Ballistics, Rifle Marksmanship and Why They Matter

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.

Handloading to Getting Top Performance from Classic Rifles

For the same reasons that the military has developed high-performance ammunition, I’ve worked hard to find this load in a common cartridge that is the .30-06 and 6.5×55 for my personal rifles. It is competitive or superior at mid range to extreme long ranges out to 1,200 yards with .300 Winchester Magnum commercial hunting loads, because the bullets used have extremely high ballistic coefficients. Like the .300 Win Mag, 7mm Magnum, .30-06, and others in this class, they are good all-around cartridges for any task at hand.

The online Hodgdon Reloading Center lists a maximum load using 59.7 grains of Superformance behind a standard 180 grain lead core bullet that can produce as much as 2,840 fps with only 57,600 psi. The maximum pressure for .3006 is 60,000 psi, so there is room to tune the load to your rifle for best accuracy. Given the data at the Hodgdon Reload Center, IMR 4955 is another slow-burning powder that will produce similar velocities in the .30-06. While H4350 will produce the best accuracy and nearly 2,800fps for this bullet weight in most .30-06 rifles and is very temperature stable, Superformance produces a tad higher velocity at lower pressures and that is exactly what I need for ranges under 600 yards. However, if I am looking for a precision load for the .30-06 then H4350 is the power for 180-grain bullets, but just try to find some for sale. H4350 is the magic powder for many rifles such as .30-06 and 6.5CM and in high demand.

My limited stock of H4350 and H4831 gunpowder is reserved for my 6.5×55 precision rifles. RL22 was at one time the top powder choice for 6.5×55 yet it is not temperature stable and can be disappointing in temperature extremes. These Hodgdon powders are temperature-stable powders that work very well in most 6.5×55 Swedish Mausers. H4350 is also ideal for 6.5CM and we happen to have other 6.5 rifles. IMR4064 is another top choice for .3006 as it can produce very accurate shots while running a 150-grain bullet at over 3,000fps, yet I must reserve that for several rifles in 300 Savage as IMR4064 can produce top accuracy and top velocities using Hornady 150-grain bullets in some rifles in 300 Savage and we have several rifles in 300 Savage.

Unfortunately, I only have one rifle in .308 Winchester. Using the maximum load data as listed in Hornady’s Reloading Manual,10th edition, for IMR4064, 300 Savage can produce velocities above 2,700 fps in 24-inch barrels. These loads would be on par with 7.62 NATO M80 ball ammunition. The use of bullets with high ballistic coefficients would make 300 Savage ammunition that performs as well if not better than M80 ball (7.62N).

My pet load for .300 Savage is the Speer 180-grain bullet at 2,400fps. Because the Speer bullet is an ideal big game bullet at 2,400fps, and because it has an abnormally high B.C. of .540, my 300 Savage that was pictured in a previous article is transformed into a long-range rifle that can take big game up to elk in size. The Speer 180 grain or the Hornady 178 grain ELM-X are the best bullet choices that I have thus far found for a 300 Savage bolt action rifle. If I were to reload for an antique rifle that has a small ring Mauser action converted to 7.62 NATO, I would use 300 Savage load data.

The .300 Savage case holds 4% less powder than commercial .308 Winchester brass, and 3% less than 7.62 NATO brass. The maximum pressure for small ring Mauser that is 46,000CUP and so is the .300 Savage also limited to 46,000CUP. To exceed 46,000CUP in 7.62NATO hand loads would not be possible if using .300 Savage load data to develop 7.62 NATO ammunition. If using the maximum allowable load for. 300 Savage at 46,000CUP, the load in a 7.62 NATO case would be less than 46,000 CUP because is has a 3 to 4% greater case capacity that would result in a lower pressure than a .300 Savage load would experience.

