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IMR 4064 for 30.06

13K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  GOA Guy 
#1 ·
I just recently set up an old Herters #3. This press was my Uncle's; I used to help him load with it back in the 70's, but was mostly his muscle for throwing the lever. He did all the thought process on the loads. When he died recently, my Aunt made me come and get all his reloading equipment, since I was the only one who showed an interest. There was a lot of memories in unpacking those old crates of goodies.

I have set the press up to load 30.06 since that is what i shoot mostly for deer and elk. I have the Hornady 180gr Interlock soft nose with a variety of once shot brass that I have saved over the years from Remington to Winchester. I have a some old CCI rifle primers from my Uncles stock that have been stored at room temperature and kept dry. Also there is a pound of IMR 4064, which I found a loading solution for in my Speer manual.

Is the 4064 a good powder for the 30.06 or is there better (perhaps cleaner) powders out there to load hunting / shooting rounds. I did load 20 up and took them to the range and they shot well (2.5 inch groups at 100yards on a fairly stable bench with props from my 700 BDL Remington) without any failures. I am running low on powder now and am having trouble finding 4064. What alternatives would you recommend?
 
#3 · (Edited)
I reload for Garands and 1903's. The Garand is what I tailor my ammo for and because of its semi auto operation the band of powders that wont harm the gas system is narrow.

That said 4064 is one of the highly recommended 30-06 powders along with 4895 (4895 being the supreme Garand powder).

Personally I found Varget (safe for Garands) to be the most accurate 30-06 powder (in my rifles) at 46.5 grains behind a 168 BTHP. It shoots well in both the 03 and Garand.

Using a bolt gun your choices are much greater. I loaded some RL19 and got exceptional results in my 1903 with 168's.

Right now your decision may be based on whats available. If 4064 is what you have you will probably find a great load.
 
#4 ·
When the 06 was the standard service cartridge IMR 4064 and IMR 4895 were used almost interchangeably for GI ammo.

I agree with the comment about Varget but unless you have a target rifle I doubt that you could see the difference. When you run out of 4064 you could try it.
 
#5 ·
46 gr. of Varget with the Hornady 168 gr. in my M1 shoots groups that are half the size of the same bullet with IMR-4895. Its very consistent in that regard.

I've got two containers of 4895 that have been gathering dust for nearly three years as a result.
 
#6 ·
4064 is one my all time favorite powders, it has always been very accurate in a variety of rifles for me.
 
#8 ·
I agree with all the comments about loading for the Garand. I like 155 Sierra Palmas and XMR or IMR4064, IMR4895, or Varget for that also. But, MountainRN is loading for a Model 700 using 180 hunting bullets. IMR4350 will get him greater velocity and accuracy will be on par with the "new" powders too.
 
#9 ·
When the 4064 is gone I'd replace it with one of several excellent ball type powders on the market. You can achieve the same accuracy and regardless of if you're throwing powder charges, using a Lee dipper, or measuring each one and finishing off with a trickler, the ball powders are just easier to work with.

Bob
 
#10 · (Edited)
I reload for a lot of differnt calibers, here's what I have come too on the 30.06

RL15 for 125's
IMR 4064 for 150's,
IMR 4350 for 165's,
IMR4350, H4350, RL19, IMR4831, WW760 for 180's
RL19 for 200's

Also you can work up these:
RL-15 for 150s and RL-19 for 165s

If a 30.06 rifle won't shoot a 150gr bullet with 50grs of IMR4064, sell it.
 
#11 ·
Wow, this gives me a quite a range of powders to look for in the "take what you can get" environment we are in right now. I appreciate all the input. and will experiment with a few different powders to come up with a favorite.

However, Arkie's comment on going to a ball powder is interesting. I do have a huge pain in the ass runing 4064 through my lyman #45 powder measure and then trickling to get a proper load. What ball powders would you recommend ?

thanks, again for all the recommendations.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I havent tried ball powders for rifle but I love how consistently they flow through my Dillon for pistol

I understand with ball powder in a rifle you may get some temperature issues if you end up shooting in extreme hot or cold.

Win 748 is often mentioned for 30-06. BL-C2 is often recommended for .308 it may have a 30-06 use.
 
#13 ·
Is the 4064 a good powder for the 30.06 or is there better (perhaps cleaner) powders out there to load hunting / shooting rounds. I did load 20 up and took them to the range and they shot well (2.5 inch groups at 100yards on a fairly stable bench with props from my 700 BDL Remington) without any failures. I am running low on powder now and am having trouble finding 4064. What alternatives would you recommend?
4064 is an excellent powder for the '06, though maybe a tad too fast for the 180 gr. Excellent choices for the future would be IMR-4350, IMR-4831, or RL-19. Best loads I ever got in my Ruger 77 '06 were with 4350 and 165 gr. spitzers. 180's were a close second.
 
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