30-06 with cast boolits dowloaded to 30/30 levels for deer.

[Make my day]

Has anyone ever tried this? I was wondering about trying this with something around a 150-160gr cast boolit loaded to 30-30 levels say 2200 FPS. will probably need a gas check. Recommend a bullet and let me know of any experience with this?

Thanks in advance guys.

[Outpost75]

I use HM2.312-160-5 in the .30-'06. A charge of 40 grains of IMR4064, RL15 or Varget gives 2200 fps and cycles an M1 Garand reliably. Start charge is 30 grains of any of those powders. These charges also OK with heavier bullets. #311299 works well. Alloy should be 13-15 BHN. You will need a GC. Load a 1 grain tuft of Dacron polyester fiber under the bullet to help take up the free air space. DO NOT "push" the Dacron down onto the powder, but just tuck it losely into the case and leave it fluffed up.
133459

[Doc Highwall]

I like the flatter nose on the Ranch Dog 165 grain, NOE makes a copy of it.

[30calflash]

There were some less than 2000 fps loads in the NRA cast bullet handbook that a family from Pa. hunted with, in various military sporter rifles, that did the job quite well. All 30 cal, 150-200 grain and all between 1600-1800 fps. Range was not much more than 100 yards, they all took their deer with them.

Your 2200 fps would extend the range but the power isn't really needed if shots are placed well.

Outpost75, can you supply some more details on your Garand load here? That's a decent, round group that speaks well of it's function and ability in your M1. I think with the current shortage of 30 cal heads it could be timely. If not here maybe a new thread?

[Screwbolts]

MMD, IMHO, because of your most likely 10" twist in your 30-06 barrel you will struggle to better any 30-30 velocity accurately in an 06 with the same cast boolit fired from a 30-30. Yes I know the husky 06 and 1 or 2 others were made with 1x12s like the 30-30 has. Load it up and shoot it, have fun. I use 18 to 22 gr of IMR SR4759 with several 165 to 218 gr boolits from 06s. Your rifle will tell you what it likes.

Ken

[GabbyM]

I've at least half dozen 30 caliber bullets from 150 to 200 grains. My 30-06 will shoot them all. It doesn't seam to be picky.


With a 1:10" twist your easiest accuracy will be in the 1,950 fps and below range. Although that certainly can be pushed.
You need a gas check to run over pistol velocity.

[Outpost75]

30CalFlash,

My Garand is an off the rack CMP arsenal rework with new Criterion barrel.
No glass bedding or anything.

Ammo was assembled in once-fired LC Ball M2 brass, Winchester primers, cases FL sized on a Forster CoAx with standard Redding dies. Primer pockets swaged on Dillon 600. Case mouths deburred, then expanded and slightly flared with RCBS .308 cast bullet neck expander. Bullets were cast of 5 lbs. Roto Metals linotype to 15 pounds wheelweights. Hornady GCs, sized .311 with Lee Alox-beeswax, then washed all over and given a light overcoat of Lee Liquid Alox diluted 50-50 with mineral spirits. Seat bullets to crimp groove, LIGHT crimp with Lee factory crimp die.

Worn rifle with tired springs will cycle at 35-36 grs. of either 4895, 4064, RL15 or Varget. A newly refurbed rifle with fresh spring set requires the 40-grain charge. I got no bore leading whatever. 300 yard sight dope with Ball M2 is your 100 yard zero with cast. Before start, pull gas cylinder plug and coat threads with anti-seize, then reassemble. Makes gas cylinder plug much easier to pull and remove for cleaning. After several hundred rounds there will be some lead residue on face of operating rod piston and gas cylinder walls. This comes off readily with Kroil and 000 steel wool. Use. 410 shotgun brush to clean gas cylinder. Unnecessary to remove gas cylinder or gas cylinder lock. Normal WW2 cleaning procedure after having used corrosive primers.

