30-06....Why Not?

[TXGunNut]

I started hunting with (and reloading for) the 30-06 over 30 yrs ago and it has served me quite well. I started casting several years ago and have cast and loaded for close to two dozen cartridges but never the 30-06. I convinced myself that a 1-10 twist and a 30 bore just weren't conducive to a CB hunting rifle. When I bought an 1895 in 30 US recently the wheels started turning. The 30 US (ideally) shoots a heavy boolit at around 2,000fps and does quite nicely on game, even the big stuff. Then a light came on; the 30-06 (30 Govt) can do everything the 30-40 (30 US) can do. I loaded a few NOE 312299's tonight and may try some 311041's later. The 312299 is a bit too "pointy" for a hunting boolit but I figure when cast out of AC WW's it could very well expand and won't need a meplat.
I have some very nice 30-06 rifles. I finally realized that if I didn't cast for them they wouldn't get to go to the range or the hunting lease.
Taking my Winchester Super Grade to the range tomorrow to shoot some recycled WW's. Sounds like fun already.....but why did it take me so long? :lovebooli

[Scharfschuetze]

...but why did it take me so long?

Ha, ha... Yes, why did it! :)

It's one of my favorites and while it has a lot of boiler room in regards to cast boolits, it's got that lovely long neck and as you note, some great rifles are chambered for it. As I like old Springfield 1903s and M1 Garands, the old Ought-Six gets a lot of range time.

I really like the 311299 as well as the 311334 designs for long range shooting with it. SR 4759 has always proven to be a mainstay propellant for me in the Ought-Six for accuracy as well as moderate velocities.

I just sized, lubed and gas checked a couple of hundred 311041 projectiles this last winter and I'll probably work up a load for those in the Ought-Six sometime this summer.

[TXGunNut]

Lines of showers moving thru this morning, range trip cancelled. Maybe I should load up a few 311041's. My Super Grade is very fond of 180gr J-words. Thinking about 4895 powder.
Looks like we're off to the range after all. :-)

[w5pv]

I had good luck with 40 grains of IMR 4031(I think that this the #of the powder but I have lost my loading note for the 06 and not sure)Under a 200 grain lead gas check lee bullet.It had good accuracy out to 75 yards in my old jamatic Remmy.I never got to do any hunting with it my neighbor and his buddy stole my gun among other things.I got his picture on camera but it was too grainy to be used by the DA but you could tell who it was if you knew the person

[Gunnut 45/454]

Yea I'd say your late to the party! The '06 is a great cast shooter. Shot plenty out of my Savage 110 an now my Rem 7400 gets a steady diet. Shoot all Lee GC'd boolits 155gr. 150gr an 170gr . The Rem truely loves the 170gr over 40gr of IMR 4895 .

[Bob Busetti]

My 30/06 shoots any cast bullet from 150 grs to 200 grs will shoot very well with 35 grs of IMR 4895.

[MT Chambers]

Yup, the 30/06 is one of the best cals. for cast boolits, like all my .30s my 30/06 likes the NOE version of the Eagan MX2.

[thegatman]

My 30/06 shoots any cast bullet from 150 grs to 200 grs will shoot very well with 35 grs of IMR 4895.
Yupper

[trapper9260]

I have shot 115gr cast in my also beside 210 gr with out any problems.It is a Rem 7600.

[nagantguy]

Col. Whelan said; the 30-06 is never a mistake, I agree, started out it was my favorite rifle round cause it was my dad's and it's what grandpa used with WW 2, then it was my favorite cause it was so easy to find ammo, brass and components for, then cause when I held steady and controlled my breathing and the trigger things I shot died very quickly without a ton of recoil. Now I'm really really liking it because it's so easy to cast for, or it shoots cast well. When I rehabbed that 1930s 94 30-30 found on a basement floor I went through several molds to get one that the rifle loved, most of the ones it didn't the 06's digested without a hiccup.

[clearcut]

My 06 likes the 35 grn.s of IMR 4895 too. Under a 150 grn. gas check'd pill. :)

CC

[35 shooter]

Looking for a good report. As fortune would have it i just started loading cast for my .308.
I figured the range i go to would be full all day since it was a mother's day weekend.

I'll be trying mine out in the morning.

Good shooting with your 06.

