308 Win and 30-30 Powder

[ArchAngelCD]

So I have this young reloader who came to me for help. He wants to start reloading and asked me to mentor him. Of course he has little money and any tools I had extra including an older Rockchucker got donated to him.

So to the problem, I have never been good at choosing 1 powder for loading everything. I have always tried to buy the powder best suited for the caliber I'm loading. This kid wants to load the 308 Win and a 30-30 but wants to use only 1 powder. I'm thinking IMR4064 would probably be a good choice for both loading a 150gr bullet. I was also considering 4895 but I think 4064 will be better.

Has anyone here ever loaded those 2 calibers with 150gr bullets and successfully used only 1 powder? Your help will be appreciated because I want to try to keep the initial costs down for him.

 

[W.E.G.]

Almost ANY medium-burning rifle powder (VARGET just for example) can be used to load quality ammo for either of those rounds.

For optimum results, 30-30 likes a slightly faster-burning powder than .308.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Almost ANY medium-burning rifle powder (VARGET just for example) can be used to load quality ammo for either of those rounds.

For optimum results, 30-30 likes a slightly faster-burning powder than .308.

Yeah, I agree. I usually use 3031 in the 30-30. (after all, it was developed for the 30-30 lol) The 308 was easy but coupling it with the 30-30 was the tough part.

 

[FROGO207]

I have used both 3031 and 2015 with good results in both of these. The 2015 also worked somewhat in 223 loads but was not optimal IIRC. It is easier with multiple propellants for sure.

 

[blarby]

H4895........ again !

Used it extensively in both, and it's still my go to powder in .30-30, and my foul weather powder in .308.

I load it in .308 rounds for long term storage due to its long storage life, and temperature insensitivity as well.

Fantastic stuff !

Works great at :

150 gr

155 gr
160 gr
165 gr
168 gr
170 gr
180 gr !

Whats not to love !

And it meters great in cheap equipment , too- which is a bonus for a new loader.

Honestly, I still get flashbacks of my first loads whenever I crack open a # of H4895 and get that perfect powder smell.

 

[41 Mag]

If I were going to pick one powder for the two mentioned it would also be H-4895, in fact I sort of did do just that.

I looked over a ton of loads for the calibers I have in the safe looking to purchase one 8# just to cover most if not all of them in one weight bullet or another. While it might not be the ultimate optimum powder for them all, there is at least one decent load listed for just about all of them.

With both my .308 and my 30-30 AI Contender I get very good results with the 150gr bullets out to 200yds. I am not loading to the top end posted loads but simply for accuracy and they both will shoot better than MOA usually. It has also shown pretty darned good results with my 03A3's using both the 150 and 165gr bullets.

The upside to it is it can also be loaded down for reduced loads using the Hodgdon 60% rule for any load using it listed in their data. This to me makes it about as versatile as it gets when compared with other powders across the board.
Hodgdon® H4895® REDUCED RIFLE LOADS

 

[popper]

H4895, again.

 

[45lcshooter]

I use imr4895 for both cases. Just started 308, but also loaded with other powders to see fps and shot placement.

 

[j1]

IMR 3031 is just great in the 30 30.

 

[jmr40]

You can use several powders in both, but why not just use 2 different powders. Chances are very good that either the 308 or 30-30 are not going to be at their best, maybe both when you start compromising. I'd encourage him to pick the "best" powder for each. You are looking at a $25-$30 greater investment up front by buying 2 powders, but it will last 2X as long and he will not lose a dime of his money and very likely have better performance from both.

 

[wanderinwalker]

H4895? I've used it with great results in .30-30 and 150s and it seems as those it should work in .308 as well.

Varget would be suggestion number 2, though I haven't tried it in either cartridge yet, I've loaded a TON of .223 with it (as in burned out 2 AR match barrels and half the life of a third... ). It's in about the same burn range as 4895 and readily available.

