Reduced .30-06 loads

[flintlock.50]

I'd like to prepare some reduced loads to introduce my son-in-law to my .30-06. I'm thinking about a 150 grain bullet in the 2400-2500 fps range. I read in one reloading manual a caution that "loads below the minimum listed are not recommended." Is there any danger from really reduced loads?

Any suggestions for a reduced load? The only rifle powders I currently have are IMR 4350 and RL-19. I can always buy more, but with prices being what they are I'd like to avoid buying powder if all I can use it for is a reduced load.

I also have some 2400, which I saw in some loads for Lyman (lead) bullets. Could these loads be used with jacketed bullets?

Thanks

[PawPaw]

Hodgdon has done some work for reduced loads. They use H4895 for their loads, and that's a good powder for the .30-06. Indeed, the 4895 speed powders are some of the most versatile I keep on my bench. I've used 4895 for everything from .223 to .45-70. One of the first things I do when I get a new cartridge is work up a 4895 load for it.

Read this Hodgdon .pdf file for complete information.

[AKsRul.e]

"Reduced .30-06 loads
I'd like to prepare some reduced loads to introduce my son-in-law to my .30-06. I'm thinking about a 150 grain bullet in the 2400-2500 fps range. I read in one reloading manual a caution that "loads below the minimum listed are not recommended." Is there any danger from really reduced loads?"
---
A TOO light powder charge has been known to detonate instead of burning.

Be very careful - I do not advise going below the amount of powder shown in a listed manual.

In the olden days reloaders actually used "fillers" like cornmeal or flour to take
up space not filled by powder but this is NOT recommended today.

This link should help you.......... http://www.handloads.com/calc/reduced.asp

[Loader9]

Any reduced loads should be done with a powder that is bulky and yields at least an 80% density to solve the powder positioning issue with usual reduced loads. SR4759 solves this problem. I'd suggest a load of 19.0 grs under that 150 gr bullet. Velocity will be around 2000'ps and will hunt to about 150 yds. Recoil is non-existent and any 6 year old can shoot the load. The load is also incredibly accurate out of the many 3006's I've shot it in....which is probably over 50. The biggest issue with SR4759 is that it will not come out of a powder measure- at all. It's very bulky. Burn rate is about that of IMR4227 which means it's pretty quick. You'll have to weigh every load.

[Eagle0711]

According to my notes. The American Rifleman of Oct. 1965 reccomended 42.0 gr. of IMR 4895 with a 174 gr. M2 bullet. Mv was 2,300 FPS at 27-35,000 PSI.

It was the Armys 300 yard load.

[GURU1911]

Your question regarding reduced load recipes for the .30-06 springfield cartridge, should have been posted in the "handloading" section of this forum.

HOWEVER, THIS IS THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND & I AM IN A GOOD MOOD, SO I WILL SHARE SOME RECIPES WITH YOU:

1. 100 GR. SPEER "PLINKER" BULLET---5.5 GRAINS UNIQUE---LARGE RIFLE STANDARD PRIMER----1100 FPS.

2. 150 GR. JACKETED BULLET----12.0 GRAINS UNIQUE---LARGE RIFLE STANDARD PRIMER----1600 FPS.

3. 180 GR. JACKETED BULLET----12.0 GRAINS UNIQUE---LARGE RIFLE STANDARD PRIMER-----1500 FPS.

4. HORNADY 45 GRAIN ROUND LEAD BALL-----.310 DIAMETER----5.0 UNIQUE-----STANDARD LARGE RIFLE PRIMER-----1110 FPS.

RELOADING TIP: AFTER DROPPING IN THE POWER CHARGE, INSERT A SMALL PIECE OF A COTTON BALL & SEAT IT FIRMLY ON TOP OF THE POWDER WITH A WOODEN DOWEL ROD OF THE PROPER SIZE. THIS WILL HELP KEEP THE POWDER CHARGE IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE PRIMER FLASH HOLE & WILL HELP THE POWDER CHARGE TO BURN PROPERLY. THEN SEAT THE BULLET TO THE DEPTH YOU PREFER.

GURU1911

[Art Eatman]

GURU, either use the PM feature, or report "wrong forum" to a moderator.

A good plinker load for the '06 is 20 to 25 grains of 2400 behind most any bullet you care to use. I used to load 20 grains behind a 169-grain gas-check bullet. About 1,800 ft/sec. 25 grains behind a 150? Likely around 2,200 to 2,400, just guessing.

Any slow-burning pistol powder similar in burning rate to 2400 would likely work okay.

For giggles, a good squirrel load for the '06 is a double-ought buck with around five grains weight of pistol or shotgun powder.

[GURU1911]

Will follow your instructions regarding future postings. I will let the forum "moderators" do what you do best. My apologies for attempting to assist.

Guru1911

[Rifleman1776]

I have made reduced loads for my 30-06. I did this because full loads are not needed for whitetail deer and can ruin a lot of meat.
Sorry, but I have decided to not put my favorite loads on TFL anymore. I'll just say to follow posts already put up here and refer to the loading manuals.
The comment was made about "detonation". A learned source here has stated, with documentation, that true detonation is almost not possible. However, with greatly reduced loads you can produce excessive pressures. Do tread gently. And do not use fillers. Once popular it has been learned they can harm your rifle. Loading down to apx. .308 levels with a 150 gr. bullet makes a great deer killer and recoil is negligible. Big reason I love the 'aught six' is it's incredible versatility.

