Short Barreled 30-06

[Steve]

The brass bolt and grinding compound looks like a good way to me.

[Ranch Dog]

The brass bolt and grinding compound looks like a good way to me.

It looks the easiest for sure.

[Ranch Dog]

Hey Cryus, you still have that chunk of round barrel you cut off? If you are going to toss it I would be interested in getting it. I need something to practice my roll stamping before I apply it to my Savage 340 barrel.

[357cyrus]

Hey Cryus, you still have that chunk of round barrel you cut off? If you are going to toss it I would be interested in getting it. I need something to practice my roll stamping before I apply it to my Savage 340 barrel.

It's yours. Where to?

[357cyrus]

So here's what I came up with in the handloading department....

I went on QuickLoad and ran some tests to find that with an 18" barrel and a Speer 165gr BTSP, IMR4227 could get the same ballistics as a topped out 300 Savage in a 24" barrel, but with a little less muzzle blast. Without adjusting anything but barrel length, QL says 40.3 grains of IMR4227 would top me out at 60k psi and 2535 fps. Fill ratio would be 77%. Bump it back 10%-ish for a starting load and it said 35 grains would give me 2300fps and fill ratio of 67%. That still gives me 30-30 power but with a much better BC....wouldnt be bad for the woods.

Also, Ive got about 5 reloading manuals and only one listed IMR4227 w/ a 30-06. And that was the Lyman Cast Bullet book recommending even further reduced loads between 22 and 31 grains using a 195gr cast bullet. I cross checked the numbers from the book with QL to see if they were in the same ballpark and they were.

I went to the range today with just a handful of rounds w/ 35 grains and the 165 BTSP to run them over the chronograph and see where I was. Velocity average was 2375 and accuracy wasnt too bad, but on every round I noticed the slightest hangfire which I've never experienced before. I dont believe it was enough to alter my groups, just barely enough to notice a click/boom instead of a boom. Have any of you run into something similar before? I know I'm not using a popular powder for a 30-06 but I have found a book that uses less powder. Would you add a filler to hold the powder against the primer? Maybe change from a standard primer to a magnum primer? Maybe scrap the idea all together? Or just keep testing increased charges like normal?

[GasGuzzler]

Try holding it muzzle up just before the shot?

[Ranch Dog]

I've been trying to work through 4# of H4227 for 15 years and have always been disappointed in the results. I have found it to be undependable expect when the case fill gets above 90%. I haven't had any luck with it in bottlenecked cartridges, but the straight wall cartridges have proven it a good use but the 90% still applies.

I'm playing with QL and it seems that 4895, Hodgdon or IMR, would give you better than 2700 FPS with the short barrel. Varget, just under. Just don't know what your goal is other than what you mentioned about the 300 Savage.

That Savage barrel is "Proof" tough. I haven't been able to really scratch it with my embossing so I will leave the stamping of my 30-30 Win to the professionals.

[357cyrus]

I've been trying to work through 4# of H4227 for 15 years and have always been disappointed in the results. I have found it to be undependable expect when the case fill gets above 90%. I haven't had any luck with it in bottlenecked cartridges, but the straight wall cartridges have proven it a good use but the 90% still applies.

Thanks for this info, I think ill be looking for another powder. Ive had a 1 pound can sitting around for a number of years as well. I think it was one of the first powders I bought because it seemed like it was a 'jack of all trades powder". As my powder collection grows over the year its just sits there though because it seems more like the "master of none".

I'm playing with QL and it seems that 4895, Hodgdon or IMR, would give you better than 2700 FPS with the short barrel. Varget, just under. Just don't know what your goal is other than what you mentioned about the 300 Savage.

Of course I left my laptop w/ QL at work for my days off. My only two goals are to see if I can reduce muzzle blast to normal levels (below 11k psi at the muzzle) while still achieving at least the ballistics of a 300 Savage (2500 FPS). I remember there were a couple other decent owder options, but i dont remember off the top of my head what they were.

That Savage barrel is "Proof" tough. I haven't been able to really scratch it with my embossing so I will leave the stamping of my 30-30 Win to the professionals.

Im sure you'll find another good use for it!

[Ranch Dog]

That Savage barrel is "Proof" tough. I haven't been able to really scratch it with my embossing so I will leave the stamping of my 30-30 Win to the professionals.

Im sure you'll find another good use for it!

Haah, you read my mind. I ought to be able to make some kind of cool tool out of it. It did save me from butchering that 340 barrel!

Thanks for this info, I think ill be looking for another powder. Ive had a 1 pound can sitting around for a number of years as well. I think it was one of the first powders I bought because it seemed like it was a 'jack of all trades powder". As my powder collection grows over the year its just sits there though because it seems more like the "master of none".

Same here. I bought four pounds from Powder Valley, they told me it was a four pound jug but it came in four one pound bottles. I've always hoped that someone would trade me one unopened bottle of just about any other Hodgdon powder for the three bottles. I haven't found anyone that uses it other than by trial like we have done.

[RBHarter]

Well by golly I might just have to take you up on that ,I have this 45 Colts carbine. ...... and a .410 and an urge to try some short cased 12 ga RB .