I have a Rem 700 30.06 and I have started rolling my own. I started using IMR 4895 with fairly well results, but I have to weigh every charge to make sure it was measured right.(powder measure doesn't like stick powder) I was wondering if anyone has a good ball powder to try with 165 grain pills. Thanks

I would start with Hodgdon's BL-C2 powder it's the closet to the original Ball powders that were used in the '06 and the 308. Next would be the Winchester 748. I use Varget in my .308 and have great success metering it through my Dillon powder measure.

Hunter_fish, I use Hodgdon 380 (52grains) and 165 Balistic Tip. 3 shots use to give me a single hole @ 100 meters. Sizing the neck only.

Bongo

Yes, the H380 is a good choice, and BL C(2) should be as well... Dave, did you mean W760 instead of W748? I would have thought the W760 would be the better choice for the 30-06. 57.0 grains of W760 is a good charge for the 150 grain bullets.

All this said, I think the best powder for the 30-06 is either IMR 4350, or H4350. The following load is an incredibly consistent performer in the vast majority of 30-06 rifles:

165 grain bullet
57.5 grains H4350 or 57.0 grains IMR 4350

Take care and be well,

Dan Newberry
green 788

Hunter, I agree with Green about the 760 and his other powders.

Some other powders I would add to your list are 4064 and 4831. Most /06 LOVE these powders.

However, both are stick powders and will not flow quite as smoothly thru your powder measure as a ball powder. HOWEVER, I wouldn't worry about this little "snag" when you throw a charge of stick powder. It's normal for almost every powder measure to "shear" a couple of grains of powder with every charge. It doesn't mean or harm anything, nor does it affect the accuracy of your load. If it did, nobody would use a stick powder. My main advice to you is just ignore this issue and use whatever powder your rifle likes.

4895 is a good powder.
Ball-C meters like a dream in powder measure but I don't think you will get top velocities out of it and it's a pretty temperature sensitive powder as I recall.
But listen to your rifle. It will tell you what it likes.

Glad to have you in the ranks of the reloaders!

In a ball powder, H-414 or WW 760, which are made to the same specs, would by my suggestion for a 165 grain in a .30-06. However, 4895 is actually a fairly short-grained stick powder and meters fairly consistently. Perhaps it doesn't "feel" as smooth as the balls, but charge weight consistency will be excellent with it.

BL-C/WW 748 (also the same specs) is a tad too fast to give the best velocity with 165's, and I've never had much luck with H-380.

Thanks for your help. I have IMR 4895, H4350, and Varget. I will have to try those again. I am starting to load 12 ga, with IMR 700x; 38 special with IMR 700x; 223 with AA2230; 243 ?; 30-30 ?; 30-06 one recipe that shoots good out my dad's IMR4895 47.5 grains, 165 grain Sierra gamekings, wlr primers. But I have a hard time getting consistent charges out of rcbs powder thrower, so I weigh every charge.

I would suggest H414. It meters beautifully and I get excellent accuracy out of it with my custom Springfield rifle. Fifty Nine point three grains, in WW cases, WLRP primers, and a Remington one fifty grain Core Lokt scream out at just under 3000 fps and result in under MOA groups at 100 yds. Excellent performance with no pressure signs...but WORK up from below by at least Five percent!

Geeen 788,
You are most likely correct. I was posting from memory and was thinking about a list of powders I read in the Lyman 47 and it seems that W748 was agood choice for the .308 and i made the extension to 06 since they are coiusin rounds. Thanks for the pick up.

I've been using W-748 for 30-06 for over twenty years. Started shooting it through my Garand back in national matches when my shooting coach told me it was the best powder to use for the Garand's gas system. Been using it ever since. I load for my dad's 308, and my brothers 30-06 and both will shoot sub-moa groups with 150 and 165 gr bullets. the size of the group is more important than the speed of the chronograph.

My 2 cents only.

Hey'
You might want to try Reloader 22 with the 165 grainers.I think that weighing each charge is the thing to do.The only thing I do is prime a bunch of cases.For everything else I load one shell at a time,weigh powder,seat bullet.
1geejay
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