What alloy for 30-30

[glockky]

I am planning on getting a noe 165gr GC RD mold for my 30-30 and was wondering what alloy you all are casting it out of ?

[mroliver77]

It depends on the intended use. For plinking and light loads I use very soft. For hunting 96-2-2 . If I was going for thick skinned hard core animal I would use Lyman #2 (90-5-5) and water drop it. Clip on wheel weight alloy with 1-2% tin is great stuff. Water drop it for more extreme use.

[Lead Fred]

I use a Lyman number 2 mix. Since I dropped my load from 2200fps, to 1500fps, I went with water dropped wheel weights

[Dan Cash]

I used 16:1 for grease groove bullets in .30-30 at 2200 fps muzzle. Leading was minimal over 100 shots and accuracy seemed good (3" @ 100 yards) though that rifle has since been tuned to improve accuracy and is now shot with paper patched bullets.

[reloader28]

To confuse you even more, I use straight WW for normal shooting.
For hunting 50/50 pure lead/clip on WW works good.
Since I have alotta pure lead I'm going to switch to all 50/50 boolits in 30/30.

[brstevns]

Taken 3 small does so far using water dropped WW . Keeping the load around 1800 FPS with no problems with leading. I have been using Lee Alox for a bullet lube.

[hamour]

I developed my 2150 FPS load with Lyman # 2 and then switched to 95-2.5-2.5 radiation ingot lead. There was no drop in performance and this will be my deer hunting alloy. The Lyman # 2 was for load development, since it was a known performer. If I had problems I did not want to question my alloy. The medical lead is great and I will be using it. I am using the NOE 165 gr FN copy of RD's lubed bullet.

[glockky]

Thanks for all the info. I plan on using these for hunting whitetails here in ky.

[pls1911]

I use 50-50 ww and plumbers lead, checked and heat treated to 20+bhn, sized .312.
Shoots like linotype, never leads, and remains plastic like a softer alloy on impact due to low brittlness.
AND it will bust through both shoulders of a big hog at 100 yards...DRT!

[glockky]

I have never messed with heat treating. Thats something to think about.

[blikseme300]

I use COWW and 20% Linotype mix using a RD 165gn mold through my 1965 30-30 Marlin at 2200fps using 45-45-10 lube, no leading. Air cooled and sized at .310 through a Lee sizer. Big hogs and white tail are taken with no problems. I took a Nilgai bull a few weeks ago using the same combo. The 30-30 using cast is becoming my favorite over my Marlin 444S for the hunting I do which rarely exceeds 100 yards.

[Digital Dan]

3 guns, several alloys from 8-9 BHN to 12-13 BHN, Lyman 311041 sized to .309" = no leading, fine accuracy and velocities from 1600-1900+ fps.

[gwpercle]

I have never messed with heat treating. Thats something to think about.
Try the 50/50 lead-wheel weight unheat treated first and see how it performs in your rifle. I find I prefer the unheat treated boolits in my Winchester model 94 and like how they perform on game. I like to load them to around 1800 fps, harder boolits can be driven faster, but each gun , boolit and load is different, so testing and experimenting is in order.

Gary

[jhalcott]

Clip on wheel weights or a Lyman #2 clone. I have had great success with COWW alloy in a 30-30 Contender(14"), Felix lube or LLA with a gas check.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

50/50 Pb/WW (clip on), GC, air cooled.

[pls1911]

Poster Gary above is right. Experiment a little and you'll find a combination which works for you and your gun.
If not driven beyond about 1800 fps you may be completely satisfied without heat treating.
I cast soft, heat treat to harden and size large because I may use any of many older pre microgroove Marlins at any point... and the bore sizes have varied a bit over the years. Also, I greatly extend my inventory of premium alloy. My combinations shoot well in all of my guns .30 cal guns... your success may vary.

[geargnasher]

Pay attention to both of Pls1911's posts.

Gear

[Larry Gibson]

I use COWWs + 2% tin and then mix 50/50 with lead. I also HP the bullets 3/16" deep with the 1/8" Forster HP tool. For my 30-30s I drive my 150 - 177 gr such cast at 2150 fps from my 24" M94 w/12" twist an 1950 - 2000 fps from my M94 and Contender Carbines. I AC the bullets 7-10+ days before use and do not heat treat.

Larry Gibson

[NLS1]

Larry I use a similar mix, without the HP. I use 50/50 clip on and stick on, then add a couple little strips of Lino. I just let it sit for a while, then lube and gc, then load. I have not taken any game with this setup, but reading your posts gives me confidence that this fall it should work fine.

Going about 1500 fps in the old Marlin 30-30, and 1300 ish in the 44, neither leads, and gives fine accuracy for hunting at the distances I am likely to shoot these iron sighted firearms. Very excited to try it finally this fall!

Dan

[Browningshooter]

I like 50/50 coww/soft. I water quench all my rifle rounds and gas check only if a "full house" hunting load. A 170+ gr. flat nosed boolit at 1800-2000fps is strong medicine for whitetail...
-Will

[barrabruce]

50ww50 lead with a couple of strips of lino to make it run and pour beutifull. Air cooled.
150-170's

I run 'em flat out paper patched for what my gun will shoot good and how much boot I feel like at the time.
plus unsized down to mouse fart loads.

Mostly anything will go down if placed in the right spot with any of them.
But I'm a stalker and take my shot.
Blazing away and taking a snap shot well..........good luck pbr and fast as possible.

[largom]

Similar to 50/50 but my mix is 55% lead 45% WW + 2% tin. Air cooled, no hollow point, aged 3-4 weeks, gas check and Felix lube. Use this in all of my hunting rifles at 1800-2100 fps.

Larry Miller

[glockky]

So could I expect to get any expansion from ACWW lead at 2000fps?

[Larry Gibson]

So could I expect to get any expansion from ACWW lead at 2000fps?

A lot depends on the amounts of lead, tin and antimony in your batch of COWWs, the impact velocity and what/where you hit the animal. My experience is with heart lung shots expansion is minimal if non existent. If bone is hit the nose can shatter off if the antimony content is too high and the tin content too low. Have to say I never lost a deer shot with such using mostly a 311041 but I did not particularly care for the terminal performance. I knew better could be had by simply adjusting and balancing the alloy content for excellent expansion. It is not difficult.

Larry Gibson

[glockky]

I guess I am gonna have to break down and buy some tin. When I tried to cast with 1/2COWW alloy and 1/2 pure I could not get good bullets unless I was casting way to hot and get super frosty bullets with undersized gas check shanks.

[TXGunNut]

Current load is air cooled COWW @ 1800 fps. Looking good on paper, can't wait to try it on a hog or deer.

[Wolfer]

When I first started casting for my rifles I used the same alloy I run thru my pistols. 1 part WW to 2 parts lead with a scootch of tin. With 2400 I could only get to 1700 fps before accuracy started to go south. This is in 8mm Mauser, Marlin 30-30, 30-06, and 30-40 Krag. Boolit in the 30s is the 311041 with a small HP.

Deer season rolled around before I got any faster loads worked up so I hunted with what I had. These loads worked so well I haven't seen a reason to change. I shot several deer and coyotes with this combo and I doubt the HP is necessary with this soft an alloy but I like the wound channels I get and will continue to use them. I lightly lube with LLA and get no leading at this velocity.