# powder for 30/06



## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

Hello everyone i am completely new to this so i must be doing something wrong please correct me if it is something major. I just started reloading 2 months ago and started with 30-30 using imr 4895 150 grain Hornady bullet the charge is out of modern reloading second edition. I recently bought a lee perfect powder measure but it does not drop a consistent charge using imr 4895 so i "googled it" and looked at a forum that said the lee perfect powder measures don't work reliably with stick powders so i am looking for a non stick powder for reloading 30/06, any experience or suggestions are appreciated. I believe i will be using a 150 grain bullet not sure the brand but not hollow point or anything special. Thanks


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I can't help, because I have always used 4895...but through a better-quality powder measure.
Therefore my real suggestion is that you invest in a better powder measure, rather than change powders. (Or, you could do both.)


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

thank you, imr 4895 is the very first powder i have dealt with so i'm trying to acquire more to work with and try out do you reload 30/06?

what is your experience if you have and what are the components you are using.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I have finally gotten so old that I no longer do much reloading...because I don't shoot much any more.
But I used to reload a very large amount of both .45 ACP and .30-'06, for competition in "practical shooting" events.

I was using (mostly) once-fired ex-GI cases, some purchased from dealers, and some once-fired from my own personal stash of military-issue loads.

My normal .30-'06 loading was Speer 165-grain softpoints over 4895. I still have hundreds of rounds of it stockpiled.
I also experimented with 165-grain and 168-grain boattail match bullets, but went back to my flat-base softpoints.

I began loading with the Lyman turret press I already had, but I soon found it too slow to keep up with the amount of ammunition I needed for weekly practice.
I then changed to a Dillon press, with die sets for both .45 and .30-'06 (which both use the same size shell-holder), and I was completely satisfied in every respect.
I rigged an old Lyman #55 powder measure into a case-mouth expander die, to load rifle rounds, and used the Dillon measure for pistol cases.
I check-weighed the first five rifle charges of a session, another somewhere randomly in the middle, and one more at the end. I never checked the pistol charges.
Rifle cases were full-length resized on a single-stage press, before entering them into the Dillon process. The Dillon press full-length resized .45 brass well.
Both rifle and pistol cases were taper crimped (in different dies, of course) at the last stage on the Dillon.

I was using so much practice and competition ammunition that even the relatively expensive Dillon press ($500.00, in 1979) paid for itself in just a couple of weeks of high-volume reloading. (I've still got it, it still works, and I still use it once in a while.)
Of course, I don't count my labor and time, and that of my young daughter who worked with me. She and I were mere slave labor to the press. But it was really good bonding time, and both of us enjoyed the process and the companionship.


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## Heckler (May 13, 2015)

Can someone tell me the easy way to submit a NEW post? Or Thread? I have registered and even emailed the contact link and still no answer. 
Thanks.
Terry.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Heckler said:


> Can someone tell me the easy way to submit a NEW post? Or Thread? I have registered and even emailed the contact link and still no answer.
> Thanks.
> Terry.


See my PM.


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## hillman (Jul 27, 2014)

Win760 is a useful powder for .30-06, and it's a spherical, friendlier to powder measures. Extruded, long cut powders are a problem for most 'throwers', but much less so if you operate the thrower in a firm, vigorous manner.


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

Steve M1911A1 Thank you very much I have just started reloading on a lee turret press that came in a kit i have been researching reloading for a couple years and finally got the chance to buy everything i needed. The turret press is perfect for me as i don't have any center fire pistols to reload for just a 30-30 for now. What did you reload 45 acp for and did you shoot long range with your 30/06?


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

Hillman I will look in to Winchester 760. What primer and bullet did you use?


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## hillman (Jul 27, 2014)

wesjwa said:


> Hillman I will look in to Winchester 760. What primer and bullet did you use?


Wes, that Lee manual is good, but you need one or two more. The Hornady manual is good and so are their bullets. I use CCI primers mostly, because I use the RCBS APS hand priming tool. Winchester small pistol primers (WSP), because I have a couple handguns that like them better.


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

Thanks hillman what book do you recommend next? I wont be able to buy any components for awhile the closest store is 45 miles away (that i know sells reloading components) but i might be able to buy manuals off amazon.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

wesjwa said:


> Steve M1911A1 Thank you very much...What did you reload 45 acp for and did you shoot long range with your 30/06?


