Speaking "FRANKLY"
By Frank Marshall, Jr.
The 30-'06 is An Oldie, But a Goodie
When Fairfax Rod & Gun Club decided to shoot at a 1"
(gulp) 10 ring at 100 yds. with cast bullets for record, under CBA
rules, I had to rustle through my "retired" rack for a suitable rifle. I
also dug out the old notebook in which I had recorded over a half
century of cast load skullduggery.
Looking through the old notes of my Uncle Will, I refreshed the memories
of the one-holer groups he used to shoot with his 10" twist star-gauged
Springfield with 28" heavy barrel on a standard Springfield Sporter
stock of dense, well fitted walnut. All pertinent factors were well
documented, and the rifle showed amazing consistency in over two pages
of legible data using the Ideal 311284 bullet. The loads were light by
today's standards, giving an estimated velocity of 1600 f.p.s. using old
FA26 corrosive primers with Unique, Hi-Vel #2 or No. 80 powder, plus a
smattering of a few others, like Sharpshooter and Lightning, which few
reading this will remember.
I distinctly remember my uncle Will saying, "with this load the powder's
not the thing, it's the velocity. It has to be enough to stabilize, but
not enough to lead. For low disturbance from recoil, minimal heat
buildup over a long run of shots, the loads must be fairly light, the
alloy only medium hard, so it will still seal the bore over the whole
28", while being strong enough to handle the 10" twist. All are
essential."
Will, using a 5X on that Springfield, shooting from sandbags at 100 yds.,
would bet and win every time on ten shots, after three warmers, which
you could cover all or part of every one with a quarter. I saw this
many, many times. This is equal to a 10X possible on the A-15 Smallbore
Rifle Target. Not many of the pre-WWI masters could do this
consistently, though they shot a few better. Will could do it on demand
any time you asked him. His reac¬tion when asked how he could do it when
legendary shots of single-shot rifles couldn't, was a casual, "they
don't have boltguns." He knew the inherent superior¬ity of the bolt
action.
Few of the old masters left in the post WWI period really understood the
tricks or understood the principles of good cast bullet load
development. They didn't understand why, they just experimented till
they found something that worked. Once they found a "trick", it was a
well kept secret. There was no free exchange of information like the CBA
enjoys today, for back then a trick meant the difference between winning
a healthy wager and losing hard earned money.
Today, of course, those same old masters wouldn't stand a chance against
our top ten CBA record holders. Our guns are far better today, and we
really do know and understand more. The long passage of time simply
makes the occasional very good scores stand out as legendary, whereas
the average standard of rifle accuracy at that time was really pretty
abysmal, by today's standards.
Strange as it may sound, however, the old pros knew there was no such
thing as a perfect bullet, case, powder, primer, chamber, throat,
barrel, sights, bedding jobs or load¬ing tools. Most of all there was no
perfect shooter, handloader or gunsmith. I learned early that once I
accepted this and reacted accordingly, I'd crossed the big barrier.
The solution now and then has been to orient the imperfections to make
their effect uniform on the target. Consistency of imper¬fection is the
key to accuracy. It is amazing the fine results possible with simple
load¬ing tools like a Lee Loader or Lyman 310 dies in a 7/8-14 adapter
if you concentrate on uniform position of the dies in the press,
indexing them to a reference mark, the same with the bullet, orienting
to a mould mark throughout sizing and loading and shooting, and the case
with the sizing and seating die, and soforth. In bullet sizing it is
especially important to keep the top punch oriented and concentric to
the sizing die. Your sizing die should be oriented in the tool also.
You strive for perfection by realizing your equipment is not perfect.
Bullet select¬ion boils down to the best one out of three, using the old
Plumber's pot, gas stove and dipper. My casting conditions are most
prim¬itive by most of your standards.
However, last year at Wapwallopen, Ed Harris and I both won aggregates
and had to choose awards. Ed agreed to let me have a Saeco electric
furnace, if I would agree to try it, chiding me in a friendly way. I'll
now go modern, thanks to him. I still feel however, the old pot and
dipper can produce truly excellent bullets, but perhaps with more
rejects. I'm not sure.
