Went to the range today to do some tests on 30-06 ammo. The ammo was Federal Premium ammo, with 180 grain Nosler Partitions out front. The rifle is a Turkish Mauser, with a 30-06 Remington barrel, instrumented with a strain gauge to read peak pressure. Ambient temperature was 85 F, and I ran the tests at a barrel temperature of 100 F.

Pressures averaged 58,889 PSI, which is just under the 60,000 PSI rating for the '06. The standard deviation on pressure was 867 PSI, which is a lot.

Muzzle velocity averaged 2892 fps, which is really impreseive for a 180 grain bullet. The bad news is that the standard deviation on MV is 65 fps, which is the most inconsistent 30-06 ammo I've ever tested.

The fastest bullet was 2979 fps, which measured 63,739 PSI, and I had sticky bolt lift on that one. The slowest bullet was 2754 fps, 225 fps spread.

So the bottom line: Really zippy, but also really inconsistent.

so how was the accuracy?

Yeah, that is a little detail that might be significant.....

BTW how accurate is the gun anyway? It helps to have a benchmark for comparison.

I've tried Federal Premium in .243, .270, and .308. It was all dismal, and that was in rifles that shoot most anything well.

Maybe some folks have good luck with the Federal Premium, but in my experience, it's been garbage.

The Winchester Super-X ammo, at half the price, makes the Federal Premium stuff look like blunderbuss fodder.

Dan Newberry
green 788

Actually, I was lugging along the chronograph, the pressure meter, and another meter to read the thermocouple on the chamber, and decided against dragging along a benchrest to check accuracy, too. I only do that with loads that look very promising.

BTW, these are the "high energy" Federals.

At the same time, I checked some Winchester Super X, and it was a trifle under 2800 at 85 F, and had about half the MV variation.

The barrel is still a little green, but shoots about 1 1/4" at 100.

If your bullet exits the muzzle in one of the slow moving portions of the muzzle's cycle, speed variations won't usually make a huge difference in accuracy. If you are in the fast moving part of the cycle, the effect can be very important.

Most of my handloads have SD's in the mid to high teens, just for comparison. My old Swede gets down into single digits pretty regularly.

I have tested Federal 300 TBBC's as the most accurate factory round out of my 375 H&H, but I never chronoed them. A friend was shooting Federal High Energy's in Canada last year for Caribou. They were all overloaded IMHO. His primers were flat with sticky bolt lift, and I suggested he change brands. He shot Remingtons with no pressure.

Yesterday I was at the range and I chronoed some 270W Federal premium, 150g. Nosler Part. The velocity was good,(2760 fps.in my friend's Browning BAR) but the SD (6,5) was quite high. I'm somewhat disappointed, since I considered Federal ammos, between the best available. Lorenzo

That's disappointing. I use the Federal Gold Medal match ammo, and find it very accurate at the range (sub moa).I don't have equipment to measure pressure or velocity, but I would have expected the Premium hunting ammo to be equivalent, since they go to the trouble of using the Gameking bullet. It's great that shooters with the measuring tools post this kind of info for all to see! Kudos.

Before I started reloading I set out to find a factory load that would shoot well in my 7mm RM A-Bolt.I purchased several boxes of ammo.And went to the range and shot for groups.The Federal Premium 160gr.Nosler Partitions won the test and shot well under an inch.They shoot so well out of that rifle I still use them in it.And reload for all my other rifles.Can't say anything about any of the others but those sure impress me out my A-Bolt

I haven't chronographed the Fed High energy since I began reloading.
I have seen groups of 2" at 300 meters (not yards)though. That,,,, I found somewhat impressive...
same gun, same ammo dropped an 800 lb moose, stonedead in one shot. (trOphy bonded 3006 high energy) so even if it wasn't accurate I still wouldn't hesitate to bring that ammo on a moose hunt.

The Federal gold box Premium ammo with 150 gr partitions in ,my Wby ULW in .280 Rem are barn burners. They chrono right at 3000fps out of a 24" barrel and shoot sub 1" at 100 yds ALL THE TIME. I would publish my 200 yds group sizes but my validity here (if I even have ANY) would probably go out the window and I would be lynched as a liar. It shoots so well that I have had a hard time duplicating it with handloads. VERY strange.

Factory ammo seems to be either mediocre or superb. Speer 285 gr .375 H&H ammo shoots 3"+ groups at best in my normally one ragged hole shooting M70.

My Weatherby is amazing with the Federal ammo.

I have a .300 H&H Sako that shoots Federal 180 partitions like the Weatherby does the .280 ammo, just amazingly accurate.

Factory ammo is surely a galazy away from what it once was twenty years ago. Back then you bought a new rifle, begged abox of factory ammo, plinked it away then used it for brass to load some ACCURATE handloads. How times have changed.

FN in MT

For years I have used Federal Premium ammo for my Remington 700 Mountain Rifle chambered for 30-06. My groups have been consistent and amazingly tight. I've taken many deer (mule & whitetail), antelope, elk, bear and a moose. No problems. A sales clerk talked me into trying the Federal "High Energy" ammo and my groups went from 1/2" MOA to no group at all.

All the guns that I tried using Federal Premium loadings have liked them. This includes a 416 Rigby, 300WM, 30-06's, 280's, 7X64's, and 243's. There are no complaints here.

I've had excellent results with Federal .270 ammo with a 130gr Barnes XLC. I can shoot 1 to 1 1/8" groups consistently with it at the bench. (Remington 700 ADL) I've also killed two pigs with that load with one shot each. I was able to shoot one through a chrono the guy next to me at the range had set up which read 2930. Now I want to get a chrono...

damn