Need edumacayshun on 7-30 waters.

[WestKentucky]

I have agreed to a trade for a 7-30 waters barrel in exchange for a beater rifle. The barrel is a 10" barrel for the contender, and I know basically nothing about it other that what is here http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/7-30_Waters and the high praise of a co-worker who has one he hunts with. I'm simply looking to make my contender more fun than it currently is in it's 44 mag 16" heavy recoil hand cannon setup. In addition to the barrel I get dies, brass, loaded ammo, and some lead. This will be a journey into a new realm of hand loading since I have never reformed brass to a different caliber. So fine folks of THR, educate me please. I can't wait to get back on my bench and load once my manroom remodeling escapade is complete. So I have to start this off with a terrible pun... I'm jumping into the waters and I need your help.

 

[redbullitt]

I think you will like it very much. Think of it as an old school 7mm08 lol. it can do everything the 30 30 can, but just a bit better.

Forming brass should be no issue at all. 3030 brass is rather thin and should go very easily in to shape. Maybe consider forming it in two steps to minimize brass working?

Components should be fairly easy to get as well.

I was pretty close to getting an encore barrel in this caliber... just never pulled the trigger on it.

 

[GooseGestapo]

1. Start with NEW or ONCE FIRED BRASS. Reforming previously reloaded brass will result in a lot of split or collapsed cases.
2. Incrementally size the cases to the point they will just barely let you close the action.
3. Use a "moderate" load of fast burning powder (I use 7.5gr Unique) to fire-form the cases. I purposely bought a Lee 130gr Cast bullet mould to use for fire-forming. I used un-sized bullets lubed with Lee Tumble Lube. Cost of mould and bottle of lube is less than the cost of 100 jacketed bullets....
Ironically, this is my favorite load for my gun, a T/C carbine w/21" bbl.

For Power/speed.... use BLC2. For accuracy, try Reloader15.
I prefer a 120gr bullet. Nosler B.T's are very, very good. Most accurate has been the Speer 115gr JHP. I bought a bunch from a long time gun shop that had a bunch collecting dust before the '08 and '12 Panic/hording. I have a bunch of 139gr Hornady BTSpt's but prefer to use them in a 7mm08...
With a friends Win. M94 rifle; back in the '90's, I loaded him a lot of 139gr Hornady RN's. I used H414. He killed a LOT of deer with it. On his death bed, he told me that it was his favorite deer rifle... He had over 100....!
Alas the 139gr RN has been discontinued, but in the Contender, the 139gr PtSpt will do same thing....

 

[cfullgraf]

I have a Conternder Super 14 barrel in 7mm International Rimmed. 7mm Int Rimmed is very similar as the 7-30 Waters, both using the 30-30 case for the parent case.

Unless a picture is labeled, you almost cannot tell the difference between the two cartridges. 7-30 Waters was/is available commercially.

It was a poor man's way to shooting Unlimited in IHMSA Silhouettes back in the 1980s.

Nice shooting cartridge. I used pulled military, 139 grain, 7mm bullets for silhouettes but since I stopped shooting silhouettes have tried other bullets as well successfully.

 

[JohnM]

Supposed to be a nice cartridge. I've got a 30 Herrett, another one made from the 30-30 case.

 

[Steve in PA]

I have a 14" T/C Contender in 7-30 Waters and it is amazingly accurate at 100 yards.

The load I worked up for my 7-30 Waters is a Nosler 120gr BT with 34.0gr of Varget in Federal cases with CCI 200 primers. The load is sub-moa from a rest at 100 yards.






5-shot group at 100 yards.

 

[hardluk1]

Nosler 120gr ballitic tip is the bullet to use. Its a tougher bullet mad to hold up to higher velocity. I see hodgdons has a fair amout of loading info too.

here a little reading-
http://www.chuckhawks.com/7-30Waters_Imp.htm

brass-http://www.eabco.com/store/reloading-supplies/7-30-waters-brass-for-reloading-100/

 

[41 Mag]

I am not sure if the latest Nosler manual still has the write up in it or not for forming cases but it used to and was great for getting good cases right off the bat. Might be at least worth a look see.

