Your best 30-30 bullet mold, my good man!

[Tnfalconer]

I have an old Winchester 94 (1943 production) with a good bore that shoots ok with all the factory loadings. I can manage 4" at 200 yards with the iron sights and lever revolution ammo. I want to shoot this old girl a little more so I am looking for the insight on 30 caliber bullet molds. 180grn possibly, round nose I am guessing. Diameter of about .309 as I know these old girls like fat bullets. So what have you guys had luck with?

[John Boy]

I shoot both of these bullets and they are equally accurate in a '94 Winchester. The 311413 is single fed and not from the magazine

201225
311291 Designed for .30-30, .303 Savage and .30 Remington cartridges, but popular for all 30 caliber rifles. (GC, RN, 170 - TP is 465)

"The 311291 is much shorter than the 311299 and has a true round nose profile to allow use in lever guns etc. It is also a bore rider design many folks seem to find it more accurate than the 311041 in the 30-30. Rockydog"

201228
311413 The Squibb gas check bullet for the Springfield and other .30-06 rifles. Perhaps the most accurate gas check bullet yet produced. Excellent for target practice up to 600 yards. Has also been largely used for small game shooting in the Northwest, particularly for ducks at long range. Makes a most excellent load where one wishes to save the wear on his barrel from the full charged factory cartridge. Powder charge 16 grains Du Pont No. 80 powder, or 23 grains Hercules Lightning powder. Also very good for other 30 calibers. (GC, SP, 169 - TP is 413)

[Loudenboomer]

My waffle top 336's like the Ranch Dog 165.

[Tnfalconer]

Nice, thank you sir.

[kbstenberg]

Find out what your bore measures. For sizing your bullets

[Tatume]

Lee C309-170-F; very accurate.

[waco]

I have had very good luck with my NOE SC-311-165 RNFP
It is designed for the Win. 94
It's a ranch dog design with conventional lube grooves and weighs around 165gr depending on your alloy.
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=30_319&products_id=516

[paul edward]

Whulw my 30/30, however, has a box magazine, I have had good luck with an old single cavity Lee 309-160-RN GC. For a 94 Winchester, I would get Lee's 170 flat nose in a double cavity. Depending on what you shoot at, a lighter flat nose might also be useful.

[JWFilips]

I have had very good luck with my NOE SC-311-165 RNFP
It is designed for the Win. 94
It's a ranch dog design with conventional lube grooves and weighs around 165gr depending on your alloy.
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=30_319&products_id=516

I definitely second this!
Jim

[Ben]

round nose I am guessing. Diameter of about .309 as I know these old girls like fat bullets.


I don't view .309" as a large dia. cast bullet in the 30-30.

[Tatume]

My Lee C309-170-F drops bullets larger than my 0.310" diameter sizing die.

[Shuz]

I have had very good luck with my NOE SC-311-165 RNFP
It is designed for the Win. 94
It's a ranch dog design with conventional lube grooves and weighs around 165gr depending on your alloy.
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=30_319&products_id=516

I've also had good success with this boolit in several Marlin 336 30-30's

[Outpost75]

My Winchester '94 was made in 1942 and is similar to yours.

I had two Accurate molds cut for mine, one plainbased 155-grains, the other GC 171 grains, of same profile.

Nose is not cylindrical, but tapered, and forepart is lightly engraved upon chambering. You can feel it when you close and lock the action, but there is not enough resistance to impede rapid fire and loaded rounds extracted without firing will show light marking from the lands in a new barrel.

I load 6 grains of Bullseye for a subsonic small game load with the plainbased bullet, which shoots on at 50 feet using a 150-yard zero with my hunting load, and 30 grains of 4895, 4064, RL15 or Varget with the 171-grainer, which is a full-charge hunting load for about 2000 fps.

I size my bullets .311" and use Lee Liquid Alox for the plainbased bullet and 50-50 Alox-beeswax for the heavier GC loads, using wheelweights with a bit of tin added.

201299201300

I also use these bullets in four different .30-'06s, using the .30-30 loads as starting loads and adjust upward from there. My Winchester 54 in .30-'06 likes 7.2 grains of Bullseye with the plainbase 155-grain for about 1080 fps and 38 grs. of 4064 with the 171GC for 2100 fps.

[Scharfschuetze]

Wow! 4" at 200 yards with your old 94 is outstanding! I've never tried the Leverevolution ammo in my rifles, but those results sure tempt a fellow. Winchester serial numbers during WWII are a bit screwed up for some of their models. Might be a pre-war or a post war rifle at a guess as most Winchester production was war related during 1943.

I load for several 30/30s from a circa 1903 Marlin 1893 to a Remington 788 made in 1968 and several in between. I keep it simple and just use the classic Lyman design, 311141 for all of 'em. .309" is probably a good choice for your older Model 94, but experiment with .310" and .311" if your bore is worn. Some of the older jacketed bullets for the 30/30 were .307" diameter and I can only guess that was because of a smaller bore diameter of the older rifles. I have had good results with .309" and .310" cast bullets in my older 30/30 rifles.

Let me suggest that you get a Lyman "M Die" for .31 cal rifles when using cast bullets in your 30/30. That will expand the internal diameter of the neck for the softer and slightly larger lead bullets as well as bell the neck slightly for ease of seating 'em.