I keep at least 8 lbs. of lead in the pot (that holds 11 lbs.) and
preheat the mould on the top edge of the pot, never in a gas flame which
may warp it, then cast until the bullets are well filled without any
wrinkles. I then start keep¬ing bullets for later inspection, and
regulate my casting rate to stay just shy of frosty bullets. I don't
work fast, but hold the spout or dipper to the mould for a few seconds
to keep it warm, then wait a few seconds for the sprue to com¬pletely
harden before opening the mould.
I flux every twenty bullets, and prior to coming out of the pot with a
full dipper I stir back and forth twice through the alloy and bring the
dipper up from the bottom uniformly each time. Dennis Marshall has
remarked that lead alloys don't gravity segregate and mixing is not
necessary, and since he's the engineer, I won't argue with him, but I
feel the stirring has other benefits, such as dislodging impurities and
help¬ing to prevent getting dross or flux in the cavity, by always
dipping from the bottom of the pot. The system works, I won't change. I
place the dipper spout centered on the pourhole of the mould, held
horizontally, and roll them vertically, together in a smooth and uniform
motion. I get fine bullets by this method, but I must be very careful to
select and weigh them for match loads and maybe only 20 or so out of 100
are of a quality I would take to Wapwallopen to shoot against the likes
of Sears, Ardito, Rollins, Sarty, Musselman and others of similar
ability.
The long winter months of '70 found me with plenty of time and all my
moulds cleaned, as no trick could be left un¬turned to face that 1" ten
ring come spring. I ran batches of 311467, 31141, 311440, and my all
time .30 cal. favorite, the long, lean, wind bucking 220-gr. #311284.
After honing out a .309" die to give a .3095" bullet for a snug fit in
my .3095" throat, I was ready for the serious work to begin.
All bullets were constantly inspected visually for any defects, in every
phase from mold to final seating in the case. All were weighed into
three lots, plus or minus 0.1 gr., as segregated to (-); (on) and (+).
Those outside the + 0.1 grain scope went into the plinker/practice/fouler
box. I throw away many bullets others would shoot, but I don't have very
many unexplained fliers either.
Using my pre-war Winchester model 70 target rifle with factory 10" twist
bull barrel, I've always sought to duplicate the ideal conditions my
uncle Will found worked in his Springfield. Thay have worked for me too.
I worked on his indexing theory through¬out casting, sizing, loading and
shooting.
I concentrated on his "ideal" 1600 f.p.s. velocity, mostly with the
#311284, but it gave very good results in my usual 87-10-3 lead-antimony
tin alloy with all the above bullets (old, good Ideal moulds casting
bullets of correct dimensions requiring little or no sizing). Early on I
tried various powders to get this velocity, and in turn tried 15 grs. of
Unique (one of Will's favorites), 20 gns. of #2400 or IMR-4227; and 24
grs. of IMR-4198. RL-7 is similar to 4198 and should work OK with the
same approximate charge.
When SR-4759 was reintroduced a few years ago, I ordered a caddy with
high hopes, since it was designed specifically for the purpose of making
reduced loads in the .30 cal. '06 case, for downloading military-type
bullets to simulate downrange impacts in testing armor plate, helmets,
etc. 21 grs. of SR-4759 turned out right with the favorite #311284.
Of several accurate loads I had, I found the 311284 bucked the wind best
and had overall the most consistent performance. This was just as my
uncle Will had found in his Springfield. This isn't surprising, as my
Mode1 70 has the same gov't 4-groove rifling form used in Springfield
.30 cal. barrels, the same 10" twist and is internally similar. The
Model 70 is essentially a refined Mauser or Springfield action anyway,
with a faster locktime, better trigger, etc., but the bbl. weight and
stock, handling qualities on the bags, etc, were almost identical to the
Type T Springfield.
