I'm trying to come up with reduced loads in .30-06 for my 13 and 10 year olds. I'm considering 130 gr. bulllets from Barnes. Any thoughts on these bullets for light plains game (Impala and grant gazelle)? Any reduced loads you can share?

Hodgdon Reduced Loads

Here you go!

Sure, whatcha wanna know?

cheers
seafire

The Speer reloading manual lists a lot of reduced loads for different bullet weights for the 30-06.

I am sure reduced loads in smone cases may be ok, but myself I would just get a smaller caliber rifle for someone to shoot if the old 06 is to much. First of all they might just like it enough to stick with it and we need to buy all the rifles we can before the soon coming of the UN invasion of the US. I guess it would work either way. It 's like someone buying a 458 mag and then wanting to tone it down so they can handle it. A friend of mine in Western Colorado has shot his dad's old 06 for years and he bought his wife a .243. She kills deer and elk every year with it. Whatever.

If handloading weren't so much fun you could just buy Remington Managed Recoil ammunition. We tested some last summer and found it accurate and easy on the shoulder; the 125 @ 2700 bumped just a little harder than the 243 Winchester. I'm using IMR 3031 to try what Ken Waters calls the "30/30'06" load, a 150 grain flatnose soft @ 30/30 velocities. Details can be found in Pet Loads and in the "suggested starting grains" column in Lyman 47. We'll take a stab at duplicating the Remington Managed Recoil load when time permits. Either way we'll have a light-kicking loaner with which my brother-in-law can fill his doe tags this November. Good hunting!

Like the old cajun said: "If you can't stand the kick, get a smaller stick"

Try seafire's bluedot loads at:

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2511043/m/417105821/r/417105821#417105821

I've tried the loads with 21-25 grains and all work well.

I personally have had some real success with reduced "30-30" level loads in my 30-06 using the Hornady 150 Spire over 32-34 grs. of H-4198. In fact I have settled on the 34 grain load as my practice load because it shoots good groups (close to 1.00") at 100 yards consistantly and its point of impact is dead on with my rifle sighted 2" high for my 180 gr. (2800 fps) hunting load.

The 34 gr. load under the 150 Hornady Spire gives me a meansured 2400 FPS from my 24" barreled Model 70.

Give H-4198 a try and see if it wil work for you.

Best of luck,
Mark in GA

The Waters "30/30'06" load using IMR3031 to start a 150 grain bullet at 30 WCF velocities shot into an inch at 50 yards our first trip to the range. Very pleasant to shoot. Might try another grain of IMR3031 to get into the low 2400s. Ought to be all we need for harvesting does in the woodlot.

FWIW The Remington 125 grain Managed Recoil ammunition averaged all of 2535 fps from the 22 inch tube of the 30'06 M700 ADL. No wonder it is so pleasant to shoot. Good hunting!

Lymans 47th reloading manual has several reduced load recipes for most calibers including the 30-06. I recently loaded and shot over 3 boxes in a 416 rigby. I substituted the cast bullets for jackted bullets and added a filler (synthetic pillow stuffing). The velocities were in the 1300-1400 FPS range. The recoil was non-existent. Fun load to become accustomed to a new rifle without the heavy recoil. Good Luck

Hi Citori,

i would go with the H4895 rediced laods already mentioned by Monicello. I was playing around with the same concept like you - in my case 7x64 (.280 Rem equivalent) with a 120 grs barnes TSX with quite interesting results in terms of accuracy and terminal performance.

The 130 grs Barnes X you mentioned should be plenty for impala or thompson at short- to medium-ranges.

25.0 gr H4895
110 gr. Spire Point or
110 gr. RN bullets

Have fun! It should shoot to POI at 100yds.

All the above suggestions are sound ones.

Also, you can use just about any good .30 cast bullet from 150 to 220 grains weight with 19-20 grains of IMR 4759 (NOT 4756) for about 1,800 fps and recoil about like a .22 LR, if you use the 4759 loads in an 8 lb hunting rifle.

Also gives you the opportunity to teach your boys where ammo comes from, how our forefathers made their bullets, all kinds of neat "quality-time"stuff, before you even leave to go on the hunt.

And how many of their "buds" will ever be able to say they shot an African antelope with a bullet they actually MADE themselves?

