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30-06, 165 Nosler BT, IMR 4350 - your experience

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08 December 2010, 02:56
trigger
30-06, 165 Nosler BT, IMR 4350 - your experience
I am going to try some 165 Nosler Ballistic Tips in my 30-06 soon using IMR 4350 with WW brass and CCI 200 primers. 3.30 OAL puts me .020 off the lands. Nosler book shows 57 grains as max load.

I know guns are different and I have tried 165 Speer SP from 54 to 58 grains (Speer Max) of IMR 4350 with no signs of pressure and best results for accuracy at 57 grains.

I see some loads listed at 60 grain max for generic 165 grain bullets.

Anyone using 165 BT with IMR 4350? Find a sweet spot?
08 December 2010, 06:46
wasbeeman
It works for me. I've never tried that particular bullet but if it didn't do well, I'd swap bullets rather than change anything else.


Aim for the exit hole
08 December 2010, 19:54
agr516
Don't know if it helps or not but I am currently loading 168 Berger VLD's in my 30-06 using H4350 and Fed 210 primers. I quickly found that the max book loads showed no pressure signs whatsoever. I gradually worked up and settled on 61.0 grains of H4350. This load is yielding 2985fps with the 168's out of a 24" Winchester barrel and outstanding accuracy for a factory rifle (0.4" @ 100yds).
08 December 2010, 20:40
butchloc
my standard 06 load for hunting for many moons has been 57 gr 4350 & a 165 partition. accurate and regulates in my double. i would think the BT would be even better, but i really don't like BT's on game. have had to many blow up
08 December 2010, 21:19
Leo L.
The best load in my 06 for 165 grain bullets is 56 grains of 4350 with Fed 210 primers.
09 December 2010, 09:29
Larry Gibson
Not the Nosler bullet but my 4 hunting '06s really like the Hornady 165 SPBT (interlock) over 59.5 gr AA4350 in WW cases with WLR primers. Velocity is 2840 fps out my 24" barrels and the psi(M43) runs 58,300 out of my M70. Accuracy is sub moa for consecutive 5 shot groups with all 4 of my '06s.

BTW; while the rifles really like that load coyotes, deer and elk don't like it at all Big Grin

If you try the load as usual start lower and work up.

Larry Gibson
09 December 2010, 17:12
Hot Core
quote:
Originally posted by Larry Gibson:
..the psi(M43) runs 58,300 ...
From an non-Calibrated, Guessed at Dimension, Haphazard SGS. rotflmo animal rotflmo
-----

Hey Trigger, The IMR-4350 is a Classic Powder in the 30-06 and should work well for you. If it doesn't though, try H4350 and H414.

Check for the actual Pressure on the Case by using CHE & PRE. The only important Pressure is what is generated in "your" rifle with your specific components.

Best of luck to you.
09 December 2010, 17:40
Ghubert
quote:
Originally posted by agr516:
Don't know if it helps or not but I am currently loading 168 Berger VLD's in my 30-06 using H4350 and Fed 210 primers. I quickly found that the max book loads showed no pressure signs whatsoever. I gradually worked up and settled on 61.0 grains of H4350. This load is yielding 2985fps with the 168's out of a 24" Winchester barrel and outstanding accuracy for a factory rifle (0.4" @ 100yds).


Mate, that's very hot. I'm glad it works for you but for what it's worth I had a load like that, no pressure signs on 59 grains of H4350 behind a 168 TSX, which worked fine all summer and then blew a primer pocket and flowed back into the extractor and ejector holes with the first shot on a very cool day in November!

Sometimes pressure signs are not easy to spot but the load is still is considerably over. Quickload put my load at around 74 PSI for the same velocity as you are getting. When I first chronographed it I thought it was Christmas, new years and my birthday all at the same time; I have since then learned wisdom, thankfully not at the cost of my fingers or eyes.

quote:
Originally posted by Leo L.:
The best load in my 06 for 165 grain bullets is 56 grains of 4350 with Fed 210 primers.


This is about what I now load.

