240gr 30-06 - how would you use it?

[Nicholas Barcomb]

I have some 250gr .30 cal bullets from Claw (local RSA manufacturer).
Bought them to play with out of my 300 H&H.. But haven't got round to loading any yet. My thinking was they would be a nice low velocity bush veld round. I was thinking 2300 at the top end, so the 06 pushing 240gr at almost 2500 got my attention! I bet those loads grab your attention in the Tikka lite!

I also have my doubts on the 250gr stabilizing in my std 1 in 10 gun, although it's actually a little shorter than a 200gr Accubond.

I think you should be okay with the 1:10 for a twist rate. The Tikka is a 1:11 and the 240s are pushing the limit on that. Yes it is an attention getter when shooting the light rifle. I slightly modified the rifle with expanding spray foam in all of the open crevices of the stock and added a Limbsaver #10011 recoil pad which tames it a bit.

 

[IronCowboy]

Thinking about a 240grn pill in any of my '06's, I have a hard time... Not sure I'd value the extra weight over the lost powder capacity - I know I don't have enough throat to seat them long out the front, so I'd have a lot of base in the case compared to my 168's and 180's.

Then again, I even gave up on 200grn+ in 300win mag, let alone the smaller '06 case.

 

[ZG47]

Thinking about a 240grn pill in any of my '06's, I have a hard time... Not sure I'd value the extra weight over the lost powder capacity - I know I don't have enough throat to seat them long out the front, so I'd have a lot of base in the case compared to my 168's and 180's.

Then again, I even gave up on 200grn+ in 300win mag, let alone the smaller '06 case.

As I said earlier, apparently designed for water buffalo in Northern Australia. If I loaded them for my .30-06, the sight-in distance would be 100 metres maximum for my 1.5-5 scope and 75 metres for the open sights.

Stalking bullet, yes. Mountain sniping cartridge, no.

 

[Nicholas Barcomb]

As I said earlier, apparently designed for water buffalo in Northern Australia. If I loaded them for my .30-06, the sight-in distance would be 100 metres maximum for my 1.5-5 scope and 75 metres for the open sights.

Stalking bullet, yes. Mountain sniping cartridge, no.

Exactly!

 

[IronCowboy]

Nicholas - I'm very surprised by the velocities that you're getting with these super-weight bullets, so that does change my paradigm a bit. I'm a big proponent of bullet weight, but my experience - having NOT ever used the 240/250grn pills - has lead me to expect that I'd lose much more than what you're showing with those loads. So apparently, my expectations are wrong.

Running out the numbers, there's over 25% more impact momentum (penetration potential) with the same energy on a 240grn pill at 2300fps vs. a 150grn pill at 2950 (I run fairly mild in my '06s). Same on the less-lethal end of the rifle too, of course. I'm a little surprised at how low the BC on these bullets are, but I suppose the blunt ogive steals a lot of slipperyness. So I suppose I gained a bit of insight - that surprised me that you can keep that much speed, and if that's repeatable, then it sounds like a he11 of a hammer.

 

[Code4]

Despite being accurate, I have had 175 Woodleighs fail to stabilise POST IMPACT in my 7x57 >100 yards. They would stay intact and vear off or tumble.
I had the same result with 320 Woodleighs in my 9.3x62. Both rifles were used on feral camels and have euro spec Lothar Walther barrels.
GREAT penetration but everything else was unpredictable.

A 240 in a .30-06 at more than clubbing range ?....... I have my doubts. For use in a fast twist magnums maybe.

There are better .30-06 projectiles.

 

[ZG47]

Despite being accurate, I have had 175 Woodleighs fail to stabilise POST IMPACT in my 7x57 >100 yards. They would stay intact and vear off or tumble.
I had the same result with 320 Woodleighs in my 9.3x62. Both rifles were used on feral camels and have euro spec Lothar Walther barrels.
GREAT penetration but everything else was unpredictable.

A 240 in a .30-06 at more than clubbing range ?....... I have my doubts. For use in a fast twist magnums maybe.

There are better .30-06 projectiles.

Code4
Does your 7x57 have the standard 1-220mm (1-8.66") twist rate or one of the slower twist rates?

 

[Code4]

1 in 8.7"

http://www.lothar-walther.com/270.php

 

[ZG47]

1 in 8.7"

http://www.lothar-walther.com/270.php

Proof is in the shooting, eh?

Did you mean tumble or YAW? I ask this respectfully, because idiot/lazy (possibly equivalent terms in this context) gunwriters sometimes write tumble when the evidence shows yaw; and it is easy to pick up someone else's bad habit.

 

[enysse]

I have always used 180 grains, but boy I guess if you can get good accuracy with 240 grains, why not!

 

[Nicholas Barcomb]

Code4
Does your 7x57 have the standard 1-220mm (1-8.66") twist rate or one of the slower twist rates?

Proof is in the shooting, eh?

Did you mean tumble or YAW? I ask this respectfully, because idiot/lazy (possibly equivalent terms in this context) gunwriters sometimes write tumble when the evidence shows yaw; and it is easy to pick up someone else's bad habit.

Kind of copied these backwards, but that's it right there if there are issues. Before you use a heavy for caliber bullet or any other bullet, make sure the bearing surface will match the twist for proper stabilization! I knew the 240 gr was right at the upper limit for my 1:11" twist barrel, but decided to try them anyway. They worked and I would not want to shoot them over 200 yds at any scrub bull anyway, especially if I wish to cleanly dispatch the animal.

 

[Velo Dog]

Regarding the .30-06, even with old fashioned 180 to 220 grain bullets, not to mention today's bonded core bullets, in 180 to 220 grains are so incredibly effective on things like African antelopes, wild swine, plus European wild boar, bear and moose, also N. American boar, bear, elk and moose that I see no reason to bother with heavier than 220 grain .30 projectiles.

 

[Mekaniks]

I wish I had seen this bullet when I still owned my 30-06 Ackley Imp....

 

[SJ Lambert]

Might be good on Sambar?

 

[PerH]

Woodleigh manual mention its very good on camels in outback.

They also have data for the .300s also for it .

If i had a 06, i would have looked into it as moose / dog handler quarters use .

 

[SJ Lambert]

 

[ducmarc]

Those bullets seem like they'd be awesome in a .300 weatherby.

I second the motion

 

[Nkawu]

I’ve got a few 220 grain Sako super hammerheads loaded in my 308 win as an experiment. I get around 2050fps MV, and have shot one warthog at 40m. Collapsed as if hit by lightening and still had a mouth full of grass.

 

[503]

Here's some load data Geoff sent me a while back. I had my friend load some for me. They shoot well out of my 700. Hopefully test on wild hog soon. I'll update when I do.

Cheers

 

[Tom Leoni]

I think it's largely academic. With a sectional density of over .330, the 220gr .308 bullet has proven itself adequate for penetration on pretty much all game on earth. Anything above that is just a novelty, in my book. A fun novelty, maybe, but a novelty nonetheless.