30-30 lead cast loads

regulate34

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
67   0   0
Location
BC
I have a bunch of 165g .30cal lead cast from bullet barn

Any one have some plinking loads for 30-30

Will be loaded in a single shot H&R

I loaded some a while back for a marlin 336. But the .309” wasn’t big enough to group nice
Got my hands on some .310” and the did the trick.
 
No gas checks.
What kinda speed are you getting with Thoes?
1300-1500?

I would like to Plink my steel plates at at least 100yrds
 
They’re both around 1500 FPS in a 20” barrel which is about max for no gas check. All commercial “hard cast” bullets are made with a very hard alloy mainly to keep them from getting dented and banged up during transport. This also means they can be driven quite hard before they start to deform in flight at higher speeds and produce poor accuracy. It also means they have to be driven quite hard so they’ll obturate and seal to the bore to be effective.

The real key to getting them to shoot that fast and accurately is to size them correctly to your bore. If they’re too large or too small you’ll see leading in your barrel which will eventually throw off accuracy. You may get lucky and they’ll happen to be the perfect size for your bore. If they’re not, I recommend a Lee sizing die.

The general rule of thumb is .01 larger than your bore.

P.s. if you get leading in your barrel from experimenting it’s not that hard to remove. I wet it down with Hoppes no9 wait 20 min then run a old worn brush wrapped with a little copper scrub brush material. Make sure you find the actual copper ones because a lot of them (Canadian Tire, Walmart) are only copper coated now. I found mine at the Dollaramma.

One package is a lifetime supply
 
My 30-30 load is 14 grains of 4759. It could knock over 200 meter rams is a sort of lack-luster fashion. The trick was to shoot as fast as I could lever, by the time the first one got there the tin sheep probably thought they were caught in a hail storm. ;)
 
I had a faze where I tried Unique in almost everything I owned. I found 9 grs of Unique with a170gr gc worked excellent in my 94 Winchester. So when I found a 30-30 contender pistol barrel I reached for my regular cast loads and the contender likes them also. Also works well in my Stevens bolt and Savage single shot. The contender and single shot I have shot to 200m at a one foot gong and if I miss it's not the loads fault.
 
I have had good luck with WC 735 that I got from Higginson's. Not sure if it still available. 25 gr under the 311041 got me 1975 fps with a SD of 6. Loads tested out of a Win 94.

Alloy was WW water quenched with a GC. No leading and very accurate out to 100 yards.

Check out the cast bullet forum. The guys there will have some ideas for you.

Take Care

Bob
 
Any one use IMR4198
I have a few lbs and no use yet.

I picked up 3 lbs for a price that’s cheaper than dirt .. and glad I did. Use it in a 338-06 with cast bullets (145 gr wad cutters and regular 225 gr). Shot both with 35 grains and no sign of pressures. I tried the heavier bullets with paper patches and gas checks. They shot well with this load.

I’ll use 4198 with 15 grns for plinking an up to 35 gr s for hunting loads.
 
Last edited:
stable bullets will depend on several factors

too fast and it will not stabilize / too fast of rpm

too small and it will not stabilize

length too long and it will not stabilize / depends on barrel twist

Barrel twist = rpm

some of the older rifles have a 1/12 twist = good for shooting cast faster
 
I use 4.5gr of titegroup, and 6.5gr of unique for different loads. Load some with 10gr of unique if I want something more powerful. My coated cast bullets are 167gr.
 
The #4 Lyman cast load book has quite a lot of choices for 30/30. There is pdf copies online if you don't have it. I have tried a lot of different powders, some work better than others. Red dot and SR 7625 are a couple that work good for plain based loads.
 
Back
Top Bottom