choices, choices

O

oldscot3

New member
I'm tinkering with a Browning m78 in 30 06. My cleaning rod tells me it has a 1:12 twist so I thought I'd try some Sierra 150 gr. Pro Hunters in it. Checking my powder cabinet, I have no less than sixteen powders from Varget to RL 22 that could be used. I'm blessed, not bragging on my stock of powders, and having choices is a good thing, but sometimes having so many gets me bogged down. Given the cost of even basic cup and core bullets these days, I hate to waste a single one.

My old Sierra manual's pick for accuracy was a near max charge of H4831 SC. I guess I'll start there but I did notice they tested with a 1:10 twist barrel.
 
You should be fine with the 150 grain bullets. I think a 10" twist is standard for most .308 barrels, but you should do fine up to 180 grain bullets with the 12" twist.

The recommendations in the Sierra manual is always a good place to start... Good luck and have fun working up a load!
 
Preliminary range report; while not an ideal day for shooting with the wind gusting hard intermittently, I did manage to get my scope close to zero and turn in one, three shot group that measured 7/10s of an inch before having to hurry back home. While one group doesn't prove a rule, it does indicate that I may be on the right track, and best of all, with the first powder I tried.

After deer season, when I have a whole day to dedicate to the project, I'll shoot several groups and then maybe tinker with seating depths. I need to set up the chrono as well, although I'm certain I'm getting plenty of velocity out of the 26" barrel.

One more potential problem however, all those other untried powders will be nagging at the back of my mind, making me wonder if one of them might not be even better. :rolleyes:
 
Well if it is any consultation, I can remember in my youth some 40yrs+ ago, my pop and uncle loading about the same combination, pour the case full of 4831, scrape it off level at the neck, and seat the 150gr Sierra bullets. Granted this isn't the accepted method my any stretch, but their powder was the older surplus which was a touch slower than what has been made for a long time now. Their groups were hovering around 2" at 100yds which, while isn't bench rest quality, did put a freezer full of meat in both our houses every season for many years.

Since those bygone days I have revisited the '06 many times with plenty of powders, and bullets of all makes. What I have found is that with 150 and 165gr bullets, powders ranging from 4350 through RL-22 there are plenty of good to excellent loads. So if it helps any at all, and your happy with what you have found already, just stick with it. I mean if you shoot the same size groups with all of them what have you really accomplished, or at worst your simply wasting those precious bullets. Now on the other hand, if you run out of H-4831, and Heaven forbid, can't find any, well then you look at those others and go from there.
 
Agree. I'm curious to chronograph the load and may tinker just a little to see the effect, but the bottom line is, it is more than adequate for the small centex deer I harvest. I have toyed with a few other 06 rifles but they had 22 or 24 inch barrels and 1 in 10 twists. This Browning shoots 165s ok but it looks like it is going to do a little better with 150s.
 
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