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Old December 6, 2012, 02:19 PM   #1
Austin22793
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Vanguard 30-06. Good ammo and or tips?

I'll be honest I'm young and new to the rifle world so that's why I'm asking people with a lot of experience for help and discussion. I've gotten decently proficient with my vanguard, i love the gun its a ton of fun to shoot. But I've been looking into different bullet types and grain and I'm not really sure what a lot of it means. I get the more grain=more power or punch, but what does it do for accuracy along with the bullet type. I also know that people say that every rifle barrel is different and that it varies from brand to brand. I'm just looking for a little push in the right direction. I'm currently using the 165 grain SST Hornandy which I've been told is a good brand, just looking for ideas because I've heard this gun can be as accurate as .55? Which is freaky O.o also I'm aware that my relative inexperience in shooting can factor into the accuracy element. Appreciate your time and thank you

On a side note how much different is the v2 besides the trigger and the safety, I'm hopefully looking for a owner to answer this. (accuracy wise?) Also I've heard that the trigger is much better then the v1.
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Old December 6, 2012, 03:23 PM   #2
hooligan1
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My Vanguards a shooter too. As far ammo thats accurate in your rifle, youll have to experiment, thats the fun of shooting rifles.
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Old December 6, 2012, 07:34 PM   #3
FiveInADime
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Austin22793
I'll be honest I'm young and new to the rifle world so that's why I'm asking people with a lot of experience for help and discussion. I've gotten decently proficient with my vanguard, i love the gun its a ton of fun to shoot. But I've been looking into different bullet types and grain and I'm not really sure what a lot of it means. I get the more grain=more power or punch, but what does it do for accuracy along with the bullet type. I also know that people say that every rifle barrel is different and that it varies from brand to brand. I'm just looking for a little push in the right direction. I'm currently using the 165 grain SST Hornandy which I've been told is a good brand, just looking for ideas because I've heard this gun can be as accurate as .55? Which is freaky O.o also I'm aware that my relative inexperience in shooting can factor into the accuracy element. Appreciate your time and thank you

On a side note how much different is the v2 besides the trigger and the safety, I'm hopefully looking for a owner to answer this. (accuracy wise?) Also I've heard that the trigger is much better then the v1.
What I would do if I were you is buy a book on cartridges and ballistics or even just a reloading manual with a good instruction section like "The ABCs of Reloading" or the Lyman manual. The reloading manual will come in handy down the road if you shoot a lot. As a rifle enthusiast learns over time, the more time you spend not reloading the more you'll regret that time when you start. Making accurate ammo is easy and you can get set up very cheap. Read the NEWBIE thread in the reloading section here.
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Old December 6, 2012, 09:40 PM   #4
big al hunter
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I agree with fiveinadime, read and learn from reloading manuals. I will try to start you in the right direction.

Bullet weight has very little to do with a given bullets accuracy. However a rifles twist rate will determine what bullets it will stabilize. Therefore it makes some bullet weights inaccurate in certain rifles. The heavier a bullet is, in a given caliber, the the more twist is needed to stabilize it. The 30-06 is usually rifled to a 1/10 twist rate. That means that the bullet rotates 1 time in 10 inches as it moves down the barrel. That will stabilize most 30 cal. bullets.

Heavier bullets tend to get more penetration. Needed for hunting larger animals. A heavier bullet will hold its velocity longer than a lighter bullet, if they are the same shape and caliber.

You will learn a lot more if you search the old posts with key words. Take some of the posts with a grain of salt, not everyone on here knows as much as they think they do. The general consensus is usually correct.
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Old December 6, 2012, 09:47 PM   #5
Austin22793
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Thank all of you guys I appreciate the quick responses and it all sounds like good advice. The only problem is I'm a cadet and I don't know how they would look upon me having an ammunition facility in my dorm room Haha. But I will defiantly pick a beginners book on hand reloading because it does interest me.
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Old December 6, 2012, 10:13 PM   #6
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heavier bullets mean that there is more inertia behind the bullet however more weight means that outside forces like gravity are stronger and they tend to lose velocity faster and drop more over range. most 30-06 are capable of stabilizing anything from 110 grain lightweight varmint bullets to 200 grain heavy game bullets. 165(plus or minus 10 grains) is a good medium. SSTs are good for medium game like deer but if you ever decide to go for larger game like Elk then a nosler Accubond or Speer Deep curl in the 180+ grain area would serve you well.
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Old December 7, 2012, 08:07 AM   #7
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While it is true that a 30-06 will shoot bullet weights from 110 gr up to 220 gr safely, it is also true that most 30-06 rifles shoot the mid-range bullet weights most accurately. Most 30-06 rifles will shoot bullets from 150 gr to 180 gr accurately. When you go beyond the design perameters of the rifle, you start getting into areas that are more difficult to find "out of the box" accuracy. You say that you don't see a short-term possibility to reload ammunition. That limits you to factory loads and eliminates much of the fun in achieving accurate loads for your special conditions.
The brand that you mention has a great reputation of not only being accurate in most rifles, but also being one of the best bullets for cleanly dispatching game that exists. Remember that shot placement is the single most important factor in determining how cleanly an animal is killed. That said, it doesn't matter what bullet you use so much as where you put it.
Best advice I can give you is try a range of factory loads in the 150 to 180 grain loadings and stick with what you like best. Remember that Target and Varmit loads usually use bullets intended to expand very rapidly and do not do such a good job on heavier game while Hunting loads ususlly use bullets that are designed to expand more slowly and penetrate deeper into a heavier animal.
The permutations and combinations of bullet, velocity and caliber are endless. If you don't reload, you are limited to what you can purchase so try them all and decide what you like. Then practice with it till shooting is just second nature and you can usually hit wht your aiming at where you choose to hit it. By that time you will have probably worn out you 10th rifle and will be thinking of purchasing another! Welcome to the addiction!

