.30-06 varmint loads

[Commander Keen]

I'm fairly new to the realoading business, and have concentrated mainly on building a good deer load.
Lately though, I've given some thought to trying to load up a very light-weight bullet for use as a varmint load. Does anyone have any experience or reccomendations for this, as far as bullets/powders go?

 

[Ksmirk]

What would you be considering varmints? I know in my 308 I found that the bullets I would use for hunting worked well or should I say didn't scatter a yote over half the county. I would say that a bullet in the 150-165 grain range would be ok but I would not want to take an 06 to a p-dog town. Later,

Kirk

 

[Shriner]

any 110 gr over 48gr of 760 =3000+/-fps will drop jackrabbits and other small game. check your reload books for loads to try,I check about 4 books for loads and start at the load that matchs in most of the books.
125,130gr will also work for smaller targets than deer.

 

[criticalbass]

Most 30-06 barrels have a 1 in 10 twist. This will spin light bullets, especially cheap ones, so fast they become unstable unless you load them really light to keep the speed down. I think I would make my lightest loads in the 140-150 grain range.

If you really want to get into varmint shooting, pick up a 22-250 or something similar. Look at Savages. 30-06 will do lots of stuff, but it's still a fairly heavy caliber. CB

 

[_CY_]

use a different round like 22-250 for varmints

the super versatile .270 win can be loaded for varmint and deer
.270 win handles 90-150 grn bullets... my fav handload uses 130 grn Hornady bullets. this loads drops any deer I've ever met... zero your scope 2 inch high at 100yds....shoots almost flat up to 300yds.

 

[Fitz]

I believe Remington makes 30/06 ammunition called the Accelerator for this purpose. Never used it but I knew a guy that did. Said he could never get it to group any good.

 

[Rod Snell]

Years ago I played around with loading all sorts of different bullet weights in various medium caliber deer rifles.

What finally worked its way into my mind was:
1. There always seems to be a "sweet spot" where the bullet weight just matches the rifle and shoots best (this was before the Browning BOSS).
2. Even if I could get a light bullet load and a medium bullet load to work, they shot to very different points of aim, and the rifle was always zeroed to the "other" load when I wanted to shoot.

So, I now just use one weight bullet per rifle, and whatever I shoot with my .270 rifle gets a dose of 130gr, for example. Deer, coyote, pig, even have shot the heads off rabblts. The only concession I make is to use a Partition for elk, and a Hornady Interbond when not elk hunting (they shoot to the same group).

Long winded way of saying if you want to shoot all day in a dogtown, I'd take a .22-250.

 

[12gabackup]

I believe Remington makes 30/06 ammunition called the Accelerator for this purpose. Never used it but I knew a guy that did. Said he could never get it to group any good.

Ditto!

 

[12gabackup]

I've used these in a .308 with very good results: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=431004

 

[Shriner]

You can built up a load and shot it to find the holdover/under is for ,without changing the scope adjustment for your fav heavy load.