I'm still very new to the reloading scene. I have some Lee .30-30 dies arriving tomorrow so I thought I'd pick up a box of bullets today. I was going in looking for Hornady but they were out. I wanted to work out a load for 170 gr FP bullet that I've been eyeing in my Lyman manual. Came across some Nosler bullets that were 170 gr and was under the impression I was buying the ones with the soft ballistic tips based on the picture on the front of the box (i know, i know) got it home and opened the box to find they were just regular round nose. The 170 gr load data is for flat point, the data for the round nose was for a 150 gr bullet. Does this mean I can't use the load data I was planning on using for 170gr flat point?
Damnit...bought the wrong bullets....
- Thread starter Great Crouton
- Start date
Bullet weight and material is the only thing I look at when choosing load data. 170gr copper jacketed lead core data starting loads are pretty much interchangeable. RN, FN, SP, BT, FMJ, doesn't really matter.
If it's for a rifle with tube magazine you should use flat or round nose (or Hornady Leverevolution)
If it's for a rifle with tube magazine you should use flat or round nose (or Hornady Leverevolution)
just having some fun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Need more information
30-30
Leaver ?
Powder?
Bullets 170 g?
h tt p://www.nosler.com/Reloading-Data/30-30-Winchester-170-Grains.aspx
Other powder companies have Data On the 30-30 as well
Start at the the min and work up good group size for your gun
Nothing wrong with that bullet for the 30-30
30-30
Leaver ?
Powder?
Bullets 170 g?
h tt p://www.nosler.com/Reloading-Data/30-30-Winchester-170-Grains.aspx
Other powder companies have Data On the 30-30 as well
Start at the the min and work up good group size for your gun
Nothing wrong with that bullet for the 30-30
. Re: the bolded part, I know I can use it in the rifle, my question is whether or not I can still use the same data for FP I was planning on using.
To add another question....there is data in my Lyman manual for a RN bullet for .303 but the weight it shows is 174 grain RN and I have the 170 grain RN. Since it's only of by 4 grains, can I still use the 174 grain data for my Enfield? Up the charge ever so slightly?
What? How did 303 get into this?
303 Brit and 30-30 Win are different rifle calibers and different diameter bullets. Nothing is interchangeable.
But to answer your question, you can use 174 data to load 170 gr bullets. Weight difference is insignificant.
303 Brit and 30-30 Win are different rifle calibers and different diameter bullets. Nothing is interchangeable.
But to answer your question, you can use 174 data to load 170 gr bullets. Weight difference is insignificant.
Maybe you should start over so we can follow what you're talking about?
just having some fun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
30-30 Leaver
Powder IMR-4064 Bullets 170 Nosler RN
the Lyman #44 List Data for the 170g jacketed 1:12 twist and states
Accuracy Load IMR 4064 30.0g 1980 FPS
So the min load is the most Accurate in there test rifle
min
IMR 4064 30.0g 1980 FPS
Max ------33.0g 2145 fps ---> Compressed powder charge
Note Always Work up loads
Powder IMR-4064 Bullets 170 Nosler RN
the Lyman #44 List Data for the 170g jacketed 1:12 twist and states
Accuracy Load IMR 4064 30.0g 1980 FPS
So the min load is the most Accurate in there test rifle
min
IMR 4064 30.0g 1980 FPS
Max ------33.0g 2145 fps ---> Compressed powder charge
Note Always Work up loads
I think he meant the 30-30 and 30-06 are the same bullet diameter, so he could also use his 30-30 170RN in his 30-06.
Yes, you can. BUT the 30-30 bullet has a thin jacket so it will perform at 2000fps. A bullet intended for 30-06 would have a thicker jacket so it would not blow up on contact at the higher velocities.
You can make good plinking ammo with 30-30 bullets in a 30-06, but do not sue them on medium or large game. They would blow up real good in coyotes, though.
Yes, you can. BUT the 30-30 bullet has a thin jacket so it will perform at 2000fps. A bullet intended for 30-06 would have a thicker jacket so it would not blow up on contact at the higher velocities.
You can make good plinking ammo with 30-30 bullets in a 30-06, but do not sue them on medium or large game. They would blow up real good in coyotes, though.
hometownhero
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Toon Town, Sk
So are you trying to load 30-30, 30-06, or 303??
Oh man guys, I'm REALLY sorry for the confusion. I could have sworn it said in my manual that several rifles can use the same bullet as they are the same diameter (eg .30-30 and .30-06 as they both say .308 is the diameter of the bullet used).
