Hunting Forum

I've been reloading for my Rem. 700 .30-'06. I've found a good load in the Nosler Ballistic Tip Hunting bullets in 165 gr. loaded with 57 gr. of IMR 4350. My groups are around  1.5 inches at 100 yr. I'm happy with this as it is a production rifle with no modifications like an after market trigger or even glass bedding. 

you need to shoot that load over a chronograph to see what the true velocity is from your rifle, and then you will be able to adjust accordingly. from the sound of it you are going a little slower than what they predicted.

If you read the information in the beginning of the section of the reloading data, they generally tell you what type of firearm and barrel length they used to produce the data. How similar is it to yours?

Are you sure you looked the up the ballistics correctly? Hodgdon lists 56 grains IMR 4350 and a 165 Sierra at 2746, let's say you're getting 2800. Nosler shows the BC of your bullet at .475. Plug those numbers into Hornady's ballistic calculator with a 100 yd zero and it shows a drop of 7.6 at 250 and 13.2 inches of drop at 300. Lose a 100 fps and you drop another inch at both ranges. A chrony will tell the tale for sure.

I sight in my 270 and 7mm-08 to be 3 inches high at 100, that allows me to hold center chest on a deer to 300 and hit it in the vital zone.

First do you use a factory crimp die if not that is one problem. and IMR 4350 powder's dont like the cold, wet, and the heat very well.. you can load H-4895 and get better FPS and lower pressure's but you need to use the factory crimp die to get all of you load's the same and also you should trim them all to the trim to length ( AFTER YOU SIZE THEM ) .. Retired USMC Sniper.. LM National Matchshooters ASSC. When we were out in the field the first thing we did was check all of our ammo befor we even used it and if it was not right we just put it in a box and left it for the pick-up team and they would test us all the time to make all of us check our ammo..   Good luck and safe shooting..   And DK99300 that is a very good thing that you do because it sound's like you like it slow and that is why you have to set you shot's 3in high at 100yrds .. I shot my 30/06 150gr hornady bullets with 51grs of H-4895 and the fps is 2980 and the pressure's are only 45,000 cup and at 100yrds , I put them in the X ring and at 300 and 400 , I'm still in the 10 ring ..

All good info. You are close to the max powder load there. Yes elevation will make a little differance in bullet drop. The bullet will slow down the same amount at the same distance, Higher or lower than the target, but if you are shooting downward you still have to account for gravity pulling the bullet that don't change. But what is the true range to each of the targets. Not line of sight. What arc does your bullet have to make. The data they give you is for a flat shot, in perfect condisions. And all guns shoot differantly. Get to know your gun.

You should be getting better groups than 1.50" at 100 yds. I would try a different powder. If I can help, let me know. Try RL 22 Min: 59.0* grs. Vel: 2812 f/s; Mid: 61.0 grs. Vel: 2907; Max: 63.0grs. Vel: 3002 f/s. (*Most accurate load.)

This Data is from Nosler Reloading Manual #4.
.30-06 Sprg. Nosler 165 gr. Ballistic Tip

Don't forget to start at Min.

 

 

Thanks, there is a lot of great information here. I'll have to try each one one by one.

LWALT...I have a Ruger M77 30-06, I shoot 180 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips, I load it up with 55.8 grains of IMR 4350 powder over a CCI BR-2 primer and I shoot it in the cold, wet climate of ALASKA.
If I have your attention now...
My bullets chronograph consistently at 2700 FPS, I have my gun zeroed at 300 yards, it shoots 6.5 inches high at 100 yards, and 6.5 inches high at 200 yards, dead zero at 300 yards and 12.5 inches low at 400 yards.
It is THE load for my gun, it has been a consistent load over some twenty-three years, has won contests and is so accurate, I don't need to worry about drift or weather conditions.
I don't know about your "tower" situation, but I use a standard range to sight in and chronograph my loads.

Your load is not all that different from what I have been using for many years, so I can't see why you are getting the drop at the ranges you cite.

Posted By Cherokee on 30 Aug 2012 09:42 PM
   And DK99300 that is a very good thing that you do because it sound's like you like it slow and that is why you have to set you shot's 3in high at 100yrds

140 grain at 2898 from the 7mm-08 ain't exactly slow.  I haven't chonographed the 270/130 load yet but 60 grains of H4831SC should yield 3000 fps +/-, not what I would call slow either.

I sight in 3 inches high at 100 because that is an easy number to remember for ALL my rifles similar to the 270, it ensures that I can hold center of the chest to 300 yds and hit the vital zone.  No need to hold over or under and only one range estimation to make (is it less than 300?)  Fast, simple and easy. Great for hunting.  I started doing it that way a long time ago, after I saw it in a book by Jack O'Connor.

Anyhow, I'm eagerly waiting to hear if the OP gets it figured out.

Dale

Re-check your data, I am shooting the same load it sounds like the drop for a 200 yard zero.  Another thing I found was a big difference in primer selection with the Federal 210 or 210M I get excellent performance, if I use CCI primers with no other change the groups open up and performance diminishes.  The same powder & primer combination works very well with Hornady's SST bullets.