Great groupings with a 110 gn bullet now how do I get it out of a 150?

[russianfan]

I have a Benelli R1 30-06 with a 1:10 twist. This weekend I was able to get the moa results I have been hopeing to get out of her. HOWEVER it was usening a 110grn hornady bullet, so the qustion is how do I use my new found load knowledge to help me work up my load on a heavier round?

 

[BCRider]

As I understand it what you did with the 110gn rounds is only at all good for the 110gn rounds. Now you need to start out all over again with the larger bullet. It's entirely possible that even the same powder the light bullet likes won't work worth a darn with the heavier one. The only thing that comes forward for the new load testing is the methodology and record keeping to work towards the best load recipe. You still need to start over by searching for loads that worked for others that use the powders you have or that you can get in these troubled times. Then you need to try some various options to see which works with your particular twist rate.

Again as I understand it a 150 in a .30-06 is a light bullet as well. Any reason why you want that small a bullet this time? Certainly matching the bullet weight to the barrel twist rate is one important aspect. Is your rifle set up with a barrel that favours a lighter bullet? Otherwise why not consider a 180gn option to get a little more distance from the 110gn loads?

 

[Ganderite]

I suggest you try flat based soft point bullets. 150 seems light for a 06. I suggest 165 and 180 would be more useful, unless you are after coyotes and pronghorn.

Start with the Start load in the book, and try 5 of each increments in 1.0 gr steps to Max. Let barrel cool between groups. One of the groups will look better,so then load again, with 0.5 gr more and less.

 

[russianfan]

I use the 110gn for coyote when there is a second hunter and but Ive never considered a 150 light for deer. I ll try getting up into the 180 and see if that is where the problem is. I know my 7mm likes it heavy and fast maybe to odd six will too.
Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[Ganderite]

I use the 110gn for coyote when there is a second hunter and but Ive never considered a 150 light for deer. I ll try getting up into the 180 and see if that is where the problem is. I know my 7mm likes it heavy and fast maybe to odd six will too.
Thanks for the thoughts.

The reason I say 150 is light for deer is that a 30-06 is a lot more power than is required. My experience has has been trying 150 on deer. Blew up too good. My hunting gang switched to 180. Less destructive on deer and the same load was now perfect for moose.

 

[russianfan]

Good advice I'll have to try it this fall.

 

[bearhunter]

Ganderite has some good points there. The thing is with really good bullets being available these days the 150 grain bullets will do the job very well. Sometimes, especially at close ranges where most deer are taken there can be a problem with hydrostatic damage from the higher velocities that can be attained with the lighter bullets. That is a big issue.

One of the deer taken this fall was put down with a 150 grain 30 cal bullet sent through a CZ 660. I bought one of those new fangled scopes with a lazer range finder built in and set it up for the velocities indicated over my Chrony. It works like a charm. I wish I had gotten one much sooner. It is especially nice for ranges over 300m. As luck would have it, the perfect meat buck popped out of the alfalfa about 30m away so I shot it. The bullet was a Hornady flat base spire point Interlock. They can give blow up problems at close range when loaded up fast. This was an easy broadside shot right through both lungs. The exit wound was about 2cm across. The inside of the rib cage was mush. Even the heart was pulverized. The bullet took out a rib on the far side and the whole ribcage on that side was blood shot. Not a big deal because this buck had been feeding on corn and alfalfa and in all honesty was just to fat for good venison.

165s seem to fill the gap just about perfectly. I suspect from past experiences that just about any bullet, including the heavier 180+ offerings would give about the same results from a modern cartridge at such close ranges. Back in the day my favorite tree stand in the swamp rifle was a 30M1 Carbine. It was accurate enough for head shots out to 50+ yards and when loaded up with the Speer TNT hollow point bullets it would penetrate one rib cage, shatter both lungs and come to pieces inside. This was necessary as in the swamps I hunt the deer are often in groups because they feel safe.

 

[sunray]

A 150 isn't light for deer and the .30-06, but I'd still work up a load with a 165. The '06 loves the weight and a 165 will kill any game you care to hunt. Partial to IMR4064 for any .30-06 bullet myself. As mentioned, you will have to work up the load just like you did with the 110.

 

[purple]

Geez, when did a .30-06 with a 150gr bullet become a less than desirable choice for deer hunting? Pick a good hunting bullet, load it to a MV of 2800fps and you are golden. A gazzilion dead deer can't be wrong on this. Personally I like a 165gr bullet in the .30-06, but there is nothing wrong with a 150. I've shot deer with all of a .25-06, .270,.280, 7x57, .30-30, .308, .30-06, .303, .348 Win, .44-40, and a .50 cal muzzle loader at ranges from 10-300yds and they all pretty much fell down the same, except for the .44-40 and .50 cal muzzle loader where they leaked to death due to the absence of high velocity shock effect.

My personal preference for deer is a 7x57 Mauser with a 140gr bullet at a MV of 2800fps, but this takes nothing away from a .30-06 with a 150/165gr. For elk or moose go to a 180gr. When loading for a .30-06 with 150/165 gr bullets try IMR4064 or IMR4895. Velocity is a bit less than from slower burning propellants, but accuracy tends to be excellent.

If you are concerned about bullets being too destructive on meat at close ranges, try a milder load with less MV. I used to hunt deer in the heavy timber in NB where shot opportunities often came at very close ranges. I loaded my .303 with 180gr bullets on the slow side for this.

 

[hometownhero]

150gr bullet 59gr of 4350 ~3000 fps. For me thats in the .3 range for accuracy.
165 57gr of 4350 that gives me 2840 fps shoots in the .5-1" range