Sub Sonic 30-06?

nathantd

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Has anyone ever used trail boss to make sub sonic 3006 rounds? Was looking at a Hammond game getter for grouse but then I thought maybe I could use trail boss or something to just load a few small game rounds for walking through the bush. Anyone have any success with this? any recommendations?
 
Not me but another forum has this come up quite often. Apparently 110gn bullets used for .30Carbine loaded with light charges of pistol powders has worked out nicely for many folks for taking smaller game. Others have found a good size of round ball buckshot that fit the case necks with a light force fit and used those as well.

In fact I just did a google search for "30-06 small game load" and a whole lot of good returns came back. Too many to list here. I'll bet you find what you're after in the results that you'll get.
 
Easy to go lower than that.
Two things first. Forget about speed of sound. The noise from the rifle is governed by how much of what kind of powder is in the cartridge. But nobody can tell with their ear, whether it went just over or just under speed of sound.
Secondly, I have loaded extremely light with a number of different calibre rifles and have never used Trail Boss, and don't intend to. There are any number of fast pistol and/or shotshell powders that are highly suitable for very light loading. I mostly use whatever I have at hand at the moment.
When our oldest son was 6 years of age, I loaded my 30-06 down to where he would rap his arm round the stock, move his eye up to the scope and safely shoot it, without enough recoil to push the rifle back.
Another time I loaded the 30-06 so low that we shot it in the basement without ear muffs. less noise than a 22 rim fire. That load, with about a 150 grain cast bullet would make clover leafs at 30 feet.
With a 270 and 100 grain jacketed bullets, I set up a large, 600 page, catalogue with a 1 5/8 inch plank behind it.
8 grains of H110 drove the bullet through both the book and the plank and it kept on going!
6 grains of H110 went through the catalogue and just made a dent in the plank.
A 3 shot group at 40 yards with the 8 grain load made a one inch group, 3 1/4" below the sighting, when set at hunting loads.
I wanted to see how low was practical with a Marlin rifle in 44 magnum.
I set up a large, round block of wood, cut from a dense, heavy Douglas Fir log, as a bullet stop.
Using 240 grain cast bullets, 4 grains of Unique buried the bullet in the hard wood, with the base of the bullet 3/4" in.
3 1/2 grains of Unique buried the bullet, with the base about 3/8" in from the surface.
3 grains of Unique buried the bullet in the wood, but the base of the bullet was about flush with the surface.
With your 30-06 just try a few grains of whatever fast powder you have and tell us how you made out.
CAUTION--It is obvious that a bullet may become stuck in the barrel when using such light loads.
Thus, it is imperative that the barrel is checked for obstruction before firing another shot.
I have stuck almost none and when they did stick there was no sound! Lead bullets are very easy to push back out, but jacketed may require standing the rifle muzzle down and pouring something like kerosene or Hoppe's #9 down the barrel and tapping it back next morning.
 
great info Bruce, did you use a filler over the powder? that should be noted as sometimes I have achieved better results with and without either cotton baton or toilet paper depending on the charge weight and powder
 
Thanks guys, for the comments.
About fillers, the majority of the time I use no filler. I've tried the filler routine, first with corn starch, cream of wheat and then such variables as toilet paper and various types of cotton batten.
Johnn Peterson put me on to a round door insulator of something like Dacron. I got it in half inch diameter and pieces cut off were perfect for the 45-70. I tried abut 16 grains of Unique with a 420 grain cast bullet. With the filler I made some really good groups and thought the filler was the pure McCoy.
But I was never able to duplicate it and trying filler/no filler could not prove which was best!
I sold the Marlin 45-70 a few years ago, but I guess couldn't live without one, and was able to acquire an early Model 1895, made in 1974, so it is drilled and tapped for the standard Marlin base, has the bulls eye, but no other bells or whistles. When the weather gets nicer at the range I'll give the filler another try with lighter loads and see what I can find this time. If fillers are useful, I believe it is with straight (nearly) walled cases, more than bottle neck.
Bruce
 
good info, you may not see to much difference at mid range but it sure makes a difference at longer distances, or did for me anyway
 
Wow! Did'nt think that these kind of loads were possible!! Sounds fun tough, but I think thats costly if not using cast bullets... Can't figure doing this with costly Nosler bullets!!!! ;)

Dark
 
What about cheap Berrys plated bullets? I got some to load in my .30-30 rounds from Budget Shooter's Supplies that cost barely more than the same weight bullets. 150gn .308's.

In fact I see he's still got some. $18/100. So that's 18 cents each. So light loads should be possible at a cost of well under 30 cents a round depending on primer and powder costs. And being plated vs jacketed they pinch into the bore with roughly the same resistance as cast. So sticking with the lower pressures becomes a bit less likely.

http://www.budgetshootersupply.ca/catalog/30_Caliber_308_40.cfm

He's also got those 110gn .30Carbine bullets at $16/100
 
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