I also know a man that has just started reloading. He has some of my bullets, and was going to reload them for me. I know absolutely nothing about reloading, but I know there is a recommended grain amount to use. somewheres around 55-59, right (30-06)?? I do not know how many grains are being used in factory loads, but couldn't I get him to load some "MAX" loads?? He could put the MAX amount of gunpowder, and I could choose the type of bullet for him to use? Wouldnt this allow me to get the extra fps, but still retain bullet weight at close ranges (yet still be able to make longer shots with less "hold over")??
Just my thoughts.........thanx ahead!!
This part of your post set off so many alarm bells, it's hard to know where to start. Your friend may be a very careful fellow, but he's a novice reloader, and you shouldn't have him loading for you. As you said in your post, "I know absolutely nothing about reloading," so you won't even be able to catch his mistakes. The recommended load may be, "somewheres around 55-59" grains of powder, depending on what powder your round is being reloaded with. There are
dozens of powders that work well in the 30-06 case, a tribute to its design. As for, "He could put in the MAX amount of gunpowder, and I could choose the type of bullet for him to use," if your reloading friend agrees to this approach, he's too ignorant of reloading safety to be going near a reloading press. What's "MAX" for a powder charge in a reloading manual may actually be a dangerous overload with your own components. Every brand, type, and individual production lot of primers, brass, powder, and bullets varies, and if you combine them without any regard for that, you'll find trouble.
I don't mean to flame you with this post, but reading yours really scared the hell out of me. PLEASE stick to using factory ammo for now. When you get the chance, buy copies of new reloading manuals, and read through them, paying particular attention to the parts that deal with pressure and safety. All of my concerns will become very clear to you, and you'll understand your rifle and cartridges much better, even if you never get around to reloading.
Tell your friend, as a friendly warning, that he could easily get sued for everything he's got, and then a drop, if he starts passing his reloads around to his shooting buddies. If anything goes wrong, and someone gets hurt, the reloader will be blamed. After all, much of the evidence will be scattered all over, so even if it was a gun/shooter problem, the courts may not see it that way. What if someone with a cleaning patch still in the barrel fires one of his loads? The gun goes boom, the patch is blown to kingdom come, but the novice reloader takes all the blame.
Books have been written just to cover all of the safety concerns raised by reloading, and I haven't even scratched the surface here. It's safer than most things a person can do, if you do it right, but you must know what you're doing.