light loads for .30-06

[beefyz]

came across a possible contradiction today and wondered if any of you out there have seen this before or can set me straight. for you "older" guys, remember 'ole col. whelen advocating the '06 for use for just about everything. he was using those so called "light" loads before it even became popular. one of them was driving a 150gr fmj at about 1600fps. then i read an up-to-date treatise on the subject and its states at velocities less than 2,000fps you run the risk of getting a bullet stuck in the bore, or, worse yet, filling up the barrel with residue and unburned powder risking the chance of an explosion. in addition to this , "fillers" such as dacron or kapok are often added to keep the reduced powder charges closer to the base. magnum primers were also used. is/does this have to be that complicated ? as an old weenie, my hunting days are over but i still get the urge to squeeze off a few rounds from that ole m77 i have and would do alot more of if i didn't have the confusion or hassle of having to put these loads together. my older manuals do not have these loads and i'm not about to start a library again. anyone out there care to comment on this phenomena ? recommend some loads that a friend seemed to remember seeing in a newer speer manual? are magnum primers used in these loads? are fillers necessary. i shoot .30 cal carbine already, want to go up from there but don't think dropping the '06 down to .30-.30 loads is enough of a drop either. would like to use bullets between 120-150grs strictly for targeting, although can something like a 100-110 gr also be used. thanks for any help.

Information

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[Calif-Steve]

I cast my own bullets with wheel weights and a Lee 200gr. mould. I use 18 gr. 5744. Cheap and fun. A light load I also use in bolt matches is 40gr. 4895 and a Sierra 168gr. SMK. Very nice in my '03 and my '17. Good luck.

[Jerome Cooper]

I too cast my own bullets from WW and sometimes from Linotype for 12 rifles in 30-06 in weights ranging fro 120-220 grains and shoot them in a muzzle velocity range between 1300 and 2000 fps. This has been going on for around 5 decades. No bullet ever got stuck in a barrel, no excessive fouling ever occurred, nor did anything ever explode. There was occasionally some unburned powder, when as a beginner I used a wrong charge of a slower burning powder with a bullet that was too light. I never used a filler altho other handloaders have done so successfully. I never had to use magnum primers, but under certain conditions/circumstances they have their place. The use of light loads in 30-06 were often called "squibb loads" or "gallery loads" and were sometimes used for training purposes. Some people also called them "practice loads".
It has become more popular in recent times to use light charges of faster burning powders and even pistol powders in light loadings. It is a very economical practice cost-wise. When doing so one has to be careful to not double charge the case as the charges are often very light and they don't take up very much space in the 06 case.Common sense precautions will avoid any problem. It is often recommended to raise the rifle muzzle between shots to position the powder at the rear of the case. Some loaders will use a filler to hold the powder in that position instead of elevating the muzzle. Either way works.
There is a large number of handloaders currently using light loads in 30-06. A forum with very heavy traffic in this area is castbullets.com and its worth taking a look at. There are endless powder-bullet combinations to choose from, as well as many cast bullet weights to use. With the usual tinkering or using recommended loads as a basis, very accurate results can be achieved at 100 yards or more. The use of FMJ for light loads is not necessary or really practical when casts can yield the same results....actually better since you as the caster can control the quality of the projectile, especially weightwise.
I respect Col Whelan and his work especially his investigations and writings in the realm of 30 caliber, and cast bullets. published in the NRA Handloading publications. I don't think that he would have agreed with some of the possible contradictions that you encountered. However without belaboring any points further I would suggest to you to do some more searches particularly on that other forum, on this topic and consider making some decisions regarding light loads for your 06 shooting. JC

[beefyz]

thanks cali and jc.....
as a follow up...unfortunately,i do not plan to get into casting. as you guys undoubtedly know, its been hard enough and $$$$$$ just to get the basic components together again to again start reloading. i'm not worried about going out beyond 100yds. these loads would be strictly for target and plinking, probably @100. as such, can a fmj be used? i don't think hornady makes the 150 anymore. can you suggest the few speer loads that are suppossedly out there.

[USSR]

If you are to use a FMJ bullet, I would suggest a mid-range load such as the old Lake City 300 meter match load: 172gr FMJBT bullet and 42.0gr of IMR4895 for 2300fps. With a 150gr FMJ bullet, I would use 41.0gr of IMR4895.

Don

[AKA Hugh Uno]

14 grains Red Dot (fills 70% of case, no filler needed) with any bullet from 150-200 grains you like. extremely accurate and ZERO chance any bullet is gonna get stuck in your bore. 1650+ fps.

[rayg]

thanks cali and jc.....
as a follow up...unfortunately,i do not plan to get into casting. as you guys undoubtedly know, its been hard enough and $$$$$$ just to get the basic components together again to again start reloading. i'm not worried about going out beyond 100yds. these loads would be strictly for target and plinking, probably @100. as such, can a fmj be used? i don't think hornady makes the 150 anymore. can you suggest the few speer loads that are suppossedly out there.

Just a thought, a Lee mould costs about $17-$20, a lead laddle can't be that much and the gas checks about $25 per thousand. Probably could use the bullets as cast and not have to buy a bullet sizer and you can make your own lub using recipies listed on reloading sites or books. Actually not much more then a 100 jacketed bullets which run plus or minus $25 per hundred. And which you have to buy again and again.
But once set up with the above, that is the cost for a thousand bullets unless you don't get the wheelweights or lead/tin free which is then is a minor cost. The next thousand is only the cost of the gas checks. Cast bullets would be ideal for the type of shooting you want to do, Ray

[JBS]

Beefyz, jump over to the Hodgdon on line Reloading Date Base. They have a load listed for 30-06 150gr pill with Trail Boss powder. Great powder for reduced loads. Gives outstanding loading density. Also if you call thier help line and ask how to come up with min and max loads with this powder for other unlisted Cals they will tell you and you will be surprised how to do it. Cartridge Loads - Hodgdon Reloading Data Center - data.hodgdon.com

[gmerkt]

For light jacketed bullet loads in .30-06 (bolt and single shot rifles) I like to use a 110 gr. bullet such as the Hornady spitzer powered by 26.0 gr. of AA 5744. There are other similar combinations you can come up with along this line; another favorite powder of mine for recipes of this kind is SR 4759 which I've been using for reduced/light loads (cast and jacketed) in .30-06 and 8mm Mauser for years. Either (IMR or H) 4198 is also good for lighter loads; I usually use this with a heavier bullet than the 110 gr. in .30-06. 4198 is a very handy powder to have around; you can use it for reduced loads in bottleneck cartridges, full charges in straight-walled cartridges such as the .45-70, or the .22 centerfires.

I keep one .30-06 scoped rifle zeroed to the 110 gr. load above all the time.

[Kirk]

Never heard of a cast bullet @1500 fps sticking in a rifle barrel.

In any event, stay clear of fillers; they can, if not done perfectly, cause what amounts to an obstructed bore and a destructed rifle or at least a ringed bore.

The faster burning powders like 2400 do not need fillers and give excellent accuracy with cast bullets.