30-06 XL7 165gr HPBT

beartracker

Here is my load work I did today for my hunt this coming week with my Marlin 30-06 XL7 using a 165gr Sierra HPBT in front of 60.9grs of W760, Rem brass, Rem 9 1/2M primers. Also, will be taking the Big 8.



NOTE: No pressure signs and easy ejection.




High velocity was 3016fps and Low was 3003fps and Average was 3008fps

wildgene

...I've used the 165gr. Sierra HPBT GameKings on a number of elk & mule deer w/ very good (dead) results...

...200yd. "cold bore" from a .300 WSM @ 3200fps...

beartracker

I am 50fps faster than the load is suppose to do with my barrel length. Going to check this load out on my other chrony and see if it is close or if there is a velocity gap. Should only being doing at best 2942fps, will check it out. Yes, I have dropped a lot of game with this bullet in my 30 caliber rifles.

Six-Gun

That's very good velocity and a great bullet you chose. You won't be disappointed with its terminal performance either. Presuming this is a GameKing varient, I can tell you that the .30 caliber offerings that I have used from Sierra up to this point have shown me some of the most impressive performance from a traditional cup-n-core bullet that I have ever seen. Granted, I have only used the softpoint stuff up until now, but the weight retention was downright excellent (89%) using the 180 gr. GameKing on a whitetail doe. I am actually experimenting with the identical hollowpoint design you chose for the light loaded .243 deer round I'm working up for my daughter. Like you, I saw impressive accuracy in the first shooting session.

beartracker

Six-Gun wrote: »

That's very good velocity and a great bullet you chose. You won't be disappointed with its terminal performance either. Presuming this is a GameKing varient, I can tell you that the .30 caliber offerings that I have used from Sierra up to this point have shown me some of the most impressive performance from a traditional cup-n-core bullet that I have ever seen. Granted, I have only used the softpoint stuff up until now, but the weight retention was downright excellent (89%) using the 180 gr. GameKing on a whitetail doe. I am actually experimenting with the identical hollowpoint design you chose for the light loaded .243 deer round I'm working up for my daughter. Like you, I saw impressive accuracy in the first shooting session.

The 165gr HPBT Game King is a tougher bullet than the SBT Game King and I have used this bullet for years and it is a devastating bullet on game (hogs, deer, black bear and elk).

beartracker

The 180gr North Fork SS
Grains: 180
Hi Vel: 2892
Low Vel: 2830
Ave Vel: 2852
Ext Spread: 62
Std Dev: 26

beartracker

I have already planned on backing down to around 2920fps -2930fps and not because of any functioning problem with my 06 but just to be on the safe side because the velocities are high even though the primers are fine, and the base has not expanded to much and it ejects fine, I am still going to lower the velocities.

Razorbacker

Bear, is the '06 a back up for the 8?

beartracker

Razorbacker wrote: »

Bear, is the '06 a back up for the 8?

Yes, don't have my computer with me this is sent by my phone so this will be my last response until I get back home.

snake284-1

Now THAT'S a KILLING bullet. And you can buy a hundred of em' for under $30. Can't beat that with a stick!!!

Razorbacker

beartracker wrote: »

Yes, don't have my computer with me this is sent by my phone so this will be my last response until I get back home.

I hope that means you're at deer camp. Blood that 8!!
p.s. Sorry to be slow in returning emails but seems like as soon as the power came back on the dang cable went out, and still is. I'm on an aircard now and playing catch up.

snake284-1

Another great bullet for deer size game is the Combined Technologies. I'm going to give them a try in my .270 because they work so well in my quarter bores. That first doe I killed this year back in November was with my .257 AI with the 115 grain CT. I shot her at right at 200 yards. I hit her right in the front right shoulder and it nocked her down DRT and very little meat damage.

I also killed a hog with the same bullet out of my .250 Savage at about 120 yards. Clipped her spine but didn't tear up much back strap. The bullet held together believe it or not. Broke her back and I found the bullet inside her lungs. God I love it when things work right.

Zee

snake284-1 wrote: »

Another great bullet for deer size game is the Combined Technologies.

Not to be contrite but, wouldn't that be considered a "fancy" bullet?

It has a polymer tip and a coating not to mention a higher price.

All I'm getting at, is you are harping on fancy bullets not being needed. Then, advocating one. I'm confused.

Personally, it doesn't bother me what bullet you use. I'm cool with whatever.

snake284-1

Zee wrote: »

Not to be contrite but, wouldn't that be considered a "fancy" bullet?

It has a polymer tip and a coating not to mention a higher price.

All I'm getting at, is you are harping on fancy bullets not being needed. Then, advocating one. I'm confused.

Personally, it doesn't bother me what bullet you use. I'm cool with whatever.

Oh Hell, yeah I guess it would. But Fancy is a bad choice of words. Actually I am getting at more strongly constructed. The Combined Technologies are not elephant bullets, but they are low friction, but like the Ballistic tip will expand reliably. But again, bad choice of words on my part. I was thinking fancy as in heavily constructed.

That was a case of Cranial Flatulence of major proportions.

Zee

Ah, so now there are stipulations to your shunning. Now I follow you.

