The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Reloading for .30-06

bpeezer · February 7, 2012, 03:17 PM

I'm considering reloading for .30-06 to save some money, and I had a few questions regarding bullets and equipment. First off, my rifle has a 22" barrel (idk if that matters...) and a 1:10 twist rate.

I read that the optimal .308 bullet weight for this twist is somewhere between 170-195 grains. I have been using 150gr bullets for price reasons mostly. My groupings are never all that good, but I certainly can't blame the bullets or the rifle for that

I was wondering, however, if having 175gr bullets mights help remove one of the factors of inconsistency. I have been looking at Sierra 175gr MatchKing bullets as they had the highest ballistic coefficient of anything I could find in a relatively close weight range (within about 10gr of 175). I have no experience with this whatsoever, so I would heavily research any other suggestions you might have. Would this be a fairly good bullet for accuracy from 100-600 yards?

My next question is about brass. I also read that for handloading 175gr MatchKing bullets Federal Premium is the suggested brass. Will this make a significant difference in the round and/or the accuracy? And if I recycle old brass (winchester, remington, and some federal american eagle) will I have noticeable differences in shooting rounds with different brass manufacturers?

Last question (for now). Does anyone have experience with the Lee hand press reloading tool? And if so, is it as effective as a turret press or will it leave too much room for human error?
http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm...rodID=LEE90685
Time is not a major factor for me, so if the hand press will still produce accurate enough loads that's what I care most about.

Thanks for your time, and sorry for the barrage of questions and my poor knowledge on the subject.

EDIT: There is a 180gr sierra GameKing with a slightly higher ballistic coefficient, would this be a better choice or should I focus less on the BC and start looking at speed?

February 7, 2012, 03:17 PM	#1
bpeezer Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2011 Location: Ohio Posts: 118	Reloading for .30-06 I'm considering reloading for .30-06 to save some money, and I had a few questions regarding bullets and equipment. First off, my rifle has a 22" barrel (idk if that matters...) and a 1:10 twist rate. I read that the optimal .308 bullet weight for this twist is somewhere between 170-195 grains. I have been using 150gr bullets for price reasons mostly. My groupings are never all that good, but I certainly can't blame the bullets or the rifle for that I was wondering, however, if having 175gr bullets mights help remove one of the factors of inconsistency. I have been looking at Sierra 175gr MatchKing bullets as they had the highest ballistic coefficient of anything I could find in a relatively close weight range (within about 10gr of 175). I have no experience with this whatsoever, so I would heavily research any other suggestions you might have. Would this be a fairly good bullet for accuracy from 100-600 yards? My next question is about brass. I also read that for handloading 175gr MatchKing bullets Federal Premium is the suggested brass. Will this make a significant difference in the round and/or the accuracy? And if I recycle old brass (winchester, remington, and some federal american eagle) will I have noticeable differences in shooting rounds with different brass manufacturers? Last question (for now). Does anyone have experience with the Lee hand press reloading tool? And if so, is it as effective as a turret press or will it leave too much room for human error? http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm...rodID=LEE90685 Time is not a major factor for me, so if the hand press will still produce accurate enough loads that's what I care most about. Thanks for your time, and sorry for the barrage of questions and my poor knowledge on the subject. EDIT: There is a 180gr sierra GameKing with a slightly higher ballistic coefficient, would this be a better choice or should I focus less on the BC and start looking at speed? Last edited by bpeezer; February 7, 2012 at 03:25 PM.