Reduced Trail Boss loads for 30/06

[jamesicus]

Attesting to the accuracy potential of reduced load Trail Boss powder:

Shot by me using a CZ 550 American bolt action rifle - 30/06 caliber.

Shooting from covered rifle range bench at 50 yards using a Caldwell rifle rest. Bullet velocity measured using a ProChrono chronograph positioned 15 feet from the rifle barrel muzzle: 1518 fps average.

Hodgdon IMR "Trail Boss" powder (15 grains) - Winchester brass (neck sized - only inside neck lubricated) - Hornady .30 cal 150 gr FMJ/BT bullets (seated to cannelure, not crimped) - CCI 200 large rifle primers.

Forty shot string

Ten shot string

Five shot string

Twenty shot string
​

Be sure to refer to the data published by Hodgdon relating to their IMR Trail Boss Reduced Loads For Rifle and Pistol prior to formulating your own handloads.

James

 

[ArchAngelCD]

It looks like you found a load you will be staying with for a while. That's some good ammo you built, thanks for the post..

 

[tkcomer]

Right now I'm at 25 yards with my Swiss 7.5X55 K-31. I'm using 14grs of Trail Boss and 308, 150grn Golden West Brass FMJs. You can see my results here: http://www.pixagogo.com/3666824651 Click on a pic to make it bigger, then click on original at the top to blow that up. Next step is 50 yards if the wind would ever stop blowing on my days off. 1500 fps? I don't have a chrono. I didn't know they'd go that fast with that load. Maybe mine are traveling faster than I think. I thought they be around 1000 fps.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Using 17.7 g with a 125g Speer TNT HP my ruger m77 will hold around 1.6" for 5 shots at 100yds

Velocity 1800fps some 5 shot strings have an ES in the single digits

 

[TonyM]

What is the recoil of these loads like, I know it's well reduced, but how much? I ask this as I have a .300 mag and 7mm mag and would like to do some reduced loads so my wife can shoot it, and potentially hunt with it.

 

[BsChoy]

I'm gonna get out this week and try the 220 grain SMK's in 30-06 I loaded with TrailBoss..wanted some fun subsonics with some punch!

 

[jamesicus]

What is the recoil of these loads like, I know it's well reduced, but how much? I ask this as I have a .300 mag and 7mm mag and would like to do some reduced loads so my wife can shoot it, and potentially hunt with it.

Hard for me to quantify that, TonyM, but I will give it a try. To me it is something on the order of a .22 Hornet, certainly less than a .223. I can shoot long strings from the range bench using the loads I outline above without experiencing any unpleasant recoil effects - of course, that is one of the reasons I began using Trail Boss in the first place.

James

 

[TonyM]

With that light of recoil I'll definitely be giving it a shot!

 

[R.W.Dale]

Recoil???? What recoil

 

[Rolando]

How does the point of impact compare to a full power load?

 

[Rolando]

.. and does that charge of 15 grains of Trail Boss fill the case?

 

[R.W.Dale]

How does the point of impact compare to a full power load?

My guns shoot very very low but still straight up the center @100yds

17.7 fills my lc and HXP cases just slightly into the neck

 

[BsChoy]

My guns shoot very very low but still straight up the center @100yds

17.7 fills my lc and HXP cases just slightly into the neck

i concur with that...HXP cases hold about that with a 150 grain bullet

 

[jamesicus]

.. and does that charge of 15 grains of Trail Boss fill the case?

No. I would say maybe a little more than 50% - I will measure it precisely when I reload later today.

James

 

[rcmodel]

Here is how to find the correct load start & max load for any caliber rifle.

http://www.imrpowder.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf

rc

 

[tkcomer]

As a guy that has bursitis, this powder makes these guns fun to shoot. Very little recoil in my 7.5x55 Swiss K-31 or my 8MM K-98. Trail Boss seems to have less kick than Unique. Seems like more of a quick shove than that quick “rap” that you get with Unique.

 

[jamesicus]

Originally Rolando wrote:

.. and does that charge of 15 grains of Trail Boss fill the case?

No. I would say maybe a little more than 50% - I will measure it precisely when I reload later today.

James

I don't know what I was thinking about when I wrote that reply! By definition the available case capacity would be to the base of the loaded bullet. For me that equates to 19 grains of Trail Boss using Winchester brass and Hornady .30 cal 150 gr FMJ/BT bullets seated to the cannelure. My Trail Boss load is 15 grains which therefor equates to approx. 79% of case capacity.

James

 

[Heavies]

I'm gonna get out this week and try the 220 grain SMK's in 30-06 I loaded with TrailBoss..wanted some fun subsonics with some punch!

Can you shoot heavies with this powder? How about cast lead bullets?
IMR only list 150's

 

[Robert Wilson]

This powder is apparently safe for any bullet you can imagine. The rule, as noted in RC's link, is 100% loading density = maximum, 70% = minimum. So yes, 220 and 250 grain bullets are fine in the '06, and that's an absolutely outstanding application for them.

I personally shoot cast bullets almost exclusively with Trail Boss. I have lost count of the big cast projectiles I have tossed downrange from my .416 Rigby, and the 150 grain gaschecked cast bullets in the .30-06 are utterly perfect for practice as well. They cost pennies to shoot, and they should allow the bore to last more-or-less forever.

As far as I am concerned, Trail Boss is the best thing to happen to shooting in the last several decades.

 

[jamesicus]

Can you shoot heavies with this powder? How about cast lead bullets?
IMR only list 150's

Example: .458 Lott caliber

HSM 405 grain lubricated cast lead bullet (top)
Fired Hornady cartridge case (middle)
Hornady 500 grain DGS factory jacketed bullet (bottom)

Showing relative OL lengths of bullets, seating position in case and location of crimping grooves (seated to this index)

​

20 grain loading produces the best target groupings and the most consistent velocities for me.

Trail Boss has certainly enhanced my shooting enjoyment, enabling me to comfortably shoot my favorite rifles at the range for prolonged periods while producing consistently accurate paper target groups.

Refer to the data published by Hodgdon relating to their IMR Trail Boss Reduced Loads For Rifle and Pistol prior to formulating your own handloads.

James