hunting loads for 3006

SAR1846 · Jul 23, 2012

Another 4350 fan... great powder. I've hunted hogs at anywhere from rifle barrel distance to 200+ yds. Either 165's or 180'd will work well... practice with your loads out to 200yds, and be confident with your bullet & powder selection. Choose the one which groups best & is consistent. The vitals "pocket" on hogs is more fwd than on deer. Google up some photos to see what I mean.

BBDartCA · Jul 28, 2012

sasquatch said:
One of my first efforts was Nolser Partition 180 gr. bullets with IMR 4350 powder. I developed a very accurate load, and it is the load we are still using today. I have tried many bullets and powders, but none have come close to the accuracy of this particlular load.

The load is: Federal brass, CCI 200 LR primer, Nosler 180 gr. Partition, 54 gr. IMR 4350.

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This is nearly the same as my best hunting load too. Only difference us I use WLRM primers. I set the COL at 3.2" 22" barrel. Have killed hogs with it 140 yards out not problem. This load is overkill for deer and most wild boar. 150 or 165g would be better choices with 165 shooting a little flatter than the three. 165 & 150 I like H4895, IMR 4064 and IMR 4350. H4895 being the most accurate lately.

warnerwh · Aug 3, 2012

My load is 56gr. of IMR 4350 under a Remington Core lokt 180gr. bullet. This load in my Marlin will shoot under 3/4" groups all day. Don't let anyone tell you that to get good accuracy you need an expensive bullet. The performance on deer and elk is excellent according to my brother as I just shoot. The only downside is it sounds like this bullet does quite a bit of damage to deer.

deadshot2 · Aug 5, 2012

warnerwh said:
Don't let anyone tell you that to get good accuracy you need an expensive bullet.

It's just that cheaper bullets tend to be less uniform in many aspects. They're punched out as fast as possible with inexpensive materials in order to keep costs down.

Accuracy comes from uniform weights, uniform jacket thickness, stability while rotating at high speed while in flight, and then ultimately their performance when hitting the game.

The old saying "You can buy good, prime quality oats, and pay the price the merchant asks. If you're willing to settle for oats that have been through the horse then they cost a lot less" holds true here too.

I won't tell you that a more expensive bullet is automatically more accurate but I will tell you that if you're looking for consistent accuracy and performance, you may have to pay more.

warnerwh · Aug 8, 2012

I can shoot 3/4" groups at 100 yards all day. I say 3/4" because that is as big as they will be. This load is as consistent as it gets. I would be surprised if any of the more expensive bullets could consistently get down to 1/2" in my rifle. I've fired many groups under 3/4". If I hit an inch or over it was because I made an error. Anyway these bullets must be pretty consistent or I am consistently lucky lol.

deadshot2 · Aug 9, 2012

warnerwh said:
I can shoot 3/4" groups at 100 yards all day. I say 3/4" because that is as big as they will be. This load is as consistent as it gets. I would be surprised if any of the more expensive bullets could consistently get down to 1/2" in my rifle. I've fired many groups under 3/4". If I hit an inch or over it was because I made an error. Anyway these bullets must be pretty consistent or I am consistently lucky lol.

And if you never shoot over 100 yards cheap bullets are probably all that are needed. When the bullet has to fly farther, that's when the quality aspects play more of a factor.

warnerwh · Aug 9, 2012

You may be right on that because I rarely shoot beyond 100 yards unless I am plinking in the woods. However for my purposes they work fine and if anyone is hunting in Oregon this load is fine. I am sure out to 250-300 yards if you can shoot and it is accurate in your rifle the load is good. Even at 200 yards I suspect the groups wouldn't be over 3" which is plenty good for 99%+ of hunters. I don't see many people who are capable of shooting very well anyone. This includes monitoring many shooters before hunting season when the club opens to the public.

deadshot2 · Aug 10, 2012

warnerwh said:
I don't see many people who are capable of shooting very well anyone. This includes monitoring many shooters before hunting season when the club opens to the public.

You mean when they're adjusting their new scopes or trying to find loads for their new rifles??? Most appear at their worst then.

Greenbug · Aug 12, 2012

I used to use IMR 4350 for my '06 with great results. Recently I tried H414 and got better groups in my rifle. The bonus is that the H414 goes through my powder measure much more consistantly and so now I don't have to hand weigh each charge like I did with IMR 4350.

I am using 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips and 56.0 Grains of H414 and a CCI BR-2 Primer seated at 3.332" OAL. This load produces 2882 FPS on average out of my 25" Shilen barrel on a Winchester M70 action. I was shooting my 8" steel gong at 500 yards last weekend and hit it 10 for 10. Love that Leupold CDS scope too!