Reloading 30.06

[TexMex247]

I crimp every damn thing. Across over a dozen calibers both pistol and rifle. Many moons ago I did some Chrono and Target work and found lower sd's and es for crimped rounds but only marginally albeit better accuracy in a hunting rifle of mine.

I also exclusively use the lee fcd.

 

[Axxe55]

.400 Whelen - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[JuanGrande]

JuanGrande,

NOTE: I'm going to have a .30-06 model 760 remodeled by Jessie at JES to .400 Brown-Whelen Improved, which uses the same size/weight bullets as the old .405WCF.

ADDENDA: The .400 B-WI is the HARDEST hitting cartridge that can be made from a .30-06 case. = With the 400 grain SOLID at 2100-2300FPS it's "enough gun" for anything short of a T-Rex, in the hands of "a decent shot".
(Adequate "power" & DEEPER PENETRATION, when compared to the .458 WIN, are the main real "positives" of the .400 B-WI.)

yours, satx

Jeez that sounds like one helluva job rifle. I’ve never heard of that caliber and thought I was pretty familiar with most wildcat calibers.

Good luck on your hunt. If you have any loaded rounds, post up a pic.

 

[satx78247]

Jeez that sounds like one helluva job rifle. I’ve never heard of that caliber and thought I was pretty familiar with most wildcat calibers.

Good luck on your hunt. If you have any loaded rounds, post up a pic.

JuanGrande,

FYI, the book, BIG BORE RIFLES & CARTRIDGES (published by Wolfe Publishing Company, 1991) has an entire chapter on the .400 B-WI. = The cartridge was described by Peter Hathaway Capstick, the famous author & big game hunter as "the ballistic twin" of the "well-regarded in Africa" .404 Jeffery

The .400 B-WI is essentially the "big brother" of the .35 Whelen.
(Cases are simple to make by fire-forming .30-06 or .35 Whelen brass in a rifle in that caliber.)

yours, satx

 

[Axxe55]

JuanGrande,

FYI, the book, BIG BORE RIFLES & CARTRIDGES (published by Wolfe Publishing Company, 1991) has an entire chapter on the .400 B-WI. = The cartridge is "the ballistic twin" of the "well-regarded in Africa" .404 Jeffery

The .400 B-WI is essentially the "big brother" of the .35 Whelen.
(Cases are simple to make by fire-forming .30-06 or .35 Whelen brass in a rifle in that caliber.)

yours, satx

The 400 Whelen is capable cartriidge on some larger game, but it's not the "ballistic twin" of the 404 Jeffery cartridge by a long shot.

404 Jeffery.

Bullet mass/type	Velocity	Energy
400 gr (26 g) Norma Solid	2,325 ft/s (709 m/s)	4,802 ft⋅lbf (6,511 J)
450 gr (29 g) Woodleigh FMJ	2,150 ft/s (660 m/s)	4,620 ft⋅lbf (6,260 J)
450 gr (29 g) Woodleigh soft nose	2,150 ft/s (660 m/s)	4,620 ft⋅lbf (6,260 J)

400 Whelen.

Bullet mass/type	Velocity	Energy
300 gr (19 g) SP	2,300 ft/s (700 m/s)	3,522 ft⋅lbf (4,775 J)
350 gr (23 g)	2,100 ft/s (640 m/s)	3,430 ft⋅lbf (4,650 J)

.404 Jeffery - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

.400 Whelen - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

.30-06 Springfield - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I provided the information on the 30-06 since the 400 Whelen is derived from that cartridge. If you will notice the cartridge specs, there is a huge difference between the two in case capacity.

 

[Deavis]

I’m new to reloading rifle rounds, and I had a question about crimping.I wanna make sure I’m doing everything right. Bullets I’m using are Hornady 150 grain SP and they do have a canellure.

Being new, I'd suggest the simplest rule. If the bullet has a cannelure then crimp it and if it doesn't remove any flare you may have added for seating. The latter may seem hard but just put your calipers on the mouth carefully and you'll be able to hit the mouth diameter spec easily with a little adjusting.

Later, as you gain confidence, skill, and experience you can experiment with it to see whether you want to or not. A properly crimped bullet will not cause you any grief as you build your skills, it is a safe bet while you develop your abilities.

