Need some input on 5744 with 30-30 150-gr RCBS

[KirkD]

I wanted to try 5744 in my 30-30. My reloading manuals (Hornady) were not much help. I went to the Accurate Powder website and saw that they were suggesting 22 grains under a heavier bullet, so I tried 22 grains under my lighter, 150 grain GC RCBS bullet. Chronographed it at the range today .... 1,785 fps. That's a little slow to my taste, so I'd like to go higher. However, I've got no load data for 5744 under a 150 grain cast bullet.

Question: Does anyone have a proven safe load that uses more than 22 grains of 5744 under a 150 grain cast bullet?

[billyb]

email accurate tell them what you want to load and they will send you some info on the 5744, I asked them for info on the 8mm,7.62x54,and 7.62x39, they emailed me with load info. Bill

[jimkim]

The Lyman manual list 18.0gr AAC-5744 as the 30-30 starting load with the 173gr 311041. The maximum load is 24gr. I would work up to it. By the way 25gr is the max load for a 150gr Speer according to Accurate Arms. The listed velocity is 2158fps. I hope this helps.

[Larry Gibson]

I use 21 (corrected from earlier load) gr 5744 under that RCBS 30-150-FN bullet out of my M94 Carbine. I cast them of WW + 2% tin and WQ or of WW/linotype at a 60/40 mix and air cool. I size them .309 (just barely touches the bullet) and lube with Javelina. Velocity is 1866 fps and accuracy runs 2-3 moa (depends on my ability to focus on front sight through aperture on any given day!) at 100 yards. One thing I've noticed with the 5744 loads is the barrel gets hotter quicker but with a slow fire approach that's not a problem. I used that load in a 3 gun cowboy action match some years back when they stuck to real shooting instead of play acting. Ranges for the rifle ran from 7 yards to 225 yards. I did ok BTW.

Larry Gibson

[kodiak1]

I usually use 26 GRs under the 150's and my 224 Grs I am using 21 GRs.
Good Luck Ken.

[KirkD]

Fellows, that does give me a bit more to go on, especially a published load of 25 grains under the Speer bullet.

Larry, I am astonished at your 28.5 grain load only giving you 1,866 fps, when my 22 grain load gives about 80 fps slower. Are you sure that you didn't make a typo on the amount of 5744 you are using? Should it be 23.5 grains?

I'm going to try 24 grains next.

[6pt-sika]

Okay here's what I have in your area of intrest !

With the Ranch Dog 311-165 I load 22 grains of XMP5744 and it seems to do fine ! I have never run it over a chronograph though !

I also have a group buy mould that "357MAX" did a couple years ago for a 312-150GC and I shoot that with 23 grains of XMP5744 and it shoots well ! Again I have not checked the velocity !

Before I really really started getting seriouse with cast loads in the scoped Marlin's I used the RCBS 30-150GC with 16 grains of XMP5744 . Normally used that load in my circa 1906 Model 1893 in 30-30 . This one has a 26" barrel and shot that load very well ! Never have bothered to push it any harder as I was just shooting paper with that rifle !

[Jon K]

KirkD,

5744 is no speed demon, if you want more speed use Varget/748/4895.

JON

[jlchucker]

What Jon K said. Reloder 7 also can give faster velocities. If speed is your main object, you might try some other caliber than 30-30. The 30-30 is a great caliber, capable of fine accuracy with both lead and jacketed bullets, but has its limitations in terms of speed. For targets, I wouldn't think velocity would matter much. For deer-sized game, the load you already have probably won't bounce off on impact, and would, in all likelihood, be a good killer with proper shot placement--again, more a function of accuracy than velocity.

[KirkD]

Factory ammo for the 150 grain bullet usually runs between 2,200 and 2,400 fps. I'd like my cast loads to reach at least 2,000 for the 150 grain bullet. I have been using IMR 3031, which does give me 2,100 to 2,200 fps, but I've not been happy with the accuracy of the RCBS bullet (doing good if I can get a 5-shot, 3" group at 100 yards with my Lyman peep. If 5744 is too fast to get 2,000 without undue pressure, I may give IMR 4198 a try.

[Larry Gibson]

Fellows, that does give me a bit more to go on, especially a published load of 25 grains under the Speer bullet.

Larry, I am astonished at your 28.5 grain load only giving you 1,866 fps, when my 22 grain load gives about 80 fps slower. Are you sure that you didn't make a typo on the amount of 5744 you are using? Should it be 23.5 grains?

I'm going to try 24 grains next.

Kirk

You are absolutely right. For some reason I was just thinking about that post as I was waking up and thought; Yah know Larry, that was an aweful lot of 5744. So I just sat down and doubled checked and sure enough I somehow put the 4895 load. It is always good to double check on these post. My opologies and thank you for double checking (always a good idea). The other data with it is correct as I was reading the data from my 5744 load (I just double checked that). I have also corrected the above post.

Larry Gibson

[KirkD]

No problem, Larry. I didn't have the courage to try 28.5 grains of 5744 anyway ..... :)

[Scrounger]

Reloaders, and most particularly inexperienced ones, should use published loading manuals as starting points in working up loads, rather than solicit loads from others. Too easy to make a mistake, as above, or take an answer from someone you know nothing about. It's a fool thing to do; people shouldn't ask that question, nor should anyone answer it. Too much variation in guns, lots of powder, bullets, primers, and loading technique for"the answer" to have any meaning at all.

[6pt-sika]

I didn't have the courage to try 28.5 grains of 5744 anyway ..... :)


With the Ranch Dog 311-165 I have gone as high as 25 grains . But I didn't get decent accuracy until I got down to 22 grains .

And when I started loading the "357MAX" 312-150 I saw no reason to try and go up there again so if memory serves I tried 21, 22 and 23 grains . Maybe I should have tried 24 grains as well . But the 23 shot nice enough so I didn't see any reason to go higher [smilie=1:

[KirkD]

Reloaders, and most particularly inexperienced ones, should use published loading manuals as starting points in working up loads, rather than solicit loads from others. Too easy to make a mistake, as above, or take an answer from someone you know nothing about. It's a fool thing to do; people shouldn't ask that question, nor should anyone answer it. Too much variation in guns, lots of powder, bullets, primers, and loading technique for"the answer" to have any meaning at all.
I certainly agree that inexperienced reloaders should use, and start at the lower end, of published loading manuals. On the other hand, I am a very experienced reloader, and there are powders I might want to use for which I have no published data. Most of the loads I use are my own ... I seldom use published data anymore and seldom ask for load info. However, there has got to be a place where a fellow can get the input of other reloaders to confirm his own calculations. Of course, any input needs to be evaluated, which is the reason I immediately picked up a problem with the 5744 overload that was suggested. The fact that a number of people here and elsewhere have safely used 25 grains suggests that it might be safe to increase my load from 22 grains to 24 grains under a 150 grain cast bullet and then evaluate the results at that point.