 

[CZ57]

I am also mentoring a new reloader who will load these two calibers. .30-30 was a fairly easy choice (W748, TAC) so I came here for opinions on .308. We ended up getting 3 different powders to use in both calibers, W748, Varget, but we'll start by loading .308 with Ramshot TAC. A dense fine grained ball powder that will meter like fine sand and got a lot of recommendations from the forum.

 

[wgaynor]

H4895

 

[ArchAngelCD]

You can use several powders in both, but why not just use 2 different powders. Chances are very good that either the 308 or 30-30 are not going to be at their best, maybe both when you start compromising. I'd encourage him to pick the "best" powder for each. You are looking at a $25-$30 greater investment up front by buying 2 powders, but it will last 2X as long and he will not lose a dime of his money and very likely have better performance from both.

Did you even read my first post?

I personally have about 10 or so different rifle powders and I do use the powders I feel are best for each caliber I load but this isn't for me! I did encourage him to use the "best" powders for each caliber but like I said, he's just starting out and $30 is a lot to him right now!

I would never have asked if the calibers were way off like trying to use the same powder for target .38 Specials and full house .44 Magnums. Why is it when I ask a simple question on this forum I can't get a simple answer without being lectured???

 

[ArchAngelCD]

IMR 3031 is just great in the 30 30.

You didn't read my first post, did you?

 

[BluegrassDan]

W748

 

[littleguns223]

W748

 

[SSN Vet]

first pick... RL-15

second pick... W748

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Wow, that's a lot of W748 suggestions. I'll add that to the "look at" list, thanks...

 

[bergmen]

Winchester 748 is the only powder I have used for the 30-30 and .308. I don't like to have a bunch of different powders on the shelf either and try to use one powder for several calibers if possible.

One of the reasons is I have bought various powders based on listings in loading manuals + published recommendations and if I have a problem (inconsistent ballistic results, dirty, doesn't meaure well, etc.) I have containers with 95% of the powder still in them and not used since.

This won't happen with W748 and the 30-30 and .308.

Dan

 

[Ky Larry]

I would suggest IMR-3031. It also has the advantage of being great in both my .22-250s. One of the -4064s or Re-15 would probably work well.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Can anyone comment on the accuracy of IMR4064 with a 150gr bullet in the 30-30? I did shoot 4064 with a 170gr bullet and velocity was on the low side but accuracy was alright. (alright but not great)

 

[zeke]

w748. When you add a rifles in 223, 300 savage and 307 winchester, you can use it for them too.

 

[Centaur 1]

ArchAngelCD, out of the two calibers which one does he shoot more often? Is he just a target shooter or does he also hunt? My way of thinking tells me that since there are so many powders that can be loaded in both cartridges, choose one that is better suited to the caliber that gets used the most. If he shoots both calibers equally I'd be more inclined to buy a powder that does well in the .308. The 30-30 is short range caliber and it should be easy to get satisfactory results with just about any powder.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

ArchAngelCD, out of the two calibers which one does he shoot more often? Is he just a target shooter or does he also hunt? My way of thinking tells me that since there are so many powders that can be loaded in both cartridges, choose one that is better suited to the caliber that gets used the most. If he shoots both calibers equally I'd be more inclined to buy a powder that does well in the .308. The 30-30 is short range caliber and it should be easy to get satisfactory results with just about any powder.

He just started hunting 2 years ago and was carrying the 30-30. He just bought the 308 a few weeks ago and will be carrying that to hunt in areas where a scope will be helpful. He will continue to use the 30-30 in heavily wooded areas. He wants to shoot both a lot more to increase his shooting skills now that he will be hunting more. That's why he is starting to reload, he wants to shoot more for the money spent.

I have a feeling he will still shoot the 30-30 more after the thrill of the new 308 rifle passes because the 30-30 was given to him by his Grandfather.

I'm working on him to buy more than 1 powder and suggested either 3031 or LVR for the 30-30 but I'm not sure which the best powder for the .308 w/150gr bullet would be. I load for the 30-06, not the .308.