Heavy Bullet load for 30-30 Winchester

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

Hello All,

I was wondering does anyone have a pet heavy boolit load for the 30-30 Win. I have not been able to find any load data for anything over 170gr. I would really like to get in the 190gr range. I do not have the experience with reloading to jump into developing a round from scratch. I have only been reloading for 6 years now and have never deviated from listed bullet weights or powder charge data. I do not have a particular bullet in mind as I will have to buy a mould anyway (any suggestions here would be appreciated as well). It is very apparent that the knowledge in this forum very wide spread and that everyone here loves what they do. I am glad I stumbled onto you guys.

[NickSS]

I have had good luck with a Lyman 311299 which is oround 200 gr (can't remember its exact weight). I have loaded it with both IMR 4198 and AA 5744 by starting with the low end load for a 173 gr bullet in My Lyman 48 reloading manual and reducing it by another 10%. As I recall I was getting 3-5 inch groups at 200 yards with these loads. I have moved onto other projects and really did not write down the info as it was a one time experiment but I was happy with the results. The bullets were sized .312" and shooting was from my Pedersoli Rolling Block rifle.

[kodiak1]

Have a mould here drops a 214 GRN bullet loaded with 5744 started at 15GRNS and Worked my way up to 21 GRNS. Liked it best for what I was doing at about the 20 to 21 GRN load.
Ken.

[w30wcf]

SPRINGFIELD141972,

Welcome to the forum! For a 190 gr. .30-30 cast bullet, the RCBS 180 RNFP is pretty much the favorite. The 180 gr. weight is in Linotype. W.W. (wheel weight) alloy will push the weight to the 190 gr. range.

My favorite let load with this bullet is 36 grs. / H414 / WLR primer. Velocity runs in the 2,000 f.p.s. vicinity. Hodgdon 414 is a ball type powder with a slower burning rate similar to 4350. A capacity load of 4350 or 4831 would work well also.

"Junior1942" likes this bullet with Varget powder (similar in burning rate to 4064 and RL15). He has a website with lots of reloading / casting info.
http://www.castbullet.com/
Here's the link profiling the 180 RCBS mold (his drops bullets weighing 195 grs in his alloy)
http://www.castbullet.com/shooting/heart.htm

Have fun!
w30wcf

[floodgate]

Springfield:

One of the better gun writers, Sam Fadala, wrote a book on the '94 Winchester a few years back. (I gave away my copy, so this is from memory.) He really liked the 190 gr. bullets, and used to raid his stock of .303 Savage ammo to get them. If you can find a copy, he had a number of loads in this range.

floodgate

EDIT:

My memory was OK; I looked it up on AbeBooks, and several copies are available - but the cheapest was:

"Winchester's 30-30: Model 94, the Rifle America Loves (ISBN: 0811719057)
Sam Fadala
Bookseller: My Gathering Place
(Raymond, WA, U.S.A.)
Bookseller Rating:
Price: US$ 73.85
(£ 36.34)
[Convert Currency]
Quantity: 1 Shipping within U.S.A.:
US$ 3.99 (£ 1.96)
[Rates & Speeds]
Book Description: Stackpole Books, 1986. Hardcover. Book Condition: Used: Acceptable. Hardcover. X-library with usual id. Unmarked. Spine tilt. Well read book. Edges have significant wear. Bookseller Inventory # AE7008805"

ULP!!! Mebbe I shount'a gave it away. (But it was in a good cause: it went to the ASSRA's permanent firearms library).

Foolgate

[ktw]

(But it was in a good cause: it went to the ASSRA's permanent firearms library).

Can you tell me anything more about the ASSRA's library?

You sent me contact information for it some time ago and I recall trading a single set of emails with the guy. Just wondering if it was a walk-in and browse kind of place or simply an archive you can request materials from via mail.

It is not far from where I live and I plan to be there for a couple of days on business in the near future.

-ktw

[floodgate]

ktw:

The contact is Rudi Prusok at <rprusok@nmu.edu>, or you can contact him through the ASSRA website <www.assra.com>. If you are in the area, and give him some notice, I am sure he will invite you to browse, but be aware, it is a HUGE collection, comparable to the ones at Cody and at the J. M. Davis Museum in Oklahoma (built upon Chuck Suydam's firearms library). It covers all aspects of firearms, not just single-shots, and since he is a retired Professor of German Literature, includes a lot of great material from European sources. Also complete files of most of the arms periodicals.

Rudi also will loan materials by mail (though it would be good manners to join the ASSRA) or for shorter stuff, will run Xerocopies at a nominal cost, plus postage.

floodgate

[PatMarlin]

My best so far is the original Fat-30 GB mold comes out to about 195grs ACWW, with 24grs of mil surp 4895. I've also taken a 311284 and pressed a flat metplat on the noses w/24grs of 3031 with pretty dern good results.

[Paul B]

I like the RCBS #30-180-FN which makes a 190 gr. bullet in my alloy in my 30-30 rifles. My previous bullet was Lyman's #311291 which shot well and killed deer nicely, but the two deer taken so far with the RCBS bullet seemed to be noticably harder hit. My load is 28.8 gr. of W-748 for a velocity of 1950 FPS from a 20" barrel and almost 2000 FPS from a 24" barrel. (Winchester M64) Bullets are sized to .310".
Paul B.