People start reloading for benign reasons. The most common reason to get into reloading is access to higher quality ammo at a lower cost. However, as soon as confidence builds the temptation is there. Soon enough you are chasing velocities and trying to see just how fast you can push a given cartridge. During one such experiment I effectively created a hotrod 30-06, reaching magnum velocities without exceeding book maxes!
Project Conception
A few months ago I restored an old Swedish hunting rifle, the Husqvarna 1640. I tested the rifle and found it shot well, grouping sub-MOA with an old 165 gr Sierra Gameking load that I had laying around. While happy with the accuracy, the Gamekings were only traveling 2650 fps at the muzzle and I was looking for something with a bit more punch. Normally I would try the 178gr Hornady ELD-X at around 2750fps. However, the Husqvarna didn’t shoot the ELD-X all that well, perhaps on account of the 1:12 twist rate barrel.
Given the twist rate of the barrel, a lighter bullet would likely provide better accuracy. On the other hand, 30 caliber bullets under 150 grains tend to have low sectional densities and underwhelming penetration. In my research I stumbled upon the Barnes 130gr TTSX. The TTSX is a monolithic copper design which aids penetration and can still be pushed to high velocities.
Choosing a Powder
Next step I had to choose a powder. Fortunately, Barnes publishes their load data online for all of the bullets they offer. They listed a number of suitable powders for the 130gr TTSX. I had both Reloader 15 and IMR 4064 on hand. The load is destined for a classic rifle, so it was only natural to go with the older IMR 4064. Starting load was 54 grains of IMR 4064 up to a maximum load of 58 grains. The maximum load was a compressed load.
Testing
I started testing at 54 grains and worked up in half grain increments. During the loading process, I seated the Barnes bullets to the bottom of the top pressure groove. In my experience, Barnes bullets like to be seated far from the lands and aren’t overly sensitive to exact seating depth.
Surprisingly, there was very little variation in the accuracy results between different loads. While the recoil incrementally increased, group size stayed between 0.8-1 MOA for virtually all of the loads tested. No pressure signs appeared until the the charge weight reached 58 grains.
At 58 grains pressure signs began to appear. The bolt was a little bit sticky, although still no match for the large extractor claw on the Husky. The spent brass also showed a mark where the ejector cut out was in the bolt face. This goes to show how quickly pressure signs can develop when dealing with compressed loads.
Results
I loaded a box at 57.5 grains and verified that the load shot well in the rifle. The final load should be shooting around 3250 fps out of the 24 inch barrel on the Husqvarna 1640. That’s one hotrod 30-06! Interestingly enough, the rifle was grouping 10 inches higher than its previous zero. This is much more extreme of a zero shift load to load than I have ever seen previously. Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising, given that the rifle was zeroed for the slow Sierra Gameking load. The muzzle velocity of the two loads varies by 600 fps, which is quite the difference.
Closing Thoughts
Experimenting with different cartridges and bullets is a lot of the fun of handloading. While I realize that my hotrod 30-06 shoots incredibly similarly to a plain jane 270 Winchester, it is far more interesting to have something unique. The combination of high speeds with the all copper bullet construction have me very interested to see how this particular load performs terminally. All in all, this rifle and cartridge pairing will be an effective and lightweight hunting rig using the maximum point blank range method of zeroing.