I finally found a set of dies for my 30-30. I plan on working up some cast bullet plinking loads. Lee lists a neck expanding die for the 30-30 for use with cast and hyteck coated bullets. Makes sense to me since I load a lot of cast bullets in pistol cartridges. Same for a rifle, right??

Lyman type M die recommend for cast

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Old paratrooper in NC

If loading boat-tails, you don't really need a neck expanding die, but it does help to put a slight chamfer on the inside of the mouth. If flat back bullets, you may need to bell-mouth the case a little so the back of the bullet doesn't catch and crush the case mouth. For handgun bullets, I always bell-mouth the case a bit.

I've had a perfect experience using standard Lee dies in 30-30 using MBC cast bullets. I do like the HyTek coated bullets for pistol loads, but have enough standard cast that I haven't gone that direction for this caliber.

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

Definately. Cast bullets in the 30/30s or any .308 diameter rifle shoot best with .309" to .310" diameter lead projectiles.

I expand the internal neck diameter of my cases to .307." This is due to the cast bullets not being as structurally strong as a jacketed bullet. I don't want the neck tension of the neck to reduce the slightly oversize bullets to any extent.

Also bell the lip of the neck to ease the entry of the bullet into the neck and also not to shave any lead from the important base of the bullet. I do this with gas checked as well as plain base cast bullets.

By the way, let me recommend the Lyman 311041 cast bullet design for your 30/30. It's a gas check design and shoots extremely well up to about 1,800 fps when using a gas check. Without a gas check, keep your velocity down to about 1,200 fps unless you area using a coated bullet. If you don't cast yourself, you can usually find this design (also know as 311141) sold by commercial casters.

Both Lyman and RCBS make expanding dies for several different calibres.

.310" cast bullets lubed and sized for use in the 30/40 Krag and the 30/06.

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Keep your powder dry.

It’s needed with some bullets(usually flat base) and not with others like boat tails. If it’s needed and you don’t use it you’ll collapse your cases. If you bell it too much it won’t enter the seating die. I find a slight chamfer works most of the time.

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213th FBINA

You must expand the necks slightly for cast bullets. You don't need a specific die. I use a tapered .375" expander from a wildcat cartridge die set I bought 35 years ago. It works well for all .30 -35 caliber rifle cartridges. Don't overdo the belling and your brass will last longer.

I have used this die for .30-30 Win cast bullet loads

Lee Universal Neck Expanding Die

Works well.

The Lee dis is several tapered expanders that must be set up exactly and have all brass trimmed to the same length to work well.
Lyman makes an M1 and an M2 die for various length cartridges. It has exchangeable buttons for different diameters and is the one I reach for most. If you are only loading a hundred cast rifle rounds every 6 months an adequate substitute is a twist of needle nose pliers or a leatherman type tool in the neck just deep enough to bell the case.

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Front sight and squeeze

A 270win case will flare a 30-30 casemouth for cast bullets. Or you can use a Lyman M die.

I used to use 165gr cast for plinking loads in the 30-30 and I flared with a 270win case.

With jacketed, chamfering the case mouth is usually enough.

I load 30x30 with RCBS dies and never gave it a thought for 30 years.

It is difficult to shove a slug of .310" diameter into a tube with a .306" ID without some sort of "entry way". I just tapered the mouth of the case to provide an entry way. "M" dies work, special "expander plugs" work but basically any tool that will provide a tapered entry will work (I have used tapered brass bars, cold chisel heads, and I even used a 30-06 case pushed into the mouth of a 38 Special case to flare it).

For cast bullets a Lee Universal Expanding die will work quite well...

A Lyman type "M' expander ensures straight inline bullet seating, either cast or jacketed bullets.

The type "M" expander allows the bullet to be started straight into the case without any bullet tilting. With rifle loads this will reduce bullet runout. The second step of the expander is .001 to .002 larger than the bullet diameter. And helps prevent overworking the case mouth.