any powders to use for cast and jacketed in 30-06?

[gary01]

I was wondering which powder might be best to use if i wanted to use the same for both?

[MT Gianni]

WC 872 comes to mind.

[gary01]

Thanks MT I've only been reloading a couple of months. I have been lurking and reading quite a lot.

[phaessler]

Have been using 4895 (Hodgdon or IMR) in the '06 forever , with both J-types and cast.

Pete

[John Boy]

Gray, the best advice is buy a copy of Lyman's 49th Handloading Handbook. For the 30-06 there is loading data for cast and jacket bullets plus excellent chapters on reloading & casting

[TCLouis]

4895 and 3031 come to mind

[kenyerian]

IMR 3031 works with both of them. I like Unique for Boolits also. The Lee C309-150-F works well in the different rifles I have owned.
http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp The Hodgdon Reloading site has a lot of data for the 30-06.

[gary01]

Thank you all for that advice. I do have that book and i have a lee c309 170 grain mold that I'm getting pretty good at. So far I've only shot 13 grain red dot in it. It does pretty well at 100 yards. I tried 55 grain imr 4350 with them and couldn't even find where they hit.

[Shiloh]

IMR 4895

Shiloh

[cavalrymedic]

ditto what phaessler said. H4895 is indespensible. And it works in a bunch of different rounds.

[gary01]

Appreciate it fellows. Looks like 4895 it is for 06's.

[troy_mclure]

ive had good luck with middle of the road performance with win748.

[DxieLandMan]

I haven't loaded cast in the .30-06 but for all my other J words, I use IMR 4895 and IMR 3031.

[NVScouter]

4350 is doing both in mine. But I'm still trying to get my bugs out!

[jonp]

I always used imr 3031. Produced good results for me so I never went anywhere else. I was loading for whitetail 200yrds and in so a tacdriver or upper end loads were not necessary for me

[303Guy]

No-one has mentioned Varget yet. Another multi-purpose powder that seems to produce good accuracy, one I would think would be the first go-to powder one should have - unless you already have H4350. They look too similar for my liking and you can't tell if you got the right one! None of the powders I have look the same - that's how I choose them - so I gave away my Varget (AR2208 to me) and replaced it with W748 which I like a lot and seems perfect for moderate cast loads (using Dacron as a positioner). But I load for 303 which is 308 capacity.

[plainsman456]

I have used IMR 3031 and it worked.

[DrCaveman]

Im with 303guy. Varget worked awesome for jacketed and so far so good with cast lead. A lot of velocity range available and pretty low pressures. Havent tried 4895 or 3031 but plan to when powder gets back on shelves.

Im disappointed to hear that h4350 is not performing well with cast. It is my winner for full house loads using heavy bullets. Ive only tried it with jacketed so far.

[geargnasher]

Any flavor of 4350. I also second the WC872, but it needs help to get burning efficiently.

Gear

[jonp]

Just looked over my shoulder at my bench and a can of IMR 4320 is looking back at me. I'd almost forgotten about it. IMR 4320 worked well in both my 308 and 30-06 and at one time I used a bunch of it. I bought it to try in a 7mm Mag I had at one time and used it in the 308 and 30-06 but moved into 3031 when I sold the 7mm. You might not want to forget trying this powder although it does not seem to be as popular as some.

[cavalrymedic]

So many powders. If money were no object, I'd have 50 pounds of each of them.

[jaysouth]

In .308 and .30-30, I have used 2400, H-335, 3031 and 4895 with good effect with both cast and jacketed bullets. What I have learned from this site is that the faster the bullet, the slower the powder. Works good for me.

[nouseforaname1246]

I use imr 4064

[Lead Fred]

Been shootin & reloading odd six since JFK was pres.
I use 3 powders

110gr Varmint grenades get Norma 201
140-155gr IMR 4895
168gr and bigger H4350

I had 5 odd sixes, Im down to 3, and have a bite on one of those

[1Shirt]

I would also go with 4895!
1Shirt!

[GabbyM]

AA 4064 is slower than IMR 4064. Also has shorter grain. Looks like H-Varget. I picked up a jug a couple months ago because 4895 was all sold out. I want a powder that will drop from a measure with no need to weigh charges. IMR 4064 is a long stick pain.

RL 7 shoots real good in my 06 and 30-30. Should work in 308 even better. Takes less of the RL7 than the slower powders.

