Reduced loads for 30-30 lever gun

J

JSB999

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Hi all

I was wondering if anyone had experience with reduced loads for a 30-30 lever gun? i would like to use a 150 gr plated bullet (barry's 30-30 bullets) to save a few bucks. i have some SR 4657 that i have seen referenced in some old reloading guides for reduced loads by lyman for lead bullets. id like to know if anyone has used this in their 30-30. any other info or comments would be appreciated.

Thanks

john
 
I usually don't recommend people to search online for stuff like that, but in this case there is a bunch of online info proven and tested as great reduced loads. Not familiar with that load, or powder though. What kind of info are you looking for? More loads, or just if this one is "alright"?

I have also extrapolated, using data for a smaller case and similar bullet diameter, and using a larger charge to approximate the pressure, and taking into account different bullet weights.
It works, and the math is not overly complicated. With the caveat that you have to be fairly sure of your variables, and working low target pressures.

A chronograph is handy, especially coupled with good data and Quickload. Then you can exactly tailor your loads for a specific chamber pressure compatible with cast.
 
A varmint load you can feed through your magazine.
Speer 110 grain plinker over 27.2 grains of IMR-4198.
You will have to compensate your typical 30-30 lever gun sight for a slightly higher point of impact at 100 yards.

Added immediate benefit is newer shooters will appreciate the lack of recoil with iron sights on our typically crooked butt stocks.

Plus you can use these to turn chicken eating foxes and coyotes inside out with your little 30-30, because it's a deep hollow point at about 2400 fps.

This is from Pet Loads by Ken Waters.
 
A standard 30-30 load is for all practical purposes reduced already. Under powered reduced loads and hunting is not a good combo.

I have dabbled a bit with cast in the 30-30. IMHO a really decent cast bullet caliber. I'd skip right past the Berrys plated and try cast. H4198, RL 7, 5744, and SR 4759 are the powders that seem to work.

I've used a Lyman 311041, but want to try a 311291 and a 311466. I have all 3 molds. My 30-30 cast has been a back burner project, I dearly want to get back to it.

Taffin had a good write up on the 30-30.

 
In a 30-30 a 90gr cast with 4 grains of Unique will get you 990fps and a pile of small game.I use the LEE Tokarev pistol 93gr mold unsized in the .303British ,7.62x39 + 7.62x54R. Sized .309-.310 for all the .30 calibers.
 
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I know you can use H4895 and do reduce loads, google it, there is an actual post from Hodgdon about it and what the numbers are.
 
I presume you would like to shoot reduced or light loads for plinking and informal target. There are lots of good loads, especially for cast. As I've said many times on here, I've fired hundreds of light loads in 30-30's. For example: 5gr. of 700X under a 93 gr. Lee, 10gr. 700X under a 150 gr. flat nose Lee, and so on. Unique and Red Dot are nice for lighter loads. Trail Boss is an interesting powder. I am working my way through 10 lbs. of Unique and a bunch of 700X, so I haven't used Trail Boss very much - yet.

Considering that, at 10 gr. of powder per shot, you get about 700 loads out of a pound, you can do a lot of shooting for a reasonable amount of money. Good old 4198 is a great powder for reduced loads.

If you choose to go down the rabbit hole of shooting cast, you won't need to spend $10,000 on equipment, nor will you need to complicate the whole affair to the point of frustration. I use nearly all LEE stuff - melting pots, molds, bullet lube, etc. I love casting and reloading. Everybody has different ideas about such matters. Some good pointers can be had on sites like this one.

Enjoy what you are doing, even if it is just researching.
 
I've been doing some experimenting with the Berry's 150 fn .30-30 bullet in my 336. I found a photo from a Lyman manual with 150 gr cast loads listing 6.8 to 9.0 grs red dot as one load. I also tried H4895. The H4895 loads had noticeably more recoil than the red dot loads and shot pretty meh. I worked up to 9.0 grs red dot and accuracy increased as charge weight went up. They were printing around an inch at 50 yards. Lots of fun for minimal cash and work. I even let the chargemaster lite do the powder weighing.
 
30-30 is easy to scale up and down.

If you want subsonic loads that sound like a BB gun, use Trail Boss and a 150-165 gr cast bullet. These things will actually penetrate really well, easily killing coyote size animals, but there best use is grouse/rabbits/plinking

If you want moderately reduced loads with cast, plated or jacketed bullets, use H4895 60% rule, it always works well and is simple.
 
On the Berries Bullet site they say their 30-30 Bullets have a max. velocity of 1950fps. I tried a H4895 reduced load but could not get any accuracy. Velocities varied a lot.
 
CzyHorse said:
On the Berries Bullet site they say their 30-30 Bullets have a max. velocity of 1950fps. I tried a H4895 reduced load but could not get any accuracy. Velocities varied a lot.
Click to expand...

A good crimp will help with that a lot. Ive used less then half a case full many of times when loading 43 mauser ammo. Crimp helped lots.
 
I use a few loads like this. I shoot 100gr cast or nagant bullets with 32-20 data. I also use 123gr bullets for the SKS that I resize and load for my father's 340. It's a bit of work but what is a guy to do when it's raining outside.
 
Brutus said:
A varmint load you can feed through your magazine.
Speer 110 grain plinker over 27.2 grains of IMR-4198.
You will have to compensate your typical 30-30 lever gun sight for a slightly higher point of impact at 100 yards.

Added immediate benefit is newer shooters will appreciate the lack of recoil with iron sights on our typically crooked butt stocks.

Plus you can use these to turn chicken eating foxes and coyotes inside out with your little 30-30, because it's a deep hollow point at about 2400 fps.

This is from Pet Loads by Ken Waters.
Click to expand...

Same weight bullet with 11.0 gr. of unique, very accurate and mild
 
I load subsonic 30-30 with 5.0 gr of red dot and 170 gr FN hornady bullets. Great rabbit/ tin can killer

Edit use dacron as filler to keep powder against the primer
 
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