.30-06

[ebd10]

OK, I admit to being boring in my choice of calibers but I've decided to start reloading this caliber using all of the tips I've read on 6mmbr.com. That said, here is my dilemma; my choice of bullets is the 180 grain Nosler Partition on top of a charge of IMR 4895. The problem is that my reloading manuals all say that the loads should be between 43 and 45 grains. However, the Hodgdon website shows that I can load that bullet up to 48 grains. Who do I trust?

Plus, I intend to load some 165 grain BTs for deer. Anyone have a pet load for that?

 

[fivering]

4895 is fine for your 165's, but you really ought to look at H4350, or something in that burn rate range for the most effective propellant for the 180's.

 

[expiper]

I'll tell u who to trust...YOURSELF...use your common sense and reloading skills...you will get charge data from start at 1 gr and got to 100...to how much of your!!4895 did you use with other bullet wts..??? you can interpelate a lot from that ...only you know that...If you have no idea...I wuld try some in the middle of the range for IMR...Hodgdon usually is a lil cooler than IMR ...but not I said USUALLY...so start in the midde and just load one and see...I usually take several re-sized and primed ctgs to the range and then only need my seater ....load one and try it...the go up or down accordingly....when you find something that seems ok ...load 3 and try em...then you have a good base line to work from....it is hard to beat loading at the range....it is very time consuming and costly with the price of shooting at 4 $$$ a gallon..Roger

 

[Bkluke]

I use IMR 4350 and 150 grain Hornady Interbond bullets. It works extremely well in my Win. Model 70 :thumb:

 

[Ackman]

First, make a split neck case. Use a Dremel tool cutoff wheel and put a lengthwise slice in a chamfered, necksized caseneck. Go all the way down into the shoulder. Then smooth the inside burr with a rattail file. Start a bullet in the split neck case, chamber it, then unchamber it. Use a Davidson gauge to measure cartridge length to ogive. That'll be where that particular bullet seats to the lands in your gun. If you don't have an ogive gauge, overall length will work until you get one. Realize that cartridge overall length from a reloading book is irrelevant to your gun. What matters to your gun is the relationship of bullet to lands in your particular chamber. Seat the bullet however far off the lands you like.....I'd go about .010" off if it'll fit the magazine. If a loaded round won't fit the magazine when seated near the lands, seat deep enough that it does fit.

There are much better powders than 4895 for that bullet weight in that cartridge. But to address your question.....start loading where you feel comfortable. If it's a couple gr. below max. start there and go up .5gr at a time. If at any time you start to feel harder bolt lift or extraction, stop and don't go any further.....that point for your rifle may even be past what the book says is max. About the wide discrepancy you see between 2 different sources? Nosler uses a particular barrel, brass, primer, and powder lot while other manuals use a different combination. And if you're using Hodgdon 4895 data for IMR 4895, don't do that. Use IMR data for IMR powder.

 

[fireball10x]

Trust yourself but those manuals are pretty safe there afraid to get sued also there are alot of sites on the internet with loading data and there is always new powders coming out so the books get outdated quick. So start at less than max and go .5 at a time and watch for pressure signs,heavy bolt lift, cratered primers and shiny ejector marks.As far as length goes I never even look at the length in the book every chamber is differant get a black marker and seat a bullet longer than the book states then color the bullet and put it in the gun and see if your touching the lands if you are measure it mark it down and see what the gun likes for seating depth some like it touching others like a jump and some like it jammed and sometimes you have to go by your magazine length.