Regards,

GH
09 December 2010, 18:52
DeltaHunter
I get terrific accuracy with the 165 gr. BT (.020" off) using 56 grs. of IMR4350. Not a max load, but the most accurate. I'm using Fed210M's to light it off in Lapua brass.
09 December 2010, 23:55
larrys
I use 57.5 grains with the 165 BT and have great accuracy in both of my 30-06 rifles.

Yes, I only have two.


Larry

"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson
10 December 2010, 00:47
Jerry Eden
quote:
Originally posted by butchloc:
my standard 06 load for hunting for many moons has been 57 gr 4350 & a 165 partition. accurate and regulates in my double. i would think the BT would be even better, but i really don't like BT's on game. have had to many blow up


+1 great load.

Jerry


NRA Benefactor Life Member
10 December 2010, 03:56
trigger
Thanks for the replies - looks like I am on the right track - have 55,56,57 grain experiment ready to try.
10 December 2010, 16:53
papapaul
I think that the 165/168 gr bullet is the best for 30 caliber. However, I bought a Ruger ultra light in 30-06 which has a light stock and doesn't even weigh what an ultralight should. I went to a hornady 130 gr flat base bullet at only 2,700 fps and found that the bullet performs very well on whitetail deer. It solved my recoil problem (getting old). It shoots like a .243. This was a departure for me because I was always looking for high performance. If I was hunting elk I would go back to a 165 and turn the wick up all the way. Nice thing about a 30-06.
11 December 2010, 23:35
Larry Gibson
quote:
Originally posted by Hot Core:
quote:
Originally posted by Larry Gibson:
..the psi(M43) runs 58,300 ...
From an non-Calibrated, Guessed at Dimension, Haphazard SGS. rotflmo animal rotflmo
-----

Hey Trigger, The IMR-4350 is a Classic Powder in the 30-06 and should work well for you. If it doesn't though, try H4350 and H414.

Check for the actual Pressure on the Case by using CHE & PRE. The only important Pressure is what is generated in "your" rifle with your specific components.

Best of luck to you.


As usual, Hot Core is wrong. The M43 is "calibrated" with "reference" ammuntion just like the factory pressure measuring devices are. I "guess" at dimensions the same way he does with CHE; by using a micrometer and other precision measuring devices. BTW; I wonder when HC "calibrated" the micrometer he uses for CHE measurements? Nothing really "haphazard" about using a M43 correctly. Loads are tested with consistence, the M43 is consistently set up and "calibrated" and thus the load test results are consistent.

CHE is proven to be unreliable which is why none of the new manuals recomend CHE and one in particular that used to recomend it now specifically says not to use it.

As always simply work up using loading data as a guide and pay attention to what your rifle and a chronograph (hopefully you have one) tell you about your test loads.

Larry Gibson
12 December 2010, 02:02
Randominator
I have been shooting my .30/06 for years with the 165 grain Nosler BT and 57 grains of IMR4350. Velocity runs 2738 fps. from a 24" Remington 700 ADL. I have taken many deer with this combo over the years.


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"get busy living... or get busy dying"
12 December 2010, 05:54
crbutler
I used this load (57.0 gr IMR 4350, 168 grain Ballistic Silvertip at a OAL of 3.330) and in my Dakota 76 it gave 2900 FPS with a SD of 10 FPS. It was the most accurate load I came up with and was able to get a whitetail and an antelope with 1 shot each, and a Mulie with 1 shot that dropped him, but since he still was moving I shot again. I have also shot a feral dog and a feral cat with this load, so this is not extensive experience, but...

I think this load would be best if it was backed off by at least 300 FPS.

All the animals shot exhibited varmint bullet terminal ballistics. The impact area was jellied, and in the case of the dog and cat just disintegrated like a prairie dog.

I will be using an interbond or A frame in the future, as the partition would not group under 3/4" (it was about 1") while the BT load was consistently at 0.5"
12 December 2010, 05:58
wasbeeman
I use a 165gr Corelokt but my load and my results match Randominator.


Aim for the exit hole
13 December 2010, 07:19
Doc
57.0 IMR4350 in my 30.06 with the 165 Ballistic Tip since 1990.


Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns