30/06 and Varget powder?

[M T Pockets]

Hello fellow handloaders,
I am a long time handloader meaning I started a long time ago but it seems to have been a while since I have loaded as I hunt more than I shoot nowadays. Now that I am retired I plan to change that. My primary rifle is a 7/08 Rem that has accounted for many deer and I have enough rounds loaded for it for years to come. Years ago I inherited my daddy's pre-64 model 70 Winchester in 30/06. I have shot it in the past growing up yet little as an adult. I have never hunted with it. I now have given in to the thought of harvesting a deer with Daddy's rifle. I have not loaded for it or any 30/06 rifle. I looked at my powder vault and noticed a shortage of IMR4350 and IMR4064 powder. As powder prices climb they don't get replaced as rapidly as 20-30 years ago. I do seem to have a couple pounds of Varget I purchased for a 45/70 years back that list capable of being loaded for the 30/06. In a long way of doing so I am asking is there anyone who has favorable experience using Varget or should I suck it up and buy a pound of IMR4350 powder for this special to me rifle. I would be hunting Whitetail deer and using 150gr Hornady or Sierra bullets.

 

[CJ6]

Berger lists Varget loads up to 185 gr. Bullet weights.
Hornady lists Varget up to 168 gr. Bullet weights.
So yes try it. It may not be optimal but it shouldn't be far off with 150s or lighter.

 

[Gary in MD]

I’ve used Varget in my 30-06s with 150 grain ballistic tips or 150 grain Sierras a few times with good accuracy but velocity was just a little lower than I was looking for at the time. These days, I’m using H4350 with equally good accuracy and velocity at or above 3000 fps with the 150s in one rifle. The other ‘06, I’m using StayBall6.5 and getting closer to 3100 with the 150 grain.
IMR 4350 worked extremely well also in the past, maybe not as temperature resistance as H4350.
If you have the Varget, it will probably be fine for your needs.

 

[lb-ft]

You don’t by chance have any RL19? It’s my favorite with 150 class bullets in the’06.

 

[HTSmith]

52 Gr of IMR4064 behind a 150 Hornady spire point has been my load for a lot of years. I tried Varget last year and it worked pretty good, but maybe not as good as 4064. I'm now about out of 4064 too, so I'm going to give Varget another go. Long way of saying, I would give the Varget a go.

 

[Fire Dog]

I have used Varget and IMR4320 behind Sierra 168gr Match Kings in my Springfield and had greater accuracy with the IMR4320 though Varget was alright, just for me, not quite as accurate.

 

[DHD]

Like others have replied, it will work, but IME at a slower speed with 175+ grain bullets. Using 150-165 grain bullets should get you close to my favorite for 30-06 (H4350).

 

[Oldbloke]

Great powder. Easy to get here in OZ
I use it in 223, and 30.06. 130gr bullets to 180gr. You can't go wrong.

 

[RegionRat]

Hello fellow handloaders,
I am a long time handloader meaning I started a long time ago but it seems to have been a while since I have loaded as I hunt more than I shoot nowadays. Now that I am retired I plan to change that. My primary rifle is a 7/08 Rem that has accounted for many deer and I have enough rounds loaded for it for years to come. Years ago I inherited my daddy's pre-64 model 70 Winchester in 30/06. I have shot it in the past growing up yet little as an adult. I have never hunted with it. I now have given in to the thought of harvesting a deer with Daddy's rifle. I have not loaded for it or any 30/06 rifle. I looked at my powder vault and noticed a shortage of IMR4350 and IMR4064 powder. As powder prices climb they don't get replaced as rapidly as 20-30 years ago. I do seem to have a couple pounds of Varget I purchased for a 45/70 years back that list capable of being loaded for the 30/06. In a long way of doing so I am asking is there anyone who has favorable experience using Varget or should I suck it up and buy a pound of IMR4350 powder for this special to me rifle. I would be hunting Whitetail deer and using 150gr Hornady or Sierra bullets.

Just FYI, nothing against trying Varget, but mentioning that while the IMR stuff may be hard to find these days, you can find H4350, and H4895, and those are always worth a try in 30-06 depending on your bullet choices.

 

[K22]

It's been a long since I loaded the great old 06, but IMR 4350 gave me the best accuracy and performance with 165 grain bullets.

With 150 grain bullets, IMR 4895 and IMR 4064 were my go-to powders. Since Varget is close in performance to IMR 4064, I do not see why it wouldn't work with careful load development.

Keep in mind, you don't need a tack driver for deer hunting. Within reason, the terminal performance of the bullet is far more important than group sizes in my experience. Sierra game bullets have always performed very well for me. Also, proper shot placement is critically important no matter which caliber or bullet you use.