IMR 4350

[kbrowne14]

I just got into reloading, I loaded my first rounds this morning.  I am loading 30-06 with 180 grain accubonds.  According to the Nosler Manual the starting load is 51 grains and the max is 56 I think.  I have heard people saying that they are using anywhere from 56 to 59 grains of 4350.  I started out with 5 rounds with 51 grains, I want to develop a load for a howa 30-06 with a 22 inch barrel.  What incriments should I step up to test.

[JackOfAllTrades]

One grain increments for five cartridges each when I'm proofing an initial load. The Nosler books have always been conservative on the powder charges. Keep an eye out for signs of excessive pressure as you get near the max load. A chronograph is your best friend through load development.

-Steve

[brokenvet]

51 to 56 is about right and I compared that to Hornady, Speer, Sierra & Nosler books.  Only one goes up to 57 grains max of IMR4350 which is Speer.

You can listen to what is said to you, but you need to double the books.

[JackOfAllTrades]

You can listen to what is said to you, but you need to double the books.

   I reference every (of the six I have), book when I'm working a new load for any bullet. I've been doing it that way for more than 25 years of reloading and never had a mishap.

-Steve

[GoldTip]

I've found IMR powders to be pretty stable and not horrible with pressure spikes, just my personal experience.  In your particular case with max load being 56gr, usually what I do is back off 2 gr. from Max, so to 54gr, then load 5 rounds at 54, 5 at 54.5, 5 at 55, and then 5 at 55.5.  I usually always try and stay a half gr below recommended Max, and than I feel pretty safe.  Almost always in my guns the round that are 0.5gr or 1gr below max are what I end up with.

[buckhorn2]

when you start reloading don;t caught up in thinking you have to be at the maximum to get the best preformance. A deer does;nt know if it;s maximum or two grains under sometime a coupe grains under give you the best accuracy. If you do the conograph you will see that a grain of powder may only gain you 25 feet in speed but a hole lot more in recoil.

[brokenvet]

I was referring to the 56 - 59 grains of powder.  I hope you did not take offense,  Your idea of 1 grain increment makes absolute sense.

You can listen to what is said to you, but you need to double the books.

   I reference every (of the six I have), book when I'm working a new load for any bullet. I've been doing it that way for more than 25 years of reloading and never had a mishap.

-Steve

[JackOfAllTrades]

No offense taken!   Often when I'm trying to push a load, I'll drop to less than half grain increments (where I do try to get the most accuracy with the most velocity for a particular bullet, relizing that 'faster, is not always better'.)

Anything less than a 375H&H does not have recoil. 

-Steve

[Guy]

"I just got into reloading, I loaded my first rounds this morning."

Congratulations on starting what could well be a life-long hobby. My father and grandfather included me when I was only about five years old - fifty years ago. I got to seat the bullets for the hunting rifles. Still remember that.

The .30-06 is a terrific cartridge! You've already been given some good advice - there's no need to run it at max throttle to get good results. Of course the good old '06 can be pushed hard and produce terrific results that way too.

Couple of points worth mentioning:

I happen to really like using H4350 and 165 gr bullet for my general purpose .30-06 loads. Accurate, stable, and knocks the snot out of critters just fine. The 180's are fine too, likely better for heavy game.

There's a famous Alaskan brown bear guide, Phil Shoemaker, who talks up the .30-06 as perfectly suitable for use on the giant Alaskan brownies he hunts year after year. He recommends a 180 gr Nosler Partition as a good starting point, and the 200's and 220's even better for the big bears he hunts at modest ranges. You can look him up on line.

Another famous hunter & gunwriter, Craig Boddington, highly recommends the good old .30-06 for all sorts of African plains game, below the level of the cape buffalo and the 2,000 lb eland. He too appreciates the 180 gr bullet at normal velocities.

Noted gunwriter John Barsness authored a good article about handloading the .30-06 in 2009. Excellent information! Here's a link: http://www.24hourcampfire.com/newsletters/May_2009.html That should prove to be an excellent guide for future load work.

I've been hunting for many years and have messed around with many different rifle and cartridge combinations. After all that time I'm sure I could have done at least 90% of my hunting with the .30-06 that Dad started me on back in 1966. I still have that rifle and use it quite a bit. Last year my son took a good bear with it.

Enjoy your rifle, enjoy your handloading, and proceed at a deliberate, studious pace. I'm still learning new things about handloading all these decades later.

Regards, Guy

[kbrowne14]

Thank you guys for all the help.  I am sure that you will be answering some more questions that I will have later on.  I am going to start out at the minimum and then step by 1 grain increments until around 54.  Then I am going to step up by half a grain increments and watch for pressure signs. 

How about seating depth?  The manual gives me 3.34 I thnk as the C.O.A.L. Max.  I seated down to 3.245 because the 2 manuals said they used 3.240 and 3.250 as their test so I split the difference. 

[demontang]

Seating depth can  be a huge part of the accuracy. I will load about .01 off the lands for my guns and I have both my 243 and 338 shooting well under moa and zero feeding issues. The reloading books should talk about this and tell you how to find your coal for your rifle. Every rifle has different length to the lands and some the mag well is to short to be loaded out that far.

[GregMcFadden]

Here is how I approach seating depth.
1. what is the max OAL that fits in the magazine of the rifle (unless you don't mind only having one round loaded at a time)
2. Seat a bullet all the way in to the lands so you know the longest you can be without forcing the bullet into the lands (you can try forcing a few thou of engagement, some rifles and bullets like that, but start below the starting loads if touching or engaging the lands, as the pressures will be higher)
3.

-Usually, this is how I go about finding the optimum seating depth if I am not seating into the lands.  I seat to just almost touching the lands (or as long as possible if I need to magazine feed, whichever is shorter), work up a single round for several powder loadings, JUST as a pressure check.  if they all check OK I will work up 10 or so rounds for each loading, and shoot for group.  best group wins

Now, using that best load, I make 5 more at what I just found was best, and sets of 5 at .020, .040, .060 off the lands and shoot for group.  If the best group is acceptable, I stop there and use that load.  If I am feeling like a glutton for punishment, I take that OAL and vary the powder load and pick the best group I get out of the bunch, and then go back and vary the OAL about where I previously found my best group in ~.010 increments.  (my 30-06 groups best at .028 off the lands for example)

Now, I never EVER use OAL as the measurement that I record, as there is increased error measuring to the tip rather than the ogive.   I use the following stuff for my 30-06 (there is a different OAL gauge made for semi-autos that is angled to go thru the ejection port if that is what you need):
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=231904
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=570611
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=761522

 

[BOWHUNTER45]

No offense taken!   Often when I'm trying to push a load, I'll drop to less than half grain increments (where I do try to get the most accuracy with the most velocity for a particular bullet, relizing that 'faster, is not always better'.)

Anything less than a 375H&H does not have recoil.  :chuckle:YEAH I agree ..if your just learning take it slow .. I usually find my best loads to be at least 2 gr less than max and nothen walks away from me ..plus I shoot compressed loads which always shoot better but thats a whole nother ball game ..your figure it out and enjoy it once you learn the basics ...good luck ..

-Steve

[BOWHUNTER45]

One more thing ..I use imr 4350 too but I also love imr 4831 give it a try and you may see a difference in the groups ..

[kbrowne14]

I don't have any IMR 4831, but I do have a pound of H4831, I know its not the same, but after I find my most accurate powder load with the IMR 4350, I will do it all over again with the Hodgdons 4831.