30-30: Pet Loads For Plinking

[Gun Geezer]

I have just been given (yes, freebie!) a brand new in the box never been shot Win 94 30-30. I have a Marlin 336 I hunt hogs with, and I want to shoot the new 94 as a plinker for while. No recoil, just fun out to 75 yards or so.

Anybody got a favorite pet load for such?

I have read up on Trail Boss and H4895 as two possiblilities with 125 to 150 gr bullets. Both sound good, with TB seeming to be the most favored for really light loads.

I'd prefer to stay with jacketed flat point bullets.

Suggestions?

 

[Salmoneye]

There is an old Ideal loading manual available as a PDF on the net that has everything from 42gr round ball 'cellar loads', to heavy cast-loads...

There is also this site:

http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm

It only has one bullet weight, but the testing was all about reduced loads with multiple powders...

Click on .30-30 Winchester in the left pane...

 

[1KPerDay]

Anyone use red dot or trail boss with .30 carbine pills?

 

[Fatelvis]

The Winchester has Ballard rifling, and will work well with cast boolits....(hint-hint)! Lol A Lyman 311041 over 16 grns 2400 works well for plinking.

 

[[email protected]]

I loaded some berrys plated 150fp with trailboss, IMR4198, Herco, and 4759. The recoil was really light and accuracy was decent with trailboss. The IMR4198 load had a little more punch. My bullets did mic to be undersized so I wasnt expecting much. By the way a Full Metal Jacketed 30-30 looks wicked.

 

[A Pause for the Coz]

Well you can spend a whole year dinking around trying to find the best combo like I did. Or........... You can just get the LEE 150gr 30-30 bullet, Cast from wheel weights,Size to .309, Put a gas check on them. Load them ahead of 16 gr of 2400.

Then be happy.

After a year of trying Unique, Herco, H4895, Bullseye, Universal, And any thing else I could get my hands on.
Nothing and I mean nothing.
Works as well as 2400 for a plinking load. Kicks them out at around 1800fps.

Not that others are bad. I have serviceable loads for other powders. Just not in the same class as 2400.

This works in my Ballard rifling Savage 340 and just as well in my Micro grooved 336. Maybe just a little better in the 336.

So get with the proven winner and get some 2400.

This is not my best group its just the one I remembered to take a photo of.


Oh Trail Boss does a nice group too. Just with no Umph like 2400 does.

 

[Centaur 1]

I hate recoil as much as anyone, but Trail Boss in the 30-30 was just pathetic. I still load some for my daughter,she's 5' 4" 100lbs so recoil does bother her more than me. I tried imr4895 and my rifle didn't shoot very well no matter what the charge was. Some people have good luck with it, but my understanding is that it burns too slow and is inefficient in the 30-30. I use RL7, the starting loads are very mild and the POI is close to factory loads. I'm using my own cast bullets, but If I had to buy bullets for plinking I'd try the Berry's plated bullets. Berry's says to keep the velocity below 1700 fps, a starting load of RL7 or 3031 will work if you want to use the same powder for full power and plinking loads. If you don't mind having different powders, try using 2400 like APFTC suggested.

 

[rcmodel]

Here is a pretty good deal on 150 & 170 grain 30-30 pulled bullets if you need some.

http://www.shop.rmrbullets.com/cate...ABC3947F85848C863C3.qscstrfrnt03?categoryId=8

rc

 

[4895]

I like about 20 grains of H4895 behind a 165 grain lead round nose flat point. I buy the bullets locally, but missouri bullet company sells them pretty cheap as well. Great load for popping soda cans at 80 yards or so.

P.S. I use a Lyman "M" die to expand the case necks for the flat based bullets. It really helps to seat them.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I like about 20 grains of H4895 behind a 165 grain lead round nose flat point. I buy the bullets locally, but missouri bullet company sells them pretty cheap as well. Great load for popping soda cans at 80 yards or so.

P.S. I use a Lyman "M" die to expand the case necks for the flat based bullets. It really helps to seat them.

Yep, a 165gr Hard Cast bullet from Missouri Bullets shoots great in the 30-30 using H4895. (I charge 21.0gr H4895) If you think the 165gr bullet will still be too much they also sell a 135gr Hard Cast bullet too. (and a 110gr .30 Carbine bullet) http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=6

 

[res7s]

6.0gr of Red Dot under a 152gr cast bullet is my squirrel and rabbit load. 10.0gr of Unique under any cast bullet from 113-180gr works good too, and will take a deer. 13.0gr of Blue Dot under a 152gr cast bullet is an old Alliant silhouette load. I only use rifle powders for full power loads under gas-checked bullets. The data on that GMDR site works with lighter cast bullets as well.

 

[Salmoneye]

Anyone use red dot or trail boss with .30 carbine pills?

Not yet, but will be...

I HAVE been using Red Dot in my .35 Remington with 158gr hard cast Penn TCBB...Chrony is on the fritz, so I am guessing from what I have read that I am around 1200fps...

Targets at 50 yards are about 4 inches low, but dead on for windage...Scope is sighted for 200gr Core-Lokt factory ammo dead on at 100yds...

 

[A Pause for the Coz]

Here is a pretty good deal on 150 & 170 grain 30-30 pulled bullets if you need some.

http://www.shop.rmrbullets.com/cate...ABC3947F85848C863C3.qscstrfrnt03?categoryId=8

rc

Dang you!!!! Now my beer money fund is $200 less.
Thats a good deal on those pills. Snagged a bunch for the 357 toooo.

 

[A Pause for the Coz]

Here is a pretty good deal on 150 & 170 grain 30-30 pulled bullets if you need some.

http://www.shop.rmrbullets.com/cate...ABC3947F85848C863C3.qscstrfrnt03?categoryId=8

rc

Ackkkkkkkkk!!!!!! Double post....

 

[1KPerDay]

Not yet, but will be...

I HAVE been using Red Dot in my .35 Remington with 158gr hard cast Penn TCBB...Chrony is on the fritz, so I am guessing from what I have read that I am around 1200fps...

Targets at 50 yards are about 4 inches low, but dead on for windage...Scope is sighted for 200gr Core-Lokt factory ammo dead on at 100yds...

thanks!

 

[Gun Geezer]

Well, lots of info and answers. Thanks much.

Gotta say though. Some of those loads look like they are not using much powder in a case that size. I mean, 6 grs of Red Dot aint much. Course, I came looking for info and got.

Again. Thanks much!

 

[1KPerDay]

Yeah, you don't want to fill up a case with Red Dot.

 

[Gun Geezer]

1k, You're correct. Filing up a 30-30 case with red dot would be BIG BANG!

I was suggesting that I would be concerned about a squib with so little powder in so large a space.

Is that not a concern? I honestly don't know.

 

[Salmoneye]

Red Dot indeed gives low loading densities in these cases...

However, over the decades it has been used safely for many applications, and has proven itself to not be sensitive to position in the case...

In my .35 Remington with a 158gr hard cast bullet, I have gone as low as 5gr with consistent ignition, and never had a bullet lodge in the barrel...Right now I am using 6gr with excellent accuracy at 50 yards...

Here is an interesting article about Red Dot written by a guy that used to write for the NRA:

http://members.shaw.ca/cronhelm/TheLoad.html

Here is an old thread about Red Dot, specifically discussing the above article, and critiquing it's merits, and loading down from the suggested load in that article:

http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/336/25913-red-dot-powder-load.html

If you are wondering why I seem to be 'into' Red Dot, I had no idea how versatile it was till I inherited a 'few' pounds, and started researching what I could do with it other than shotshells...

 

[1KPerDay]

Thanks!