You can always use 22-25gr. of SR4759 with pulled 150gr. M2 bullets or WW 147gr. FMJ for about 1800-2000 fps.

quote:

Originally posted by EuroHunter:
Hi Citori,

i would go with the H4895 rediced laods already mentioned by Monicello. I was playing around with the same concept like you - in my case 7x64 (.280 Rem equivalent) with a 120 grs barnes TSX with quite interesting results in terms of accuracy and terminal performance.

The 130 grs Barnes X you mentioned should be plenty for impala or thompson at short- to medium-ranges.

If you use load data with blue dot, or SR 4759, or RL 7, you will find that their accuracy is head and shoulders above the accuracy with the H 4895 loads!

cheers
seafire

Wow I had no idea Seafire! That is good to know. I still shoot those SR4759 loads with 90 grain HP in .270. They are very accurate.

The Waters "30/30'06" loads shot into 1-1/2 inches at 100 yards yesterday. Still going to play around with it a little. Why run 180 @ 2700 when a 150 @ 2400 will suffice? Hey, I'm becoming as sensible as my Grandfather. Good hunting!

quote:

Originally posted by mb:
The Waters "30/30'06" loads shot into 1-1/2 inches at 100 yards yesterday. Still going to play around with it a little. Why run 180 @ 2700 when a 150 @ 2400 will suffice? Hey, I'm becoming as sensible as my Grandfather. Good hunting!

That level of accuracy can still be tightened up if you try loads with IMR or Hodgdon 4198, Blue Dot, SR 4759 or RL 7. I would want better than a 1.5 inch group as I know it is easily obtainable...

Cheers
seafire

quote:

That level of accuracy can still be tightened up if you try loads with IMR or Hodgdon 4198, Blue Dot, SR 4759 or RL 7. I would want better than a 1.5 inch group as I know it is easily obtainable...

My M700 has never shot much better than 1-1/4 inches with anything so that would be a pleasant surprise. I've got some IMR4198 so I may give it a try when I work on duplicating the Remington Managed Recoil load using 125s. In any case our deer are pretty much full-sized and the range to target will only be about 50 yards at most so even a mere 1.5 moa will still give me a little wiggle room. Good hunting!

I find Varget to work very good in most of my rifles at reduced loads. I use reduced loads whenever hunting with my kids so the muzzleblast from my mangleums isn't so obnoxious.

mb -

I have tried reduced 4895, 4198, and H4227 loads all with the same degre of accuracy: @ 1 1/4" @ 100 yds with any 150 gr. bullet I had on hand. I then tried Seafire's Bluedot loads. In my '06, 22 grs. of Bluedot under a 150 gr. Nosler BT or Remmy Core-lokt will shoot sub moa groups consistently. This load is great for lots of off hand practice.

Alan

Hi,
Looks like you guys have things sewed up but here's my $.02 anyway. I found an article by Jim Carmichael in Handloader and tried a few with 125,130, & 150 gr. all were real accurate in my 06. Seems like this would give about 30-30 Improved velocities. Ya think 30-30's can still kill deer-sized game like they used to?

130gr. Hornady Spire Point
SR4759 32gr. 2489fps 3.235 OAL 1.0" @ 100yds.

150gr. Speer Spitzer (Have tried these with .30-30 style 150gr. round & flat-nose bullets too, experiment!)

IMR4227 29gr. 2171fps (real accurate with Win. 150gr. Silvertip)

SR4759 30gr. 2268fps

RX-7 38gr. 2503fps (Speer 150 gr. .30-30 Flat Point real accurate 1†@100 yds.)

Real interesting thread!
Newtire

55.0gr of N140 with 125gr pills is super accurate in mine and light on the shoulder to boot.

My 30-06 liked 26 gr of 4227 and a 110 gr FN or hollow point. Same POI out to 100 yards as my regular deer load. Nice to have a handful of those in your pocket while in the deer stand. Those pesky squirrels can come to dinner rather than warn the big mossy horns that you are in the woods.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Blob1:
It 's like someone buying a 458 mag and then wanting to tone it down so they can handle it. QUOTE]

Well if it's all right with you and the cajun, I'm working up um, down, some 458 loads.
I can handle the full loads, it's just that too many and I have trouble remembering the way home.
John L.