;-)

snake284-1

Zee wrote: »

Ah, so now there are stipulations to your shunning. Now I follow you.

;-)

There's always stipulations when I put my foot squarely in my mouth. But I'm not above admitting it. Well, I guess it was a bit obvious.

Now to add insult to injury, I went to Victoria today and paid $62 for 100 bullets, The Idea of such a thing!!!

I bought a box of 130 grain .277s and a box of 150 grain 7mms. I am going long range hog hunting. The .270 and the 7 mag. and also, possibly the .280 Rem. will be used. It's a 300+ yard shot up the sendero from my blind to where I've seen pigs cross. That's where I shot the big bore a month ago. I checked the distance with my Suburban's Odometer and it was right about 1.667 or rather one and two thirds tenths of a mile. 2.5 tenths is 440 yards so do the math. Anyway, I figure it's about in the neighborhood of 300 yards out to where I shot the big boar last month. I have mostly held off hogs the last few weeks because i didn't want to scare the deer away. But yesterday was the end of the season so hogs will DIE!!!! Haha!!!

This will be right up the .270s and the 7 mags ally.

Also, I am putting together some feeder lights as we speak. I'm going to bolt them to the bottom of both feeders. One feeder is about 200 + yards out and the other about 50-60. I figure I will turn the lights on right at dark and sit in the blind. Then we'll see how good these feeder lights work for real. I have high hopes this will work. I have heard they work ok, albeit a little dim. But for me, I don't care which hog I get, as long as I put him/her down. This is going to be a very interesting Winter, Spring, and Summer. Now I'm gonna need that extra freezer my mother is giving me.

Zee

Careful. Your treading on the dark side of "fancy" bullets.

snake284-1

OK Fancy true, but not so strongly constructed as to go plumb through. LOL!!!

beartracker

Frankly, I think my load with the velocities I got could be to close to the edge if not over even though my rifle did not act like it was at max pressure or not. Will be lowering my velocities by at least 70fps until I see the results of the strain gauge.

Yes I am back and no cigar, did not get to bloody the Big 8 or 06, we got rained out, in fact it rained so much that the swamp we hunt flooded so bad that we could not get to our stands.

snake284-1

I did this with the load for my .250 Savage only because it was way higher than anything I had shot through it before and the primer pockets were a little enlarged. However, it still honks on for the bullet weight and it's still much higher velocity than most would think safe. However I dropped the powder charge down a good bit and it quit enlarging the primer pockets. Sometimes you just stumble on something.

beartracker

Here is a better shot of why we could not get to our stands.

Razorbacker

Mike, years ago, I hunted this farm that would flood the slough like that you posted. During Duck season, all that water was great, we even had deer getting tangled up in the decoy strings. Then duck season was over and all we had was bow season left. The trick there is hunt the surrounding high ground. Or put your chest waders on and have at it. Some might be surprised at how small of a dry hummock a buck will bed on.

beartracker

When the water gets this high they move off that lease on to some private farm land so that ended the hunt.

Razorbacker

I understand. We have public land here that the hunting stops when the river reaches a certain stage. you being a lot closer to the mouth of the big muddy I'm sure it's different down there.

beartracker

Razorbacker wrote: »

I understand. We have public land here that the hunting stops when the river reaches a certain stage. you being a lot closer to the mouth of the big muddy I'm sure it's different down there.

I can't even hunt the close of the season here in the part of South Mississippi where I live in Old River Management area long the Pearl river because it is over 20' now and Old River Management area closes at 18'. This has been a different hunting season for me. This is the first time since 1987 that I have only taken one deer.

beartracker

Jerry sent me a picture from the deer camp in the swamps. The first picture is where the water was and you see where the four wheeler is parked and the second picture is where it is this evening. They couldn't hunt so they got together and decided to have a cook out and eat. :jester: Don't you just love it!! :up:

beartracker

Marlin XL7 is at the gunsmith for strain gauge test, will know in about a week or so concerning the first load on this thread and it's pressures.

beartracker

Received a text today from the gunsmith doing the strain gauge test on my 165gr load with W760. Now my 165gr load in my 06 using W760 was on the hot side, but not as hot as even I assumed it was. Most ammo for the 30/06 is loaded from 58,000 to 60,000.

Pressure for a modern cartridge like the .270Win is 65,000

Here are the three rounds he tested from my loads of W760 that reached over 3,000 plus fps

1. 63,977
2. 63,423
3. 63,855
Average = 63,751

Two steps I am taking to lower pressure with this load –

1. First, was considering using standard rifle primer instead of Magnum primer, but W760 with compressed or close to compressed loads is generally more accurate with Magnum primers so I will reduce load charge.

2. Reducing load charge by 2 grains.

I will bring this load to somewhere in the low to mid 2900fps range. My 30-06 was and could handle the load I developed and my brass did not lie to me. I will not push my rifle because there is no need to do so. If I want 3,000fps plus out of a 165gr bullet I could use the 300WSM and more preferably the 300Win mag since I like the 300Win mag better than the 300WSM.

I found it interesting that I was able to get 3,000 plus feet per second without extreme pressures. Of course this is with my particular rifle and every rifle will act a little different to loads that is why I work up my loads in steps for each of my rifles and cartridges.