So I've got a stiff load with 180gr. Partitions I came up with for my Dad for hunting elk and moose and would like to work up a 150gr. load for light game and hunting from a stand. He uses a 24.2" '06 for bigger game, but likes a lightweight 22" for small stuff, so I want the velocity from the 150gr., Probably a Ballistic Tip for the higher BC and SD over regular 150gr (ie: Gameking, Interlock). Can I safely get these to 3000 fps in the 22"?

It depends on your rifle -- many 30-06s with 22 in. barrels will get 3000+ f.p.s. with 150 gr. bullets, but others will not. The best powder for 150 gr. bullets in the '06 is probably IMR 4064. Start with 50 or 51 grains, and work up. About 53 grains of IMR 4064 is max in the '06 with 150 gr. bullets.

Hi Mikey. LE270 is correct, some rifles will, some won't. I load for four 30-06's, two will get 3000 fps, one will do 2900 fps, and one will only do 2800 and change. The loads vary, but the best one so far is 60 gr of H414 with the Barnes 150 gr X (the uncoated, non-boat tail bullet). It isn't the fastest, but it is the most accurate. I haven't had much luck with the Ballistic Tips staying together on mulies and such, but that was when they first came out, and I hear the jackets are thicker now. I know that the BT bullets were faster in all my 06's then the X bullets, on the other hand, I've put the X bullet through a whitetail lengthwise from about 15 feet (I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or him). The Bt's also seem to be easier to find an accurate load, the X's will be finicky, at least in my experiance. FWIW - Dan

My main 30-06 load is a 180 gr. Hornady SP at full speed, but a 150 gr. Sierra BT at 2,550 fps shoots into the same group at 100 yards, so I use it for light game and training. Trajectories are close at 300 yards. I use GI cases since pressures are so low--they last forever. With these loads 2" high at 100, a 220 gr. Partition at 2,500 lands just over the crosshairs. It's a versatile combination. A 150 at 2,550 may seem light, but it's right between the 30-30 and the 300 Savage, it's accurate and bullet performance is superb. Hope this helps, Okie John.

Thanks for the quick responces. This Winchester M70 is a really great rifle, it was a early 90's Ranger model until I got my grubbies on it, we've put about 6 kinds of factory ammo through it and it all groups right around 1". Previous handloads with Hornady Interlocks would go 2920fps with no excess pressure and a 5 fps deviation. We worked up to it and the groups were just over .7" at 100 yards. When I saw this I figured it was damn fine for a hunting rifle, wrote down my exact methods, and we just kept using them. Cases can last over 10 firings without getting too thin or weak. I wanted to try a more efficient boattail bullet design with higher BC and SD and wring a little more velocity out of it to make it more efficient for long shots (300 yards-ish) I figure MPBR can be increased about 25 yards or so with a little more efficiency and velocity. My Dad is a no-nonsense kinda guy and just wants to find his mark and shoot out to 300 yards without figuring holdover, so MPBR works great for him. 300 yards is plenty for most of our hunting, anyways. Anything he has ever taken a shot at has dropped within 20 feet or so, so he's hell on light medium game and I'd like to give him that extra 25 yards.

Boy,speak of the devil. I'm just about finished working up a 150g load for my Savage 06. I got to 3000w/ 54.5imr4064 using 150g sst. The primer was showing a little frosting with that load. My most accurate is 53g imr4064-I don't have a chrony so I will wait to borrow friends-my estimate is 2800-2850. And I will be more than happy to give up an inch or two at 300+yds to get the accuracy I'm getting now.

Mikey B - I'm getting close to 2900 with 53g/4064 behind my 150BTs in my .06. It's a 23.5" StyerMannlicher.
At that speed the BTs still go "Splat"


[ 10-18-2002, 01:15: Message edited by: CaptJack ]

Bullet placement is far more important than trying to stress your rifles action by shooting every bullet you load to the max and above. Shooting stiff loads on a regular basis will cause your rifles action to blow one day. You and your rifle are far better off to find an accurate loads in the medium powder charge range below max. Accuracy along with bullet performance and the proper weight bullet is the key to success in any hunting venue. You would do well to restructure your thinking along those lines. The slower moving well constructed hunting bullet will mushroom and release all its energy in the animal. You do not want that bullet to explode on impact, or punch bullet sized holes in the animal. No game animal I have ever harvested cared how fast that bullet was traveling. It only takes a millisecond for that bullet to arrive and 200 fps faster will make no difference to the game animal. Not to mention your bore will last longer using less powder per round.

The boat tail bullet will not outperform the flat base bullet until you reach ranges past 600 yards. The flat base hunting bullet, by it's construction, will produce better results when it mushrooms at all practical hunting ranges. The BT bullet, by it's contruction, has less integrity at the rear of the bullet where it is most needed. The BT bullet design was developed for accurate extended range shooting not hunting. Using the right bullet for the right job is essential for game getting success in any hunting venue.

Mikey,
I've tried a lot of loads in several rifles and have finally settled on the 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip as being the best for deer sized critters.

You give up about 100 FPS at the muzzle but the better ballistic coeffcient of the 165 gives this velocity back to you down range. Consequentally, the 165 has more power and less drop than the 150 at range. This seems like a contadiction but the tables prove it.

I've found the 150 grain bullet to be a little mushy and I think the larger and slightly slower 165 holds together a little better.

With the 165, I've had good luck with 4350 powders, IMR or H.

Good luck, the .30-06 is a great cartridge.

I load 150 gr SST ahead of 59 gr of H4350 and my CHRONY is saying 3025 fps. I have the bullet sitting 15 thousandths off the lands. I do have a 24 inch barrel but the Hodgdon manual lists 62 gr as the max load at 3068 fps. So I am not quite maxed out yet. I am shooting a M70 stainless and have tried IMR4064, Varget, and Reloader19 and I am getting By far the best accuracy with the H4350. Out of a clean barrel I put 3 shots in at .802 with no fouling rounds fired. The second group was.023. I could not believe it. I thought I was shooting off the paper till I went down and saw the one ragged hole. I have owned this rifle for 8 years and this was the first time I got it to shoot under .75. I can't one hole'em each time but I am consistantly less than MOA