[runfiverun]

I just bought my first 30-06 to use as a hunting rifle, maybe.
not sure.
I already have thoughts on 2 different boolit designs to wrap it up into the high speed arena.
I think I can beat the 2400 fps I settled on in the 308 velocity wise.
and the Bargerra barrel should shoot well [it sure does with the few home made jacketed bullets I run down it already]

[TXGunNut]

Little good to report. First rounds a little low on target (J-word sight setting) and third round engaged the lands a little too well, so to speak. Yep, pulled the boolit and dumped 3031 in all the wrong places. :x Seems this rifle's short leade and this boolit's forward driving band are an interference fit. Yes, this really is rocket science and no, can't say why I didn't assemble a dummy round for function testing. Dunno why I wanted to put the case mouth at the top of the crimping groove (on a rifle & cartridge that needs no crimp or crimping groove or crimp) but I did.
Yes, it was a humbling experience. Just another example of the CB truism; forget what you learned with J-words. It doesn't apply here.

[35 shooter]

:groner: Hope the clean up on the powder spill won't be too much trouble.

I went to the range a couple of weeks ago with some new whelen loads to test. When i got all set up to shoot i discovered the first ten rounds were'nt even primed.....that was definitely a first for me.

I had primed the other 30 rounds or the whole trip would have been a bust.

[runfiverun]

Dodge antenna's are real good at knocking 30 cal boolits out of the barrel.
they work on smaller calibers if you cut the ball off.

[TXGunNut]

Dodge antenna's are real good at knocking 30 cal boolits out of the barrel.
they work on smaller calibers if you cut the ball off.

Shooting buddy was shooting BP so he had a cleaning rod handy. I think the guy a couple of bays down was driving a Dodge, will keep that in mind, lol.

[jaysouth]

I spent the morning shooting my FN Mauser 30-06. My loads were 17 grs. of 2400 under a gas checked 312-155 tumbled twice with BLL. Great load and shows good accuracy promise. The next trip, I will have them loaded up with 15,16 and 18 grs. of 2400.

[35 shooter]

Got out with my new .308 mauser for the first time today. Shooting the noe 315 clone it shot great with 22 gr. 4759 and also a couple of aa4350 loads using 3 coats of BLL lube.
Sized some 311299s for it tonight.

[Tenbender]

Little good to report. First rounds a little low on target (J-word sight setting) and third round engaged the lands a little too well, so to speak. Yep, pulled the boolit and dumped 3031 in all the wrong places. :x Seems this rifle's short leade and this boolit's forward driving band are an interference fit. Yes, this really is rocket science and no, can't say why I didn't assemble a dummy round for function testing. Dunno why I wanted to put the case mouth at the top of the crimping groove (on a rifle & cartridge that needs no crimp or crimping groove or crimp) but I did.
Yes, it was a humbling experience. Just another example of the CB truism; forget what you learned with J-words. It doesn't apply here.
Back when I was a kid I purchased a 8mm Mauser to deer hunt with. I got a bunch of military ammo to practice with but bought a new box of soft points to hunt with.
I walked into my favorite deer stand on the first day and sit down and started to load my gun. The round would not chamber. When I ejected the round the bullet pulled and dumped the powder like you did. I was 3/4 of a mile back in the mountain a hour and half before daylight and no bullets would chamber. The guy sold me a 7.65 Mauser for a 8mm Mauser ! Taught me a lesson LOL.
Worked out ok though. I walked out and borrowed my uncle's rifle went back to the same spot and killed my deer. Season over. Sold the 7.65 rifle !!

[Char-Gar]

I am glad you saw the light! The 30-06 has been a fine cast bullet round for over a hundred years. I am surprised the word has not gotten around.

I own about a half dozen rifles in 30-06 and they all are fed diets of cast bullets. None of them complain.

[TXGunNut]

I'm glad too, Charles. It just took me a few years to realize what many of you knew all along. My first hunting rifle (30-06) had so many J-words go down the tube I had to have JES re-bore it to 35 Whelen and it hasn't seen a J-word since.
I'm a slow learner, I guess. I've had 30-30's for years, never thought they were worth loading for until I started casting. May have been right about that, hard to say.
Pretty sure I only have two rifles in 30-06. If this 312299 thing works out they may never see a J-word again. If the 312299 doesn't work out I have a 311041 NOE GB mould that makes purty boolits. My 30 US project didn't work out but I'm pretty pumped about this 30 Govt project....and it never even made it to my "project list", lol.

