Empty Nester's 30-06 Fun!

Skip Sackett

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Yeah, on a handgun forum!

Took the last kid to college the other weekend and left her there. After 33 + years of having kids in our house, the wife and I are finally empty nester's!

We had our first kid 9 months and 2 weeks after we were married and have had younguns ever since.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, just stating facts. Loved them, did all I could to make them good productive citizens, good Christians too. Now they are all out and my wife and I are spending TONS of time together and I am reminded everyday recently just why I married her! She is my friend!

Well, enough of that............. To make a long story longer, we hunt together too. Not so much here in Indiana as we have no land but, we have been on several hog/ram hunts and have enjoyed them immensely. We have the Marlin's but NOTHING works like a 30/06 in my opinion! (Yeah, you have one too! :) )

So, earlier this year, I got a used Savage 110 and got it tweaked to shoot one inch groups @ 100 yards. Thought I was doing pretty good. Well, the wife thought she needed her own rifle, she had been borrowing our son in law's Remington 700, so we got her one, and MAN, did we get her a good one!

Laugh if you want, this thing is a shooter! Our local MC Sporting Goods just opened a gun/hunting section and yes, they are selling long guns and handguns! WOWSER!

They had a grand opening sale and one of the items was a Thompson Center Venture. Oh, by the way, it does fit on this forum come to think about it as it is also stamped Smith and Wesson! ;)

A little research on this thing says it will shoot, guaranteed, MOA groups. Well, I was pleasantly surprised when we went to the range. I bought a good scope, 3X9X44mm and got it all mounted and off to the range we went.

The load, 165gr Nosler BTBT bullets, 50.3gr Varget, 3.300" OAL in new, Federal primed cases. I have had good fortune with these bullets on other hunts so I wanted to develop a load for these two rifles that used them too. They are devastating on game. I didn't chronograph them but they are probably 2700fps ish, maybe more.

I wanna brag on my honey. She shot this 3 shot group all by herself @ 100 yards!
KarensGroup.jpg


Center to center of the farthest away holes is 1"! Not too shabby! I know men that cannot shoot that well! :D

Then, we set up some empty shotgun hulls and she let lose at them. 2 hulls, 2 shots! They were just grazed but hit nonetheless! Take a look!
Karens20ga100yards.jpg

Remember, these were shot @ 100 yards. I think she can take a hog with that gun at that distance then! hahaha I am proud of her!

I did get to shoot it and here is the best group @ 100 yards that I was able to turn in with the same combination:

Skips100yardT_CVentureGroup.jpg


Bad angle on the tape but it is right at a 3/4" group. That would mean that this rifle shot, out of the box with no tinkering, sub minute of angle groups! Now THAT is impressive!

Had fun with the little woman, shot some good groups, have to go refill the cases and get ready for a hunt sometime this fall or early next year.

Gonna have some fun! :D
 
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That's a nice story, followed with some nice shooting to boot!
I'd wish you luck on the next hunt, but with that grouping you might not need it.
 
There is great joy in a happy marriage, wonderful children and the pleasure of shared interest... such as hunting! I have always appreciated the .30-06 for it remarkable utility and normally fine accuracy. I bought a Rem. 700 LH BDL in 1985. Firing it with Norma 180 gr. ammunition it produced 3 shot groups of 1 inch at 100 yds. using a little Weaver 1-4.5x scope. Last year I checked the zero on that rifle... still hitting the same precise point of impact... still shooting the same little 1 inch groups. The only thing I've changed is to put on a 3x Weaver scope and load Nosler 150 gr. Ballistic Tips. With my favorite load, that rifle will put three of those Noslers into less than .75 inches. You might want to give them a try. They've done very well in every .30-06 and .308 rifle I've ever used them in. Cheers!
 
Congrats!!.

Congrats and always keep the Honey happy,she shoots very well!.
 
That TC Venture is a darn nice rifle for the money I messed around with one at the local shop.

Nice shooting and glad to see that you and your wife can enjoy the same things together.:)
 
Congratulations on your choice of best friends. That's
excellent shooting, doesn't matter who you are.
If you have a successful hunt, how about relating it? Love to hear it!
TACC1
 
Skip, there's really no such thing as an empty nest. Our youngest got married when she was 30 and that was 7 years ago. I still feed multitudes on a regular basis! There will probably be 5 grandchildren at the table today. ;)

The .30-06 is always a good choice, It has served well in various capacities for over 100 years and is still going strong!
 
Paul,
Our kids are scattered from here to Pennsylvania to Missouri! While there are 2 grandkids here, there are 8 between the two other states!

I am enjoying our time "alone" to be honest. Our grandkids are great and I love having them around too, don't get me wrong, but I am remembering the reason that I married this gal awhile back and liking her more and more everyday!

