30-30 cast bullit

[gsfxst]

I'm thinking of buying some cast bullet from Missouri bullet co. In 30-30 I us there 45 ACP and 9MM and very happy with them the problem is they sell 135 and 165 GR .Bullitt's and all the data I can find is for 150 and 170 any one have thought on this. Ill be shooting out of a Winchester M-94 made in 1972. For fun and target practice .

 

[Qc Pistolero]

You can safely use reloading data from a heavier bullet for a lighter one.So,use the data for the 140 and 170gr for respectively your 135 and 165 gr bullets.You are in safe territory.BUT DON'T YOU NEVER EVER DO THE OPPOSITE,PLEASE!

 

[forestswin]

Try some of these low velocity loads...with the 170 grain bullets....makes the 30-30
shoot like a 22
Lever Gun Performance Studies

Lotsa fun

 

[Bruce51]

I use Unique powder with cast bullets for the plinking loads in the 30-30.

It's really easy to get it right as nine or ten grains with cast bullets has been listed in the reload manuals for years.

BLM

 

[dswancutt]

If you can wait till monday, I will find the link to an older Lyman load manual that has data for cast 130gr bullets. 10 to 12 grains of Unique is also a good starting point. I use Unique and a 4198 load for Lever action Silhouette for the chickens and pigs with fairly good results.

 

[BB57]

I'm assuming your goal here is to save money yet have an accurate and reasonably efficient .30-30 load.

I used to play around with cast bullets in the .30-30, but it really doesn't have the same potential to throw a large enough lead bullet to make cast bullets as efficient as the .38-55 and .45-70.

I found however that the Xtreme 150 gr plated flat point bullets work very well in my .30-30s.

I copied this from my .30-30 load data base and it is my favorite inexpensive .30-30 load:

.30-30 Win, Xtreme 150 plated FP, Alliant RL-7 20.0 grains, CCI 500, 2.670 OAL.

In my Uberti 1885 with Marbles standard Tang sight and Lyman 17A globe front it will produce 1 inch five shot and 1.5 inch ten shot groups at 100 yards. Average velocity is 1750 fps and the SD is 20 fps.

I've pushed them to 1,900 fps using 22.0 gr of RL-7, but at anything over 1,775 fps (which is well over the 1,500 fps maximum recommended velocity), I start to get the occasional flier 2"-4" out from the rest of the group, and the faster I push them the more fliers I get. At the 22.0 gr leave the SD also increased to 40 fps. What I suspect is happening is jacket damage to some of the bullets at the higher pressures that is causing erratic flight.

The good news here is that they are also less expensive than the Missouri Bullet Co. 135 and 165 gr bullets at $51 per 500, with the copper plating leading isn't an issue, and you don't have the smoke from cast bullet lube.

Total cost for bullet powder and primer is $0.335 per round ($6.70 per box of 20) based on $30 per pound powder, $31 per 1000 primers, and $51 per 500 bullets.

During the great powder shortage I also found that 9.0 gr of Red Dot would give me 1,425 fps, and SD of 23 fps, and good accuracy.

Typical 5 shot group at velocities over 1775 fps, illustrating the flier problem encountered at higher velocities. If you don't mind a flier now and then you can push them faster:

 

[epj]

I used to use the Lyman 173? gr. flat nose bullet in 30-30 and in 30-06. If I recall, I used 3031 powder. This was about 40 years ago. They did well in the 30-30, but in the scoped '06, the accuracy was phenomenal. Per the book, they were running about 2000-2100 fps. I would probably opt for a similar bullet design and weight today. These bullets had gas checks BTW.

 

[M29since14]

Epj, are you thinking of the 311041 bullet? I've always had great luck with that one too, though I've only used it in .308 and .30/06. Last summer I got curious and shot it at 300 yards in a stock M700 .30/06. Using Green Dot to get the bullet to around 1600 FPS it shot pretty darned good, around 2 MOA, and might do better with a little tinkering. There is no reason to think the 311041 wouldn't work well in the .30-30, too.

