Getting started reloading the .30-30

[Captain Capsize]

""Backwards? I've gone to 11, I think 13 is high. ""

No not backwards, I believe this light bullet is still travelling up on it's trajectory at 100 yds. It would be interesting to try it at 200 if I can get access to the 200 yd range. Keep in mind, I am comparing this load to a store bought 150 g. Winchester flat point.

About the 13 g. maybe being a too hot load, it may be that is why I want to duplicate the trajectory using a slower powder. I do have some 2400 and 296 and 5 or so rifle powders.

 

[razorback2003]

Good luck with that. I've got a Win 94 and have thought about using cast bullets in my 30-30. Let us know what kind of accuracy you get. I hunt in the woods so within an inch and a half three shot at 100 yds to me is pretty good.

 

[jcwit]

I hunt in the woods so within an inch and a half three shot at 100 yds to me is pretty good.

With factory sights?

 

[popper]

Captain Capsize - not really important but I thought you said low @ 50 and high @ 100 with no adjusting sights. Normal trajectory says if high @ 100, it will be higher @ 50.

 

[Legion489]

On to your question:

Any 150-200 gr bullet will work fine. Some rifles will shoot some weights better, or they will shoot better at different velocities, etc., but minute of whatever you are shooting at is generally all you really need.

Lee dies are fine. Lee does not make a carbide three die set for the .30-30, or any other rifle. I do like the Lee deluxe die sets however when possible.

Plain base bullets are fine, but most molds are for gas checks. If the bullet calls for a gas check use a gas check.

.309" might be just right, or it might not. Try as cast, see if you can buy some .308" cast and .310" cast (depending on the lead you cast with you can vary the diameter of the bullet that much at least easily) and see what works best.

Have fun with your new toys and don't get too worked up about what everyone thinks. As long as YOU are happy things are good.

 

[Captain Capsize]

""Captain Capsize - not really important but I thought you said low @ 50 and high @ 100 with no adjusting sights. Normal trajectory says if high @ 100, it will be higher @ 50.""

No, that is not necessarily true. A bullet trajectory starts at the muzzle and starts dropping immediately but relative to the line of sight of the sights the bullet starts climbing so that on its' downward motion it intersects the target. Well, if you shoot a light high velocity bullet at the same range that a rifle is set up to shoot a heavy bullet it's trajectory will be totally different. It's peak of arc may be much further down range. If I could draw this on paper for you it would be much easier to visualize.

 

[jcwit]

For what its worth I understand you completly Captain.

 

[Hungry1]

If you have the Micro Groove barrel like mine, it will save some frustration if you slug your bore and size the bullet .001 over.

I've shot some purchased cast bullets that were .309 and .311, plain base. Both were used with Unique, shot at low velocities.

I had much better results with the .311s. POI was much lower than jacketed factory.

Tonight I loaded up some TL 160 gr, .311 sized, G/C bullets that I cast myself. They're from a mold with a pointed tip, so they wont be going into the magazine tube.

I loaded them with IMR 4198 for about 1600 FPS. I plan on shooting them tomorrow night if the sun doesn't set before I get off work.

I'm still looking for a G/C mold that will drop bullets that I can size to .311. Lee doesn't seem to offer one in their aluminum line in the 170 gr range that I'm looking for.

I've read that the 185 gr .303 mold will cause chamber issues because of the nose profile, but that's secondhand internet scuttlebutt. Might be true, might not.

Just a followup to my earlier post.

The 18 gr of IMR 4198 over the TL 160 gr, .311 sized, G/C bullet at 50 yards were decent.

Even more so, considering the bullet was a pointed one and loaded using a RCBS 30-30 die set that wasn't designed for that type of bullet nose.

I've ordered the Lee 170gr FP mold and will continue with this powder. Hopefully it will drop bullets a little large so that they can be sized down to .311.

 

[popper]

Captain Capsize - got ya on the trajectory thing - depends on where your scope is zero'd. I used the 100 gr hornady plinkers but it's not enough for yotes. The RD165 is between the 150 & 170 and works good for me, but isn't a flat shooter with unique. I can push it to 170 fps and almost 150 corelok. That Berry's carbine bullet must be pretty good to get 2000 fps without coming apart.

 

[Captain Capsize]

""That Berry's carbine bullet must be pretty good to get 2000 fps without coming apart.""

Yeah I'm surprised too. They recommend no more than 1600 fps but that wasn't getting me the trajectory I wanted so I kept pushing the load to see what would happen. 2100 fps and flat shooting too. Today I cleaned the rifle barrel expecting to find chunks of lead and copper plating. I first looked down the barrel with a bore light and it looked clean as it has never been fired! I swabbed it with Hoppes and gave it 15 minutes to work. Dry patches came out a little gray, no copper.

 

[popper]

Try the RD311165. I think NOE is making it now. It drops 180 with GC for me and I can push it to 2200 max with the powder I use, 2" @ 100.

 

[Captain Capsize]

Wow, I have found the load I was looking for. 26 g. of 4198 pushing a 110 Berry's copper plated bullet at 1880 fps is giving me a 2" group at 100 yds. one inch high. The velocities are within 20 fps so sounds like a perfect world.

Normally we adjust the sights to accommodate a load whereas I adjusted the load to match my sight setup for factory 150 g. Winchester bullets.

I am using a 4x scope that came on the rifle I don't want to mess with a good thing but it would be interesting to see if these loads would shoot any tighter in a better rifle/ scope combo.

 

[Hungry1]

^^Good Deal Captain

I got my 30-30 Remlin dialed in today as well.

170 gr cast from the Lee Mold with a G/C over 18 gr of IMR4198.

Iron sights, sitting, hasty sling, at 100 yards, about a 4"-5" group, at 50 yards I was about 4" high. Manual says I should be at about 1600 ft/sec

Feels good to have it all come together.