30-06 311041 loads (2400)

[syh]

What are you favorite 311041 loads for a 30-06? I'm using 2400 powder. Looking for a good business load, and maybe a good plinker load. Lyman book recommends 20 to start and 27 as a max.

I'm unfortunately an hour and a half away from the rifle range, and I'm going to load up a bunch of test rounds before i get in the car.

Also, do you seat to the crimp or first lube groove or what?

[jlchucker]

The loads recommended in the Lyman book are a good place to start. I've loaded this boolet a couple of times in 30-06 before I gave that rifle to a nephew, and got 1 inch groups at 50 yards on a windy day according to notes that I made. I used a bullet cast to about Lyman No. 2 hardness, and sized to .308. I used IMR 4198 for powder, though. I crimped it in the crimping groove that time. I never loaded it in O6 again but not because there was anything wrong with it--I was distracted by acquiring a mold for Lyman 311284 and started experimenting with that. You may want to try a starting load somewhere at the midpoint of what it says in the book and go up or down from there. I'd crimp some up in the crimping groove, and a few seated out further, since you are a ways away from your range. Just a thought--you could take your Lee Hand press and some dies, a scale, and some components with you and develop a load at the range if you're so inclined. Might be fun.

[runfiverun]

try for about 1900 fps with your 2400.
i seat as far out as i can go without the boolit staying in the gun when i de-chamber a round.

[emptyhead]

I have used the tried and true 16 grains of 2400 in my 03 and can squeeze inch groups out of that rifle at 100 yards on a good day. I think thet chronoed at around 1500 fps.

[Char-Gar]

2400 is a great powder for the 30-06 with cast bullets...BUT!!!..If you use pressures that push the bullet must past 1.7 or 1.8K fps accuracy will go down the drain. To move faster that those numbers with good accuracy you need a slower powder.

I have good luck with 16 to 18 grains and have gone as high as 22 grains with decent accuracy with some very hard bullets.. But higher than that I would not go.

Tip #28 - A cast bullet going 1.6 to 1.7K fps will kill deer size game just as well as the same bullet going 400 fps faster.

Tip #18 - There is no need to crimp a cast bullet load unless it is being used in a tubular magazine where it might be pushed back. If you use the proper expander, there will be enough neck tension for a good power burn. I run my loads through a Lee crimp die, adjusted just enough to remove any bell from the case mouth.

[leadman]

I bought a very inexpensive tool from Midway for determining the OAL of a cartridge. The components are plastic but work if used with caution.
To use this a flat nosed piece is screwed into a cleaning rod and held against the breech face. Another piece is slipped on the cleaning rod to set that length. The boolit is put in the chamber and held in the neck with a pencil. Another piece is slipped on the rod and held against the end of the barrel same as the first one. The distance between them is your max. OAL.
Simple device, inexpensive, and has saved much fiddling with OAL.
On some military rifles the chambers are generous so I leave a little of the bell on the cartridge to help center it in the neck.

[Bull Shoals]

#2 on 16 gr 2400, especially with Lyman 31141. In sporters I have gotten sub 1" at 100 yds (only twice) and a lot of 1-1 1/2". No chrony on this load for whatever reason.:smile: