[JRFugitt]

Sorry if these questions are elementry, but I need some direction. First I have a Remington 700 ADL 30-06, I think a 1 in 10 twist, what is the optimum grain bullet? Second I have an Olympic Arms AR15 .223, I think a 1 in 9 twist, again what is the optimum grain bullet? I like accurate powders and use a LEE press and reloading book. I will be mainly target shooting with both at 50 to 300 yards and occasionaly hunting deer with the 700. Any direction would be helpful I'm just looking for good accuracy but want to stretch the range out if the zombies come knocking! Have to be able to put them down! Thanks guys

 

[gdmoody]

Welcome to the forum JR. Some one will come along who can positively answer your question, but in the meantime I will tell you my thoughts!!!

I would think that with the .30-06, you should be able to shoot about any weight bullet that was out there. I do not have a Remington 700 but I load a 168 grain bullet in every .30-06 that I load for and I have three.

On the 1/9 twist .223 you are probably limited to a 68 or 69 grain bullet. I have two ARs and both of them are 1/9 twist. One of them will shoot a 68/69 grain bullet just fine and the other one causes the 68 grain bullet to tumble. I have not figgured out what is going on with that. I started loading a 62 grain and that works fine in both. Of course a 55 grain bullet works fine in it too.

 

[JRFugitt]

Welcome to the forum JR. Some one will come along who can positively answer your question, but in the meantime I will tell you my thoughts!!!

I would think that with the .30-06, you should be able to shoot about any weight bullet that was out there. I do not have a Remington 700 but I load a 168 grain bullet in every .30-06 that I load for and I have three.

On the 1/9 twist .223 you are probably limited to a 68 or 69 grain bullet. I have two ARs and both of them are 1/9 twist. One of them will shoot a 68/69 grain bullet just fine and the other one causes the 68 grain bullet to tumble. I have not figgured out what is going on with that. I started loading a 62 grain and that works fine in both. Of course a 55 grain bullet works fine in it too.

Thanks gdmoody, I'm thinking a 55 or 60 in the AR and probably somewhere between a 155 to 170 in the 700. Just want some experience behind me before I pull the trigger on brass and bullets. I got alot of info just need help decoding it all. Thanks for the greeting!

 

[USMCSpeedy]

Personally, I have good luck with a 165g in my 30-06 and 55g in my AR with the same twist rates you listed. But every rifle is different and may like a different bullet weight or a different powder pushing it. I load IMR 4350 in my 30-06 and Reloader 15 in my AR. That's the beauty of reloading, you can change things around until you find the load your rifle likes best.

 

[10 Spot Terminator]

I have owne 4 30-06 rifles in my lifetime and loaded for all of them. For best accuracy and plenty of punch for deer and elk the 165/168 gr. bullets have all given the best overall results. As for the AR the standard Greenhill formula for what bullet weight to use for a given barrel twist rate isnt set in stone. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of testimonials out there from shooters like us that have bullets that are much lighter in the 50/55/60 gr. range that perform well. Case in point is my 1 in 8 twist that shoots a 52 gr. bullet into a .324 group at 100 yds. and .465 at 200 yds. Google up search titles like .223 .52 gr AR loads and follow the threads and collect data then later try 55 gr. then 60 gr. etc. etc. and will give you some general ideas as to most common bullet and powder choices. **** WARNING **** Always cross reference any of these loads you find against at least one or more reloading manuals or powder manufacturers website data. DO NOT START with max loads. Less powder is cheaper than a visit to the ER and or the gunsmith. Hope this helps.

10 Spot

 

[JRFugitt]

Personally, I have good luck with a 165g in my 30-06 and 55g in my AR with the same twist rates you listed. But every rifle is different and may like a different bullet weight or a different powder pushing it. I load IMR 4350 in my 30-06 and Reloader 15 in my AR. That's the beauty of reloading, you can change things around until you find the load your rifle likes best.

