Can I load 147gr FMJ on my 30 30 Marlin lever action ?

Chatrbaz84

Chatrbaz84

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Hi , everyone , Can I load 147gr FMJ .30 on my 30 30 Marlin lever action ? is there anyone had any experience ?

It's been many years I do reload many calibers for sem,i auto and bolt guns like 308 - 3006 -338 - 7 , 300 wsm series - 6.5, 300 prc families , some lever calibers like 3030 4570 and many more and I know some facts :

Bullet Weight and Design: The .30-30 Winchester cartridge typically uses bullets in the range of 150-170 grains. A 147gr bullet is slightly lighter than the norm, but still within a reasonable range. However, the shape and design of the bullet are crucial. Lever-action rifles like the Marlin .30-30 have a tubular magazine where cartridges are stacked nose-to-tail. Therefore, bullets with a pointed tip (like many FMJ bullets) can potentially set off the primer of the cartridge in front of it under recoil. This is why traditional .30-30 ammo uses flat or round-nosed bullets.

Overall Length and Feeding: The overall length of the cartridge, after loading the 147gr FMJ bullet, needs to be within the specifications for the .30-30. If the cartridge is too long or too short, it may not feed correctly in the lever-action mechanism.

Ballistics and Accuracy: Changing the bullet weight and type can affect the ballistic performance and accuracy of the rifle. Lighter bullets may have a different point of impact compared to the standard loads, and the rifle's sights may need to be adjusted accordingly.

Pressure and Reloading Data: Reloading ammunition requires careful attention to detail and adherence to safe practices. Make sure to consult reliable reloading manuals and data specific to the .30-30 Winchester cartridge. The load data for a 147gr FMJ bullet might differ from the standard loads, so it's important to follow the guidelines to avoid excessive pressure or other dangerous conditions.


any one experience the FMJ bullet in lever action rifle ? any danger?
 
I never tried what you suggest, but have read of people doing pointy bullets as a "two shot" rifle - one round in chamber and one round in tubular magazine. As you mention, I would be hesitant to put a pointy FMJ nose against a primer in a tubular magazine. Of the ones that I have here, the pulled 147 FMJ are all boat tail, and most of the 170 grain for 30-30 are flat base - there might not be a lot of difference - COAL - between the flat base 150 and the boat tail 147??
 
Potashminer said:
I never tried what you suggest, but have read of people doing pointy bullets as a "two shot" rifle - one round in chamber and one round in tubular magazine. As you mention, I would be hesitant to put a pointy FMJ nose against a primer in a tubular magazine.
Click to expand...

thanks for fast respond , how about if I use pistol primer? like CCI-300 , I am guessing pistol primers require less striker energy to ignite, leading to better primer-to-primer consistency and improved ballistic uniformity and accuracy. Can I use pistol primer instead of large rifle ? I guess Large Pistol Primers (LPP) and Large Rifle Primers (LRP) are roughly the same diameter. but The LRP is at least 0.008 inches taller than the LPP and has a significantly thicker cup.
 
If you used the rifle as a single shot, feeding directly into the chamber rather that trying to get them to feed through the tube, then they'd work fine.

I don't have a 30-30 lever gun, but I do shoot an 1885 Winchester single shot in 30-30. I shoot 168gr Amax bullets over a load of H335 at 2200 fps and at 100 yards they shoot to the same poi as factory 170gr ammunition.

Chris.
 
Chatrbaz84 said:
... how about if I use pistol primer? like CCI-300 , I am guessing pistol primers require less striker energy to ignite, leading to better primer-to-primer consistency and improved ballistic uniformity and accuracy. Can I use pistol primer instead of large rifle ? I guess Large Pistol Primers (LPP) and Large Rifle Primers (LRP) are roughly the same diameter. but The LRP is at least 0.008 inches taller than the LPP and has a significantly thicker cup.
Click to expand...

I have never loaded Large Pistol Primers into rifle cartridges. I have read on CGN that some people have done that successfully, but I think with relatively low pressure loadings - not sure that the pistol primers could withstand "normal" rifle pressures, without blowing hole or ripping primer cup? I think you would want to make sure that the Pistol Primer that you use seals around perimeter of the primer pocket well, and that the thing is fully seated. That would mean that your firing pin would have to be well fitted (snug fitting within its hole in the bolt) and protrude enough to reliably fire that pistol primer. If that pressure blows out backward - around the firing pin strike or on the side of the pistol primer in the pocket - is likely that gas jet will gouge out chunks from your bolt face. That might be a one in a hundred shot occurrence, and if you have only fired 5 times, maybe have not run into that yet?

I would imagine that upon firing, that Pistol Primer would be caused to move rearward within the primer pocket - due to height issue - and end up flat against the bolt face - would have to rely that it did not leak pressure while it was moving - or have to hope the end of it does not rip off the "skirts", if they have a good grip on the side walls of the pocket??

That gas jet thing was apparently happening for some production lots of Winchester Large Rifle primers - they would often blow out a little hole on their round shoulder - as I read, many, many bolts were replaced in North America due to that gas cutting.
 
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Yeah ^^^^ what he said.
The dimensional differences are not worth the aggravation.
With small primers, there's near equivalence between small pistol magnum and regular small rifle.
Other than that, stick to the books.
 
I do a light 30-30 load using 6.5grs of Bullseye under a 135gr coated Acme bullet and a large pistol primers. Works great in my lever gun. I get 1360fps with a std dev of 7fps so looks like good powder ignition. Accurate & cheap plinking out to 50m

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I tried to do this in a Win M94. The pointy bullets were too long to cycle through the action. BUT, what I did do was load them upside down. They made great wad cutters and were accurate enough to 50 yards. Use the powder Start load.
 
I've loaded Hornady 150 fmj's in .30-30. They work fine but don't put more than one in the magazine. I used 150gr data, didn't chrono them or shoot groups since I was doing a fire forming experiment.
 
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