As for the .30-06, it is my favorite rifle round. The Venture and the Savage have a 1-10" twist so they will stabilize bullets into the 220gr area. Bear/Moose/Elk loads for sure!

The 165gr has already taken 2 hogs but from the "sil's" Remington.

We are really having a "BLAST", pun intended!

Blessings, brother! :D
 
TACC!,
Here is a video from our first hog hunt. She shot this all by herself and is pretty excited. Not the biggest but it is her first. Sure had fun!
(Click on it to watch.)


Then, here is a picture of her posed with a friend of mine's Marlin over the hogs our son and I shot. I forgot about the one he shot. That was shot with a 150gr Nosler BTBT in a Remington 710 in .30-06 too!
Karen_Posed-1.jpg


Here is her hunting "get up" too. They used to be USMC issued BDU trousers. She took 2 and made this skirt with them. Eagle, globe and anchor embedded and all!

DIGITALCAMOSKIRT2.jpg
 
I bought a 700 in 30-06 when I finished high in 92. shot 1 inch groups out to 200 yards, and 2 inch at 300 yards off a bench. The RSO that was helping me was amazed that an off the shelf gun shooting off the shelf ammo was doing that good. Ammo was remington 150 grn psp.

Carried the 700 a few years later in the Infantry.

As soon as I figure out how the Lee case trimmer works ill be getting back to handloading for it.
 
Only one kind of serviceman carries a Remington 700! Those are the crazy ones that they tell them to hike way back behind enemy lines, shoot someone, and make it back best as they can! (Snipers!)


Well, I loaded 27 rounds tonight.! Quite a bit different than what I normally do in over an hour! :) Like 800 rounds different! ;)


Sent the wife over to the local reloading supply pusher tonight and got some more bullets, Nosler 30165 to be exact, another lb of powder and a powder trickler. (Never had much use for one on handgun ammo!)

Took the cases, they were marked and put in the press with the same orientation from case to case, neck sized only, set all of the bullets and then crimped. Again, same case orientation in the press each time.

Oh, and for those that think I hate the Lee Classic Cast Turret press, that is the one I used! Primed on the press too. Took the rod out and used it like a single stage press. Went very well.

Looking forward to shooting them. Gonna use the chronograph this time now that we are on the paper real good!

Next day or two and we will be heading to the range to give 'er a go!

I was talking to a dealer tonight about an Encore Pro Hunter .30-06 in stainless steel about how accurate they are. I just naturally thought that the 28" barrel, 4 inches longer than the Venture, would be more accurate. He said: "No, more time in the barrel is not always a good thing!" I think I can understand that. Then he told me that there were folks that were getting sub-MOA groups with their Ventures in .30-06 using handloaded ammo!

So, wish me the best! I am hoping for at least one groups where all of the bullets are touching @ 100 yards!


:D
 
Only one kind of serviceman carries a Remington 700! Those are the crazy ones that they tell them to hike way back behind enemy lines, shoot someone, and make it back best as they can! (Snipers!)

LT P. asked if any one knew how to use the bolt gun and I raised my hand.
 
Skip,

The .30-06 can give some sterling results, even in old military rifles. Here's a group I shot with factory Federal 150 gr at 100 yards using a two groove 1903-A3 that was built before I was born, but not by much. ;)

abu.jpg


I have replaced the stock with a Ramline synthetic, so I can get the comb up high enough to use the scope that's on it (I think it's a $29 Bushnell). It's a Remington RA 2-44, but still functions well at 67. :)
 
Dwight,
Thanks! Already sent in!

That woman of mine is a nut! She was "out running errands" this evening and being especially vague as to her whereabouts when we were on the phone. I hated to ruin her surprise for me by telling her that I could guess where she was headed so I kept my big fat mouth shut!

I beat her home and low and behold, she came though the door with a long skinny, flat box. A RIFLE? FOR ME? WOW! I WONDER WHAT KIND IT IS? (How is that for fake surprise? ;) )

Yeah, she knew I was impressed with the T/C so she went and got me my own! Imagine!

Then, we went to the range with hers and here is the best group she shot with it:

30-06100yardMOM.jpg


I don't care who you are, that is good shooting! She did it all by herself too! AMAZING!
 
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I have quite a woman too! She never ceases to amaze me! Thursday night, after work, I came home and there was a second long skinny, flatish type box on the table. She said: "You seemed to like it so much, here is one of your own!" I think she just wanted to make sure I left hers alone! ;)

So, I ran to the basement, made up some of the same loads from her rifle, and headed to the range!

I put a scope on it that was on my Savage 30/06 and was pleasantly surprised! Here is what the group looked like form mine!
(100 yards)
30-06100yardDAD.jpg


So, in a few months, I think we are heading to the hog woods! :D

This is gonna be a blast, literally! :D
 
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