Loads for Browning 1895 .30-06

[Gray Fox]

I've just made a deal for a very nice 1980s vintage Browning 1895 in .30-06. I'm wondering if any of you load for it and I'm looking for advice for boolits in the 185-220 grain range. I'm planning on soaking the barrel with the Gunslick foaming bore cleaner to get rid of all traces of copper fouling and make this a cast boolit only rifle. Thanks in advance. GF

[Nobade]

Well, I shoot a lot of Lee 200gr. in my Garand with 37gr. IMR4895. Works well in that, ought to work in your levergun too. About 2000 fps, as fast as I can go in the 1:10 barrel without leading.

-Nobade

[Gray Fox]

I have that mold and that is the velocity range I'm looking for. I figure I'll use ACWW for target shooting and Larry Gibson's alloy of 10# WW + 2% tin mixed together followed by 10# pure lead added to the mix to make a hunting alloy. What alloy do you shoot in your rifle? GF

[Nobade]

Water dropped wheelweights. At that speed they need to be pretty hard.

-Nobade

[rintinglen]

I like 4759 with the 311-644, don't have the load data to hand but it was about 1800 fps in a sporterized Springfield. 40 grains of 4895 also worked well.
Congratulations on the neat rifle. That was what I was looking for when I stumbled across an original Winchester Take-Down in 30-40. Mine does very well with WW-748 and the 311-291. I have pushed that boolit to 2300 fps using straight LLA in two heavy coats with good accuracy and little leading. I used heat-treated wheel alloy with gas checks.

[Gray Fox]

Thanks for the input folks. I just picked up the rifle and all I can say is wow! This has to be the most finely built lever gun I've ever handled. It had been a safe queen for the last five years owned by a machinist from Delta Airlines. It's one of the Miroku guns without the tang safety and rebounding hammer. Other than a few light stock dings from hunting the rifle is really nice. He had already installed the stock swivel stud and the barrel band front stud assembly so I don't need to do that. The only thing that may need to be addressed is the flat steel buttplate. That looks like it could hurt if you didn't get it just in the right place.

Surprisingly, I can actually see the issue buckhorn sights with my lineless tri-focals, but I'm going to replace it with one of the new Skinner barrel mounted peep sights that replaces the factory rear sight. It should look good and be in just the right spot for more accurate shooting than the buckhorn allows.

I'm going to try the Lee 309-1R that drops out of my mold at 208 grains, sized to .309 with two thin coats of LLA on top of a moderate charge of H4895 looking to get about 2,000 fps and good groups. We'll have to see about that, of course.

All in all, I'm really looking forward to taking this rifle to the range and then after some hogs down at Fort Benning. GF