Working a hunting load 30-06 -Second Group-

[handirifle]

As for the chrono speeds, if you have the Chrony, like I do, make sure it is opened all the way flat. I didn't check this one time when I was testing a brand new rifle and caliber, to me, the 280, and was overjoyed at the velocities I was getting. Then when I went to collect my chronograph, I notice it was not fully opened, nothing drastic, but looking at it, it causes the two screens to be a fraction closer together than they really should be, thus the faster clock times. I was bummed when I realized this and ALL my numbers were garbage.

I wasn't knocking 150gr bullets earlier, it's just you failed to mention that was the specific bullet you were goiong to use, so it wastes some of the peoples time with other suggestions.

I use a 150gr in my 308 for hunting, so I have no issues with that weight bullet.

Good luck on the next round of shooting.

[quickkillaught6]

Nandy if you havent gotten that rig squared away yet i was like you wanting to shoot a 150 grain pill. BEcause i had shot all sortsa ammo in my 06 with 3-4" groups at 100 yards so i decided to buy some quality ammo. Hornady light mag. 150sst's they are freaky fast and deadly accurate. guns killed anything its been pointed at. So i decided to try the 150sst's as a base bullet and work from there you may have the right powder and a bullet your gun doesnt like. sometimes its like that my savage doesnt like 168 grain hpbt's as much as 150 grain ssts i shoot hornady brass fired fitted to my gun with imr 4350 and cci primers. and it will lay 5 shots in the same hole letting the gun cool off its gota sketty barrel. try a box of off the shelf 150 grain sst light mag and see what it does may be suprised. my buddys 710 liked coreloks better they shot like a shotgun out of my rig. but just my input.

[Nandy]

Thanks guys, sorry for the delay but I never got another email notification so I thought no one else had replied... Right now I got it shooting between at least 2 bullets touching out of 3 or all 3 very close. always all holes inside of the square inch grid... Need to post a picture...

[GaCop]

Thanks guys, sorry for the delay but I never got another email notification so I thought no one else had replied... Right now I got it shooting between at least 2 bullets touching out of 3 or all 3 very close. always all holes inside of the square inch grid... Need to post a picture...


Sound like your loads are consistent. Play with the seating depth just a little to see if the groups will tighten up, however, consistant one inch groups are not bad for a hunting rifle.

[jsthntn247]

Ladder test are supposed to be shot at a minimum of 300 yards. Your 30xx recordings from your chrony were because you had it to close to your muzzle and the powder and muzzle blast made your readings incorrect. Notice how your 58.3, 59.1, and 59.5 shots all hit close together and right in the middle of those, your 58.7 shot waaay high. This occurs allot and is referred to as a scatter node. Generally your best shooting load will occur 1-2% above your scatter node. You can see this is true because your next two shots 59.1 and 59.5 go right back to the same point of impact and are basically in the same hole. Your best accuracy node will be between these two at 59.3 grains. I have developed many loads using this method (at 300 yards) and most of them will have very little vertical all the way to 1000 yards.

[Nandy]

Thanks, right now im shooting 60.4gr. That is the load that is working good and consistently. I will probably leave it at that since im building a new gun and the 06 will be put away for some time. I did play with the bullet seating from touching the lands and moving away in .02 intervals (or was it .01 intervals) and touching the lands was the best. I also noticed that if I crimp the bullet then I can move the bullet seating a bit back and still have about the same accuracy. I tried several groups using the lee neck sizer and my groups were larger and the speed was slower. I guess that die is not holding the bullets as tight as the fl die set up for neck size only. Or, in second thoughts, maybe since that die wont partially size the body Im having a larger volume in the case, large enough to loose close to 100 fps speed... just a guess...

Anyway, unless I get really bored I am not doing anything else with this load. Saving the money and effort for the next cartridge.

Thanks!!!!

[Nandy]

This is the typical landscape that I have been hunting the last 4 years.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/IMG-20111113-00171.jpg

It is 300 yds to the top of the powerline, 200 to the 2 little pines just in top of the food plot and 100 yds to the begining of the food plot.

And when things line up correctly, this is what I see at the end of the hunt...

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn215/nandy_temp/1113111042.jpg

The 2 at the left are mine. A button buck and a doe. the doe is pushing 100 lbs, the buck is way smaller. The doe to the right was shot by the son of the club president. he was about 600 yards directly south from me shooting a parallel shooting line. They mostly move on the creek bed that is about 70 yards in front of me. He was at the other end of the creek bed. They were bedded between us and head his way when they got up. The first one crossed in front of him around 8:30, he nailed that one and took a shot at the button buck but missed. Not 10 min later they were crossing in front of me. After being shot at no whistle or bleat call would stop them. I actually only saw the doe but when she slow down to a pace I nailed her at about 100 yards, she jumped, kick, bolted and headed north (right) to the other woods edge. I saw the buck then (I thought it was a doe) but no shot. I sat to wait then from where the hit doe went I saw some flicker and it was the buck heading west paralleling the power line. I pulled the gun and he made a mistake to stop to look back for the downed doe. That was my chance but I misjudge the distance and shot for 200 yds instead of the 150 he was... Still dropped on its track, not a single step...

The part that I will remember the most is the fact that for the first time I ever I did not crack the scope up. I always do that after I see the deer in the cross hairs. This let me see both deer get hit thru the scope. I never seen them, most of the times im cracked up and I loose sight after the muzzle blast. The doe was 30 yds into the woods in the briars thicket (of course). If you knew where to look you could see the buck laying down at the left right on the tree line where he made the mistake to stop.

Them loads did the trick, thanks for everyones help.

[teebirdhyzer]

Some good eating in the back of that side-by side. I live in Mississippi, and we have alot of very similar landscape to your photo.