[Tnfalconer]

Wow! 4" at 200 yards with your old 94 is outstanding! I've never tried the Leverevolution ammo in my rifles, but those results sure tempt a fellow. Winchester serial numbers during WWII are a bit screwed up for some of their models. Might be a pre-war or a post war rifle at a guess as most Winchester production was war related during 1943.

I load for several 30/30s from a circa 1903 Marlin 1893 to a Remington 788 made in 1968 and several in between. I keep it simple and just use the classic Lyman design, 311141 for all of 'em. .309" is probably a good choice for your older Model 94, but experiment with .310" and .311" if your bore is worn. Some of the older jacketed bullets for the 30/30 were .307" diameter and I can only guess that was because of a smaller bore diameter of the older rifles. I have had good results with .309" and .310" cast bullets in my older 30/30 rifles.

Let me suggest that you get a Lyman "M Die" for .31 cal rifles when using cast bullets in your 30/30. That will expand the internal diameter of the neck for the softer and slightly larger lead bullets as well as bell the neck slightly for ease of seating 'em.

That was the best of several five shot groups. Lever revolution being the ammo used for that group. I'll change the sights to a marbles peep sight with a globe front and load for the rifle. I feel like there is accuracy left in it. I have some nearly antique Winchester 175 grn stuff that I ALMOST beat the 4" curve, tossed one out into left field on the fifth shot. Three shot groups are well under 2.5" allowing the barrel to cool between shots. She's a shooter for sure. Looks like hell, stock is beat up, bluing nearly gone. This rifle has seen some things. For me it will be my back up trail rifle in the mountains and I need to know what she's capable of.

[Tom W.]

My 30/30 is a single shot, so I can shoot anything that fits. I have two 30 cal molds one being a ancient single cavity round nose 160 gr gas check with traditional loob grooves. The other is a 165 flat nose gc to design by ranch dog.either one is accurate at the ranges I shoot. I use either one when fire forming brass for my 30-06 ai, and with proper hold over can hit at 200 yards.

[Butler Ford]

My favorite is a Lyman 311041, second choice is a RCBS 30-180-FN (309 Diameter) 180 gr flat nose gas check for a heavier bullet. Last and definitely not least is a NOE Ranchdog 165 gr flat nose. Any one of the three should please the ol' girl.

BF

[Tenbender]

I'm shooting Lyman 311041 PC'd at around 173 gr. I size them at 310 for my Marlin and 309 for my 94 Winchester.

[Harter66]

My 30-30 is a bolt gun , a Savage 325C .

I've shot the Cramer #45 a 160 gr similar to the Squib-Miller seen above . It shoots well up to 1800 fps I think , not having my notes handy .

The 313626 ........I think ........is a 90 gr for the assorted 32 pistols free hand 4" gongs at 50 yd are in trouble with my pistol alloy . Rabbits, squirrels , grouse , probably even turkeys and snowshoe hares would be reduced to table fare inside 75 yd with any sort of a rest .

It likes paper patch also , my 310291U should have been marked 307291 . It shoots ok , minute of big game , but it isn't target grade by any means . I shoot it sized 301 and wrapped up to 309 .

The 301618 shoots about 3" at 100 same way as the 310291 I suspect I'm not pushing either of them hard enough .

I've shot the 312-155 SP Lee intended for the x 39 and with a full case of 4350 it shoots as well as any of the best .

The trouble is that most of these would be single feed for your 94' . So while they work well for me they are kind of useless for you .

[MT Gianni]

[QUOTE=John Boy;4118821]I shoot both of these bullets and they are equally accurate in a '94 Winchester. The 311413 is single fed and not from the magazine

201225
311291 Designed for .30-30, .303 Savage and .30 Remington cartridges, but popular for all 30 caliber rifles. (GC, RN, 170 - TP is 465)

"The 311291 is much shorter than the 311299 and has a true round nose profile to allow use in lever guns etc. It is also a bore rider design many folks seem to find it more accurate than the 311041 in the 30-30. Rockydog"]





I believe the 31141 or 311041 is designed to fit in the tubular magazine of a lever gun. I have never heard of one even setting off a high primer in the 30-30. If you think other wise you can always load one in the chamber and one in the tube making it a two shot.


I also shoot the 311440, RCBS 180 fn and the Ranch Dog 165 in a 94. I believe the RD was cut for Marlin chambers but it shoots well in the Winchester.

[frank505]

NOE 200 grain solid, 193 grain cup and 189 hollow point. Love this bullet in three wicked little 30s, 36 carbine, 54 deluxe and a 72 Ackley improved. Leverevolution powder seem to work well in my loadings as the Winchester cases last.

[popper]

Accurate. LeverE works great. Mine's a Marlin. Upper right is 185GC, others are PB version @ 50. Haven't chronied yet.
201464 201465
Edit: I did chrony the 30gr leverE with the 185, 1950 fps so 33gr should get to ~ 2150 or so. It is a stiff load.

[KCSO]

Mountain Moulds 165 gr rnfp, a cast copy of the original 30-30 bullet. This is a gas check and with 2500 lube is run at 1950 fps with either 748 or reloader 7 powder. Shoots better than I can hold and is a good deer killer from #2 alloy.