21 December 2004, 02:52
<eldeguello>Quote:
Shorter barrels just means use faster powders.
Seafire and I agree on most everything, and I know he has a prediliction for fast powders. But this is one area in which he is wrong. Any load which gives maximum velocities with a given bullet weight in a given cartridge will do so in any barrel length you choose, whether the powder used is a fast one or a slow one. For example, let's say we have developed a load using H4831 that produces 2700 FPS in a 24" barrelled .30/'06 with a 200 grain Nosler Partiton bullet. This load is max., and we have not been able to get that much velocity out that bullet in that gun with any other powder. If we cut that bvarrel back to 18.5", that 4831 load will still give the max. possible velocities with that bullet. We lose about 25 feet per second for each inch we cut off the barrel, and going to a faster powder will NOT allow us to achieve a muzzle velocity equal to the one this load will give. However, if we use a faster powder, more of the total charge may burn before the bullet exits the muzzle, causing less muzzle blast and flash than we get with the slower powder.
Now, if we use a lighter bullet, say a 130 grainer, we may have to go to a faster powder to get max. velocities from our gun with whatever barrel length it has. Perhaps this is what Seafire is referring to.
Perhaps his statement should have read "Lighter bullets just means use faster powders."
You will find that bullets under 150 grains are plenty adequate for deer in .30 caliber rifles, but try to use ones that are made a little tougher than pure varmint bullets. Otherwise, you MUST avoid shots that will hit heavy bones.
BTW, IMR 4064 is an excellent .30/'06 powder. I use 47 grains of it with the Sierra 168-grain matchking in my M1 for target shooting, and switch to the Sierra or Nosler Partition 165-grain bullet with the same powder charge for a ,30/'06 hunting load. You could use the same load for deer hunting with an 18.5" barrel.
