3006 maximum loads

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2308500

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this week i loaded up some 3006 with imr4895 150 grainbullets
used data from hodgdon website for imr 4895 powder
there starting load was 49 grains with a max of 53
last night, i was looking on some other sites and in a lee manual and i found their data to state a max charge of around 49 grains.

my question is am i safe shooting a few of my loads at 48 grains of powder to check for signs of high pressure or should i pull the bullets in all of em and start even lower
any info would be appreciated
 
You start shooting low and go high to look for pressure signs. Never the other way around. As far as max loads, I find that they are most often not my best accuracy load. I load up to max to leave no stone unturned, sort of speak.


If you've loaded up to max in one book, but not the other, then continue your ladder loading to the next max, but pay attention to pressure signs.
 
2308500 said:
this week i loaded up some 3006 with imr4895 150 grainbullets
used data from hodgdon website for imr 4895 powder
there starting load was 49 grains with a max of 53
last night, i was looking on some other sites and in a lee manual and i found their data to state a max charge of around 49 grains.

my question is am i safe shooting a few of my loads at 48 grains of powder to check for signs of high pressure or should i pull the bullets in all of em and start even lower
any info would be appreciated
Click to expand...

Been down your road before. Used H-4895 for .30-06 (H-4895 is similar to IMR-4895). 4895 sux for .30-06. Use H/IMR-4350 and you will have better results.
 
i understand, but what i'm saying is
i used imr manufacturer data and am on the low end of the scale, if i compare this number to lee or other online "sources" ' i have loaded in the mid to high range.
if i pull the trigger will my gun blow up in my face or am i still at a reasonably safe level.

kepp in mind that i intend to monitor pressure signs shot by shot
 
According to Lee, 49 gr IMR4895 produces 57000PSI. 30-06 is rated 60000 PSI (wikipedia) so you should be safe

According to Quickload 30-06's max is 58740 PSI. Your 49gr load computes to a pressure of 41711 PSI


Cartridge : .30-06 Spring.
Bullet : .308, 150, Hornady SP 3031
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 3.340 inch or 84.84 mm
Barrel Length : 22.0 inch or 558.8 mm
Powder : IMR 4895

Predicted data by increasing and decreasing the given charge,
incremented in steps of 1.714% of nominal charge.
CAUTION: Figures exceed maximum and minimum recommended loads !

Step Fill. Charge Vel. Energy Pmax Pmuz Prop.Burnt B_Time
% % Grains fps ft.lbs psi psi % ms

-17.1 71 40.60 2266 1710 26205 7767 91.1 1.437
-15.4 72 41.44 2308 1775 27469 7973 92.0 1.410
-13.7 74 42.28 2351 1841 28788 8173 93.0 1.384
-12.0 75 43.12 2394 1909 30166 8368 93.8 1.358
-10.3 77 43.96 2437 1978 31605 8557 94.6 1.333
-08.6 78 44.80 2480 2048 33111 8740 95.4 1.308
-06.9 79 45.64 2522 2119 34683 8916 96.1 1.283
-05.1 81 46.48 2565 2191 36316 9085 96.8 1.260
-03.4 82 47.32 2607 2264 38042 9247 97.4 1.234
-01.7 84 48.16 2650 2338 39833 9400 97.9 1.207
+00.0 85 49.00 2692 2413 41711 9545 98.4 1.181
+01.7 87 49.84 2734 2489 43672 9681 98.8 1.157
+03.4 88 50.68 2775 2566 45721 9807 99.1 1.132
+05.1 90 51.52 2817 2643 47865 9925 99.4 1.108
+06.9 91 52.36 2858 2721 50110 10032 99.7 1.086 Near Maximum !
+08.6 93 53.20 2899 2799 52443 10129 99.8 1.064 Near Maximum !