 

[epj]

Couldn't even guess as to the mold number. It was about 172-173 gr. Has check with I think two lube grooves. One could have been a crimp groove I suppose. It was a flat nose design, meant primarily for the 30-30. We used mostly straight Linotype for metal. Leading wasn't a problem that I could tell.

 

[Doubless]

I believe M29 is correct. Years ago I had a friend ask me to work up a cast load for his Model 94; he had a grandson with a spinal problem and was confined to a wheelchair.

I used the Lyman 31141 and it seems to me about 21 grains of IMR 4227, but do not arbitrarily use that number. Regardless, the old lever gun lobbed them into just over MOA at 100 off a set of bags.

One other thought: the NRA Cast Bullet Handbook has a large amount of information in it regarding the 30-30 and cast, but I haven't looked at my copy in years so I do not remember specifics. I highly recommend you acquire a copy. It served me quite well in my early days of casting.

 

[Daver7]

Ed Harris came up with a load of 13gr Red Dot.
I've used it in 7.62 x 54 R
check out what he has to say about it.
"The Load" Is 13 grains of Red Dot - Powder - Reloading - The Cast Bullet Association Inc. Forum

 

[Bruce51]

Glad to see others using 30-30 cast bullets.

Since my 30-30 is a Marlin it is a bit particular about cast bullets.

They need to be long and have good full length contact with the rifling.

The 173 grain gas check #31141 bullet is excellent in the Marlin.

With ten grains of Unique or 20 grains of IMR 4198 it shoots to almost the same POI as 170 jacketed bullets.

The last batch I received were 188 grains so this bullet can be heavier than the listed weight.

I have key holed some short shanked 165 grain cast so I'll have to stick with the longer heavier bullets.

BLM

 

[Frank46]

Lyman molds that I have for both the 311291 and 311041 cast the nose or bore riding way to small. Body of the boolit is fine at .311 but when you get a small nose at .299 or smaller you are wasting your time. I like my boolits to slightly engrave the nose slightly. So for that to happen you definitely have to slug your barrel THEN when you spec a mold from Tom at Accurate you tell him I want say .302 so the bore riding section of the bullet as it was designed to. I have a Finn model 27 moisin nagant rifle with a beautiful bore. Bore slugs out at .3115 so I size my boolit the lyman 314299 at .3135. Now lyman does not sell a .3135 sizing die. I ran a .313 chucking reamer into the sizing die first to clean it up as it had been machined incorrectly leaving waves in the bore like a badly drilled hole. Took a piece of 5/16" brass brazing rod slit it down the middle about one inch and added a wrap of 320 silicone carbide wet or dry paper. Chuck the sizing die in the lathe start it up and spritz some tapping fluid on the paper. Work it back and forth occasionally checking the inside diameter with a ball guage. When I reached the .3115 I remove the 320 grit paper and insert a piece of 400 grit and repeat the same operation. For final polishing use 600 wet or dry paper. Prior to measuring clean out any grit and lubricant to get good repeatable readings. then I found out the rcbs 7.62x54r dies were sizing the case too much. I had a section of threaded rod that was7/8x14tpi same as the dies we use. Drilled a short section then started polishing to open up the hole previously drilled hole. Now I have a shorty neck sizing die that will give me proper neck tension. Hit it with a M die to lightly expand the case mouth and then its a straight reloading proposition. And I add a die lock ring similar to what rcbs uses on their dies.Frank

 

[Bruce51]

#31141 vs #311041

Interesting as the bullets I have are full flat nose bore riding designs.

Lyman has two different numbers for this mold #31141 and #311041

There may be a slight difference between the two molds. One was supposed to be adjustable from what I have read.

Another forum mentions that the #31141 was the bore riding design. Another says adding the zero was so all mold numbers were standardized to six digits.

The #31141 was the bore riding design as the bullets I have are an exact match to the bullet pictured in the Lyman manual.

If you have a Marlin it will work well with the bore riding design and from testing it is the only cast bullet that I can use.

BLM

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have been shooting their 165gr bullets for a while now and I like them a lot. I use the data for a 170gr bullet without a problem. Their bullets have been very accurate for me when using IMR3031, H4895 and LVR.