30-06 reduced loads dirty

[Bartojc]

I'm experimenting with reduced loads with my 30-06. I'm using H4895, CCI LR primers, and currently Sierra Pro-Hunter 125G bullets. The intent was/is to try and duplicate or come close to Remington's Manages recoil loads. The load is taking me a while to come up with something that I like as far as accuracy. One thing I've noticed is that the loads are very dirty. Is this a characteristic of H4895 ? Is it because od reduced pressures and not getting a clean burn ? Would magnum primers help ? Will I just have to live with it if I want to shoot reduced loads ? Just curious as I've not had something this dirty ever before, and it was similar with 150GR Hornady and H4895.

Thanks,

-Jeff

 

[blarby]

I've shot a TON of reduced recoil loads using H4895, and they were all very sooty.

I know that some folks have substituted magnum primers for a longer ignition duration, and this has helped.

As your cases get smaller ( .30-30 is a prime example) it cleans up quite a bit.

I'll take some "dirt" for getting to work up loads anyone can shoot, in training for long-action rifles.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

As you thought it's the reduced pressure causing the soot. It's an unfortunate side effect of wanting very low recoil loads.

Does the Magnum primer help at all? I have never tried using them in reduced loads.

 

[ants]

My reduced loads are 270 Win, not 30-06. But very similar.

At 60% powder charge, magnum primers didn't help achieve better burn in my 270. Try if you like, but it might not help.

Instead, I bumped up the powder charge until I got MUCH better accuracy and better burn on the powder.
I assume the two go hand-in-hand, more complete burn is more consistent, yielding better groups.
My final charge is 1.5 grains higher than the Hodgdon 60% charge. More powder raised pressure a little
and that did the trick for me. Still very mild recoil in Rem 700 with scope and sling.
For my particular load, it didn't take magnum primer it just took a little extra pressure.

This was done for a 9 year old girl, she shoots it with a big grin.


I also improved groups greatly by going to a premium bullet. I started with Hornady soft point, it shot pretty well.
But I moved up to Interbond with polymer tip, and got 3 shot groups down to 1 to 1.5 inch all the time.
I shot over chronograph and got my velocity (2350 fps muzzle vel) and checked with Hornady,
they said Interbond works well at that speed out to 175 yards, and even 200 yds on thin skin deer.
(At the 60% starting charge my velocity was 2230, the extra powder raised velocity about 100 fps.
My full power hunting load with same Hornady Interbond is 2910 fps 15' from muzzle.)

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Does the Magnum primer help at all? I have never tried using them in reduced loads.

I loaded some 85 grain .243 rounds using the reduced recoil data and while it was very accurate, the primers were backing out.
I bumped the charge up 1 grain and switched to a magnum primer and no more primers backing out. They do smoke the cases a little still though. But not too bad. I can live with it.

 

[TimSr]

I'm not sure how far down you are going, but the old Speer manuals used to list reduced loads with faster powders like IMR-4198. I'm at work and don't have one to look at, at the moment.

 

[farmerboy78]

Try using trailboss, you can get reduce power loads with it.

 

[Bartojc]

I'm not sure how far down you are going, but the old Speer manuals used to list reduced loads with faster powders like IMR-4198. I'm at work and don't have one to look at, at the moment.

I'm not going all the way down to 60% with the 125 grain bullet. I did with the 150 but accuracy was not great. I decided to try 125 and try to duplicate the Remington 125 grain managed recoil loads. I think I'm a little faster (no chrono to verify) I started around 85% of max charge of 4895 for 125 grain bullet. Accuracy is better and I think I can get something acceptable if I play around a little. Also really hard to make a longer COAL close to lands with such a small bullet. Probably wouldn't help with a hunting load anyhow.

Jeff


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[joneb]

I've used IMR 5744, H-4198 and Blue Dot with good results in a .308 win. using 125 gr bullets and standard large rifle primers. There is IMR data available for 5744, if you can't find it let me know and I will send it to you.

 

[MEHavey]

Let's cut to the chase:
What velocity do you want for that 125gr bullet?
30-06/125 - MV 2660 ???

Vihtavuori N135
Vihtavuori N133
Accurate 2495
IMR 3031
Vihtavuori N130
Alliant AR-Comp
Accurate 2015
Hodgdon H322
IMR 4198
Hodgdon H4198
Vihtavuori N120
Alliant Reloder- 7
Hodgdon H4227
IMR 4227


All will give you that velocity, at mid 30's pressure and 97-100% burn

 

[Laphroaig]

reduced loads with faster powders like IMR-4198

I've been loading 150 gr. bullets with 35.0 grs. IMR-4198 for quite a few years. This load was published in the October 1995 "American Rifleman" in an article "Short Range 30-06 loads" by C.E. Harris.

This load chrono'd 2396 fps from my M1917 Eddystone with a 155 Amax. I find it to be reasonably accurate from that rifle and 1903A3's that I've fired in CMP comps at 200 yds. I've never tested it with a scoped rifle so can't really comment much more on accuracy.

Also note that M1917's have a 26" barrel so I'd expect it to be a little slower from your average hunting -06. Oh yeah, Its not dirty at all.

Laphroaig

 

[Salmoneye]

Speaking of Ed Harris, there is always 'The Load' to consider for reduced velocity:

http://members.shaw.ca/cronhelm/TheLoad.html