Yeah but there are almost too many options! After reading up on reloading I almost got too scared to do it! Don't want to mess up my gun or myself! Thats about the range I'm thinking about.

 

[JRFugitt]

I have owne 4 30-06 rifles in my lifetime and loaded for all of them. For best accuracy and plenty of punch for deer and elk the 165/168 gr. bullets have all given the best overall results. As for the AR the standard Greenhill formula for what bullet weight to use for a given barrel twist rate isnt set in stone. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of testimonials out there from shooters like us that have bullets that are much lighter in the 50/55/60 gr. range that perform well. Case in point is my 1 in 8 twist that shoots a 52 gr. bullet into a .324 group at 100 yds. and .465 at 200 yds. Google up search titles like .223 .52 gr AR loads and follow the threads and collect data then later try 55 gr. then 60 gr. etc. etc. and will give you some general ideas as to most common bullet and powder choices. **** WARNING **** Always cross reference any of these loads you find against at least one or more reloading manuals or powder manufacturers website data. DO NOT START with max loads. Less powder is cheaper than a visit to the ER and or the gunsmith. Hope this helps.

10 Spot

More on this Greenhill formula, What is it? Is it a reference? That was going to be my next question, are there any books on twist/bullet weight theorys? And learnig to shoot at distance, windage and elevation self teaching, aka sniper training at home?

 

[mikld]

I googled "rifle barrel twist" and came up with several hits. Here's just one: http://www.varminthunters.com/tech/barreltwist.html

 

[X Ring]

If you use the starting load you can safely fire any bullet weight of the proper caliber in your gun. Using a bad combination of bullet weight/ rifling twist can effect your accuracy but will not lead to a kaboom. Don’t let that scare you off of reloading.
I have a 700 BDL 30/06 that has digested everything from 110g to 200g fairly accurately without problems.

 

[JRFugitt]

Thanks for the help everyone

 

[joncutt87]

I could send you some .308 projectiles and some 06 brass to start

 

[gdmoody]

I could send you some .308 projectiles and some 06 brass to start

That is a great offer and idea, jon.

JR, I'll throw in some .223/5.56 brass and some 55 grain .224 bullets if you PM your address to me.

 

[JRFugitt]

I could send you some .308 projectiles and some 06 brass to start

That would be great! How do I send a PM to you Sir and how much?

 

[JRFugitt]

That is a great offer and idea, jon.

JR, I'll throw in some .223/5.56 brass and some 55 grain .224 bullets if you PM your address to me.

That would be great! How do I PM you Sir and how much? This forum is great, only wish I could help more than ask, but with time that will come. Thanks guys.

 

[joncutt87]

$6 for shipping, and we'll call it even. Click on my name and pm is in the drop down

 

[gdmoody]

Click on my name (to the left) a small screen will "pop" down. Click on "send a private message to gdmoody". That will take you to the message screen, type the title and your message and hit the submit message button.

How much? Nothing, I am not going to send you thousands of them, maybe 50-100 brass and the same amount of bullets. It may be a week before you get them (or maybe a little longer).

 

[joncutt87]

I got 110, 125, 130, 150, and 165 grain projectiles. I'll send you a bit of everything

 

[JRFugitt]

$6 for shipping, and we'll call it even. Click on my name and pm is in the drop down

I can't PM you yet, I don't have enough posts. You Sure on the cost Sir?

 

[joncutt87]

Yep, [email protected] is my email

 

[JRFugitt]

Click on my name (to the left) a small screen will "pop" down. Click on "send a private message to gdmoody". That will take you to the message screen, type the title and your message and hit the submit message button.

How much? Nothing, I am not going to send you thousands of them, maybe 50-100 brass and the same amount of bullets. It may be a week before you get them (or maybe a little longer).

No I don't expect you to sir at all, any would be more than enough, but don't mind paying something. I can't PM yet I don't have enough posts. Thanks again.