[flintlock.50]

Sorry for putting this in the wrong forum initially. I don't post much and forgot about the handloading forum.

So when you recommend NOT using fillers, I assume that's NOT the same as the cotton filler recommended by GURU1911, right?

[Rifleman1776]

So when you recommend NOT using fillers, I assume that's NOT the same as the cotton filler recommended by GURU1911, right?

No fillers means NO FILLERS of any kind.
They can cause damage to your barrels. I have an old letter from the NRA Dope Bag, back when they provided that service, that explains it.

[flintlock.50]

Thanks! So no fillers it is!

My reduced loads don't need to be suitable for hunting or long distance. I just want to introduce my son-in-law to the basics of centerfire shooting without making him recoil sensitive right off the bat. Once he's comfortable with the basics I can introduce him to gradually heavier loads.

Tom

[Rifletom]

Back in 2004, I made some reduced loads for a friend who was recovering from a stroke, but a life-long shooter. This was the load taken from the #12 speer manual: 24.0gr SR-4759
150gr Speer SP
R-P cases
Fed 210 primers
He absolutely loved these rounds once he was able shoot again. Couldn't hunt any longer, but LOVED to shoot.
Hope this helps.

[Geezerbiker]

I shoot a cast 165 grain bullet with 7 grains of SR4756. it's an absolute joy to shoot. No leading and no gas checks required. Also the need for fillers is an imaginary problem. I found that small volumes of powder ignite just fine and shoot as constantly as loads that fill the case.

The thing about so call detonation of small charges has been proven a myth. No testers have ever been able to replicate it and it's believed that the so call cases of it are double and triple charges. If you're worried about that you can use Trail Boss powder that is so bulky that it makes low power loads with out the possibility of a double charge.

I've found that if I put all my cases in a loading block then look inside them with a flashlight prior to seating the bullets, double charges will be obvious. I've never accidentally double charged a case but I have intentionally done so to see what it looks like. Then I dump the double charge so it's not loaded.

One more thing, plinking with reduced loads can become addictive.

Tony

[chasep255]

Look in to using Trail Boss powder for making reduced loads. If your gun is an automatic it may not cycle.

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

[GP100man]

The lead bullet loads are the way to go many very enjoyable hrs has been spent at the bench with the 06 & cast bullets !!

[sundog]

Flintlock, you're endeavor is admirable! When I read your post I immediately thought of two solutions, cast and Hodgdon youth loads. Either will suffice. Do you now cast and shoot cast in bottle neck cartridges? If no, then there is a bit of a learning curve. I take it from the way your post reads that you do not. If that is the case, I suggest the Hodgdon youth loads. For several years we have had a young lady and her dad (from another club) participate in our military bolt state shoot off. They shot the youth loads and did quite well. If you decide to go with cast, and you have not loaded and shot cast before, I suggest further discussion. There are some important considerations before getting started. 2400 is one of the best powders for early success with cast in the '06.

[10X]

+1 for Trail Boss if using jacketed bullets.
Most of my plinking loads for 06 and other bottle neck cartridges involves cast bullets and a charge of Unique (or any other fast pistol or shotgun powder laying around the bench ).

[res45]

Never tried 2400 with jacketed bullets in rifles,shoot it with cast all the time in both handguns and rifles,Red Dot works with both jacketed and cast in several military caliber cartridges cases. Velocity will be slightly more with same weight bullets vs. the Trail Boss load.

Red Dot want give you any problems with case capacity or powder position in the specified cases as long as you start with the 13.0 gr. load.

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

[Jim Watson]

None of the powders the OP lists (4350, Re19, 2400) will give him a 150 at 2400 fps with good loading practice. Most of the suggestions posted are for lighter loads. Which might be good for the son in law but not what was asked.

Eagle is in the ballpark. 4895 (either H or IMR) can be safely loaded down to 60% of the maximum; the only mid-range powder I know of that the maker recommends for greatly reduced loads.

Ken Waters said the Norma ".30-30-06" load (.30-06 loaded to .30-30 ballistics) can be matched with a 150 grain bullet and 41 grains of 3031. Two or three more grains to equal .300 Savage which is about what the OP is talking about.

No need to worry about a light load only powder. The Army shot lots of foreigners with 4895 and while 3031 is not optimum for full power '06 it will still get close enough. Hey a pound is only 170 shots. How interested do you think son in law might be?

[flintlock.50]

Thanks for all the helpful recommendations!

Actually, my request for something in the 2400-2500 fps range was more of a guess, based on what I normally load. I think for starters, some of the light loads suggested should be just fine.

[Jim Watson]

Ok.
Then considering that Ed Harris said The Load of 13 gr Red Dot would work with cast or jacketed bullets, I would load one or a very few with 20 gr 2400 and see where they went.

[tomt53]

There is an article in the 2009 Hodgon Reloading Manual call "The Right Start". Great article on reduced loads. There are 30-06 loads that have the same recoil as a .243 Win.

[flintlock.50]

12 grains of Unique pushing a 150 grain jacketed bullet gave me 1380 fps. There were absolutely no pressure signs. They are very pleasant to shoot. Next outing I'll check accuracy.

Thanks