Loading 300 Savage with Cast Bullets

[GrandpaD]

I found some great advice here for my 30-30 loads and now I have some questions about loading for my 300 Savage.
I have some case bullets that are powder coated. Part are 150 gr and the rest 160 grain.
My loads are for plinking and target shooting.
No gas checks.

My question is, can I use 3031 powder in a lower volume, like 10 or 15 grains under minimum suggested loads?
I already use the 3031 for 150 grain Berry's plated bullets.

I have used Trail Boss with the 300 Savage and cast bullets but would like to use the 3031 if it is safe, as I have that powder available to use.

Thanks again for all of your help and advice,
Dale.

 

[Random 8]

I load a carbine style 110 or 115 gr, I forget which, over a light charge of Unique in both .300 Savage and .308. My charge is 12 grains in either cartridge, my bullet is jacketed, but there are some parallels. You could probably substitute a slow pistol powder such as 2400 or IMR 4227 with appropriate charge. These are both known to work well for cast bullets.

I do believe IMR 3031 has historically been used in this application also and can be safely and effectively reduced, but others will likely have first hand knowledge regarding other calibers, but perhaps not .300 Sav specific. Your 30-30 load can probably be plugged directly into this application with a safety margin to spare on the up side until you find a happy speed.

 

[AJC1]

I load a carbine style 110 or 115 gr, I forget which, over a light charge of Unique in both .300 Savage and .308. My charge is 12 grains in either cartridge, my bullet is jacketed, but there are some parallels. You could probably substitute a slow pistol powder such as 2400 or IMR 4227 with appropriate charge. These are both known to work well for cast bullets.

I do believe IMR 3031 has historically been used in this application also and can be safely and effectively reduced, but others will likely have first hand knowledge regarding other calibers, but perhaps not .300 Sav specific. Your 30-30 load can probably be plugged directly into this application with a safety margin to spare on the up side until you find a happy speed.

I dont ever download rifle powder other than 4895 which has been published as good for reduced loads. First choice would be imr 4198 followed by mag pistol powders and unique.

 

[Charlie98]

I have used IMR3031 in reduced loads for my Savage 99 in .308, and it worked well enough, although IMR4198 is my favorite for that application, and what I would recommend. Case volume between the .300 Savage and .308 are similar, so I would expect similar results.

28grn IMR3031 and a 170grn cast bullet gave me 1425fps out of my 22" 99F, 32grn IMR3031 and the same bullet gave me 2000fps. Your lighter bullets would give you a little higher velocity, but I wouldn't think by much.