Hi all verry new to this forum and dont know much about reloading willing to learn ok best load for my 30 06 i will be shooting goats and also deer and hog all at diffrent distances. i live in Adelaide South Australia. also want to know a good brand of reloading kit i will buy from the states as per usual the prices cheaper and more to choose from want to spend about $500. US for a compleate set, will buy my dies seprate thanks Stan

Welcome to the site Stan...I load .30-06 using 165 grain SBT, 165 grain HPBT and 180 grain SBT. All three are Sierra Game Kings. My favorite powder is Hodgdon H4831 SC.

I do believe that Vince can help you the most as he is an Aussie resident too and knows what powders you can get there. So I'll back out and refer you to him...

Howdy Stan and welcome!

A reloading kit that will last you a lifetime is the RCBS Rockchucker Kit. It comes with scale, powder measure, priming tool, Speer manual, deburring tools, loading block and that awesome Rockchucker press. My Rockchucker was bought in 1961 and has loaded literally hundreds of thousands of rounds without a hiccup. US $ pricing locally is $299.99.

I recommend buying several manuals as data can vary from one source to another. In general stay with the manual that is published by the manufacturer of the bullet you are loading. Compare data with sources like this website and others and always begin to load conservatively. The Lyman #48 manual is one of the better ones for instruction on most aspects of reloading; in fact the first 110pages are dedicated to description and terminology. Most manuals have some added information on the process as well.

Find a mentor. Someone that has loaded for a long time may be able to guide you and help separate essential from non essential steps, tools and equipment.

All the best.

Bushmaster wrote:

Welcome to the site Stan...I load .30-06 using 165 grain SBT, 165 grain HPBT and 180 grain SBT. All three are Sierra Game Kings. My favorite powder is Hodgdon H4831 SC. I do believe that Vince can help you the most as he is an Aussie resident too and knows what powders you can get there. So I'll back out and refer you to him...

Thanks Bushy. We can get pretty well most powders here in Australia, but the cheapest by far are the ADI powders.

Stan, how are you mate. My personal preference for powders, as I mentioned above, are the ADI range because of price and also they are bloody good powders. Having said that, have a good look through Hunting Nut for load data. Pick the load you fancy and give it a go. Remember, what works in one firearm does not necessarily work in another, so it can work out expensive trying to find a powder/bullet combination that your rifle likes.

Having said that, when you find a load that someone else swears by by all means give it a go, however, ALWAYS start your load development 10% below the load they recommend watching carefully for signs of pressure.

Always compare handload data from another person with load data from the powder and bullet manufacturers. Their data is available on the net usually for free. Have a look at this thread mate:

Reloading Manuals

30-06 Bullets

ADI Handloaders Guide

If you have a question mate simply jump in and ask away. Better to ask a silly question than make a stupid mistake. There is probably hundreds of years of reloading experience in this Forum and each and every guy here is happy to offer the benefit of his experience.

Good luck with your venture, we look forward to hearing how it is going.

Cheers, Vince

FWIW: ADI powders are distinguished by their green or buff color and are a primary import for the Hodgdon brand. All the Hodgdon Extreme series are ADI. Good stuff.