I was shooting a whole lot of .45 ACP in "practical shooting" competition, first in IPSC/SWPL (where I was very modestly successful) and then in a new, much more practical discipline which promoted effective self-defense and survival skills.
I shot another whole lot, this time of .30-'06, in practical field exercises hosted by that same new, more-practical discipline. Our normal work took us out to 600 yards, and we also competed in an annual event that took us to 1,050 yards. Much of that shooting was "man-vs.-man" on steel plates of various sizes, first hit wins. There were also moving targets, both walking-speed and running, out to 600 yards.

Although I moved away from the area 17 years ago, and thus stopped competing, the discipline itself is still going strong.


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

That is very cool to hear about this kind of thing. I would like to get into shooting long range but i don't have the money saved up to do so plus i don't have the know how. Is there much adjustment shooting that far at 600 and 1059 yard shooting for bullet drop and wind speed for 30/06?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

wesjwa said:


> That is very cool to hear about this kind of thing. I would like to get into shooting long range but i don't have the money saved up to do so plus i don't have the know how. Is there much adjustment shooting that far at 600 and 1059 yard shooting for bullet drop and wind speed for 30/06?


In a word, "Yes!"
You need to learn adjustments for distance, spin-drift, and wind-drift.
The best way to learn this stuff is, first, to read a book or two on long-range shooting (no, I can't recommend anything specifically), and, two, get into a group of shooters who regularly do long-range work and ask them for coaching and help.

If you start out on a range with a regular pit and a pit crew (a duty which you will have to join, too), using NRA-standard 1,000-yard targets and markers, you will find the learning process easier. The standard target is _huge_, and the markers are big enough to be seen through ordinary binoculars. (Use the big target for everything, starting at 300 yards.)
Use a "6-O'Clock" hold (aim at the bottom of the bullseye) and adjust your sights so that your hits go in exactly where you have been aiming. Using any other technique may be proper for target shooting, but I suggest that "practical" shooting is more useful; and for that you want to hit exactly where you're aiming, rather than somewhere else.
Shoot three- or five-shot groups, and then adjust your sight according to the apparent center of the group (no matter how large a group it is). Make permanent notes in a notebook, for future reference. Write down the sight corrections for the range, and also for the drift at that distance. Shoot at (at least) 300, 600, and 1,000 yards.

I've done the job with both iron sights (Lyman #48) and with a scope with a "plex" reticle. The angular distances between the features of a scope's "plex" reticle become important, when figuring out elevation and windage changes for the various distances.

A bipod helps, but it isn't necessary if your technique is reasonably good.
Any decently accurate rifle will be sufficient, but I suggest that it be in a full-size, 30-caliber round like the .30-'06 or the .308. Any good-quality rifle you choose will be more accurate than you, yourself, are.
Learn to use a sling for solid support. Learn a good, solid prone technique. Do a lot of dry-fire practice in your solid prone position and with your sling.


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

I'm not old enough to go anywhere so i'll have to read a few books on the subject and start saving money. I live on a 160 acre farm 2 miles from town so i have never been to a range.


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

What type or brand of scopes were you using? My father had a savage 308 it had a shooters edge rifle scope it was recently stolen but it was the most accurate gun we have had. (only shooting MAYBE 100 yards) it got knocked off and when we would shoot a coyote it would hit him in the rear end then we would have to track him.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

...And get a long-range laser rangefinder, too, then.

You're going to have to teach yourself, I guess. Start your career shooting at short range, go no further than 300 yards, and learn as you go.

I envy your 160-acre farm, and its possibilities for shooting practice. We have to take an expensive one-hour ferry ride and drive 75 miles, each way, to do any meaningful shooting at all.

I've been through a few scopes. Right now, it's a Leupold long-eye-relief "scout" scope.


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

Thank you sorry for the trouble. The farm is my dads. The 30/06 i would be reloading for is my grandfathers its a Mossberg patriot (if you have ever shot one or owned one please give me your opinion) we have only shot it once so i'm trying to figure the cost and everything to reload for it before jumping in feet first.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

wesjwa said:


> ...The 30/06 i would be reloading for is my grandfathers its a Mossberg patriot...


...And mine is a much-modified antique Springfield, made just before WW2.


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

how modified (sorry for so many questions but i like to learn about this as much as i can before long no one will care or think of it) It may not be related but my grandfather has a British 303 Santa Fe model 1944 doesn't this rifle have some relation to a Springfield?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

wesjwa said:


> ...my grandfather has a British 303 Santa Fe model 1944 doesn't this rifle have some relation to a Springfield?


