original service load for 30-06
- Thread starter gregc
- Start date
H or IMR 4895 or AA 2495, mid to high 40’s for powder charge……
There was no set load, just a performance window with a burn rate spectrum for powder. Lot to lot variations in powders and non commercial propellants are the kicker.
There was no set load, just a performance window with a burn rate spectrum for powder. Lot to lot variations in powders and non commercial propellants are the kicker.
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Joe Amorosi
CGN Regular
- Location
- Not Where I Thought I Was....
- Location
- Western Manitoba
I think OP will discover that the original load for 30-06 was developed in 1906 by US Military - 150 grain bullet at around 2700 fps. With WWII, there was introduction of Garand rifle, and many Internet posters seem to think that ammo was the original stuff. During or after WWI, it was discovered that a French round had much further reach from machine guns, than did standard 30-06 loads - so a 173 grain load was developed - especially in rifles, this round far exceeded many safety parameters of USA Military target ranges, so, a move was started to build a "safer" round that was closer to the original round - what many people seem to think is the original round, except it is not. It is my understanding that both the 173 grain round and the third round may have been used in WWII - in rifles and machine guns.
I am sure there have been many attempts to replicate the various loadings - circa WWI there was VERY "Hot" powders that we can not get today - the primers used are no longer made, etc. - post WWII, H4350 was considered, at the time, to be about the slowest powder available, then. I play with rebuilding Enfield M1917 rifles - I wanted a load to match the sight markings - of all things, it was suggested to use IMR 3031 in a round, with 150 grain Hornady flat base pointy bullets, to create a facsimile that would fly similar to the original 1906 round - various powder levels to get the speed correct, so the impact matched the sight setting.
I am sure there have been many attempts to replicate the various loadings - circa WWI there was VERY "Hot" powders that we can not get today - the primers used are no longer made, etc. - post WWII, H4350 was considered, at the time, to be about the slowest powder available, then. I play with rebuilding Enfield M1917 rifles - I wanted a load to match the sight markings - of all things, it was suggested to use IMR 3031 in a round, with 150 grain Hornady flat base pointy bullets, to create a facsimile that would fly similar to the original 1906 round - various powder levels to get the speed correct, so the impact matched the sight setting.
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- Location
- Western Manitoba
It is probable that the original load was called the 1906 30 calibre load, then the 173 grain load was referred to as "M1" and the more common round in WWII was referred to as "M2"