 

[CodyK]

FINALLY got to the range to test my loads. I came away with a couple things:

1) I definitely need some sort of rest to shoot off. The range I went to had some little bean bags and wood blocks to help, but there’s no real way to tell if it’s the load or the shooter when you’re trying to rest your rifle on a wood block and bean bag. I pretty much knew that but I was hoping the range might have something better I could use. And.......

2) I need a chronograph. Another thing I knew, but thought it was more of a luxury than a necessity. I now know I was wrong.

But overall I am really happy with the loads. I had 4 different loadings, and I shot a 4 round group of each at 100 yards. Im confident that I know what direction I need to go, and I’m gonna be able to really fine tune one. The first pic is of a group I shot with what was just about in the middle of the load data from the Hornady book (I pulled one and knew as soon as I pulled the trigger!). The second pic is of a 4 shot group that was a little hotter. The groupings definitely started to open up as the loads got hotter, which is kind of expected. I’m gonna get a decent rifle rest and a chrono, and try to fine tune a load now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deavis]

Looking at your list, I would focus on getting your setup and rifle tuned up before I worried about a chronograph. It is a luxury, you were right about that, it wont do anything to improve your shooting on its own. To wit, there are guys shooting tiny groups who couldnt tell you the velocity and couldnt care less.

Not trying to be a jerk but your groups are poor for a modern rifle at 100 yards. Unless that is the capability of the rifle, chasing loads with groups that big is as fruitful as chasing statistics with a 5 shot group over a chrony. If that is the best that rifle can do then please ignore me and carry on, just an observation that I would spend more time behind the trigger and less behind the press until my groups were as small and consistent as possible so I could interpret the results properly. Again, not trying to be a jerk about you, your shooting, or your rifle.

 

[deemus]

There’s some truth to that. If your technique has been honed then I’d try varying the powder charges again. I ended up with a 4 shot group around 3/4 with my 30-06. That’s my go-to load for that one. And I’m super happy with it.

As happy as I am with my 3/8” group in my AR. And my .448 group in my Creedmoor.

But it took a while of honing my shooting technique to be able to get those type groups.

 

[MTA]

FINALLY got to the range to test my loads. I came away with a couple things:

1) I definitely need some sort of rest to shoot off. The range I went to had some little bean bags and wood blocks to help, but there’s no real way to tell if it’s the load or the shooter when you’re trying to rest your rifle on a wood block and bean bag. I pretty much knew that but I was hoping the range might have something better I could use. And.......

2) I need a chronograph. Another thing I knew, but thought it was more of a luxury than a necessity. I now know I was wrong.

But overall I am really happy with the loads. I had 4 different loadings, and I shot a 4 round group of each at 100 yards. Im confident that I know what direction I need to go, and I’m gonna be able to really fine tune one. The first pic is of a group I shot with what was just about in the middle of the load data from the Hornady book (I pulled one and knew as soon as I pulled the trigger!). The second pic is of a 4 shot group that was a little hotter. The groupings definitely started to open up as the loads got hotter, which is kind of expected. I’m gonna get a decent rifle rest and a chrono, and try to fine tune a load now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What rifle are you testing these loads with btw? Idk if you said it already

Imo a good rest is an absolute necessity and a chronograph is a nice to have (depending on what type of shooting you are doing). I dont own a chrono but my 308 “deer massacre” loads will shoot .5 moa out of my Ruger American. I use it only for hunting and I really dont care about the velocity so much since I train alot with it to know where its going to hit at different distances of 100-300 yards. A chrono might be more important for tuning for distance perhaps but if its just for a hunting rifle, I would invest my money in trying out different bullet weights and types. Doing this has always allowed me to find what bullet and weight my barrel likes

Id suggest doing a ladder test to find out where to start looking at creating experimental charge weights

 

[CodyK]

