reloading 30-30win

misfits

misfits

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Hi everyone,

I've been reloading for a few years now and have reloaded lots of different rounds, now I've been looking to get a new hunting rifle, a 30-30 marlin and was reading a few articles online about reloading this round. its been said a few times that a lot of the ammo out there now is really accurate and by reloading you'll not save a lot nor gain a lot in accuracy. now with every other load I have reloaded vs factory ammo mine have been a lot more accurate. Also this being said I will not be shooting this round a lot at the range other then my sighting in before deer season to make sure everything is still in line. Now is it really worth it to reload this round? The leverevolution 170gr ftx seems to get really good reviews.
 
Depends on how much off season shooting you do IMO.
Shoot it enough and overcome your 'normal shooting budget' you will then have to:

A. Stop shooting until just prior to hunting season
Or
B. Take up reloading to afford to shoot it more often
 
My personal belief is that you should have the capacity to reload any caliber you possess that you intend to shoot any appreciable amount. Having said that, it appears that I've taken it to the extreme and currently have dies/components for some 60 different calibers.

.30-30 is one of the few rifle calibers that I have a Dillon 550 toolhead set up for...
 
I reload 30-30. It is certainly one of the less expensive cartridges to buy factory - The Win super-X silver box is about $13 - $15, and I think the highest I've seen is the leverEvolution ammo @ about $25/box.

I both hunt and plink with 30-30, so I have a few loads on the go. For casual shooting, I have loads that are around 8 g of Unique pushing a nice hard cast 165g from the bullet barn @ $35/200 rounds. They shoot and cycle great, hit what I point them at, and cost so far below even the cheapest factory pricing I've ever seen, the value of reloading is immediately apparent. For hunting, I have some Sierra Pro-Hunters, and some Hornady speers, etc - nicer jacketed rounds, and I'll use a healthier charge of different powders - just for sharpened ballistics and less drop at around the 100yd mark. But they are still much less expensive than factory. And, you go through them so much slower - they're hunting rounds after all. You only want to pull the trigger once.

So, maybe you load for cheaper casual shooting, and then splash on a box of that LeverEvolution stuff. The 20 rounds should be with you for a while.

$32/pound of Unique @ 8 grains/load (figuring 875 loads from a 7000 grain can of powder) = $0.04/cartridge
$35/200 projectiles = $0.18/cartridge
$35/1000 primers = $0.04/cartridge
I'm calling brass a wash - I have some new, and some re-used, and while the gun is tough on it, I can get a good handful of reloads from each piece - I'm not giving it a value.

So, even though those numbers are all rounded up, it looks like $0.26/cartridge. That's about 1/3 the cost of cheap factory, and it shoots at least as well.

Of course, if you don't already have it, you'll need to factor in the cost of reloading equipment, but it sounds like OP just might need to invest in some 30-30 dies. I've had excellent results with the yellow box Lee deluxe set, and added the Lee factory crimp. There's about $50. If you think you'll reload this cartridge for years, I wouldn't even try to amortize the cost of dies against each cartridge you roll. Would add a bare fraction of a cent at best (or is that worst...?).
 
I love reloading for my 30-30. Cheap silver box ammo still costs more than my reloads. At least 200rds per lb of powder. It costs me less than half the Leverevolution, half fed fusion, and $5 a box less than Silvertips.


ACCURACY. I have a Williams peeps sight. I've been through 2 boxes of fusions, 2 boxes of silvertips, 3 boxes.of.lever all at the range. Every group of my handloads shot better than factory. For the most part the factory groups 3.5-4"(worst was 6") my handloads group 2-2.5" My best factory group is 2.9" and my worst handloads from load development were 2.5". Accuracy equals confidence while hunting.


It's worth it! It won't cost more and your time.will pay off in accuracy.

Willy
 
thank you guys for all your comments, i'll be reloading this round once I find my rifle, no one has it in stock :S
 
For .30/30 I was a Varget guy... Switched to LVR when it came out and recently changed again to CFE-223... Which is a touch slower, but more consistently accurate. My levers get TrailBoss loads of 160 RN cast or CFE-223 with the 160 FTX... My singles and bolts get fed Nosler 150 BT's.
 
Like Target Acquired, I also reload for the 30-30. For plinking, I would load 7 Grs of Bullseye, behind either the Lee 113 Gr Soupcan boolit. Lots and lots of shots out of a pound of BE this way! For serious hunting, I load 29 Gr Tac behind the Hornady 160Gr FTX bullets. Pretty accurate out to 200 m. However, I can only shoot 200m if I am using my scope (6x Redfield widescreen). With irons I am only good to about 100 or at best 150.

If you're good with irons, you're in luck, cos Skinner makes some very good sights for the Marlin 336. I got myself a brass front sight and a Williams peep for the rear. You will definitely want to reload for the 30-30 win. It just gives you so many more options. Have fun and make sure to visit marlinowners forum...lots of great info on how to tune your gun and all that.
 
Not convinced that accuracy is a real factor. I suppose you could set up a target rifle in .30/30 and have an accurate set-up. In reality however, we're not talking Minute-of-Angle, we're talking about Minute-of-Bambi - the ability to put a bullet into a dinner plate at 150 yards. Fine-tuning rounds to get more accuracy than that is - although perhaps amusing - hardly worth the effort.

As to cost, unless you're shooting a lot, I suspect it's going to take a long time to pay off even the cost of dies.

All that said, reloading can be its own reward. Have fun.
 
i made some 170 gr soft point this year 2013 for my rifle and gave my nephew some to use and the result was 2 deer down so it made me feel good that i made them right the 2 dropped like a rock 2 shots . so im going too make some for next year ...... hound 13
 
I have 2 - 30-30 rifles, One is a Winchester M94 that I inherited from a friend who passed away.

It sports Williams FP Aperture sights on the rear and a firesight on the front.
I have several loads worked up for it, and it is surprisingly accurate, averaging around 1½ moa.

My second is a Marlin 336 of an older vintage. It has a 4X Nikon on top, and with loads it
likes, is as accurate as many bolt action rifles. I have one load that is consistently around ¾ moa.

No factory load really comes close in either rifle.
It is definitely worth reloading for. I prefer 170 grain bullets over any others, but the 160 FTX is shooting well also.

Regards, Dave.
 
Even if you don't get more accurate ammo you will shoot more which makes you a better shot. I have reloaded 30-30 with almost everything over the years and found the more I shoot the better the gun shoots also.
 
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