[quilbilly]

If you ever happen to run into any 5744 powder, you might like it for this purpose. It rarely, if ever requires a filler like dacron making it simpler for experimentation and is not position sensitive even at load densities down to 35% (what I use in my 338 wm). For deer type game, any muzzle velocity above 1550 fps and a boolit weight 150 gr or more will work fine on deer out to 125 yards especially with a softer alloy of lead. If your rifle shoots your boolit accurately at a velocity like 16-1700 fps, your will likely find it so much fun to shoot, you won't look back. You will also find that you shoot more and enjoy it more which will also make you a better hunter. Unique powder will do similar, but it is so hard to come by these days, 5744 is a better choice at the moment.

[plowboy]

I like 28 gr. reloader 7. With a 160 gr. noe. ranch dog with no filler. Good accuracy. 50/50 alloy. In my rem. 700 30-06. About 1900 fps.

[pworley1]

The deer won't know the difference. You should have no problems.

[Geezer in NH]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?4109-The-Load-13-grains-Red-Dot

[Make my day]

Hey guys Thank you, some more great advice an evidence. I was only looking at 220 fps to duplicate 30-30, but 1800-2000fps works fine for me too if that's where the accuracy is. I am shooting a Savage model 110 bolt action with a 1:10 twist.

[GabbyM]

Rule of thumb with a 30-06 with 10" twist. Start at around 1,900 fps. That way you know it should shoot OK. Then try increasing velocity. If you start out at 2,200 fps and it won't hold on the paper there are a great many possible reason for that. Same load may not even shoot with reduced velocity. My Lyman 311672 at 160 grains shoots very well over 28.0 grains of Alliant RX7. That books at 1904 fps. Bullet was cast from 2/6 foundry alloy heat treated. So it would probably take more velocity. On the other hand. I cast up some 180gr HP's of 50/50 air cooled to make a very high expanding bullet. Alloy was a bit to soft and groups were about hand size at sixty yards. No surprise but I just had t try it.

[taco650]

Thanks for everyone's input. I've got a 30-06 that I want to get a decent CB load for and now have a Lee 309-180 RNGC mold. They drop at about 170.5 and I want to use it for deer and general plinking so this thread came out at a great time. Thank you!

[reloader28]

My Winchester has a 1-10 twist. I'm using RCBS 180gr SP. It drops at 185gr for me with COWW.
32gr IMR 4198.
Speed is 2150 fps and shoots 1 1/2"@100yds. Good enough to get some distance out on the prairie.

For hunting I use water dropped 50/50/2% then soften the nose back up. Puts the body at 14 BHN. Hollow pointed with 1/16 drill bit 1/4" deep and these seem to work excellent on deer. This shoots good in my 1903 Springfield as well.

[woody1]

I guess I'll have to ask, why will a 10 twist 30-30 shoot and a 10 twist '06 won't? Regards, Woody

[Larry Gibson]

I guess I'll have to ask, why will a 10 twist 30-30 shoot and a 10 twist '06 won't? Regards, Woody

The answer is here;

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?208186-RPM-Threshold-barrel-twist-velocity-chart (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?208186-RPM-Threshold-barrel-twist-velocity-chart)

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?245302-RPM-Threshold-A-Tale-of-Three-Twists-Chapter-II (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?245302-RPM-Threshold-A-Tale-of-Three-Twists-Chapter-II)


Larry Gibson

[fatnhappy]

a good recent thread on the subject.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?260921-Whats-your-favorite-hunting-load-in-30-06

[triggerhappy243]

30cal, what do you mean by 30 cal heads shortage?

[GooseGestapo]

All my cast "boolit" loads run to same speeds due to limitation of bullets. Around 2,100fps give or take. .22Hornet to .45/70. Though, I feel that 1,650fps is more than adequate for the 320gr boolits from the .45/70. (30.0gr of #2400).

I mostly nowdays shoot a .35 or .33cal rifle to hunt deer, but in past I used these loads.
200gr Lee .309" RNGC sized to .311 (casts to ~.312") over 36.0gr of H4895. Cycles the M1 and gets ~1.5" at 100yds at ~2,000fps from either '06.
170gr Lee FNGC otherwise same as above for "shooting deer". Prefer the flat nose for hunting.
150gr Lee FNGC; over 30.0gr of RL15 for .30/30. Above 170gr over 28.0gr of RL15 is "ok" but doesn't feed as well through the lever-actions as well as 150gr.

