After years of planning and researching, i finally completed working on my 30-06. It was originally an ADL and supposedly has a 1:10 twist from the factory. Other than a Timney trigger, the barreled action is completely stock. This is my primary deer/larger hunting rifle and want to load for it.

Any suggestions on good loads, mostly talking about bullet selection?

Some criteria:
- On game performance under 500 yards is primary.
- Brass will be about 120 pieces of once fired Remington brass.
- Powder will be Winchester 760, only other options are Ramshot Tac and Reloader 15 but apparently both are too fast. My loose understanding would suggest a 160-170gr bullet would be the best for this powder, but I don't understand this particular "voodoo science" of matching powders to bullets and vice versa.
- Not important but I always liked shooting the heaviest hunting bullet I can accurately shoot.
- Primer will be cci 200 (although I've been thinking about getting some 250's a try).
- I don't want a bullet that is more than about 50 cents per rounds.

Thanks in advance.

Not in your criteria but I would try a 175-190 with Varget.

150gr nosler bt or 168gr Sierra game king have always worked great for me. Used some 150gr accubond too but they aren't overly needed imo.

A 1:10" will stabilize any bullet you want to shoot. You can shoot anything 110 grains to 230 grains. It all depends on the velocity you want, energy you want, expansion and bullet performance. IMO, it's hard to beat a quality 180 grain hunting bullet in the '06. A 200 grain or heavier if you want something for the bigger critters. A 180 or 200 grain Accubond, 178 or 200 grain ELD-X, 180-200 grain Sierra Game King. There's a ton of good choices.

Win 760 (same as H414) is a double base ball powder, so it will be temp sensitive. This will alter your load some from cold temps to warmer temps.

Dang it. I deliberating try to stick with "non-temp sensitive" powder to eliminate a variable. How bad is bad?
Also, is the 165 or 180 gameking better for this powder.




I have 10lbs of Varget but I've been saving them my 308. Is varget pretty good AND non-temp sensitive with a 180 gameking or 178 eld in a 30-06? If so, then would reloader 15 be equally as good? I've been told before RL15 is really close to Varget.

If you do some research on the powder you are using, you can easily find out this info. The link below shows the Nitroglycerin content as an ingredient. And the powders listed on the front page show which one's are a double base powder. Nitroglycerin is the additive that makes it double base, which yields more energy that a single base powder. This is often why double base powders produce more velocity than single base powder, but at a cost. If you plan to shoot the ammo in 40 degrees in the mountains, work up a load when it's 40 degrees outside. But don't work up a max load in the winter time at 30 degrees and then go shoot these in 90+ degrees. You'll find out all about pressure very quickly!

https://www.hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/hpcsphericalsds.pdf



These are the Hodgdon line of powders that are less temp sensitive. Alliant also has some, but I don't know their list off hand.

https://www.hodgdon.com/wp-content/...-results-for-temperature-sensitivity.pdf

Alliant seems to be ar comp, rl16, rl23 and maybe rl26....... I noticed a week or so ago rl17 is now listed in quickload as temp stable but that has not normally been my experience.

Reloder 16 is one of the better powders for the 30-06 with 150-180 gr bullets. I use it with 175 gr Sierra MKT in my
03A3 for Match Shoots. Also works great in the 7.65 Swiss with same bullet.

The Sierra GameChanger 165 gr would fit your criteria.

Great info guys. I need opine on some of this a little more. Initial thoughts are:

I'll wait until the weather cools back down before I do load development specially with W760. I didn't mention but I have 8lbs of this stuff not committed to anything and my first post-baby hunt is planned for this December. Based on burn rates, I will try the 180 gmk and 178 eldx because I like the price.
Chad, I'm guessing that being within about 20-30 degree range between testing and game is not substantial for this type of powder. Is that a decent assumption?

Maybe I will try Varget. If I try Varget, should I be looking into a bullet closer to 165gr than 180gr?

So if I stop being a tight wad and decide to buy a powder specifically for a 178-180gr bullet in 30-06 (and maybe also good for wife's 270 in the future) that is very temperature sensitive, then what powder would yall suggest?
I do see RL16 on the shelves near me. I might give this a try. Also, I ultimately do NOT want to make hundreds of these reloaded multiple times over. I'm hoping, and think is reasonable, to get a good recipe and keep around 100pieces and only reload as they all get used.

Final note: man this reloading thing can get addictive too. It allows me to just conjure up valid reasons to go to the range.

The 30-06 is a very forgiving cartridge and will shoot many powders very well. The 760 powder will work fine. Just don't work up a max load in the cooler temps and then shoot that max load in the hot summer. Keep your velocities in the sane speeds and you'll be good. Load up enough rounds to practice with and go shoot a lot. Shoot enough to learn the personality of your rifle with that ammo. Reloading allows you to shoot more for less. You won't burn up a barrel in 30-06, so go shoot a lot and have fun with it.

Haha, that's what my overweight 308 is for. I actually disliked shooting this thing back when it had an HS stock with a thick butt pad. I bought a take-off CDL stock and it has a rear plate, no pad. I like the way it looks but i this thing is not going to be pleasant. But you're totally right, still gotta put a bunch down range regardless of how much I recoil at the thought of the rifle's recoil.
I use the "deer rifle" designation pretty literally here. It is primarily meant for deer (and other similar and larger) game which means I will almost exclusively be shooting in the fall to winter time. I have plenty of other rifles. Based on your reco, I'm going to commit to reloading and testing mostly in the cooler half of the year. Thanks again.

My goofy, over-romanticized idea is for this to be a deer rifle that becomes the family rifle that gets pasted down. And along with it is this data of some custom loads. When hearing about these types of heirloom stories involving firearms, I always felt a bit re-missed. While I'll never experience receiving one, I love the idea of giving one and starting it off.

Gotcha. Work up a mild to medium load with it then.760 is a relatively slower burning powder and wouldn't be the powder I'd use for a reduced load, but you can certainly load it near the minimum recommended powder charges list in reloading manuals to make it more pleasant to shoot. That's the benefit of reloading!

RL17 & 165 Nosler Accubond works great in my 30-06's. My 30-06 took my first elk this past Nov. He dropped in his tracks.

If a 30-06 will not accurately shoot 57-58g or the 4350's, you've likely got a rifle issue. I've never seen an '06 that wouldn't shoot that load, especially with 165-180 partitions, accubond, or ballistic tips.

I like 760/H414 in my 30-06, usually use a 165 grain bullet but have used it with both 150 and 180 grain bullets. Normally I work up loads in the spring here in Texas and hunt in the fall, never noticed the slightest difference because early spring and late fall temps can be pretty similar here. That I usually load H4831 under 180 gr. Partitions for my elk loads when I am heading for Wyoming. Just how temp sensitive are we talking? Say for ammo worked up in 70 degree temps and used in temps down into say -4 degrees?

Not really much variation in temp expected. I believe Chad's safety warnings about temp sensitive powders are certainly valid overall but naturally mitigated for me as i won't be hunting with this rifle outside of Texas in the fall-winter time. So I'm not likely to load develop in the winter and hunt in the summer. But my chief concern was as it relates to accuracy.

One thing I didn't mention is that, when given the opportunity, like to indulge in long distance shooting tricks and impromptu contests when I'm on hunts. So part of the accuracy requirement over a distance would be for fun as wel., hence the higher level of consistency I think is possible.

After mulling over info on this thread, I feel more confident to go ahead with W760/H414 and probably start with the 178 eldx. I do think i need to explore a more temp version at some point. Maybe even make a 150 version of something.

The 760 will work fine for you. It's a great powder.

This. And I could add the 165 GameKing to the list.