Win 748 and 30-30

[Forester]

I tried a search but couldnt seem to find a clear answer. Does anyone have a load book with data for 30-30 using 170gr cast boolits and Win 748?

I picked up a lyman 311041 and it cast great, using WW alloy, I water dropped the boolits from the mould into ice water and got a hardness around 20BHN. I have a bit of 748 on hand so i would like to use it up and see how these boolits shoot.

No offence meant to anyones personal load, but im very partial to published data at least as a place to start. If you have had good luck with 748 and this boolit though let me know what the load was! I would like to keep these in the 16-1900 FPS range I think, though leading and groups will make the real determination there.

Thanks for any help!

[felix]

33-36 grains. ... felix

[9.3X62AL]

I have used 34.5 grains of WW-748 with 150 grain J-words and 32.0 grains/748 with 170 grain J-words since the early 1980's with good success. Using Lyman #311291, I used the same 32.0 grains of 748 in my early days of rifle cartridge cast boolit loading--I did not chronograph these, but downrange results were only slightly larger groups than those produced with Sierra flatpoints--~2" to 2.5" at 100 yards with irons, IIRC. No leading resulted, with a good lube star at the muzzle using Javelina, and overall I liked the results. I plan to get a #311041 mold myself in the near future, and the surplus equivalent of WW-748 (WC-846) will get a test drive.

I have not "downloaded" WW-748 in any application, other than to reduce max loads 10% at the start with any component change. WW-748 remains my favorite fuel for the 223 with J-words, and in the 30-30/J-word loads. Some ball/spherical powders don't take kindly to low-density loading, and perhaps Felix could offer more knowledgeable information on that subject.

[Forester]

Thanks for the information. I was ballparking based on j-word loads around 31grs. to start up to about 35, so I was close.

As always it seems if an answer can't be had on this forum about cast boolits it cant be had anywhere!

As a side note, I have Hornady, Speer, and Lee load books, are there any out there aside from the Lee book with more cast boolit loads in them? Lyman maybe?

[Paul B]

Forester. I just used J-word data to work up my loads with W-748. Different boolits, but with the Lyman #311291, I used 30.0 gr. of W-748. With the RCBS #30-180-FN, which casts right at 190 gr. in my alloy (slightly enriched WW) with 28.0 gr. of W-748. velocity with the latter is right at 1950 FPS which duplicates the old .303 Savage. Both loads kill deer very nicely, but I feel the heavier bullet load works a little better. Accuracy runs maybe a half inch larger than J-word bullets.
Paul B.

ps:
#311291=15 deer
#30180-FN=2 deer
All one shot kills.
PB

[BruceB]

The problem with depending on published data for cast-bullet loads is that in MANY combinations which we might like to try, there is NO information published.

Research can often locate information which might allow "interpolation" of data, so that we're not completely groping in the dark, and I've become fairly comfortable in creating loads which have no published basis at all except in the vaguest sense.

My .404 and .416 rifles are good examples. Cast info for the Rigby is very slim, and cast info for the .404 is practically non-existent. BUT.... any load which is safe in my .404, carefully worked up from very low levels, is absolutely safe in the .416 because of its larger capacity. Any .458 load, many of which can be found, would be safe in a .458 Lott. Any .45-70 load is safe in the .458 mag. Any .35 Whelen load is safe in a .358 Norma. See a pattern here?

The lack of good information is precisely my reason for writing extensively here on Cast Boolits on such oddball things as those two .41s mentioned above, and other such things as cast boolits in the M1A/M14 rifles. As long as our archives endure, that info is available for those who might need it.

IMPORTANT: these comments do NOT apply to slow-burning powder charges placed in larger cases! I would not use anything slower than about 4320 in transposing published charges into larger cases. This still leaves plenty of room to experiment with quicker powders, and after a mental baseline has been achieved with one's new cartridge, it's easy to make safe adjustments for use with the slower powders.

Bullet casting (and CB loading) is definitely a pursuit for those who really want to "do it themselves". Part of the odyssey involves striking off on our own in many ways, and selecting powders and charges based on OUR OWN experience and knowledge can often be necessary. It has to be done carefully, and with due caution in working up slowly. It can be done safely and effectively.

Anyone need data for Unique powder in a 120-grain-capacity Rigby case? I have it....

[Forester]

Thanks Paul. My 311041 dropped boolits with about 1 grain extreme variation and 90% were within .2 grains. They were all about 175gr. They sure look good but I am inexplicably out of large rifle primers so I will pick some up tomorrow and report how they shoot tuesday. If I can get my PACT chronograph to cooperate I will have a few velocity numbers as well.

When using load datain a rifle for J-word bullets do you typically just reduce a small amount off the minimum charge and start up from there? It seems you would be very close to right just using the minimum charge regardless of cast/jacket.

[TCLouis]

30-30
31141 boolit 170 grains
748 Powder
24.8 1613 fps 22,500 CUP . . . 32.0 ???? fps ??,??? CUP

[w30wcf]

Forester,
I have used 28-30 grs. of 748, but under a heavier 189 gr bullet in the .30-30 (RCBS 180 / w.w. + 2% tin, heat treated) and they worked well as Paul B attested to. I prefer the WLR primers for this powder.

Fellas, CAUTION on the 748 .30-30 data in the Lyman manual. That data was taken with an older lot of 748. Current Winchester data shows 32.0 grs as max under a 170 gr. bullet in the .30-30. With the current lot of 748 I have, I consider 32.0 grs. as the maximum in my leverguns based on the velocities obtained.

Stay safe,
w30wcf