[Wazz13]

I have been tinkering around with my dads Model 70 Featherweight in 30-06. The gun is clean, scope and mounts are solid. I am having trouble finding a load that will group well in this gun, 1.5". I am trying to keep the load middle of the road as far as velocity goes. Here is what I have tried so far. All brass is winchester, as well as primers. COL is @ 3.340.

150 Nosler Balistic Tip, IMR 4895, IMR 4007 ssc, WW 760
165 Sierra Game King, IMR 4895, IMR 4007 ssc, WW 760
180 Nosler Balistic Tip, IMR 4350

Do you guys have ant suggestions, or pet loads that work in skinny barrels?

Thanks

 

[Shawn Crea]

Two loads I've settled on are 57.5 gr of IMR 4350, 165 gr Nosler ballistic tip (or partition), and, 56.0 gr IMR 4831 with 180 gr NP's, both with CCI 200's. These are out of a pre-'64 featherweight, with around 3/4" - 1" 3-shot groups at 100 yds. Don't know the OAL, but each gun likes a different one anyway. Work up towards those charges and you may get the accuracy before you hit those charge weights.

 

[MMichaelAK]

55 grains of IMR 4350, Remington or Federal cases, CCI Large Rifle Primers and Sierra 180 grain Pro Hunters or Nosler Partitions. Mine is a Kimber with a 24 inch barrel and Im getting 2770 fps and on my best days under half an inch at 100 yards, but under an inch is the norm.

 

[big dan]

150gr sst, win 760, cci250... 1/2'' groups. same results with a 150gr partition. i've also used 61.5 grs of ramshot hunter with both bullets, cci 250's and consistantly shot 5 shot groups that have every shot touching at 100yds. RL19 is an excellent '06 powder as well.
what is the vintage of the rifle? there was a time that the winchesters weren't know for great accuracy.

 

[MZ5]

There's a thread on the Practical Riflery forum right now about 30-06 OCWs with ~178 gr. bullets. ~56gr. of 4350 (IMR, IIRC?) is listed as a proven OCW. You could verify for yourself, but if it's an OCW, then it'll apply to any barrel weight.

 

[Davers]

I used 50.0 grains of IMR-4064 with a 150 grain bullet in my .30-06, and this seemed to be the most accurate in my Ruger M-77.

 

[Sinbad12-2007]

I'm having exceptionally good luck with 59.0 gr. of IMR 4831 and a 150 gr Partition, Winchester cases, Winchester primers in my old Sporterized 03 Springfield.

 

[Wazz13]

150gr sst, win 760, cci250... 1/2'' groups. same results with a 150gr partition. i've also used 61.5 grs of ramshot hunter with both bullets, cci 250's and consistantly shot 5 shot groups that have every shot touching at 100yds. RL19 is an excellent '06 powder as well.
what is the vintage of the rifle? there was a time that the winchesters weren't know for great accuracy.

By the serial numbers and the info on this site, it is a 1962 model 70 featherweight.

 

[kdub]

First, get your hand under the rifle and place the point of contact as far back toward the receiver as you can. Shooting a lightweight rifle off a bench, especially something like a 30-06 will bounce pretty good trying to shoot from a rest like a sandbag or other firm support without your hand there as a cushion.

A lightweight is going to recoil much sharper than a standard weight sporter.

 

[miestro_jerry]

I shoot the Sierra 168 BTHP Match King in my Remington 700 in 30-06, plus I shoot the 168 Barnes TSX with Benchrest powder.

Both load well and shoot great.

Jerry

 

[big dan]

wazz, it ought to be ok... during the 80's their barrels weren't as consistant

 

[al_sway]

It is not clear, are you trying to achieve 1.5 inch groups, or does the rifle only do 1.5 inches? If you are getting 1.5 inch groups, that might be as well as the rifle, or the shooter, can do.
What size groups are you getting? I have had good luck with 4895 and 15 grain Noslers.
The mechanical issues are many, even if the rifle is in good shape. Everything from bore condition, crown condition, bedding consistency (both recoil lug and barrel bedding), locking lugs, scope, and a few others that I cannot think of.

 

[MikeG]

My experience with a featherweight is limited to one that a friend owns. I put a recoil pad on it, which it surely needed, and glass-bedded the action.