My Model 70 could be nitpicked on fine points, by modern standards it
isn't what benchresters today would consider a super rifle. It's groove
diameter is a fat .3095" plus, and the bore is .3005", requiring a nose
no less than 301" diameter. Some shooters go a bit larger. The leade is
worn somewhat, but smooth, a condition I find favorable towards use of
lead bullets. At the front of the short throat, it measures .3095", not
with a minimum chamber, but not a bad one either. It is good and
concentric, the bolt closing square on the case and both locking lugs
bearing evenly.
Although when I started out, I realized there were much hotter rifles
around, my hopes were tempered liberally by my memories of what uncle
Will had done years ago with a very similar, and probably no better
rifle. Most of all, though, I was limited by what I had, since when
you're on half rations, that's what you go with. I have more time than
money, and I make up for in care to details what I may lack in fancy
substance. Speed loading, high volume shooting and super cast bullet
accuracy are not compati¬ble.
Once I decided on the #311284 as best, I never toyed with the load after
that. I use 21 gns. of SR-4759, weighed, no filler, the #311284 cast of
87-10-3 Pb-Sb-Sn, which weighs 220-grs, mixed from old hard wheel
weights and bar solder. Hornady gaschecks are seated and all grooves
filled with Alox and a thin layer is allowed to run onto the .301" nose.
This .3095" bullet is seated snug in the neck so the gascheck is at its
base, which presses the front band hard on chambering against the front
leade cone. I use FA59 match cases, but there's nothing magic about
them. What's important is to have a good uniform batch of brass, all the
same maker, preferably the same lot.
The old .30-'06 seems to have fallen from favor among the younger
shooters, but I think they are selling it short. True, the .30-30 and
.308 are good cast bullet rounds, but the '06 is too. The small cases
like the .30 Johnson, .30 Herett, 308x11/2, I'm not sure about. I think
the bigger case is OK provided you have a powder which will ignite
easily. A small case develops more pressure to get the bullet up to
velocity and this hurts more than helps. A high velocity may buck the
wind better but is not as consistent. Above 1800 f.p.s. you cannot get
as consistent performance, due to leading, as Ed Harris stated in No.
20, but at 1500 f.p.s. I never clean my rifle, because I don't need to.
I use plenty of lubricant and the bore doesn't lead at all.
The performance of this combination speaks well for it. The first time
we fired at Fairfax under CBA rules I fired a 196-4X in a light gale,
and knew I had a combination capable of sub moa, even though I admit
holding deep into those gusts when there was no time to wait any longer.
The next match was a fair day 198-8X which set a CBA record. The next
match I fired a 197-9X, which while not a record, was great for the
condtions. In the August match before we went to Wapwallopen last year I
held a shot wrong for a nine, but finished with a 199-4X with
deceptively calm, varying mirage conditions. At Wapwallopen, of course,
I had to contend with 200 yd, shooting, but the Combination held up well
there too, giving me a 395-14X for the 100-200 yd, aggregate and a
200-yd. record 1.894" group. The old .30-'06 with 10" twist, using an
ancient, ornery base pour bullet with a light load giving it only 1200
f.p.s. or so remaining velocity at 200 yds, delivered the goods fine.
After returning to Fairfax we had one more match to go to complete our
sched¬ule. Rather than casting more bullets, I used selected "rejects"
for the last match, which hung in for a 198-9X and a season aggregate of
595-21X out of a possible 600.
The rest of the story is significant, from the consistency of the record
scores fired in club matches and nationals, plus doing 100 yd., 200-yd,
score and group shooting all with the same combination. I feel this
proves the worth of the slow heavy bullet in bucking the wind without
leading the barrel. I never had an eight for record all season, nor did
I use my cleaning rod once.
The fact that a mediocre rifle could produce a 99+ season average with a
40% X count should make you ponder what a really good rifle could do
with such a load. It would take a hell of a salesman to convince me that
a good .30-'06 with 10" twist isn't in the running. Being that we are
still a ways from knowing all the answers, this may not be it, but it-'s
competitive with the alternatives. When I can shoot l0X possibles all
day, I'll give up shooting and try fishing or frissbees.
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