Loading 30-06 for 600m applications

clegger said:
Thanks for all the great tips,

I thought id update everyone with my load development as this seems to be a popular thread.

My first trip to the range i tried to find the OCW (optimum charge weight) that my rifle likes. I loaded 5 groups of 4 rounds each, as i shoot 3 round groups and use the fourth rounds as warm up/fouling shots. I find that shooting the fourth round of each group in the top left of each target gives me a idea of where the groups going to land on the target as well.
My charge weights looked like this:
51.1
52.2
53.3
54.4
55.5
56.6

Out of that i found the 55.5 gave the best group, so my next batch on the press looked like this:
55.1
55.3
55.5
55.7
55.9

Out of that batch the 55.7 gave me a group of .8" at 100m. Now im pretty excited as this is sub MOA without even playing with seating depth or trying neck tension adjustments. I was very impressed to get this out of a factory barrel, as i didnt have high hopes for it and was looking for an excuse to buy a Krieger.

my load right now looks like this

IMR 4350
55.7g
SMK 190g
CCI BR2 primers
case length 2.485"
COAL 3.426" (.01 off lands)

after i try a few more test batches to dial this sucker in, ill post results at 200, 300, 400, 500, 600
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Why did you stop at 55.9gr? You didn't give any reason why you stopped there.

If at all possible, shoot your OCW at a 2-300.
 
I stopped at 55.9 because the first batch I made were increased by 1g increments and 55g gave the best groups. 56.5 also showed signs of over pressure.

I also tested my load I settled on at 300m. I was worried that without a chrono it would have some vertical dispersion. The two groups of 5 I shot came in at 2.4" and 3.3", 2nd group on account of wind.

I was pretty happy with this so I setup at 400m and shot 1 group at 8". The only thing that group showed me was I need to practice.
 
clegger said:
I stopped at 55.9 because the first batch I made were increased by 1g increments and 55g gave the best groups. 56.5 also showed signs of over pressure.

I also tested my load I settled on at 300m. I was worried that without a chrono it would have some vertical dispersion. The two groups of 5 I shot came in at 2.4" and 3.3", 2nd group on account of wind.

I was pretty happy with this so I setup at 400m and shot 1 group at 8". The only thing that group showed me was I need to practice.
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Sounds like your on a good load. Adjust seating depth to fine tune if necessary. Don't get too hung up on the chronograph. If your shooting at 300+ shows a consistant waterline, call it good and practice to your hearts content.
 
Paper doesn't lie. Chronos are nice to have, paper results are better IMHO. And I have a chrono. Even with chrono data you still want to shoot and get real world data.

Cool to see this develop, can't wait to see how things go at farther ranges.
 
So asking for some advice here...

This is how I prep all my brass, it takes a while;

Trim to uniform length
Chamfer inside and outside edge
Flash whole debure/ uniform
Primer pocket uniform and ream
Seat primer all the way to the bottom just so the anvil touches the bottom, carefully not to crush

Now my question is.. how effective is neck turning and will it improve groupings enough to warrant a neck turning tool and bullet runout Guage 200-400$?


would put pictures on of my targets but I can't figure out how to do so.
 
Whether neck turning is needed or not depends entirely on whether or not you can meet your goals without it. If you have adequate SD / ES and concentricity without it, then it is not necessary. It will improve brass life; but you can buy a lot of brass for the time and dollar value of neck turning.

If you like, and don't have anyone local with a runout gauge, seat 5 bullets in empty cases and mail them to me. I'll check runout for you if you like. May save investing in the $200 ish tool. A crude way to do it is roll them on a mirror and watch the tips for deflection. If you can notice any, it's probably too much and hurting accuracy.

I do not believe neck turning will be of any significant benefit for shooting at 600m for your requirements. Better to just cull out the lopsided brass and retain the concentric ones. Hornady brass is high quaity, you should be just fine with it.
 
I think changing primer from a magnum to non will just result in lower velocity and maybe a increase in fps spread as the powder will become less consistently burned.

Why not try just using a different powder, with a 230g you could probably use a compressed load of h-4831 or IMR-7828 with a cci br2 or fed 210m primer that might be a winning combo there.
 
clegger said:
I think changing primer from a magnum to non will just result in lower velocity and maybe a increase in fps spread as the powder will become less consistently burned.

Why not try just using a different powder, with a 230g you could probably use a compressed load of h-4831 or IMR-7828 with a cci br2 or fed 210m primer that might be a winning combo there.
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If he's got pressure with less than a full case of H4350, going to a faster powder will not allow him to use more.
 
Or jump up to the 208 grain amax. The drop is more, but wind drift is less; also uses less powder. If you can accurately range your target, then drop is something that is easy to remedy. Wind drift is tougher. The retained energy of the heavier bullet is higher. My son nailed an elk at 400 yards out of a .308 with the 208 amax. So I am sure that an '06 will do just fine out to 600m.
 
clegger said:
H-4831 and IMR-7828 is a slower burning powder unless I'm right out of her. That's why I suggested them
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You are correct. My bad. I have the burn chart somewhere in my loading area and should have checked it first.

I am surprised he is having a pressure sign with that load as I am stuffing slightly more powder into a 308 using Winchester brass and a 15gr lighter bullet. Your idea of using a slower powder is definitely what I would try next unless he is satisfied with current results.
 
geologist said:
At 600 yards I'd be sussing out how I could get 350 yards closer.........

I wish that I had the skills for 600 yard field shots.
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It's easy to get; all you need is a place to practice, some knowledge and a desire for a lot more, good and suitable equipment, lots of time and a ton of ammunition. A mentor doesn't hurt and might save some time. The trouble is, people think that they can skip a few steps and get away with it.
 
Dogleg said:
It's easy to get; all you need is a place to practice, some knowledge and a desire for a lot more, good and suitable equipment, lots of time and a ton of ammunition. A mentor doesn't hurt and might save some time. The trouble is, people think that they can skip a few steps and get away with it.
Click to expand...

My problem is finding a +300 yard spot to shoot safely that isn't 3 hours away.
 
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