It is a very finicky rifle and will only shoot a few things well. Doesn't take much for the barrel to heat up and start throwing shots, either.

Wonder if that is common to the breed? Don't know......

 

[Wazz13]

It is not clear, are you trying to achieve 1.5 inch groups, or does the rifle only do 1.5 inches? If you are getting 1.5 inch groups, that might be as well as the rifle, or the shooter, can do.
What size groups are you getting? I have had good luck with 4895 and 15 grain Noslers.
The mechanical issues are many, even if the rifle is in good shape. Everything from bore condition, crown condition, bedding consistency (both recoil lug and barrel bedding), locking lugs, scope, and a few others that I cannot think of.

I have printed 2 different loads @ 1.5", but when I go and re check these loads several days later they have opened up and/or changed POI. Durring this same time frame I have built loads for 3 other guns from scratch.
TC Pro Hunter: 300 Win Mag 1" @ 100yds
Rem 7600: 30-06 1.5" @ 100
Savage FP10: 308 .725 @100
All of these loads have been confirmed 2 different times on 2 different days. I am leaning to the gun as the culprit.
Thanks everyone.

 

[MikeG]

That's what my buddy's gun did and why I glass bedded it.

 

[kdub]

As with MikeG, I've seen very few lightweight rifles that consistently print all shots within MOA groups, due to the thin, whippy barrels heating up too quickly.

Last one I owned was a Remington Model 7 in .308 Win. Changed the factory barrel out, free-floated, glass bedded, installed recoil pad, tweaked load after load and it still wouldn't print more than 2 shots in the same place. Gave up and sold it to a guy at the range that admired it and thought "MOA of Deer" was good enough.

Conversely, previously owned a Ruger Ultralight in .275 Robt's AI that put 95 gr bullets into 1.25" groups all day. Just depends on the rifle, I guess.

 

[dmsbandit]

My favortite loads for a 30-06 are

56 grains of IMR4350 under any good 165 grain bullet

60 grains of H4831 or Rel-22 under any good 180 grain bullet.

I've been playing with the Speer 130 grain HP and 55 grains of 4064 and 58 grains of Big Game have shown promise.

I don't really like 150s for deer in the '06. They tend to be very destructive on the tasty edibles and prefer the 165s.

 

[NITRO]

130 gr. Speer JHP in 30-06

It looked like that little doe swallowed a hand grenade...........................

That 130 gr Speer JHP in a 30-06 at 3100+ FPS is "instant death" on whitetails. Several months ago I shot a small doe for camp meat. It was an easy shot; about 60 yards, standing broadside.

There was about 10 minutes legal shooting time remaining and it stepped out of a thicket onto a small clearing. The deer was standing broadside, right side exposed and looking away from me. I eased the safety off the 30-06 Browning A-Bolt, setteled the 3-9x42 Redfield Illuminater's cross-hairs just behind the right shoulder and sent that 130 gr Speer hollow point on it's way......DRT. It dropped so fast that after recovering from the recoil, I didn't even see it fall.

When I walked up to the deer it was laying on its left side with a very large fan-shaped blood spray covering the ground. The entrance wound was small but based on previous kills with this bullet, I knew what to expect the exit wound to look like. At least, I thought I did. On a large lung-shot deer sometimes that bullet doesn't exit. It just dumps all 3000 ft.lbs of energy into the chest cavity.

That wasn't the case on this one. I rolled it over and the entire left rib cage was blown out. There was just a couple of rib fragments and some hide & hair remaining of the left chest wall. Everything else was vaporized.

I have sinced switched back to the Hornady 165 gr PSP with 60.5 gr. of W760 at 3000 fps for my deer load. if you don't have any W760 you can substitute H414 for it, grain for grain, because it is the same powder. That's the load that I used to get the 10-point that's hanging on my rec-room wall.

 

[dmsbandit]

I use the 130 Speer HP for woodchucks and crows, NOT deer. That same bullet out of my 308 makes woodchucks into a red mist [inside 200yds].

 

[Skull13]

Did you check the action screws are tight? My experiance with light barrels requires shots to be spaced at least 1min apart to prevent over heating. My pet load in my model 70 is R-P brass cci200 primers 57.0 gr of IMR-4350 and a 150gr sierra spbt . Well under 1"