I definitely need more trigger time. I had personally only put about 20 rounds through the rifle before today. It’s a 70 year old Remington 721 that I bought to hunt with late last year. I put a Leupold 3-9 scope on it, and got it zero’d at 100. It’s the first rifle I’ve owned that I’ve attempted to shoot at any distance over 25-50 yards. Today I was shooting with a wood block and a bean bag under the fore grip, and I was holding the stock. I am gonna buy some type of shooting rest or vice to tighten things up. Im definitely not a great shot, but I have shot my friends Ruger Precision 6.5 Creedmoor at 1,000 yards and rang steel, so I’m not terrible. It’s a hunting rifle, so while sub MOA groups would be amazing, if I can shoot 2 MOA groups just resting the front of my rifle on the window ledge in my blind, I’ll put meat in the freezer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MTA]

I definitely need more trigger time. I had personally only put about 20 rounds through the rifle before today. It’s a 70 year old Remington 721 that I bought to hunt with late last year. I put a Leupold 3-9 scope on it, and got it zero’d at 100. It’s the first rifle I’ve owned that I’ve attempted to shoot at any distance over 25-50 yards. Today I was shooting with a wood block and a bean bag under the fore grip, and I was holding the stock. I am gonna buy some type of shooting rest or vice to tighten things up. Im definitely not a great shot, but I have shot my friends Ruger Precision 6.5 Creedmoor at 1,000 yards and rang steel, so I’m not terrible. It’s a hunting rifle, so while sub MOA groups would be amazing, if I can shoot 2 MOA groups just resting the front of my rifle on the window ledge in my blind, I’ll put meat in the freezer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One thing I always do with my hunting rifles is take a good look at whether the stock trigger is worth a damn. Not sure about the 721 using the same trigger as the 700, but if so get a new trigger on there. I use a Jewell trigger on my rem model 7 and it is the nicest rifle trigger I have ever owned.

The right handloads should get you awesome accuracy, a nice trigger will get you consistently awesome accuracy

 

[CodyK]

One thing I always do with my hunting rifles is take a good look at whether the stock trigger is worth a damn. Not sure about the 721 using the same trigger as the 700, but if so get a new trigger on there. I use a Jewell trigger on my rem model 7 and it is the nicest rifle trigger I have ever owned.

The right handloads should get you awesome accuracy, a nice trigger will get you consistently awesome accuracy

I had looked at the Timney Elite Hunter trigger right after I got it, but I got conflicting info on whether or not it would fit, and I never followed through.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MTA]

I had looked at the Timney Elite Hunter trigger right after I got it, but I got conflicting info on whether or not it would fit, and I never followed through.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did you call Timney? They should know for sure

Also check these guys out. They are suppose to be really nice and looks like they are compatible with the 721

Remington Aftermarket / Replacement Rifle Triggers (Model 700, 7, 721)

RIFLE BASIX is a Leading U.S. Manufacturer of aftermarket Remington rifle triggers for the Model 700, Model 7, 721, XR-100 and 40x. CNC Machined, High Quality.

riflebasix.com

 

[CodyK]

Did you call Timney? They should know for sure

Also check these guys out. They are suppose to be really nice and looks like they are compatible with the 721

Remington Aftermarket / Replacement Rifle Triggers (Model 700, 7, 721)

RIFLE BASIX is a Leading U.S. Manufacturer of aftermarket Remington rifle triggers for the Model 700, Model 7, 721, XR-100 and 40x. CNC Machined, High Quality.

riflebasix.com

There is a “contact a technician” form on Timneys website, so I emailed last night. I looked at the rifle basix triggers last night also. They don’t seem to be adjustable, which isn’t a big issue, but you have to select what pull weight you want when you buy it, and I’m not sure what pull weight would I would be most comfortable with.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[deemus]

Lighter is better. My 06 has a 2 lb trigger.

 

[MTA]

There is a “contact a technician” form on their website, so I emailed last night.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice hope it works out. Timneys are great. I wanted to get them for my Rugers but ended up getting some MCARBO springs to try out first. $12 beats $175

 

[CodyK]

Tech from Timney said their Elite Hunter Trigger should be good to go in my 721. I went and got a rifle rest also. Gotta be better than trying to fight with wood blocks, bean bags, and my hoodie, to get a stable shooting platform!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[benenglish]

I looked at the rifle basix triggers last night also.

I have multiple triggers from them and have always been happy with their performance.

 

[TEXAS "All or nothing"]

Don't forget that crimping creates more pressure, so start lower, crimp and work up.