I much prefer the .35Rem as my 'cast-boolit' gun. It just has a bit more "slap" on the deer. Nothing I can quantify or measure, but the deer definitely "flinch" more when hit by the .35 or .338, and hollow-pointed bullets give better exit wounds and easier tracking. (deer usually don't run out of sight, either! dead-right-there is the common preferred phrase).

for a dedicated "cast boolit" powder, I vote for #2400.
I use 24-26gr in the '06 and 20.0gr to test accuracy of .30cal boolits. Many cast-boolit bench matches have been won with 20.0gr of #2400 in '06.
I use same load in .358win, and .338MarlinExpress. But use 39.0gr of BLC2 in .35 and 40.0gr of RL15 in .338ME for "hunting" loads. (2,050fps with either with ~220gr boolits).

For a "plinking" load, Unique at 7.5-12.0gr is hard to beat.... I started out with Unique in '06 with cast boolits in '75. Been hooked on them ever since... Hard to believe it's been 40yrs !!!

[GabbyM]

Has anyone ever tried this? I was wondering about trying this with something around a 150-160gr cast boolit loaded to 30-30 levels say 2200 FPS. will probably need a gas check. Recommend a bullet and let me know of any experience with this?

Thanks in advance guys.

If you are primarily looking for a deer hunting bullet. Game of any size actually. Then most of us prefer a flat nose style. FN does two things. First it sets up a shock wave to increase terminal effect. Even if bullet does not expand. Second if alloy BHN to velocity is favorable for expansion. Flat nose frontal area forces more energy into the bullet nose to initiate expansion. If you have a round nose then hit a bone upon entry it quickly becomes a flat nose. But reliability goes to the flat nose. Thousands of antidotal reports show an advantage in killing power to the flat nose cast bullet. Hollow points have a reputation for being very destructive of meat. I have an MP mold here for a 180 grain 30 caliber hollow point. It’s exotic expensive and awesome looking. Never shot anything with it but confident in it’s ability to make a mess.
For a low recoil round. Staying with a 150 grain boolit. Like the Lee 150gr FN. That 20.0 grain charge of 2400 referenced above would be a good place to start. I shoot a Saeco 150-FN from my Win 94 in 30-30 over 26.0 grains of Reloader 7 and it doesn’t kick. Even in that little carbine. For more power just move up in weight to the Lee 170gr FN. From there RCBS makes an excellent FN bullet with a magical reputation for dropping animals DRT. RCBS 30-180-FN. It is 180 grains cast from Linotype. Mine is 196 gains from 50-50 heat treated alloy. Those are in the class of big dog. NOE sells a copy of that bullet also. I’ve shot a couple hundred of them from my 30-06 loaded over 26.0 gr RX7. Never clocked them but it’s probably around 1,890 fps. They raise the gun up a bit. However I can tolerate shooting them from prone with the Pachmayer Decelerator pad of the M70 right up on my collar bone. I shoot the Lyman #311299 SP 200 grain over the same charge. With 200 grain bullets you will have pass through shots. Even on the big Michigan deer at angles. I’d even feel confident it hitting a Michigan Black Bear with a 196 gain bullet. With the heavier bullets I’d use powders in the burn rate of 4198 then slower. Like the RL7 if there would be any to be found for sale. 30-06 is nice and flexible as in not to picky. So a good chance you can use what you have on the shelf.
To recap a long post. If you are looking for a light recoil deer taker. The Lee 150-FN at $21 is a hard ticket to beat. Figure on shooting it at 1,900 fps and below. For the 1900 fps 21.0 grains of 2400 would get in there. But IME a slower powders like RL7 gives better accuracy at those velocities. If recoil isn't a major concern I'd definitely go up to the 170 grain bullet. Although I've read here guys who have shot lots of deer with 150 and 170 grain bullets and say they can't tell much difference.

[Tim357]

Has anyone ever tried this? I was wondering about trying this with something around a 150-160gr cast boolit loaded to 30-30 levels say 2200 FPS. will probably need a gas check. Recommend a bullet and let me know of any experience with this?

Thanks in advance guys.
Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, 3rd Edition has a couple very good articles on this topic. Page 96, "Cast Bullets for Hunting" , and page 288, paragraph titled " Cast Bullet Performance" . Good stuff there.