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30-06 for short barrels
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Bought a 742 the other day that I thought was a carbine but is actually a cut down gun. The muzzle appers to be crowned properly so I will shoot it and see if I am pleased with it. Can't really complain about a $150 deer rifle.
Does anyone have experience shooting the '06 in these shorter (19") barrels? Would a "softer" load shoot better? I hunt with hounds in the swamp and won't be making too many shots over 50yds., so I don't need a 1" group at 300 yds. Just sumthin' to put meat on the table.
Does anyone have experience shooting the '06 in these shorter (19") barrels? Would a "softer" load shoot better? I hunt with hounds in the swamp and won't be making too many shots over 50yds., so I don't need a 1" group at 300 yds. Just sumthin' to put meat on the table.
Comments
This is one of those things that makes me scratch my head and wonder what the original owner was thinking about...
I have a Winchester Model 54 with a carbine length barrel and have had several Mausers that originally came in 30-06 and with 20" barrels from the factory. It always seemed like such a waste to me when they could have have just as easily used the .308 Win. chamber and had the best of all worlds. Obviously, the M54 couldn't have been chambered in the .308 but the Mausers certainly would have benefitted from it.
It sounds like you got your rifle for a decent price and you should try some reloading to see if you can minimize the drawbacks and gain the most from it's current configuration.
The easiest way to control muzzle flash and noise is to have a longer barrel from the start. The longer the barrel, within reason, the less noise (further from your ear) and muzzle flash. But given the shorter barrel from the get go, you need to determine what combinations of component will yield the least of the noise and flash.
Longer barrels allow the plasma time to cool slightly and therefore show less muzzle flash. Certain ball powders might burn faster and therefore be better suited to shorter barrels but they also have deterrent coatings that create more muzzle flash. Faster powders don't necessarily fill the case to an appropriate level for consistancy and safety. Now what?
I solved this problem in two ways. First I used heavier bullets in order to take up case space and create a volume that could use a slightly faster powder that would burn completely in the shorter barrel. Then I looked for powders with a burning rate that fit the barrel length and the bullet weight that would stay within the appropriate pressure level for the 30-06 cartridge.
Most of the powders I tested wasted powder through lack of burning and still created a significant amount of muzzle flash. But V V N-150 gave me a reasonable fill level, burned completely and had reduced muzzle flash comparatively when used with 180 gr. Spitzer bullets. The velocities were not at the top end (approx. 2500 FPS) but they are more than sufficient to kill deer with the proper bullet selection. This load work up didn't require premium bullets with special characteristics, either. Plain old Hornady, Nosler or Sierra spitzers worked just fine and didn't cost an arm and a leg. Accuracy was good and the barrel remained clean (didn't foul) throughout the testing.
Then I tried an old fashion solution of Red Dot and lead bullets for reduced velocity and complete burning. Gas checked 180 gr. FN bullets worked fine at about 1900 FPS.
The Speer reloading manuals have suggested loads for IMR-SR 4759 to use in lower velocity loads also. They stop with the 165 gr. bullets though, so do some testing and stay within their suggestions. Go to the Hodgdon website and read about their "youth" loads using H-4895. This is another alternative to reduced loads. Be sure to stay with their parameters.
I checked the AA website and manuals and didn't see any information for their AA-5744 but you might give them a call and see what they have to say about using that powder.
The VihtaVuori is a good place to start using standard reloading procedures. You can probably start somewhere around 48.0 grains of the V V N-150 and work up to about 52.0 grains but go slow and be careful. This worked in my rifles but you need to work up safe loads for yourself.
Best.
I like short barrel guns, because when you are driving or pushing dogs thru the swamp, the short barrels are worth their weight in gold. I'll use my 24" barrel Husky for still hunting, but when a race is on and your hunping thru the bush like an Army Ranger, the short barrels are the way to go.