If I could afford to buy more bullets, I would stock up on Hornady’s 155 grain ELD-M for targets and long-range deer hunting beyond 300 yards. Because Hornady’s 155 grain Amax/ELD uses a polymer tip, it can be used in AR-10 and other semi-autos. For all other work, I’d get the affordable and cost-effective Hornady 150 grain FMJ BT (B.C .398). These bullets will produce flatter trajectories and bucks the wind better than most other 150 grain .30 caliber bullets or bullets in this weight range, and are proven to be accurate bullets offered at a competitive price.

I would use Ammoseek.com and also look at Speer’s line of .30 caliber BTSP bullets that generally are lower in price, and are accurate as well. If shopping for bargain prices, the soft Speer BTSP bullets typically have very high ballistic coefficients and are better all around hunting bullets for 300 Savage/ 7.62 NATO pressures and velocities.

My favorite .30 caliber bullet is the 180 grain Speer BTSP that is often as much as 10 cents lower in cost than Hornady’s 178 grain ELD-X and is better all-around choice for hunting for medium to large big game in all cartridge choices. This bullet would work well in antique rifles that are limited to 46,000 CUP as a maximum pressure. It would still be an effective round for hunting at the lower muzzle velocities of short-barreled rifle as this bullet requires only an 1,800 fps impact velocity to expand. Flat-nosed and round-nosed bullets designed for .30-30 would also be a good choice, but their low ballistic coefficient limits their practical range to less than 100 yards.

Low Velocity Ammunition for Training

Whether we make our own ammunition — or buy it — getting the least expensive ammunition is not always the best choice. To better afford high-quality precision ammunition, the cost of this ammunition can be offset by training with the least expensive ammunition including .22 Long Rifle (LR) rimfire. I attribute my ability to hit moving targets to my use of a BB gun as a child. I learned to correct for a parabolic trajectory and to anticipate where to aim ahead of a moving target using a very slow in velocity projectile. Now that is some inexpensive training.

As a result of this early experience with life on the farm, I will make less expensive ammunition for the purpose of training, or I will buy less expensive ammunition for the purposes of training and target practice. I have accurized an antique Mauser in 7.62×39 from Elk Creek Company recently-acquired using writing contest prize purchase credits. This rifle was featured in another fairly recent article. It can fire inexpensive 7.62×39 steel-cased ammunition with much better accuracy than an SKS or AKM rifle and is suitable for training for longer ranges or for hunting deer inside of 200 yards.

I can also hand load it for training aspiring long-range marksmen to deal with wind deflection on shorter in length ranges of only 200 yards. I have a pile of very inexpensive hard cast copper coated Berry bullets that are 110 grain round nose bullets (.08 cent/rd). These can be loaded with 9 grains Unique in 7.62×39 cases, or using 9 to 15 grains Trailboss powder, IMR4198 or Red Dot to 1,600 fps in 7.62N or .30-06 cases.

At 200 yards, these reduced velocity loads that use projectiles with very low ballistic coefficients will duplicate the effects of wind on a 150 grain .30 caliber bullet (M80 ball) at 500 to 600 yards. IMR SR4759 powder was developed for the Army for reduced in velocity ammunition while retaining enough pressure to operate semi-automatic rifles that uses .30-06 and .308 cases for such a purpose.. Practicing rife marksmanship with reduced loads is a technique that can help us to train more often, and conveniently on our own rifle range and at a lower cost.

The best example of marksmanship demonstrated on YouTube that I am aware of is on Erik Cortina’s YouTube channel. Learn all you can from this fellow and for free. First, use your brain instead of bullets and in the end you’ll better prepared and more successful.

Conclusion

Where there is a will, there is a way, yet if there is no will, there is no way. A ‘can-do’ attitude is what we need to improve our situation and our marksmanship. Hopefully, these examples will help in some way. A stagnate or fixed defense is of limited utility and effectiveness, therefore, long-range marksmanship is crucial to our survival personally and for the preservation of our freedom and liberties. Some believe that unity is the hill we will die on, yet I believe that if we are not independently minded and able to be self-sufficient in all essential regards, that liberty and our beliefs will perish with us. Work hard now to “aim small and miss small”.. Sweat more now, and bleed less later.