I will be black bear baiting with my 30:06 this year and would like to use a 200 grain bullet. Any favorite loads out there? I have some speer 200 grainers at the house.

This load drew some critics, but I have shot it with no pressure problems whatsoever. In fact some of the pressure testing I have seen with this or close to it, does not hit get near the 50,000 cup mark. However we have a lot of people who just wait to find something that is not in one of their reload books, and start off telling you how you will blow up and destroy your rifle. So work up, but you will find that it should be very accurate and hard hitting.

61.5 to 62 grains of Hodgdon 4831 ( not IMR), large rifle primer (CCI or Federal 210). I will let you chronograph the load and see what you get, but it is moving along. IN 300 Mag territory easily.

Cheers, good shooting and good luck on the bear hunt.
seafire

Greg P,

I load 200 grain Speers with 58.0 IMR 4350, CCI-200 primers, R-P cases to an COL of 3.370". With this load I get 2680 fps.

For hunting I use the 200 grain Nosler Partitions (Same loand and velocity) and am quite sure they will do anything on thin skinned game you want.

BigBullet

When I used to guide for moose I shot the '06 with 200 grain Nosler RN Partitions and 54.5 grs. IMR 4831. Produces just under 2,500 fps. I used this load in both a standard-weight Win. M70 pre-64 rifle and a Remington Model 742 carbine.



I chose the lower velocity on purpose because at the time (1969-'71) many writers were saying that bullets work best through brush if they are RN and traveling between 2,200 & 2,500 fps. Since that time their opinions have come into question, but I never found a need to change. A 200 gr. Partition bullet from an '06 at 2,500 fps will go to and through the boiler room from any angle and will usually penetrate all the way through the animal, letting blood out and air in.



I never had to shoot a moose at over 90 yards with one, so don't know how it would perform at long range. But, then, the object of skillful hunting is to not have to shoot either moose or bear at long range.



AC

Thanks for the replys. I loaded a few different type of 200 grai speers. I loaded 54 grain of imr4350 and used 200 grain grand slam bullets. I am, able to get 2550 with a deviation of only 5 fps per shot. I seated the bullet at 3.235 My ruger has a short throat. Then i loaded 53 grains of imr 4350 and shot the standard 200 grain speer. These bullet shot at 2650 fps. With about a 20 fps differance. Kind of odd that 1 grain less powder shot 100 fps faster, must be bullet desighn, i dont know. I shot several groups with both load and can confidently say that they will shoot 11/4 inch or under when i do my part. That, i am pleased with. I will shoot the grand slams even though they are a little slower. I just wont tell the bears about the fps difference.LOL. Thanks ,Greg