load data for .30-06 armor piercing

[DxieLandMan]

I would like to know what a good load for this will be. I mean, what powder and what charge would work best?

Thank you!

[mtnman31]

I've loaded them and shot them in the past with normal reload data from Lee and Speer manuals. I don't have my data handy but know that I used IMR 4895. I loaded them in both .308 and .30-06. I shot them all up and would love some more but haven't seen many on the market lately. Are these bullets something you had on hand or recently purchased? If recently purchased, can you tell me where you got them and what prices were like? I'd like to buy some more.

In regards to your tracer question in the other thread. I also used 4895 for the tracers I loaded. 4895 worked well with the tracers but with a caveat. Some of the tracers I had were junk to begin with and had a very low percentage that would light. One batch had literally around a 5-10% light rate. Another batch I had, which also cost a little more, had nearly a 100% light rate. Same deal as with the AP, I just used published load data from up to date manuals. I can persoanlly recommend IMR 4895 and have been told by others that Win 748 works well also (no personal experience with that powder).

[Larry Gibson]

I pressure tested (24" bolt action) some milsurp M2 AP (SL-54) which had a 162 gr flat based AP bullet. The average psi was 53,900 but he high ES was 59,500 psi, fps was 2634. They had 52 gr of a ball powder in them.

I used AA4350 to work up a load in M2 cases with the same 162 - 165 gr flat based AP bullets. 55 gr equaled the 2640 fps and was at 54,400 psi.

Larry Gibson

[Jim]

If these are the same APs I've got (163 gr.), use 165 grain data for jacketed bullets.

NOTE: These bullets are not known for being extremely accurate. They were designed to be sprayed from MGs and penetrate light armor and disable mechanized equipment. If you can get 2 MOA, be happy!

[DxieLandMan]

Thank you for the replies. I should have mentioned that these will be fired out of an M-1 Garand. The census seems to be to use IRM 4895 and that is what I will use. Given the powder that I will use, how many grains should the charge be?

mtnman31, I had a lot of these already that I bought 10-15 years ago but got more of them from another site. PM me and I will tell you the site. (not sure if I can mention another website on here or not).

[P.K.]

I've loaded them and shot them in the past with normal reload data from Lee and Speer manuals. I don't have my data handy but know that I used IMR 4895. I loaded them in both .308 and .30-06. I shot them all up and would love some more but haven't seen many on the market lately. Are these bullets something you had on hand or recently purchased? If recently purchased, can you tell me where you got them and what prices were like? I'd like to buy some more.

In regards to your tracer question in the other thread. I also used 4895 for the tracers I loaded. 4895 worked well with the tracers but with a caveat. Some of the tracers I had were junk to begin with and had a very low percentage that would light. One batch had literally around a 5-10% light rate. Another batch I had, which also cost a little more, had nearly a 100% light rate. Same deal as with the AP, I just used published load data from up to date manuals. I can persoanlly recommend IMR 4895 and have been told by others that Win 748 works well also (no personal experience with that powder).

BL(C)-2 would be a decent one to try too if you have any.

[Larry Gibson]

If you use 4895 data for 165 gr bullets start low and work up as the hard steel pentetrator covered by the jacket and the long bearing surface of those AP bullets increases psi a lot more than with commercial 165s. I would also suggest chronographing and when you hit 2600 fps stop.

Larry Gibson