Getting back into casting with a classic Marlin

[David LaPell]

It's been a couple of years since I have cast any bullets, between my injury at work a few years back having gotten to the better of me at time and not really shooting like I had, I had made so many bullets that I still haven't had to cast any new ones to make up for the supply I have. That is going to change with my latest gun, something I had been thinking of for some time, a .30-30 rifle to cast bullets for.
The .30-30 was the first round I ever killed a deer with and I decided to go looking for another deer rifle. I have seen a few .308's and other bolt action rifles, but with one good arm I have a hard time with a bolt action, a lever I can kind of fan-angle better. I spotted a nice Winchester Model 94 pre-64 carbine but on Saturday I went to a local gun show to visit a buddy of mine who I have bought many, many good guns over the years and he didn't disappoint. He had a 1970 vintage Glenfield Model 30 with the half mag that just has the nicest look to it and is in excellent condition. If it was used, it wasn't used much. I have been looking at the Lyman #311041 mold but having no experience with cast bullets in a .30-30 I was wondering what others use. This would be a whitetail deer load and here in parts of the Adirondacks we get some good ones so I am probably going to want something in the 160 grain set up and better up to around 170 grains or so.

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/marlin3030a_zpsrlccwvs6.jpg (http://s561.photobucket.com/user/Smith29-2/media/marlin3030a_zpsrlccwvs6.jpg.html)

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/marlin3030b_zps5fdqdyxt.jpg (http://s561.photobucket.com/user/Smith29-2/media/marlin3030b_zps5fdqdyxt.jpg.html)

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/marlin3030c_zpsg9kobiam.jpg (http://s561.photobucket.com/user/Smith29-2/media/marlin3030c_zpsg9kobiam.jpg.html)

[shredder]

Your 311041 mould is a good one for hunting in 30/30. Cast from wheel weights or even better half and half wheel weights and pure, that boolit will sail on through any whitetail that walks. Just him em in the right spot and get your skinning knife out. I use enough IMR 4198 to get 1850 fps from my Winchester lever gun's 20 inch barrell. I hate quoting loads from memory so I won't.

That is one fine looking lever gun you have there. I have never seen the stag's head on one before. Kinda neat.

[jcren]

I use the ranch dog 165 in 06. Shoots great and was designed to kill deer in the 30-30. Mine is a NOE but I believe Arsenal makes one also.

[blixen]

I've got a Glenfield 30! It likes the 165 gr. Ranch Dod and the Lee 175 gr. flat point. I cast them at .311", which my Marlins' Microgroove rifling seem to like. If you want go heavier, my Marlins also shoot the Lee 185 gr. "Enfield" round nose very accurately. But you probably should only carry one in the chamber and one in the magazine. (How many do you need?)

Btw, don't believe any nonsense about Marlins not being good cast rifles due to the Microgrooving.

[TXGunNut]

Very nice, excellent rifle for your therapy program. Remember, when things start binding up or getting sore come sit down to read a bit and tell us what you're casing, loading or shooting.
Personally I'm torn between NOE's version of the 311041 and the Ranch Dog/NOE 311-165. My Marlin is a bit newer than yours and it shows a slight preference for the 311041. My older Winchesters show a more marked preference for the 311041 or another boolit with an even more slender-nosed design. Ranch Dog had two different nose profiles at one time, not sure which one NOE is making but it seems to be the fatter one.
Bottom line, I think the nose profile of the boolit will take your Glenfield from just another thutty-thutty to a rifle that gives most bolt guns a run for their money.

[jcren]

NOE actually makes both the original nose profile and the "improved" version, as well as the original tumble lube design and lube grooves.

[TXGunNut]

At this point someone should chime in and suggest a pound-cast of your chamber. I do it bass-ackwards. I'll cast and load a boolit and see how it engages the lands at the throat of the barrel. If one profile is too fat (RD311-165) I'll try the 311-041. I don't have the skinny 311-165 but best I can tell it rivals the 311-041 with a better meplat. If the throat is too tight for the 311-041 or the skinny 311-165 the NOE 310-164 (frankeore's design) may work, I'm looking at it for early 30WCF rifles.

[Irascible]

I'd go with the RD mold if you can find one. In my opinion, The NOE 310-164 doesn't have the meplat of a good hunting bullet, but I'd bet it's accurate!

[northmn]

Marlin introduced the microgroove in the 1950's. For mg those that cast bullets genreally find that as cast or oversized bullets owrk better with some going as high as 311 in the 308 bore. Often they like a little harder bullet. I have taken a few deer with a bullet water hardened and then have annealed the nose by placing the bullet bases in water and softening the noses with a torch. Gives the hardened base and a soft nose. They worked pretty fair, about like Nosler partitions. I used a bullet weighing in at about 188 grains cast and gas checked. A favorite mold for the 30-30 is the RCBS 180 gr RNFP. I prefer the heavier bullet as it gives more bore contact and does not need to be driven as fst to give good performance. I pushed mine at about 1900-2000 fps. May not be driven as fast at the muzzle but retains downrange velocity better. Got one nice deer at 140 paces from the tree with that load.

DP

[Lead Fred]

The NOE Ranch Dog was engineered for the Marlin.
Its the only 30 cal mould I use