ORIGINAL: rynigner
Hey all,
I'm going to be starting to reload for my 30-06 here soon, and am having some difficulty finding bullets I like. This is probably a dumb question, but can I use just any 30 cal round or even a .308 bullet. I'm just wanting to find out my option before I waste money on unusable hardware, or do something dangerous... thanks for any info
.30-caliber rifles have an average or nominal BORE (land) diameter of .300 of an inch, and a nominal groove diameter of .308 of an inch. Therefore, all rifles called ".30 cal.", "308 cal", or ".300 cal., use bullets of .308" diameter. So ANY .308" bullet can be safely used in your rifle.
Some .308" bullets may be too light, and some may be too heavy, for optimum performance from the .30/'06 cartridge. But they can be used safely with the right powder charge for different weights and shapes of bullets. You get the powder charge data from a reloading manual or off some reliable internet source.