I am not familiar with any British rifle noted as a "Santa Fe model 1944."
Does it look like this: https://www.google.com/search?q=smle+rifle&biw=1447&bih=827&tbm=isch&imgil=bHrmDlHBhQ5fuM%253A%253BxCrfpUK304CLuM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.jaybe-militaria.co.uk%25252Fdeactivated-lee-enfield-smle-mk3--rifle-1912-dated-with-volley-sights-lsa-made-sold-372-p.asp&source=iu&pf=m&fir=bHrmDlHBhQ5fuM%253A%252CxCrfpUK304CLuM%252C_&usg=__H2G1MmsvTMUdXg-wIjRY951MqEY%3D&ved=0ahUKEwiTqt2j5PTNAhXFWT4KHXKQAHsQyjcISQ&ei=2HqIV5PeE8Wz-QHyoILYBw#imgrc=zOjB5MEVWGGVeM%3A
Or like this: https://www.google.com/search?q=smle+rifle&biw=1447&bih=827&tbm=isch&imgil=bHrmDlHBhQ5fuM%253A%253BxCrfpUK304CLuM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.jaybe-militaria.co.uk%25252Fdeactivated-lee-enfield-smle-mk3--rifle-1912-dated-with-volley-sights-lsa-made-sold-372-p.asp&source=iu&pf=m&fir=bHrmDlHBhQ5fuM%253A%252CxCrfpUK304CLuM%252C_&usg=__H2G1MmsvTMUdXg-wIjRY951MqEY%3D&ved=0ahUKEwiTqt2j5PTNAhXFWT4KHXKQAHsQyjcISQ&ei=2HqIV5PeE8Wz-QHyoILYBw#imgrc=NxoY9RsjOMMNDM%3A
Or like this: https://www.google.com/search?q=smle+rifle&biw=1447&bih=827&tbm=isch&imgil=bHrmDlHBhQ5fuM%253A%253BxCrfpUK304CLuM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.jaybe-militaria.co.uk%25252Fdeactivated-lee-enfield-smle-mk3--rifle-1912-dated-with-volley-sights-lsa-made-sold-372-p.asp&source=iu&pf=m&fir=bHrmDlHBhQ5fuM%253A%252CxCrfpUK304CLuM%252C_&usg=__H2G1MmsvTMUdXg-wIjRY951MqEY%3D&ved=0ahUKEwiTqt2j5PTNAhXFWT4KHXKQAHsQyjcISQ&ei=2HqIV5PeE8Wz-QHyoILYBw#tbm=isch&q=pattern+14+rifle&imgrc=5V6v0S6_3OO50M%3A

The first two have no relation to the Springfield.
The last one, the British Pattern 14 in .303, is based upon the same Mauser action as is our M1903 Springfield.
The Pattern 14 was used by US troops in WW1 (and somewhat in WW2), but chambered in .30-'06 and renamed our M1917.


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

The first two look like it but they are not "sporterized" (if that is a word) in google images search santa fe model 1944 the rifle will pop up. It must not have any relation.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Got it.
It's a standard SMLE or Rifle #4, but with a sporter stock, a slightly modified barrel contour, and different sights.
It would be an adequate deer rifle, but not too good for antelope (greater distance) or elk (bigger animal).

The standard bullet from the British .303 cartridge follows a higher curve ("shoots less flat") than that of a .30-'06.
Its bullet is heavier, but it travels at a slightly slower speed, yielding a little less energy.

The Lee-Enfield action (both SMLE and #4) is quicker to operate than that of the Springfield or the Mauser, and the rifle did excellent work for the British army.
It has been said that the Springfield is really a target rifle, the German-issue Mauser is really a hunting rifle, and the British SMLE (and #4) is really a battle rifle.
I agree completely.
But the .303 cartridge — and its rifle's standard British sights — is not terribly well suited to very accurate, very-long-range shooting.


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## Blackhawkman (Apr 9, 2014)

I weigh my hunting loads ALL by hand using an Ohaus balance beam scale. IF you are going to do alotta loading in the future then invest in quality equipment. You will be glad you did. (try pulling your bullets after you had a brain fart?) I use BLC-2 for my 30-06 loads, and it feeds thru my powder measure on my Dillon 550B just fine. For 4895 I weigh each charge for my hunting loads. JMO hope this helps!?


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

i believe it is sighted in for 100 yards but has only been shot a handful of times.


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## wesjwa (Jul 2, 2016)

thanks Black hawk man ive been weighing every single charge after i found the dispenser unreliable.


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