If in doubt, you could load more cartridges with lower charges up to 49gr and check for pressure signs. Then you decide what to do with the already loaded rounds.
 
i use imr 4350 and max load is 56.0 grains for 180gr bullet, and i use for my 180gr hunting bullets... 56.0 grains, they are my most accurate. I started at 52.0 i believe and worked up 1.0 increments. Those are i guess pretty rough jumps in loads, but I'm shooting sub-moa with it. It's more than good enough for what I need, so there is no point in jumping 0.2grain increments to get super precise. Some times depending on the situation, bullet, and powders used, there are possibilities of going slightly over the max loads. But I try to avoid this because the risk involved from making my shots let's say go from 1.0inch groups to 0.8inch groups is not worth it.
 
this is what i started my loading at according to imr data
150 GR. NOS BT IMR 4895 .308" 3.250" 49.0 2856 49,400 PSI 53.0 3009 56,700 PSI

actually, i started about 2 percent lower
 
Max was determined in THEIR rifle. Put thosr ounds aside and make 3 each of a set of lighter loads and work up. Ypu might find some lighter loads shoot clover leafs, or that they are hard to extract and blow primers....

I have said it before. Onec had a START load that was way over pressure in one rifle.
 
2308500 said:
i understand, but what i'm saying is
i used imr manufacturer data and am on the low end of the scale, if i compare this number to lee or other online "sources" ' i have loaded in the mid to high range.
if i pull the trigger will my gun blow up in my face or am i still at a reasonably safe level.
Click to expand...


Start your loads from below and load up to it. Anything else is risky. I'm not sure what is confusing??


You can load to max and in many cases above max if you monitor your brass for pressure. BUT YOU ALWAYS START FROM BELOW AND STOP WHEN YOU SEE PRESSURE SIGNS.
 
Hodgdon on line says 49 grains of IMR 4895 is max load for 175 grain bullets, so you should be fine at that load for 150 grain.
 
Stick with the Hodgdon info, they are the folks that make the powder. For calibers that are "old military", reloading data has been tempered on account of the existance of older, and possibly weaker rifles. I rarely go to max published load, usually a few grains above min.
Learn to check for pressure signs. For example, if you use military brass, pressures will be higher than commercial brass.
 
Lee gets their data from other sources. They don't do any testing themselves.
It's not unusual for load manuals to list different data. The data reflects the conditions on the day of the test in the firearm used. Powder do change slightly over the years and from lot to lot too.
My old 45th Edition Lyman book gives 51.5 of IMR4895 as max for a 150. As mentioned, Hodgdon's site, gives 53. So 48 is fine.
 
2308500 said:
this week i loaded up some 3006 with imr4895 150 grainbullets
used data from hodgdon website for imr 4895 powder
there starting load was 49 grains with a max of 53
last night, i was looking on some other sites and in a lee manual and i found their data to state a max charge of around 49 grains.

my question is am i safe shooting a few of my loads at 48 grains of powder to check for signs of high pressure or should i pull the bullets in all of em and start even lower
any info would be appreciated
Click to expand...

Start from lower,and then slowly work up.
The famous gun powder for 30-06 is IRM 4350.
 
I'm not sure if anyone has touched on the cases you are using, alot of these published loads are developed in cases from a certain manufacturer, if you change cases, you change loads as each brand has a dif. case capacity. So when using data, you should match case brands, as well as bullet, charge, etc.
 
The data from the Hodgdon website presents all the latest test results, using the latest lots of the powder they sell. I too have raised my eyebrows seeing some of the data they've published recently, especially for IMR powders in the .30-06 and .308. But they are the guys who are selling this stuff and there is a certain amount of confidence that can be had from this fact... as long as you are using a recent lot of powder.

The other thing to remember that the .30-06 is an old cartridge, and it's been used in a variety of different rifles over the last century, including brittle low-numbered Springfields, Garands, refurbished Mausers, Winchester 95 lever actions -- all the way to ultra modern Remington 700s and Weatherbys. Anyone will tell you that a modern hunting rifle with a super-strong and tight action will take hotter loads (without showing pressure signs) than some of the ancient military rifles.

If your rifle is a modern hunting rifle then I wouldn't hesitate to rely upon Hodgdon data all the way to the top loads, working your way up from the bottom very carefully and stopping before max if you start to see a problem.

If your rifle is an ancient military rifle then you can still be confident with the knowledge that 48 grains of 4895 with a 150-grain bullet is a classic load that duplicates the original military loads that were used in the Garand. (Actually, it might even be a grain milder.)

Either way you should be fine to start at 48 grains, as long as your rifle is strong enough to handle factory loads. (If it's not even strong enough for mil-spec, Garand-friendly factory loads, then you've got a big problem.)
 
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