Sierra 30-30 only J-Words?

[jonp]

This may sound like a silly question but I'm waiting for a mold for my new 308 Savage Axis so thought I would try some j-words out. I have a few boxes of 170gr Sierra Flat points that say "30-30" on them. I guess I've never noticed this before for some reason. Is this just to let reloaders see at a glance that they are Flat Points and suitable for 30-30 as opposed to the boat tails, etc of the same .308 dimension?

I'm going to try some for kicks in the 308 and was thinking of trying the Titegroup 7-8gr mouse loads.

Anyone use flat point j-words over Titegroup in the 308? or the flat points period?

[too many things]

good bullet BUT your load seems very light for Js make sure you check barrel after each shot.I use them but not as a {mouse } load, just be careful that one don't stick

[quilbilly]

Absolutely. When I got my new 308 Rem. about 18 months ago I tried some J-word 150 gr flat point for 30-30's just to see what would happen. That was the only time jacketed's were ever put down the barrel and I kept them to 30-30 velocity (2100 fps). The one and only group was just under an inch at 100 !! Cast 160's going down the same barrel at an MV of 1900 give the same size group or smaller. If memory serves, I used 4895 for that single test. Cast boolits in that rifle love 2400.

[Blammer]

yes the boxes were marked that way to let you know these bullets will function properly in a 3030 with out the worry of a chain fire in the mag tube due to pointy bullets.

[richhodg66]

I've loaded them in .300 Savage and they shot fine, just be sure to keep them to .30-30 velocities if you hunt with them.

Seems an awfully expensive load for light plinkers, cast some or buy some cast for that purpose.

[Hick]

Normally the boxes specify 30-30 to remind all us ignorant Win 94 owners that they are OK to put in a tubular magazine (we're too dumb to know what's safe). However, you can shoot most anything with a .308 diameter in most .308 rifles. You do need to check things like COL to be sure you are not pushed into the rifling. I shoot many different bullets and boolits in my 30-30. Before I load the first one of a new shape I make a dummy cartridge and check to see what maximum COL I can use without being in the rifling. Then, I examine the bullet and make the decision of whether I am going single shot or can load the into the tubular magazine. Just proceed methodically and keep the capabilities of your rifle in mind.

[jonp]

Thanks for the answers, guys. I thought it might be something like a visual warning that they are ok for lever actions. I never noticed that before on the boxes for some reason although I bought them just to use in a couple of 30-30's I have.

Too many things: the load came right out of Lymans 49. I was looking through it and saw that and went ?. Seemed kinda random but there it was. They are heavier than I normally use but I bought them from someone here and got a good price. I normally like 150gr or so. Compared to the 175 boattails these are short so OAL should be no problem

[fryboy]

round/flat nosed projectiles will always be shorter and often have a fatter ogive , as noted some guns have specific requirements for safety , the bullets themself's shoot and perform wonderfully within their velocity parameters , for target work you could up the ante ( so to speak ) but on game from a cartridge designed for higher velocities they perform more like a varmit bullet eg; great for blowing the hades out of a 'yote but not so well on a deer
i agree that they are expensive for blow it off plinkers and i'd almost wager that you could in essence trade them for at least double the amount of like weighted boolits but the choice is yours [shrugz]

[woody1]

jonp,
You might want to check the diameter of those bullets. Back in the day the Sierra 30-30's were .307" diameter. I don't know when they changed but into the '70's at least they were .307" and were marked as such. I don't shoot them any more but I'm pretty sure they are now .308". Just a FYI. Regards, Woody

[jonp]

Woody, boxes are marked .308. thanks

[Blackwater]

Jon, Jack O'Connor, in his early days, used some bullets in his '06 that were designed for .30/30 velocities. He said they killed like lightning bolts. My own experience with quick opening bullets on our under 200 lb. whitetails has been exemplary. You get some bloodshot meat, but if you know how, that's no big problem, and they're just about always laying where they were standing at the shot. For bigger deer, I wouldn't likely want a bullet that fragile, but in your .308, I think you'll find that full loads will kill VERY well. Around here, if a deer goes very far, you can lose them even if you're a pretty good tracker, so putting them down where they stand is a priority, and I'll deal with the bloodshot meat if I can just keep from spending hours at night in the cold and wet looking for one that I know was hit, but didn't go down in its tracks. It's a little trade-off I long ago made and have been happy with. Not a lot of meat between those ribs here, anyway, so no big loss at all. You can load them from min. to max. and they'll likely do a good job for you, but it's a shame to waste good j-bullets at the price they bring now. Just a FWIW.

[leadman]

Was that load with a jacketed bullet? Jacketed takes much more pressure to push it thru the bore than cast. Seems awfully light and high probability of sticking one in the bore. Might be better to start higher and work down.

[tdoyka]

i loaded up some of 150 and 170gr sierra flat points for my 308 and 30-06 that go roughly 2400-2500fps. i also loaded up my boy '06 and my friends '06 also, they go around 2400-2500fps. they are awesome killers for whitetailed deer.

i don't know about titegroup, but trail boss is great.
http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/rifle

[jonp]

Was that load with a jacketed bullet? Jacketed takes much more pressure to push it thru the bore than cast. Seems awfully light and high probability of sticking one in the bore. Might be better to start higher and work down.
Yes, loading was for jacketed. Velocity at about 1,000fps

[GabbyM]

Many new rifle bores are pretty rough until you get twenty rounds or so down them. You can't see it but you can feel it with a tight patch. Just sayin, if you were to ever stick a bullet it would be in a new bore.

[David2011]

Granted, a .40 S&W case has a vastly smaller capacity than a .30-30 but I have used 4.7 grains of Titegroup to push a 180 grain bullet at 945 FPS for around 90,000 rounds. Seat of the pants says 8 grains should get the bullet out the barrel easily. OTOH, I side with Quilbilly that H-4895 reduced loads would be a better choice than Titegroup in a rifle.

David

[jonp]

yeah, but i have 8lbs of titegroup and 2lbs of 4895