30-06 reduced loads - success and thank you THR!

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Condor

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My son was interested in deer hunting last year, and my best option for a rifle was my Savage 30-06. He had been shooting a .22LR, but the step up to the centerfire was a big one. With a bit of research on reduced loads (thank you THR!) i loaded some 110g round nose bullets over Trailboss. He loved shooting them and worked on his offhand shooting skills. (They were a lot of fun for me to shoot as well!)

We stepped up to 125g Sierra Pro Hunters over H4895 (again, thanks for the advice on this forum!) and he had no problems with recoil. We were seeing 2-3 MOA at 100 yards, so I was happy with the accuracy.

Last fall we hunted Saturday and Sunday of the NY youth hunt. We had a great time, but no success. Monday morning I returned to work and he hunted with his grandfather. I got a text at about 8 AM from his mother that he had got his deer. Double lung shot, and the deer dropped in place. He’s been enjoying the venison all winter. I was thrilled he got to experience his first deer with his grandfather, and wow, did i feel proud about having worked with him on his marksmanship and creating the handloads for him.

On a side note, I did notice that the rifle went from “Your 30-06” to “Our 30-06”...clearly one of us needs a new rifle for the upcoming season, so he’s getting a Savage model 10 in .243 for his birthday in two weeks....

This story and thank you is a bit delayed...been a busy winter and spring!
 
Great story! Thanks for reporting your success ... both with your reduced load development and in the field. Outstanding!
 
I loaded some 125s a couple of yrs ago and we still shoot them and they are nice rnds out to 200, I'm not good enough out past that. I found with a 150gr there was a "slow" acuracy load and a "fast" acuracy load and I think it was about 5gr difference you could feel the difference, I loaded 100 of ea.
I try to sight in my 30-06s at 200, but the 110s and 125s seem to like 100 better.
Enjoy the time you can spend with him.
 
No success those two days out there having such a good time, huh? Sounds to me like a series of successes.

How old is this kid? I'd say the Savage M10 in .243 will do well on deer with any 100gr SP the individual barrel shoots accurately. And the 1:9.25 twist will stabilize up to a 115gr... if you're into Bergers. IMO, it should be a better fit recoil-wise, too. He shouldn't be undergunned with it in any case. The Model 10 barreled action makes a deer rifle for a lifetime.
 
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It is hard to beat a 30-06, loaded up, or loaded down. It is one great cartridge. Glad it is working out for your Son.
 
great to see young hunters here in ny, most my age don't hunt, i m 28. good he got his deer and has been eating it, the 243 is a fine round and more effective then most give it credit.
 
I'm very happy for your son, for you and for your dad too! It's great to hear you are passing on our traditions of hunting and loving the outdoors. Be sure to try and get out this winter together with both your son and dad. Memories your son will tell his grandchildren some day!
 
On a side note, I did notice that the rifle went from “Your 30-06” to “Our 30-06”...clearly one of us needs a new rifle for the upcoming season, so he’s getting a Savage model 10 in .243 for his birthday in two weeks....

If he’s happy he might take that as a slight.
 
If he’s happy he might take that as a slight.

That’s a good point...i’ll have to talk to him about that... (His grandfather and uncle both have .243s, so he might be happy to be in their club)

If he’s got his heart set on the 30-06 i’ll gladly pass it along...
 
Neither one of you could go wrong with either caliber. In fact you both need one of each.
That was the way Dad and I ended up.
It's a win-win for both of you and you get to hunt together to boot. That's the icing on the cake.
My father is gone now but those days we hunted together, even up to the end (cancer) were some of my best memories to this day.
Especially groundhog hunting on our farm.
 
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