30-06 Accelerator for varmints?

[rustysdream]

Has anyone had first hand experience hunting for varmints with 55gr Accelerator for 30-06?
I don't do enough varmint hunting to justify buying a varmint rifle, but I thought for those few occasions this would be a good altrenative.
My 30-06 is a Remington 700 BDL with a 3-9x40 scope.
Would it work?

 

[the_big_mike]

Most rifles including your remington doesn't have an appropiate rifling for light 30-06 loads.

Never tried it myself, mind you, but it's what I've read.

Try getting a .17HMR or a .22LR.

I have a .17HMR i can part with

 

[Andy]

I shot some "Accelerators" out of a 30/30 a few years back. Got something like 3400 fps, but accuracy was about 8 MOA. Gotta hit it to kill it.

 

[DarrylDB]

Has anyone had first hand experience hunting for varmints with 55gr Accelerator for 30-06?
I don't do enough varmint hunting to justify buying a varmint rifle, but I thought for those few occasions this would be a good altrenative.
My 30-06 is a Remington 700 BDL with a 3-9x40 scope.
Would it work?

sure it will, but they make a 110 gr Vmax that works well on small game.

 

[Scott_N]

I experimented with them in the 80s before I got a real varmint rifle. They are very explosive if you can hit anything. That's the problem though... they weren't accurate in my rifle (4 -5 " groups @ 100 yards), and I've never heard of anyone being happy with the accuracy out of their own rifles either.

 

[cdngunner]

They are great "practice" rounds though.

Not the recoil of a full load, which makes shooting two three boxes of these real easy.

 

[Beadwindow]

A cousin of mine used to take some with him when scouting around before deer season and during the hunt itself, just in case any coyotes or wolves happened to cross his path. I am unaware of the accuracy that he got from them or whether he bagged any coyotes/wolves with them, though he did shoot a wolf-coyote cross once in his regular hunting area. I'd be somewhat surprised if the loads were accurate enough to hunt smaller game, at least at rangers much further than a .22 rimfire's effectiveness.

Regards,

Frank

 

[ben hunchak]

In my exp. you would be wiser to use 110-125gr. bullets in your 30-06 for varmints, if they are not avail. or cost is a concern and if you use it alot on varmints, cast bullets may be the way to go.

 

[rustysdream]

Thank you all for your comments.
Another concern I just recently read about the Accelerator was that the plastic cover which holds the bullet will burn into the groves and is very difficult to clean.
I think I won't bother with this round. I'll just get a .223 and hunt varmints more often.

 

[cdngunner]

Thank you all for your comments.
Another concern I just recently read about the Accelerator was that the plastic cover which holds the bullet will burn into the groves and is very difficult to clean.
I think I won't bother with this round. I'll just get a .223 and hunt varmints more often.

No more then a sabot in a rifled slug barrel.
There are specific cleaners out there to remove the plastic

 

[rustysdream]

Again, thank you for your comments.
I've read a bunch of reviews and eventually decided to buy a Stevens 200 in .223 caliber.
I'm sure it's a better choice than experimenting with the 30-06 Accelerator and for the price I can't go wrong (CDN$339).
According to the reviews it's a well made rifle and accurate. The stock is rough and needs some sanding but that's no problem.
I can't wait to receive it.