30-06 best powder, best load

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Lilswede1

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Mostly using a 30-06 Remington 670 pump, but also loading for a Browning Lever Action and a Browning A-Bolt.
Haven't loaded anything but .223 and would like some general starting points.
In General:
How much freebore do you have?
Powder, primer, bullets?
Trimmed length of case?
And anything I may have forgotten.
 
Freebore will differ by the gun. There is no optimal bullet jump, as that varies by the gun, too, so much that I won't even bother suggesting one. Start with the bullet maker's suggested COL for the bullet you are working with and experiment from there.

There are many powders, but traditionally, three stand out: IMR_4350 for maximum velocity performance on bullets 165 grains and up in anything except the M1 Garand or other military guns. IMR_4895 was developed as military powder for this round and was loaded behind everything from 150 grain ball to 173 grain match bullets by the military arsenals, and IMR_4064 has been preferred for match shooting with bullets 168 grains and up by many competitors because of its greater temperature and charge weight error immunity as compared to 4895.

My own experiments have shown Varget to be excellent in place of 4064, the powder it was developed to compete with. For 150 grain bullets, Vihtavuori N135 does very well for match loads, as it is bulky and fills the case well behind the smaller bullet, but it is not a maximum velocity powder for this.

Many loads in the large case don't fill it well. When you have one that does not, like the old military match loads of 4895, which were loaded as low as 46 grains (1964 LC match ammo) and didn't fill the case much over 80%, you will get better ignition and velocity consistency using a magnum primer. I've seen them shrink groups with those lower loading density loads.
 
"...anything I may have forgotten..." If you're using the same brass in 3 rifles you must FL resize every time. No neck sizing only for either the pump or lever action. And you must work up a load for each rifle. It's best to work up one load at a time. Start with the rifle you use most. No need to worry about bullet shape for the BLR either. Box magazines make that lever action issue go away.
You need to remember that none of those rifles are target rifles. The chances of any of 'em producing one hole or even 1 MOA groups are slim. Possible, but unlikely. Hunting accuracy is more about consistency than anything else. A rifle that shoots 3" at 100, all day, every day, is a great hunting rifle. Far better than one that produces .5" groups, sometimes.
"...anything but .223..." .30-06 is the same thing only bigger. Same techniques for both. And any other bottle necked cartridge.
Forget free bore altogether. The whole off-the-lands thing is a 100% optional, load tweaking, technique that isn't required. All three rifles will prefer a different distance off the lands anyway. Load to 3.340" OAL and you'll be fine.
The trim-to for .30-06 is 2.484". Don't forget to chamfer and deburr(BNIB brass needs it too). However, trimming is only done on an 'as required' basis. It's not required every time. Checking case length is done every time though. Set your vernier calipres(you need one if you don't have one. Digital is easier to read.) to 2.494", the '06 max case length, and use it as a case gauge.
There's no point using pricey match bullets in hunting rifles, but any 165 grain hunting bullet will excel. The '06 loves 'em with IMR4064. And a 165 will kill any game you care to hunt.
 
I use med slow to slow powder's in everything. What you'll find is the best one for your rifle is the one you do best with. Fastes powder I use in my 30-06 is IMR 4064. I'd try RL19, RL22. W760. H and IMR 4350 ect.

BTW, your Rem 670 is a Rem 760! :)
 
All rifles will shoot differently and can like not only different bullets, primers and powders.

Two guns that are consecutive serial numbers coming off the line by the same mfg can like two totally different loads.

What you can do is go by powders that work generally well in 30-06 and those have been listed. I will add 4831 and R17.

Bullets, you just have to try. Sierra makes good ones, Hornady makes good ones at lower prices unless on sale.

RP brass is good, I get once fired or keep range pickup.

CCI is a good go to primer. Some guns can react to other primers better than others.

TOhair is right but his run on paragraphs are hard to read.

I would check what the COAL for your chamber for the bullet is in all 3 guns.

That throat differs a lot these days and an easily long (ala Rem 700 Varmint for sure) is setup for long ELD bullets. May not be true for yours.

.020 of the max is a good place to start.
 
55.0 grains of imr4350, cci large rifle primer, I use a Lee case trimmer on all cases and gage them to a factory round. Shooting sub moa in my weatherby 06 and Remington 06. Hornady sst 165 grain bullets.
 
45 to 48 gr (with 47 most popular) of IMR 4895 or 4064 and Sierra 168 gr HPBT Matchking for target work, and somewhere around 54 gr IMR 4350 and a 180 gr hunting bullet for game.
 
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The pump and lever don't have as much leverage for extraction as a bolt rifle. There are a lot of loads I'd use in the bolt gun, but with the others I'd stick to mid level loads for better extraction.

Either H4350 or IMR4350 are my goto powders for 150-180 gr bullets. I much prefer H4350 if available because it is less sensitive to temperature changes than most other powders. I've had good luck with Ramshot Hunter as well.

There are lots of good choices though. I've always gotten just under 2900 fps with 165, 3000 fps with 150's and 2800 with 180's and better accuracy than I can use. I've never found a reason to change.

I've done some experimenting with 200 gr bullets and really need to go to a slower powder with the heavies. This winter after hunting season is over I'm gonna try RL22 with the 200 gr bullets and see how it works.
 
In 5 different bolt rifles, 52gr of 4064 gave 2900fps and 5/8" groups. For a pump, I'd drop it to 48 and work up to 50. Also, the Extreme Spread was 26fps.
 
I started with the '06 in 1963. Been shootin' 'em ever since.

I had up to 5, now I have 4.

I have shot a lot of different bullets in them.

The powders have been H4895, IMR4320, IMR4350, H4831, RL17, RL19, RL22, and IMR4064. There have been others, but I never was able to get them to shoot to my standards.

I would recommend H4895 and IMR4064 with 150 gr bullets.

Never messed with the 165 much, at least not enough to give any scoop on them.

I would recommend IMR4350, RL17, RL19 for the 180 gr bullets.

I have loaded some Woodleigh 240 gr bullets using VV N560 and got good results. Velocities were shade over 2500 with that bullet. Going by Woodleigh's guidelines for impact velocities, it is a maximum 200 yd load. I haven't shot anything other than a paper target, but if I need them, I have them. They have some recoil also.

I shoot mostly Accubonds nowadays. I used to rely on the Speer Hot Cor bullets, but I can't find them any longer. Besides, I keep reading reports that they have cheapened them up some since I started using them, so I am glad that I can't find them. They discontinued them for a brief period stating that the deep curls would be the ones, but there were unforseen problems with the deep curl, so they discontinued them instead. Now the deep curls are only available as the Federal Fusion. I won't use them either.

Just so you know, I have no regard for Sierra bullets. IMO, their bullets are so far behind the times, I don't think they will catch up. They make great target bullets, but not so with the hunting bullets. Like Mr. Guffey, I am prolly the only one that knows this.
 
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