Rifle bullet size question

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BCRider

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I'm shopping around for a deal on some 7mm and some .30 bullets to use in my 7mm-08 and .30-30 reloading that I'm getting into. Obviously there's a lot of variety and I know that I need a soft rounded nose, or those fancy hellishly expensive Hornady rubber tipped bullets for the lever guns. But I'm wondering about diameter sizes.

Are all .30 cal bullets actually .30 cal and will any 7mm bullet fit into my 7mm-08 cases? Don't mind the bullet weight or length issue for now. I'll be selecting bullets that are proper for my needs. It's just I don't want to be buying bullets to find out they aren't the right ones.

I've got a couple of reloading books from the library but haven't had a chance to crack them open yet and I'm in the mood to go shopping.... :D

Thanks in advance.
 
Fortuneatly, bullets are standard size. That is, any caliber with 30, 3oo or 308, etc., all use the same diameter, .308 bullet. As you say, with the 30-30 get ones designed for it. The common weights for it are 170 grain and 150 grain, flat, or round nose, designed for tubular mag.
The 7mms are the same. Anything with 7mm, or.284 rating, are all 7mm and all will be right diameter for your 7-08. I have never used a 7-08. but if I had one I would likely use bullets of about 154 grains for it for bush hunting and maybe a little lighter for mountains or plains.
 
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All .30 cal bullets are .308" diameter. Even if the cartridge is named .300 Winchester, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, .307 Winchester, 7.5x55 Swiss, 7.62mm NATO, etc. The vast majority of cartridges named "30*" or "7.6*" are .30 cal.

There are a few cartridges that sound like they might be .30 cals, but they aren't. A .303 British, 7.62x56R, 7.65 Argentine, 7.7 Arisaka etc use .312" diameter bullets. And 7.62x39 uses .311" diameter bullets.

A loading manual, or a book like "Cartridges of the World" will tell you all about this stuff.
 
"...that sound like they might be .30 cals..." Those are considered to be .30 calibre. Bore diameter as opposed to the groove diameter is .30 cal. The bullet diameter is the important part.
 
Thanks all for this info. Yeah, the books are coming but I wanted to begine shopping around online for supplies to get an idea of prices. Given what I'm seeing for rifle bullet prices the idea of a mold and making my own is looking pretty good too. Maybe not for all the uses but if I could get a decent molded bullet that could take down the steel animals for the silhouette matches that would help with the cost. I figure that's going to use the majority of the ammo.
 
There are 150 gr round nose bullets made for 308 and 30-06 that have heavier jackets than the same bullet made for 3-30. If you want expansion for hunting, get the correct bullet. For plinking it des not matter.
 
OK, Ganderite, I was telling him to get the bullets that were designed for the 30-30, but ended up saying, "Designed for a tubular magazine."
Wrong word came out.
 
140 gr Accubond

My daughter shoots a 7-08 almost exclusively for all of her big game hunting here in Alberta. She's taken whitetails, mulies, and moose with it. The 140 grain Nosler Accubond is the only bullet we now load for it, although there a lot of good ones out there.

Gord
 
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