best boolit in 30-30

[mainiac]

If you guys could only have one boolit for the 30-30,what would it be? Im gonna aquire a 336a (1948 vintage),and will be shooting cast in it exclusively.What mold do i buy??

More intrested in the accuracy.rather then the game killing performance.thanks...

[btroj]

Not really a single "best" bullet. Many of us have one bullet or another that we tend to migrate towards for 30-30 because that bullet just seems to work.
For me thar bullet is the 166 RD. I have both the original TL bullet and the NOE version. Both shoot very well over a wide range of velocities.

Again, you will get a variety of answers. They will likely mention about 4 or 5 different bullets. Each has followers, each will do the job. It is up to you to choose and get it to work. Ultimately almost any bullet that has good fit is going to work.

I know this isn't a cut and dried answer but there isn't a single right answer.

Brad

[TCFAN]

In my 336 I like the Lyman 311041. I have hollow point and solid in gas check as well as a Lee group buy mold that is plain base. They all shoot good with the proper powder....Terry

[Baja_Traveler]

Agreed - my favorite is the 170gr 311041. It does everything good - great for silhouette and hunting.

[geargnasher]

The best boolit is the one that shoots the best in your gun.

That is to point out that it's really tough answer to your question, only your gun can answer that. We can only make guesses and recommendations on what works in other guns.

The Lyman 311041 is a classic, designed for tube-fed leverguns. Lyman has been having issues with their moulds being undersized for a few years, so in my opinion buying one can be risky, especially if the gun likes .310" or .311" boolits.

The Lee 150 and 170 flat nose boolits are cheap to try in two-cavity versions, get one and try it. Both of my .30-30s shoot them well, but shoot a group-buy Lee 311041 better. My 12-groove Marlin 336 also likes the NOE 311-165-FN, (copy of Ranch Dog's design) but that boolit won't chamber in many .30-30s with small or short ball seats.

Get the gun, and go from there, there are so many options you'll find something your gun will like in short order.

Gear

[onondaga]

Take a look at this one:
http://www.ranchdogoutdoors.com/index.php?main_page=product_reviews_info&products_id=31&reviews_id=18

The weight is great for accuracy and these molds drop large enough to size for the best fit to your Marlin, as these boolits are specifically designed for Marlin lever guns. They generally have a terrific throat fit for Marlins too if you can shoot them un-sized. A Lyman "M" die or a Lee Collet die and a case mouth expander will make that easy.

It is not unusual to hear about better than 1 MOA accuracy with these bullets in a Marlin. The RD Boolits are also designed for tumble lube and that is straight forward easy and works great unless you start listening to the whiners that hate tumble lube and ignore instructions.

These boolits cast in Lyman #2, tumble lubed, gas checked, and tumble lubed again are in my opinion, the best, most accurate boolits available for Marlin lever guns.

Gary

[geargnasher]

+1 Gary.

The Lee Collet neck-sizing die is a GREAT tool for reloading cast in the .30-30, where even the ballard-rifled barrels can run a bit large in the grooves. You can "short size" with the collet die, not going all the way against the mandrel, thus sizing your necks less and making life easier for the larger-diameter cast boolits. A Lee collet neck sizer, universal "expander" die (really just a bellmouth die) and a FCD in .30-30 are a tough combination to beat.

The micro-groove, or "tumble lube" boolits have weaker bands than traditional boolits, so they can get smeared down undersized when being seated, causing them to be undersized when fired and this can cause leading due to gas blowby. Standard rifle dies aren't made for cast boolits and usually lack a proper-sized expander. The Lee Collet die gets around this. NO, I'm NOT a Lee salesman in case you're wondering! Just a very satisfied customer who wants to pass along a helpful tidbit that can save you a lot of grief later on.

Tumble lube works just fine if the boolits fit, the alloy matches the pressure and pressure curve, and they're loaded correctly.