I selected a load for my .30-30 that people seemed to think was popular. It was load data for a 170 grain flat point. I wrote down the exact name and product number of the bullet they used in Lyman 49 and went to WSS to find it. When I saw they were sold out of the specific one I was looking for I looked to another manufacturer and thats when things got confusing. Because my .30-30 is a leaver I knew I had to get a rounded or flat nose in with a diameter of .308.
It's now quite clear I need to do a bit more homework on bullet selection.
For the record, the rifles I want to reload for are:
.30-30 leaver action
.303 Lee Enfield
.223 AR15
.30-06 bolt action
.30-30 is the rifle I want to try re-loading for first.
I selected a load for my .30-30 that people seemed to think was popular. It was load data for a 170 grain flat point. I wrote down the exact name and product number of the bullet they used in Lyman 49 and went to WSS to find it. When I saw they were sold out of the specific one I was looking for I looked to another manufacturer and thats when things got confusing. Because my .30-30 is a leaver I knew I had to get a rounded or flat nose in with a diameter of .308.
It's now quite clear I need to do a bit more homework on bullet selection.
For the record, the rifles I want to reload for are:
.30-30 leaver action
.303 Lee Enfield
.223 AR15
.30-06 bolt action
.30-30 is the rifle I want to try re-loading for first.
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- Location
- Winnipeg,Man.
maybe you should buy another reloading book and see the difference in specs. i refer still to a couple different books and my brother in law, when trying a new reload. Different bullet manufacturers have different specs but main thing is the bullet weight to powder ratio. Start low and work up til your gun likes what you load. I reload all 4 calibers that you have. Plus a few more.
I do have another manual, I have the Lee one that came with my press. It only lists data for weight and whether or not it's jacketed or a cast bullet. I guess that there should have told me the tip isn't all that important. However as a new reloader, I wanted to find EXACTLY the same bullets as used in my manual and that can be tough as what's available in the real world may differ slightly. That's why I tend to look at my Lyman manual more, it lists the exact bullet they used in their testing.
Like I said, I need to do a bit more homework as I don't know yet what should be taken as gospel and what is open to interpretation.
Like I said, I need to do a bit more homework as I don't know yet what should be taken as gospel and what is open to interpretation.
LUTNIT pretty much answered your question in the first post and it's been stated in a few posts since.
I'm a new reloader also and this is what I know:
Bullet weight and composition are the deciding factors, don't try to use load data from a different caliber; even if they use the same bullet. If you're loading for .30-30 use .30-30 data. Get more books; ABC's of reloading is a good starter book.
If you can't find load data for the particular weight of bullet you have you use data for a heavier bullet.
Hodgdon has load data online you can also use for reference. http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp
Start at the min. load recommended and work up, always check your brass for signs of pressure and don't go over the max until you have way more experience under your belt.
I'm a new reloader also and this is what I know:
Bullet weight and composition are the deciding factors, don't try to use load data from a different caliber; even if they use the same bullet. If you're loading for .30-30 use .30-30 data. Get more books; ABC's of reloading is a good starter book.
If you can't find load data for the particular weight of bullet you have you use data for a heavier bullet.
Hodgdon has load data online you can also use for reference. http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp
Start at the min. load recommended and work up, always check your brass for signs of pressure and don't go over the max until you have way more experience under your belt.
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For the record, that was NOT what I was planning on doing. My logic was this......I bought a 170 grain round nose bullet that has a diameter of .308". I bought this in error as I was looking for flat point. I decided to see if I could use them in a different rifle and saw that there was data for .30-06 using a 170 grain round nose bullet, it too said the bullet diameter is .308" so I figured that was a match. HOWEVER, I would use the .30-06 data when doing so and NOT the .30-30 data and obviously use it in my .30-06 rifle.
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You need to read the tutorials at the start of the manuals... They will give you the basic understanding you need for reloading various bullets, powders and calibers... One piece of advice above is one to remember... When you do not have data for a specific bullet... Start with the data for a HEAVIER bullet and work up. The bullets that you bought (170 RN) will work in any of your .30 caliber guns... Remember the .303 is probably a .311" bore.
OK, good to hear. Things certainly got confusing early on in this post, so I just wanted to make sure you weren't trying to interchange data and calibers.
Regarding bullets:
.30-30 & .30-06 are both .30 caliber and use (.308 diameter) bullets
.303 is not a .30 caliber gun. The .303 uses a .311 diameter bullet; if it's a Lee Enfield you will have to experiment with bullets of different diameter due to a variety of bore sizes. A well know and knowledgeable Nut in the Milsurps section swears by the .312 diameter flat base bullet for the Lee Enfield.
