# Question on reloading for 30-06



## LANCERCO001 (Jan 20, 2014)

hello all as stated above I'm looking for some advice on reloading for 30-06 as money is tight but i still be able to go to the range and practice.

I am shooting my Springfield 03A3 rifle and i love it to death. Rebuilding it was a hassle after what the former owner "tried" to do to it but that's all in past and truthfully it was a fun rebuild. I am currently using GI casings, a old batch of IMR 4350 powder, CCI larger primers, and Hornady 150 Gr. boat tails. The bore is in great condition and i am holding a 2 inch group at 200 yards on the bench. I'm looking to increase performance without breaking the bank so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I've notice with the Hornady boat tails not every round is 150 gr. even. I'm thinking of moving on to the Serra 165 gr. as every time i put one on the scale its right on the money... thoughts?


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## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

Whats you spread look like (all horizontal string) its the shooter / Vertical String its the Powder +/- on the charge / doughnuts well there tougher could be the shooter could be the load / powder choice / or it could be the bullet selection / bullet seating depth


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## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

I like the Sierra Matchkings, personally I have also found the like to be seated a little deeper in to the case they like a little jump









Five shots at 100 yards


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## LANCERCO001 (Jan 20, 2014)

its mostly vertical but I've had my share of bad shots. I'm using 55 gr. of IMR as it was the recommended minimal load (Speer 12) and with how thick the GI casing walls are i didn't want to push for a compressed load.


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## Gunner's Mate (Aug 13, 2013)

Try the the powder nosler recommends RL19 or RL 15 depending on Bullet Selection

also ditch the Mil Brass get some Win or Rem brass


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## LANCERCO001 (Jan 20, 2014)

Ok ill look into it... i do like the fact that GI tend to hold up long and i can press more reloads out of them before cracking. all the same Thank you for the advice


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## Just Sayin' (Dec 5, 2013)

Using lighter loads and neck sizing only will lengthen the life of your brass. You shouldn't have to full resize your brass if you are shooting the same brass in the same rifle every time.

Look at some of the lighter bullets (100-110gr) that use smaller charges if you want to shoot more for the same money. It's easier on your shoulder, and helps build your fundemental skills at the same time.

As for accuracy in loads, you have to try different bullets and powders and see which one your rifle prefers. I can give you every load that is sub MOA for my 30-06's, and none of them will perform the same in your rifle. They won't even do it in mine if I start swapping them around (I have 3 different ones). I have a "everybody is happy" load that shoots a bit over an inch on a good day that I keep in case the SHTF.


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## LANCERCO001 (Jan 20, 2014)

i tend to only do a full re-sizing after about 3 shots so that way i don't have to re-lube and tumble so often. since its a bolt action i only tend to do neck sizing most often and shaving it down. still thank you for the advice


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## Go2ndAmend (Apr 5, 2013)

Many, many years ago I did a lot of 30-06 reloading. I always had much better luck with the 165 gr. Sierra Boat tails than 150 gr. I'm sure each rifle has it's own preference. I also did a lot of .222 Remington reloading and remember that only a few grains of powder difference in a reload would make a tremendous difference in accuracy for what that is worth.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

To duplicate USGI M2 Ball loads you should be using IMR4895 and a bullet weight of 150 grains. This is what your Model 1903A3 used in military service.
And if you switch to an M1 Garand, and don't use an adjustable gas plug, this is the load you will have to use to avoid damage to the rifle.
I will not post an exact powder weight for the IMR4895, except to say it's "around" 46.5 grains. But do your research. Any military surplus rifle forum will have the info. Surplusrifle Forum ? Index page is just one.
And H4895 is NOT interchangeable with IMR485 for this application. The burn rate is different.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

rice paddy daddy said:


> To duplicate USGI M2 Ball loads you should be using IMR4895 and a bullet weight of 150 grains. This is what your Model 1903A3 used in military service.
> And if you switch to an M1 Garand, and don't use an adjustable gas plug, this is the load you will have to use to avoid damage to the rifle.
> I will not post an exact powder weight for the IMR4895, except to say it's "around" 46.5 grains. But do your research. Any military surplus rifle forum will have the info. Surplusrifle Forum ? Index page is just one.
> And H4895 is NOT interchangeable with IMR485 for this application. The burn rate is different.


 I am sure everyone here is aware of this already but it must be said.
The 1903 is a great weapon but you need to be careful depending on when it was made using custom loads in it.
The 1903 was built for the 150gr military load . The only thing I shot in mine.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Smitty901 said:


> I am sure everyone here is aware of this already but it must be said.
> The 1903 is a great weapon but you need to be careful depending on when it was made using custom loads in it.
> The 1903 was built for the 150gr military load . The only thing I shot in mine.


I've got a good stock of military surplus M2 Ball, both Lake City and Korean.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

rice paddy daddy said:


> I've got a good stock of military surplus M2 Ball, both Lake City and Korean.


 Late 70's They dumped a bunch of surplus 150gr 30.06 boxed up in 1950. I acquired a large supply of it. Some black tip also.
All US Army issue. It still fires like new


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Go2ndAmend said:


> Many, many years ago I did a lot of 30-06 reloading. I always had much better luck with the 165 gr. Sierra Boat tails than 150 gr. I'm sure each rifle has it's own preference. I also did a lot of .222 Remington reloading and remember that only a few grains of powder difference in a reload would make a tremendous difference in accuracy for what that is worth.


Building on what he ^ ^ ^ said, . . . even tenths of a grain can make a difference.

Several decades back when I started in reloading, . . . I worked up a load for my Colt AR15, . . . using IMR3031.

I don't remember the exact load, . . . but it was something like 26.7 grains. I did a 50 rd box, . . . 10 at 26.1, 10 at 26.3, 10 at 26.5, etc, . . .

After shooting them all up, . . . the one load, . . . 10 shots, . . . could be all covered with a quarter.

All of the others were not that good. And all the shooting was done by me, . . . same day, . . . same bench, . . . etc.

It taught me to be very careful of my reloading, . . . and I was very glad that I had actually weighed each and every charge.

I was really surprized when I loaded that first cartridge, . . . as the powder filled the case almost to the rim. They were all full charges, . . . and the last ones were a compacted charge.

But they all went boom, . . . all hit paper, . . . and all if I remember correctly were in at least the 9 ring, . . . off of elbows on a picnic table at 100 yds, . . . 6 power Tasco scope mounted on my carry handle.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## LANCERCO001 (Jan 20, 2014)

once again i would like to thank you all for your advice as well as tips for this particular matter.


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