flat shooting 30-06 load for antelope

S

Stats Shooter

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My grandfather passed away a few weeks ago and I acquired his '03 Springfield Sporter in 30-06. After doing some refurbish work on it I will begin developing a load for it. I plan to use it for antelope which is what he used to hunt with it (and elk).

I was thinking about using a 150 gr bullet or perhaps lighter and pushing it fast. I'm trying to get a long maximum point blank range.

Anyone use light bullets in the '06? if so which ones and what powder do you like?

I was thinking H4350 but I'm open to suggestions.
 
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Try 150gr Hornady Interlock flatbase, 52.0gr IMR 4064. This has always worked in three 30-06's I have. It will certainly flatten an antelope. If you have a 22" barrel, you can expect a MV of about 2940fps. Plenty of speed. We can discuss elk loads when you'd like.
 
150 interlocks were on my list to try. The gun still has the military barrel on it. I was hoping for about 3000 fps +/- .

We can discuss elk loads when you'd like.
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I appreciate the offer, but currently I use a model 70 supergrade 300 win mag and 200 gr Nosler Partitions doing about 2990 fps. However maybe someday I will use the 1903 for elk. it has a steel buttplate so I might have to swap that out if I'm going to develop a hard hitting elk load.

Antelope were my grandfather's favorite game to hunt, so developing a good antelope load and getting his old Springfield out in the field again is something I want to....I have used a 270 on antelope my last two hunts, but I have no attachment to it.
 
Stats, work up to the load I mentioned for the 150's. I believe you'll be good with it.
What's the barrel length?
 
The barrel is 24"....still has the ring and slot where the old front sight post used to be in its military configuration, but my grandfather had it removed in favor of an old 4x weaver scope. (I will replace the scope as the old weaver is cloudy, and fogs easily with poor light transmission...plus there are far superior options these days). I guess it was popular back in the 40's and 50's to sporterize surplus 1903's

I like your suggestion of 4064, I have 16lbs of 4064 on hand for my .308/AR-10 and .308 AK's.
 
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I'm no 30-06 guy, but if you are working up a load specifically for antelope, Nosler 125 gr ballistic tip at 3250 fps would produce a 320 yard point blank range. Zeroed at 275 the drop at 400 yards would be about 10 inches. Presuming 4500 ft above sea level.
 
Anyone use light bullets in the '06? if so which ones and what powder do you like?
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The lightest I go is 168s.
For long-range performance, my powder of choice is Gold Bond in comfortable boots.

Close the distance. It's more effective.


If you insist on "long range", Ballistic Tips and 4350 will be your friend(s).
 
I'm trying to get a long maximum point blank range.
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No serious shooters even consider that any more. Any modern rifle, shooting decent bullets shoots flat enough to make hits at 300 yards with little or no hold over using a 100 yard zero. Beyond 300 yards even the flattest shooting loads drop enough that you need to be using a range finder to determine exact distance and a scope with multiple aiming points or dials to adjust the scope.

Using the old "maximum point blank range" method doesn't make it a bit easier to make hits out to 300 yards, but it does complicate things at closer ranges where most shots are taken. Going to a 300 yard zero only moves your point blank range out to 350 yards. But means you will be about 5" HIGH between 150-175 yards. Having to remember to aim low 5" low just isn't natural. A 100 yard zero means your bullet is never above line of sight, and at 300 you can still hold on hair at the top of the back and hit vitals.

You're buying a scope anyway. If you don't plan on shooting over 300 yards a conventional duplex cross hair will do fine. If you're going to shoot over 300 make sure the scope has multiple aiming points. Zero at 100 and the hash marks for 200, 300, 400 yards etc will be amazingly close with bullet weights from 150-180 gr.

For longer shots high BC bullets matter. A 150-155 gr bullet would be fine for deer or antelope. But lets compare the 150 gr flat base suggested earlier to a modern high BC 150-155 gr bullet. The 150 gr flat base Interlock has a poor BC of .391. A 155 gr bullet made by Scenar or Berger has a BC of around .508. If we start both at 3050 fps (a very realistic number from your rifle) the high BC bullet will be 150 fps faster at 300 yards, with 250 ft lbs more energy and less drop. And the greater the range increases the bigger the gap.

I normally shoot 168-180 gr bullets in my 30-06. But have worked up loads using H4350 and various 150 gr bullets. I'm getting 3000-3050 fps from my 22" barrel with very good accuracy. The exact bullet doesn't matter that much, but I'd avoid those with poor BC's. I chose the highest BC bullets above, but the Nosler Ballistic Tip or Hornady SST are good too.
 
No serious shooters even consider that any more. Any modern rifle,
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well i guess I wasn't a "serious shooter" then. With duplex scopes I usually go for a point blank of 2.5" high or low. I don't use the 6 or 7 " circle because it is too difficult to compensate up close.

You're buying a scope anyway. If you don't plan on shooting over 300 yards a conventional duplex cross hair will do fine.
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I will probably put one of my Swarovkski z3 scopes on it. I have 2 of them. One with a Brx and one with a Brh reticle. both 4x12x50. Antelope shots are often in the 400 yard range or further.
 
