favorite .30-06 moose loads

fiddler said:
This is similar to what I've always loaded, however I'm finding that the 4350 powder has large inconsistencies in extreme weather differences. It shoots great for me at +10 C, but at -30C it doesn't group so nice anymore. Does anyone else find this? I've got several hundred cases trimmed and primed and ready to go but I'm wondering if there are better choices for powder.
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This may be true with IMR4350, but H4350 is temperature insensitive and is good to go in the cold.
 
sharp shooter said:
Dogleg
This is true. The factory federals that I've shot are just about landing on my bench and the reloads are landing on the next bench. Should I be backing off. You said to try 4895? What about switching to 180 grain Interbonds and sticking with the same powder. I would be doing all of this right now but I won't be home to fire my guns for another two weeks. I'll have the whole month of October off though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait. I've been working 12hrs/day, 7days/week for tooooo long.
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I hear you on the working too much for too long. Oddly, I have most of October off as well, but will probably work every day until then. After that, well, the brown bears, goats and moose better keep their heads down.:evil:
I use IMR 4895 in my own BAR 30-06. (Belgium grade 11). I started with 4350, but after observing the case heads looked like a blacksmith went to work on them, and splitting a buffer I did a bit of checking. The old gun is like your's, in that it's old enough to be a grampa but pristine. It was my father-in-law's and will be my son's someday.
Backing off the loads might help a bit, but dropping back on the pressure curve is the real cure.
 
If I was hunting moose with my 30/06 this yr, I'd use this load.

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ill echo the imr 4350, im quite new to reloading and have been having great results with this powder and 168 grain bullets
 
Great advice everybody and thanks for it. I am going to try the load I already have a few more times in cooler weather when I get home. If I can't get below an inch than I will start tinkering. Thanks again.

By the way,
Dogleg,
Brown bears eh? I have read about them and am facinated by them. A good read in the off season if you can get it is "Grizzlies Don't Come Easy" by Randolph Young. He was an Alaskan bear guide in the fortys thru seventies. What is a good size bruin where you hunt?
 
sharp shooter said:
Great advice everybody and thanks for it. I am going to try the load I already have a few more times in cooler weather when I get home. If I can't get below an inch than I will start tinkering. Thanks again.

By the way,
Dogleg,
Brown bears eh? I have read about them and am facinated by them. A good read in the off season if you can get it is "Grizzlies Don't Come Easy" by Randolph Young. He was an Alaskan bear guide in the fortys thru seventies. What is a good size bruin where you hunt?
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This outfitter gets a couple 10 footers most years. Realistically I'm hoping for something around 8.5 feet or so. I'm more of an "experience hunter" than a "trophy hunter" if I can invent a phrase.
 
sharp shooter said:
By the way, Dogleg, Brown bears eh? I have read about them and am facinated by them. A good read in the off season if you can get it is "Grizzlies Don't Come Easy" by Randolph Young. He was an Alaskan bear guide in the fortys thru seventies. What is a good size bruin where you hunt?
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His name is Ralph young, and considered the dean of brown bear guides by many of his peers.

Ted
 
Why not? said:
I could certainly be wrong, but I don't remember Hornady ever producing a 200 gr 30 cal RN. They have made a 220 gr RN for at least forty years. Either way, at that velocity they will be great big game medicine! :)

Ted
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You're probably right Ted. I'm just going by what the Load Label told me. I've yet to enter the world of reloading so most of the stuff in this forum is greek to me. One of these days i'm gonna have to get my butt in gear and start learning as much as possible on the subject. :cheers:

Dorian
 
Why not,
Your correct, I should now it is Ralph, i read the book three times. In his books he mentions of doing a lot of photography. Hva eyou ever seen any of it or now where it would be available if it is?

Dogleg,
Are you hunting for brown bears in Canada or Alaska? You shoot brownies with .30-06?
 
Last season it was 56.0 gr RL22 behind a 200 gr Sierra Game King, producing 2,763 fps.

This year it will be 50.0 gr IMR 4064 behind a 165 gr Speer SPBT.
 
I will reiterate what others have said, getting a 1.25 inch group is great accuracy from most any hunting rifle. Not quite sure how much more you want.
You are better off practicing - shooting standing it does not matter if your rifle and load group 1.25 inches or 1 inch - your wobble will be much more than the difference.
Frankly, varget and 165 may be good for accuracy, but not much for velocity.
 
I just loaded up a bunch of 200 grain round nose kksp (old Imperial bullets I bought bulk when no one else wanted them) for the '06. I get slightly over 2500 fps with surplus powder. These are not high quality bullets or superb velocity, but lots for a moose. The pursuit of max velocity and sub minute of angle accuracy are both a bit excessive for hunting needs.
 
I share the theory that slow burning powders can be hard on gas operated autos. I use 4064 in both my BAR and Garand. The BAR is an early model that will shoot around a 11/4 inches at 100yds with 4064 and Hornady 165 SP's. It does tend to spread them out when the barrel gets hot.
 
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