30-06 Ruger American

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  • pcfixer

    Ultimate Member
    May 24, 2009
    5,947
    Marylandstan
    Starting to prep 30-06 brass 1 shot RP/Frontier/ Hornady seems to be the same.
    https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/30-06-springfield/

    I'd like to feedback on load OCW listed 30-06 165 gr bullet
    IMR 4350 57.5 gr.
    http://optimalchargeweight.embarqspace.com/ocw-test-example/4529811475

    I'd would start at 4350 at 57 gr with COAL 3.320
    using a 168 gr BTHP Match bullet 7 rounds.

    would also load 7 rounds at 56.5 and 7 at 56. Use round robin.


    Edit: BTW, this 06 Ruger purchased at Walmart on sale for $199 2 years ago. Shoots Federal 150's soft points consistently 1 to 1.5 MOA. Hornady 150's and 165's not.....more like scatter gun. Time to Shoot better ammo and load match rounds.
    https://www.ruger.com/products/americanRifle/specSheets/6901.html
    Use a Nikon 4X12 40mm scope.
     
    Last edited:

    boule

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 16, 2008
    1,948
    Galt's Gulch
    Hi pcfixer,
    sorry but I am a little worried about your approach. Do I understand correctly that you want to start with the listed maximum load for this caliber with brass from varying manufacturers?
    If you do this, you might run into pressure issues!

    Seperate your brass according to manufacturer and - if you are a percision fanatic - inner volume.
    Afterwards start with a medium load and work your way up!

    I know this is bound to be a borning process but boring with propellants is the way to go. Too big of a step towards maximum load and you might damage your rifle or any appendage close to it.

    In your case, I would start with a load of 54 or 55 gr and then work my way up. Depending on your patience and materials, steps of 0,3-0,5gr and make sure to check for pressure signs. I would definately not go with a 0,5gr step for the listed maximum charge.
     

    pcfixer

    Ultimate Member
    May 24, 2009
    5,947
    Marylandstan
    Hi pcfixer,
    sorry but I am a little worried about your approach. Do I understand correctly that you want to start with the listed maximum load for this caliber with brass from varying manufacturers?
    If you do this, you might run into pressure issues!

    Seperate your brass according to manufacturer and - if you are a percision fanatic - inner volume.
    Afterwards start with a medium load and work your way up!

    I know this is bound to be a borning process but boring with propellants is the way to go. Too big of a step towards maximum load and you might damage your rifle or any appendage close to it.

    In your case, I would start with a load of 54 or 55 gr and then work my way up. Depending on your patience and materials, steps of 0,3-0,5gr and make sure to check for pressure signs. I would definately not go with a 0,5gr step for the listed maximum charge.

    Adjustment made.
    http://optimalchargeweight.embarqspace.com/ocw-test-example/4529811475
    I began with three rounds each of five different charges, graduating in .3 grain increments

    A group fired with my 30-06 at 335 yards consisted of loads all charged with 57.5 grains of H4350 pushing Sierra 165 grain Gamekings. One shot used a Remington brass case with CCI 200 primer, another used a Winchester case with that same primer, and the last load in the three shot group used a Winchester nickel case with a CCI BR primer.

    All three shots of this mis-matched trio came in at 2/3 MOA at 335 yards. (Update, I've since repeated this test for a five shot group consisting of two Remington cased loads, two Winchester nickel cased loads, and one brass cased Winchester load. Again with CCI BR and CCI 200 primers--again, the group broke 2/3 MOA. A point of interest, the Remington cases weighed ten grains more than the Winchesters.

    But that wasn't enough difference to take the group outside MOA due to the pressure tolerance of the OCW load). By the way, if all brass and primers are kept uniform with this load, it is about a 1/3 MOA performer (1 inch) at 300 yards, so I'm not saying that uniforming brass doesn't help--it obviously does. It's just that an OCW load is much more tolerant of pressure altering component changes.
     

    boule

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 16, 2008
    1,948
    Galt's Gulch
    A group fired with my 30-06 at 335 yards consisted of loads all charged with 57.5 grains of H4350 pushing Sierra 165 grain Gamekings.

    OK, so this is actually getting quite interesting. There are various load data sets out there.
    - Hodgdon lists 56 to 60gr
    - Nosler 53 to 57gr
    - Internet forums say around 57gr
    - Lyman 49th edition says 57 max load.

    And no, I am not going to run GRT and Quickload for shits and giggles.

    There are now a number of distinct possibilities, all come with their own caveats:
    - Hodgdon could have reformulated the propellant or at least updated their data for the most current charge. This means you could go much higher than expected.
    - Nosler could have made this recommendation explicitely for their bullets indicating that they could cause higher pressure or they could be relying on old data
    - The internet could just be wrong.
    - 49th edition, too cheap to get a new book?

    Now you would have to make the call which data to trust. Often people go with "gut feeling" and end up being right but given the variations in permissible chamber dimensions, cartidge cases and primers you can still end up making a bad call. I'd stick with the lower data and work my way up but if you rely on the manufacturers website, you seem to be good to go with the higher charge.
     

    pcfixer

    Ultimate Member
    May 24, 2009
    5,947
    Marylandstan
    The following load recipes have proven to work well in various rifles. Do not go directly to these charges, but work up from at least 5% below these levels.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    Once I am home, I need to look up my load data. I worked up a load with this bullet and powder, that shot sub-1 inch in a Rem 760 pump gun.
     

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