[blixen]

I'm working with a very nice M1917 '06 sporter I just got. My favorite '06 loads out of a Win. 70 with cast are 20some grains of 4759 and 16ish grains of 2400. But 4759 is extinct, apparently, so I'm experimenting with 4227 in the M1917.

My 1917's chamber seems to prefer .313 bullets. I've got a 175 grain .311 and a .185 .313 that I'm going to start with.

[Char-Gar]

I'm working with a very nice M1917 '06 sporter I just got. My favorite '06 loads out of a Win. 70 with cast are 20some grains of 4759 and 16ish grains of 2400. But 4759 is extinct, apparently, so I'm experimenting with 4227 in the M1917.

My 1917's chamber seems to prefer .313 bullets. I've got a 175 grain .311 and a .185 .313 that I'm going to start with.

Most likely you have some throat erosion in that barrel, if it likes .313. I have an all original in full military dress Winchester 1917 and it like the bigger bullets as well. I also have a Remington 1917 that was a WWII rebuild at San Antonio Arsenal with a pristine Johnson Automatics barrel that chokes on anything larger than .311 and really prefers .310.

[blixen]

I should be more clear: By "like" I mean that when I put a .311 boolit into a fire and unsized case, it slides on through. If I put a .313 in, it's nice and snug.

I have, however, neck sized and flared the neck to tightly hold a .311 and the accuracy has been pretty good.

You're right about the throat erosion. But if the old barrel shows promise as is, I'll try beagling my .311 molds then order a .313 mold from NOE--probably a Ranch Dog.

[Shooter6br]

I also have a M1917 Eddystone sported. Original 1918 5 grove barrel. Yes it likes .313 cast 314299 Accurate clone.Shot 2400 16g up to 19. 17.5 is best. Barrel is 20 incher, Tried 12.5 grain Unique with 200 g bullet. I changed scope and sighted in at 25 yrs.Bullets in small cluster. Velocity est. 1400 fps.Nice 50 yds paper puncher .5 grove barrels are between .310 -.311 . A J bullet of .312 is claimed to be good but I like cast(GC)

[blixen]

my .30s my 30/06 likes the NOE version of the Eagan MX2.

That's an odd looking boolit. What's the point [no pun intended] to that cone nose?

Here's my M1917 sporter. 24" barrel and tapped for a receiver sight.

[TXGunNut]

Weeeeeelllllllll....the 312299 didn't do so well today. Need to study on it a bit but suspect I'll move on to the 311041 (NOE copy) soon. I think fiddling with seating depth may help the 312299 a bit but can't say at this point.
Have a BPCR project with a deadline so will need to make good notes and shelve this project for now.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I have an 03A4 Remington in 30.06. Favourite cast boolit shooter, my best 10 shot group off the bench at 100yds. Lyman 311284 with 32gns 3031 and sized to .310".

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v152/BAWallace/3006moa2_zpseb7e0a10.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BAWallace/media/3006moa2_zpseb7e0a10.jpg.html)

[Ithaca Gunner]

.30/06 is the first cartridge I cast for. To date, I can't replicate the accuracy of the first mold I bought for it, Lyman 311332 with 28gr. of IMR4227, others come close, but not as accurate as the 311332.

[jimb16]

Personally I like the 311291 for a hunting boolit in the Springfield. I use either IMR 4064 or IMR 4895 with it. I like the blunter nose and the long bore rider characteristics for accuracy. I use the 311299 for the Garand for the feeding characteristics.

[TXGunNut]

Not sure why the 312299 didn't work, if the 311041 doesn't work out I'd like to see NOE do a run of the 311284. I think the 311041 will be a better hunting boolit than the 312299 but not sure about feeding smoothly. Ran a handful thru the lubesizer tonight so will probably find out this weekend.

[runfiverun]

my 1917 doesn't like the 311041 but the 03A3 really likes it.
the 1917 likes the rcbs 30-150fngc which is basically a shortened down 041 [go figure]

[Shooter6br]

If your M1917 hAS ORIGINAL 5 GROVE BARREL use .314299 or clone(sized to .313).WWII replacement barrel .311 cast. ..

Just my experience......................................