Gear

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

while i would really like to try a ranch dog mold the best mold for me at this time was the lee c309-170rf like the others stated very economical it is basically paid for in a casting session or two

get lots of lead it stink to run out when your on a roll

i am having great fun with it.

[jhalcott]

There ain't no magic bullet! What are you going to shoot at, varmints ,deer or paper? You going to stuff 4 or 5 in the magazine or single load that gun? 311041 or a Lee copy should be fine. The gun will tell you what IT likes!

[462]

I know that, lately, new Lyman moulds have been less than stellar, when it comes to their as-dropped size, but don't overlook any of their older, used moulds. Their 311291 (Ideal 308291) is another design that works well in lever guns.

Speaking of stellar, I'm in agreement that Lee's collet neck sizing and rifle factory crimp dies are that.

[dale2242]

My 14" Contender 30-30 likes Lyman 311291.
It weighs 166 gr cast from 50/50- lino/ WW.
Sized .309...dale

[mainiac]

I load for 32 special marlin,and the most accurate boolit in that is the rcbs 170
I load for 2 35 rem,marlins,and the rcbs 200 is the most accurate boolit for these guns,as well.

Tempted to just buy the rcbs mold for the 30-30.....

[Bardo]

I asked the same question about 2 weeks ago. I have the same gun even the same year. I ended up getting the lyman 311041. here is the link.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=120028

[Larry Gibson]

Very hard to go wrong with a 311041 in the 30-30.

Larry Gibson

[mroliver77]

I shoot the LBT 150gr flat nose gas check boolit (not sure what he calls it LFN? WFN?). It is kinda short version but fits the "throat" of my Marlin just right with gc ending up at neck/shoulder junction. NOT a bore ride. This is a good shooting boolit!

I also have a GB copy of the Lyman 311440. This has a very large flat nose on a bore ride. It shoots like a house afire in every standard .30 cal I have tried it in!
http://www.three-peaks.net/images/311440_147g.gif

I have shot light lead pistol boolits, lead round balls, 7.62x25 fmj pulled jacketed, Speer 100gr half jacketed pointed fmj pulled from 7.62x39 (.311") in my Marlin micro groove with acceptable results from all. The Lee 113gr round flat nose gas check (soupcan) boolit is a real treasure for plinking and small to 100 or so lb. animals. It can be driven fast or slow with good accuracy.
One neat thing about the 30-30 is that most any jacketed load can be used with a cast boolit of similer weight and loading length.
Jay

[hansumtoad]

Our most popular boolit for the ,30-30 is the 311440. Reported accuracy is almost always less than 2 MOA which is more than adequate for 1 MOD (minute of deer).

Cast it 10 Bhn with a check.... stoke it up to 1600-1900 fps... crimp it in the forward grease groove... put it in the deer, preferably through the lungs... and game over.

[adrians]

i have the 308291 and as 462 and dale have mentioned its a good choice for 30-30.
my win 94 loves the thing ,i also have a 31141(old) mold which does good also but MY 30-30 likes the 308291 a tad more,your marlin may disagree, you won,t know till ya try :twisted::coffee::evil:

[geargnasher]

I load for 32 special marlin,and the most accurate boolit in that is the rcbs 170
I load for 2 35 rem,marlins,and the rcbs 200 is the most accurate boolit for these guns,as well.

Tempted to just buy the rcbs mold for the 30-30.....

That wouldn't be a bad place to start at all, especially since you already have the handles and RCBS makes a very high-quality mould.

Gear

[1Shirt]

Have both of the RD 165's, GC and plain base. They shoot in all of the 30's, and shoot well.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[Blammer]

I like the 311316. :)

economical on lead for sure. :)

[reloader28]

I have the RCBS 150 SP. Mine casts at 160gr.
My Marlin and my buddies both like that boolit as well as my Win 94.
My uncle just started shooting it with less than 1" groups at 100yds.

If I use them for hunting, I just flatten the nose some and it still shoots good.