[303Guy]

It seems to me that while slower powders are better for cast they do impose an ignition consistency penalty. Heavier boolits and more neck tension seems to be need. Neck tension consistency then becomes an issue so there seems to be a balancing act between faster and slower powders.

[cavalrymedic]

Right now, I would settle for ANY powder, as every single source seems to be out of even the powders that no one ever buys.

[Seabee1960]

AA2230 is a good powder for both in the 150 to 200 grain bullet weight range. It is cheap when you can find it and since it is small spheres in meters very well through a powder thrower. If you are shooting jacketed ( gasp) bullets start with 150 to 165 grain bullets and 40 grains of powder. Work up from there.
42 grains AA2230 with a standard large rifle primer and a commercial case and a 150 grain FMJ will give a muzzle velocity of about 2500 FPS.
Here is the big surprise…. If you are using a good cast bullet- I recommend the RCBS 30-180-FN- and load of 32 grains of AA2230 you will get groups like those shown in target 4 in the attached photo. There nothing special about this rifle. 1903 Springfield 600,XXX Range SN ( I know I know but I have been shooting it for 30 years…) with 7-42 SA barrel. Group is 1.5” wide and about .80” wide. No snake oil. Off the shelf lube, Lyman gas check, sized to .310 and loaded to an overall length of 3.115.
66428

[Seabee1960]

I should add this is a 100 yard target

[Lead Fred]

I dont know why anyone would shoot an odd six at 100 yards.
All mine are zeroed at 200 yards, and we dont post any targets closer that that.

[303Guy]

Hodgdon has stated that H4895 is the slowest powder with the best lighting properties for reduced loads. So for plain cast that might be a good one to try as it should be relatively insensitive to low neck tension. It is also listed for reasonably heavy bullet loads and produces good top end velocities. I've found H4350 good for top end cast loads. I was having a look through my data and found my pig gun load. 2000 fps with a 194gr boolit from a 15½ inch barrel. Not bad I thought and with a softish alloy the boolit base was undamaged. That was a case full in the 303 Brit. H4350 works well with reduced loads with wheat germ filler too. I must admit to being a little scared to try reduced loads of it with only Dacron filler (positioner really).


I dont know why anyone would shoot an odd six at 100 yards.
All mine are zeroed at 200 yards, and we dont post any targets closer that that.
Well, If I had all my ducks in a row and could shoot 200yds and more I'd be quite happy and I would also see no reason to shoot closer. Bur many of us only has access to 100yd/m ranges or in my case there are two 200m ranges which are not used often and share the same space as the 100m ones. One is a complete range on its own but is alongside the 100m range.

[Seabee1960]

303 Guy,

You seem like a decent sort.... Thanks. That is exactly why I shoot at 100 Yards. No Controled 200 yard range this side of Lee Kay range South and West of Salt Lake City, about 50 miles from my home.

Fred,

I would be curious to see a 200 yard target of yours and get your favorite load for my reference.
Thanks

[GabbyM]

I think Fred may of been up past his bedtime. We all do that now and then.
I do however like to test a load at least out to 200 yards before calling it good. Especially with cast boolits. Many times they'll shoot fine at fifty or 100 yards but start to loose accuracy past 100. Faster you push them the more I see this.


Story here:
Went prairie dog shooting one year with an old friend. He’d worked up a light bullet load in 22-250. Something like 40 grain V-Max. Over 4,000 fps. His home range was 100 yards. Bullets would make a one hole group from his heavy varmint gun. Well he had about 700 loaded up when we got to SD. Then he found out that at around 355 yards the little bullets went wild or just cam apart. Lucky for him he had a 17 pound AR-15 in 223 as a back up gun. Since after the first shot fired a P Dog will duck for cover from the noise at under 330 yards.

[Ted]

I'm experimenting with the 170g Ranch Dog and BLC-2 in an old Mauser as well as some surplus 4895 in a Garand with NOE's 311299.
http://shadowsfall.org/mandogandgun/?p=6226
http://shadowsfall.org/mandogandgun/?p=6179
and
http://shadowsfall.org/mandogandgun/?p=6121
http://shadowsfall.org/mandogandgun/?p=5980

[jdgabbard]

I am about to start loading for the 30-06 as well. Just about shot through all my factory hunting ammo.... Plan on trying out WC844, and some of the surplus powder for the .50BMG and 20mm Vulcan. I hear those powders are a SLOW push, and like magnum primers. But easily reach 1800fps with a case full of powder. At $45ish a 8lb jug, who cares how much you use...

[zomby woof]

Varget, IMR 4895, IMR 4064