Hello! My name is Dave. I like to shoot.....
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Old December 7, 2012, 09:08 AM   #8
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I've owned several 30-06's over the years and have had the best performance from the 150 and 165 grain ammo--I've read a number of articles from the gun writers stating the 165 grain is the most accurate from an 06--Like you, I do not have an area to set up a reloading station so shoot the good factory ammo, Federal, Hornaday, Remington etc--I don't shoot enough for the cost to be a critical factor---
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Old December 7, 2012, 02:38 PM   #9
Austin22793
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I appreciate the help. What would be a good book for tips on hand reloading, Is it round specific books?
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Old December 7, 2012, 02:40 PM   #10
Austin22793
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I've also heard as a side note, that boatails are more accurate?
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Old December 7, 2012, 04:56 PM   #11
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If your going to learn to handload there is some real nice books on the subject.
I would start with the ABCs of Reloading, and see if your really interested. And actually at 100yds or less "flat based" bullets are more accurate some might say, I only use Boattails in my handloads so far. Good luck dude.
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Old December 7, 2012, 06:03 PM   #12
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Austin, I recommend you buy several different brand/bullet weights and try them to see which your rifle likes best. Use the same process for each ammo type (shoot from a cold, fouled barrel, etc.) and shoot several three or five round groups, then take the average.

I have a Vanguard S2 in .308 and it likes Rem CoreLokt 180gr. It shot a 9/16" group with this ammo, but also shot sub MOA with 150 gr CoreLokt, Federal 150gr and GameKing 168gr.
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Old December 7, 2012, 07:17 PM   #13
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austin, i know some of the fellas here won't agree with me here but i like premium ammo. i've had good luck with federal premium and nosler custom ammo. i think that you would be best served using the 150-165 grain bullet in either the #1 nosler ballistic tip,pretty dramatic drt's as they aren't really designed to penetrate but to dump all that wonderful '06 energy into the animal. #2 nosler partition,it actually does just the opposite as the bt in that it does penetrate great which is what i like as i like 2 holes for a better blood trail. or #3 the nosler accubond which is kinda the best of both worlds as it opens up fast but since its bonded it penetrates well too. i say all this to say that the hornady 165 grain sst or interbond are both great bullets too. personally i would buy 4 or 5 brands and weights and see what groups the best in your particular rifle.
good luck bro,
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Old December 7, 2012, 10:26 PM   #14
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Boattail bullets are not necessarily more accurate. They're a bit more aerodynamic than a flat based bullet and will drop less. The difference only becomes significant at extended ranges.

Every rifle is a soul unto itself and will tell you what it likes to shoot best. Mid range bullet weights for caliber are usually what a rifle will like. Velocity is another critter altogether. Some like max loads others something less.

If you get into reloading, you'll learn that the distance the bullets bearing surface is from the start of rifling makes a difference in accuracy too.

The only way to learn the combination for your rifle is to shoot it a lot with different combinations.

One factory .30-06 round I've had good luck with is Winchester gray box 165 grain. You just never know until you try them for yourself. Premium might be the deal and it might not. Shoot and learn.
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Old December 7, 2012, 10:37 PM   #15
Jack O'Conner
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- 125 grain bullets shoot FLAT like a 270.
- 150 grain bullets are sudden death on deer sized animals.
- 180's are typically used for much heavier game.
- 165's are an excellent choice for all sizes of big game except the huge ones.
- 200 and 220 grain bullets have heavy jackets for controlled expansion and deep penetration. Good choice for grizzlies, moose, and such.

Jack
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Old December 9, 2012, 09:47 AM   #16
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Austin
Until you do get into reloading, look for some Federal Gold Medal Match 168gr or Hornady or Sellier Bellot or if you get real lucky Lake City Match, none of which will be cheap. Hence the advice to reload. But as others have pointed out and as you will find, different rifles prefer different loads.

Save all of your brass (doh!) and spend some serious time in the handloading/reloading forum reading and learning.

ABCs of Reloading is your introductory primer as hooligan pointed out.

http://www.amazon.com/ABCs-Reloading.../dp/1440213968

Scroll down to find other books from different mfgs.

Oh yeah, welcome to TFL by the way.
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Old December 9, 2012, 03:50 PM   #17
Austin22793
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Thanks everyone!
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