30-06 Full Bullseye work up

[STIHL]

After my last post and the thoughts from it, I did a full work up with the NOE 315 PB clone. Started at 7 grains and increased to 8.5 in .3 gr increments. Looks like 7.6 is where I will be focusing. Now to figure out if the flyer was me or if I have something a little off with that one round.

I did shoot 5 311-413 with 8 grains bullseye, and to finish the day off I had 2 loads with a SAECO 315 gas checked over 33.0 and 33.5 grains of Varget. I may be on to something with this. Think I’m going to try 34, 34.5, and 35 grains a shot and see how they line up.

All groups were 50 yards.

 

[Spindrift]

Fun, isn't it?
Good job!

 

[STIHL]

Fun, isn't it?
Good job!

Yessir, especially when you pull the bolt out and look down the bore and it is as shiny as the day it was cleaned. The scope I have on that rifle has horrible parallax at 50 yards, one slight movement of the head will change the POA, so I have to be very careful and consistent, going to change that pretty soon, I’ve got a Leupold VX5-HD 3-15x44 sitting in the safe already in the mounts. All I need is a picatiny rail for this rifle, and I’m on my way. Had other plans for it, but think plans just changed, and it will also work well for hunting with this one.

The most enjoyable part of it is, almost no recoil. Even with the higher velocity loads with Varget are very light on recoil. Makes a 30-06 fun to shoot 40 times in 2.5 hours.

 

[fiver]

the Varget is screaming out give me more.
try for 36.

 

[BBerguson]

Unique and 4227 worked best in my 308 with cast bullets, for light loads. I really struggled with consistent groups from one day to the next with Bullseye. One day was decent, next time out, not so much.

8133 (slightly compressed with magnum primer) worked really well with 225gr cast. This load shot better than 3 out of 4 jacketed rounds. Shot a buck with that load this year at 130ish yards.

 

[STIHL]

@fiver I will add 35.5 and 36 to the load list, may creep on up towards book max and see if I can hit another node, it’s a pretty large span between 33 and 43 grains. I might be able to find 2 nodes in that spread.

I think starting at the start load was me having to prove to myself that it would work. It works, now to make it work real well.

 

[fiver]

you just want to work up till that vertical goes away.
if it starts giving you some horizontal you back off half way to the last step and play with the seating depth and then neck tension.

that's about as far as you need to go with that load.
if you think you can get more with your design and alloy then you have to jump up about 2-250 fps. and start looking again.
that may entail jumping another step or more like 2 in powder speed for more gas volume.

 

[STIHL]

I understand, It makes sense. My biggest hurdle is going to be changing alloys and making it work with a bit softer alloy. It won’t be much softer, 12BHN, compared to the 15 I’m shooting now with my junk alloy.