With mine I used the procedure listed there which is very similar, or identical to what GooseGestapo posted above, been a while since I read it. None the less I used new cases with mine as back then they were really cheap as compared to nowadays. I went a little different route with mine and used the 140gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. My powder was RL-15 and primers were CCI BR-2's. This combo would group about like pictured above out to 200yds as long as I could hold still . It is amazingly accurate.

The biggest thing to keep in mind when loading for them is down range impact velocity. You don't want a bullet designed to open up at 2300 - 2400fps as this will be your starting top end velocity. Stick with the ones which will open up at velocities down around 1800fps and you will be good to go. This makes all of those super explosive BT's, and SST's work to your favor, as in the velocity ranges you will be shooting them, they will preform MUCH better and usually shoot very accurately. Just don't get carried away with varmint type bullets, stick to hunting bullets.

 

[WestKentucky]

Medium bore came home

This morning I finally got to meet up and trade with the fella. Got a like-new barrel, lee 2 die set, a box of loaded ammo, and 225-250 fired brass (90%ish 7-30 stamped federal, the remainder mixed 30-30) and about 60 or so new 7-30 federal brass. Traded off an old wards .243 I didn't care about. Came out ahead by my math but we both were happy. The pic below is the 10" 7-30 wearing the forearm of the 44 mag 16" above.

 

[witchhunter]

West, you will like the 7/30 way better than the 44 mag wrist breaker. I traded for a 44 way back when and traded it away even after trying to load 185 HPs, it still rocked me. I bought a .357 Max and haven't looked back. I've killed a nice 300 lb bear with it and a nice muley too. I am now looking for something a little flatter like a 7/30 or a 25/35 maybe a Herret. My favorite though is my .221 Fireball, what a shooter! Let's hear back when you shoot that thing.

 

[Kernel]

My one tip to you would be to ignore the SAAMI spec on max OAL. That's for lever guns. They're very picky on OAL. Contender's aren't. It varies, but the free-bore in a lot of Contender barrels is about a mile and a half long. This let's you seat the bullet waaaaaaaaaay out. So far, in fact, the bullet will fall out the mouth of the case before it's near to touching the rifling. It's up to you to investigate how much free-bore your barrel has. Seating the bullet out farther has benifits to the handloader. Not so much in a pistol cartridge, but in a rifle cartridge, like the 7-30 Waters, it has advantages.

 

[WestKentucky]

Thanks kernel. I learned that with the 44 barrel, now it's easy to tell what loads are in the same cases and same bullet. Cannelure showing is a 44 special load in a 44 mag case intended for the contender. I also learned not to crimp as hard as normal either. By turning the horsepower WAY down I got the 44 to be enjoyable but even then it hurts after a few. Hopefully this new barrel will change things.

 

[WestKentucky]

Final tally

97 fired 7-30 brass. All federal cartridge co. 6 of those are nickel.

92 new 7-30 brass. 30 have been primed. All federal cartridge co.

17 30-30 stamped Remington brass

2 32 win spl stamped brass. (Never heard of this one)

3 popped primer duds, federal factory loads.

1 box mixed handloads/factory ammo (17 rds plus 3 duds)

Lee 2 die set

Brand new box Sierra game king 120g.

And the barrel. All for a westernfield/mossberg .243 and 40ish rds of ammo.

And 26 .270 win brass I will also be loading for my Remington. I'm tickled...rain rain go away so my fat arse can go and play.

 

[Kernel]

For powder I like Varget. The burn rate and density are ideal for the expansion ratio of the 7x30 "Long".

 

[WestKentucky]

I shot it today. Certainly did not do my part, but the gun did it's part. I called every shot where it should have went and it was there...but there was as much as 3 inches off bullseye at 25 yards. I made a 3 shot group at the end of the ammo pile that was about an inch but still I was pretty shaky. Put a dozen through the 44 with the same result. I had to call it a day.