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PH. Rocky is right on the money about the 30-06 being downloaded by the factories in deference to all the old guns still in use. What does gripe my gut is they still advertise 2900 FPS for 150 gr. bullets and 2700 FPS for 180 gr. bullets.
Not so in real life. I got a smokin' deal on a large batch of Winchester 180 gr. Silvertips from a Supwer K-mart that was closing it's doors due to the fact that the Walmart across the street was beating the pants off them. The 30-06 is one of my all time favorite cartridges and I have more than a few rifles chambered to the round. I ran a series of tests with that ammo over a chronograph and the results were shocking to say the least.
I used three rifles, one each with a 22", 24" and 26" barrels. I clocked five rounds from each rifle over the chronograph.
The 22" rifle would barely pass 2600 FPS, the 24" rifle 2625 and the 26" rifle barely made 2650 FPS. I have two rifles with 26" barrels, so I ran five rounds through the second rifle and got 2640 FPS average.
Pretty shocking, if I do say so myself. Actually, even before the factories downloaded the 30-06, the round has never been loaded to it's full potential by the factories, again, in deference to old those "golden oldies" still in use. The reloading data in the manuals reflects the same caution.
I wonder? The 06 is loaded to 48,000-50,000 C.U.P. according to most of the manuals that give pressure data with a few loads in P.S.I. that show pressures about 56,000 P.S.I. Take two rifles of the same make, say the Winchester M70, one a 30-06, the other a .300 Win. magnum. The magnum is loaded to 60,000-65,000 P.S.I.. My question becomes, if that M70 can hold the 60 to 65K pressure of the .300 Magnum which has a greater bolt thrust, then why can't a 30-06 be loaded to that same pressure in that same make modern rifle? It certainly could, if one could find the proper pressure tested data, but don't hold your breath. Kinnd of makes one wonder. I wonder if the people at Speer, Hornady, Nosler, etc have worked up those loads in their labs for their own private use? Sure would be nice to know.
Guess my point is, you ain't getting what you paid for as far as advertised velocity is concerned. I couldn't say what the 150 gr. Winchester load puts out as I haven't used a 150 gr. bullet in any 30 caliber rifle for over 30 years now. I do know that you can easily load up a 150 gr. bullet to close to or a little above 3000 FPS depending on what your ridfle likes and how careful you are. They sure do mess up a lot of meat loaded up that way though. I like my 180 gr. loads at close to 2800 FPS or a little above, depending on which rifle and barrel length is involved.
One caveat though. Unless you are very experienced in handloading, and even then, I do not recommend going past max load data in the manuals. Anyone that tries it does so at their own risk.
Paul B.
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