but it was good to watch it in action a few times.

TD, I don't plan on changing this rifle up a bit to be honest. Once upon a time I decided I wanted a P64, 30-06, with a simple 4X scope in a wood stock. I found this one a bit ago and decided to make it work for me. I did bed the recoil lug and lightly float it, but it has shot well in the past with 180 grain Accubonds, but as sure as my skull is 30" thick, I wanna shoot 165's or bust.. I think it might be okay. If not, I will put it back into the safe and think about it some more for awhile longer.

These are a couple from it in the past..







So I know the darned thing shoots.. Just have to pray a little harder...