I found the best accurate load from my Dad's '03 was with H4895 and a 150 gr Speer Hot Cor.

It will do 10 shots into 3/8" at 100 yds.

I have a Model 70 (circa 1971) 30-06 that can do 10 shots into 9/16" at 200 yds with H4895 and the Speer 150 gr. Not too terrible for a hunting rifle and a hunting bullet.

I bought a butt load of 150 gr Accubonds last year but haven't had a chance to do anything with them as yet.
 
I put the warning into Rifletom's post because Hodgdon's data puts it very slightly over SAAMI maximum. Hodgdon's data puts it slower by 20 fps than Tom has, after allowing for his 2" shorter barrel. But with a 24" tube in the Hodgdon test barrel it would run 2974 fps. Assuming Tom has either a fast lot of 4064 or a fast barrel (tight), it should be running with a peak pressure of about 62,400 psi in his gun. Not enough over SAAMI to bother most real rifles, but the warning needs to be there just the same. Should your 24" chamber and barrel match his, you'd be at about 2990 fps, which is probably close enough to 3000 not to make a difference.

With the flat base 150 grain SP Interlock, using a ±2.5" point blank criteria, you are looking at zeroing at 2.2" high at 100 yards and finding the bottom of the range at 270 yards. 300 yards is -5.1' or -5.2", depending on whether you get 2974 fps or 2990 fps. That's not bad, IMHO. You are still allowing half the diameter of a 10" kill zone for holding error.

I'm not sure why jmr40 thinks serious riflemen don't use the PBR system any longer. Most ballistic calculators still include it because it is a popular system. I still default to the 2" high at 100 yards sighting criteria Jeff Cooper taught me and find it works very well. The PBR is then more like a 4" vertical spread to 230-240 yards for most rifles, but the reticule tells me when I'm getting beyond that and need to estimate range to take a more careful shot, anyway. With that information in hand, I don't mind adding holdover.
 
Unclenick. I'm looking at three different manuals, two from Hornady[#5 and #8] and Speer[#13]. My load is well within their specs. Looking at the Hodgdon site, it does indeed state 51.0gr of IMR4064 as their max charge. Two of my rifles have 22" barrel, a Rem 03-A3 and a Ruger MK II. My Ruger No.1B has a 26" barrel.With my load listed and others, I've never stayed with anything starting to show pressure signs. Whether 150's, 165's or 180's. I understand why you put the warning in my post. Just saying those loads are safe in my rifles. Hopefully, I worded this reply correctly.
 
I guess it all depends on where and when one hunts antelope. I worked up a top load for my .270 for my one and old "goat" hunt based on what I read in the gun and hunting rags. I was ready for that 400 yard shot. :rolleyes: The hunt was in August in New Mexico and I got my antelope with one shot at a whole really long way out 75 yards. :eek: That hunt was done before the rut and the game was well spread out. During the rut as most hunts seem to be, then you have many eyes looking in all directions making things difficult. My animal was spotted and roughly half mile stalk got me to the 75 yards to make that easy shot. Bullet was the 150 gr. Sierra game King.
Now my thought on using the 30-06 for antelope may differ a bit from the OP. My 06 has a 24" barrel and I've found good velocity (2880 FPS Not a max load) and great accuracy with the 165 gr. Nosler Accubond. I'm thinking most antelope country can get pretty windy and that 165 AB will buck the wind a lot better than a 130 or 150 gr. Bullet. I'm thinking the Nosler Accubond Long Range bullet might be even better at 165 gr. from the 06 for antelope if your rifle likes it. I've been playing with a 7MM ABLR and I've found they can be pushed faster than the AB from a 7x57 and .280 Rem. All I have to do now is find the sweet spot.
Paul B.
 
Hornady makes a 'GMX' in 125 grain, BC of .295 that you can drive fast, and it will bust bones.
Works really well on whitetails.

If your barrel don't like them, you can move up in weight from there...
I find them to shoot flat, zip right along and have good terminal ballistics.

I'm getting real fond of Varget. It's consistent, and it's not temprature fussy.
 
I like Varget too. I have only used it in .223 though. I am fairly inexperienced with the 30-06, but I'm always looking for excuses to develop a new load and this one is kind of personal.

Shooting an antelope with my Grandpas one/only hunting rifle he hunted antelope with frequently is something I'm looking forward too.

I might try the 125's AND the 150's and see what they can do. Lots of options in the 150 range.

My last 2 antelope were killed with my 270 and 130 gr Nosler bullets....Antelope are not hard to kill with a decent hunting bullet, the hard part is getting close enough for a shot when they are all staring at me from 450 yards away, hence the need to get out there. I have yet to kill one at less than 275 yards.
 
I sight my hunting rifles in to hit about 1 3/4 inches high at 100 yards. This puts them about zero at 200 and maybe 3 inches low at 300 yards. I am not likely to be shooting at deer over 300 yards. So you don't worry about the range just put the cross hairs on the heart zone and squeeze off.
 
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