Which mold for .30-30?

[selmerfan]

My roommate just acquired a Win. 94AE .30-30. I will load and cast for him, but I don't have a FP .30 cal mold. I'm not looking to spend a lot of money, a Lee suggestion or someone's 6 cav GB they don't want any more would be great. Looking for a 150-190 gr option. I'm not sure gas checks are needed, I won't be driving them over 1500 fps and can cast them hard if I need to. I have a good mold for my .30-06, but it's a semi-pointed, not FP. Thanks!
Selmerfan

[parrott1969]

lee 170 grain with gas check. I get one inch groups at 100 yards from my 94 AE. I load them over 28 grains of accurate 2520.

[selmerfan]

I was leaning towards that parrott, thanks for the vote of confidence.

[Ben]

If money is an issue, you might want to go with the Lee 170 gr. flat point. If you'd like to go with an iron mold, I'd recommend the Lyman 31141 ( 311041 ).

Usually a few used 31141's for sale here from time to time.

Ben

[Wayne S]

Quick & easy, IF your mold is in the weight range you want, try useing a top punch that will flatten your bullets nose with a little more "umph" on the lub/sizer handle.
Just remember that the 94 doisen't have the seating force of a bolt gun or break open pistol [T/C] so seat the bullets NOT to engrave the rifleing or a tight fit in the throat.
As to molds any of thethe Lee RF's in the weight range you want should work, sometimes I think "guess the nose dia." of Lee rifle bullets should have a place in Vagas, but the nice thing about the 30-30 case is it's long neck
I would still GC the bullets unless you have a way to open the GC shank up the bullets Dia. just to keep some powder and lube from getting together

[EMC45]

I just got a .308-180 RCBS in a trade on the board here and it shoots and functions in my Marlin 336 MG just fine!

[Sprue]

I use the Lee 2 cav 90368. Its a 170g FN w/GC. Sure is an ugly boolit but accuracy makes up for that. Actually, I was quite impressed.

Lee 90368 (http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=574963)

[DLCTEX]

+1 on the Lee 309-170 fp up to 1700 fps.

[Bucks Owin]

Quick & easy, IF your mold is in the weight range you want, try useing a top punch that will flatten your bullets nose with a little more "umph" on the lub/sizer handle.

I think that technique would work good with Lyman 311644 190 gr. Supposedly a very accurate .30 cal boolit. At any rate I intend to feed my own M-94 a few once I run across a mold. I'm also considering an easy rechamber to .30/30 AE. Reasons are a little more velocity with less bolt thrust and longer case life for the stretchy .30/30 case....:coffee:

[Rocky Raab]

Get the Lee C-309-170-F and the sizer kit to match. Tumble-lube 'em, seat a gas check and lube them again. Load a standard primer, 16.0 2400, a medium crimp. I get 1900 fps and all the accuracy I need with my Savage 340 wearing an aperture sight.

(That is the ONLY .30-cal mould I own, BTW. None other needed.)

[Bullshop]

Not that I have done extensive load development with the 30/30 but I have done a good bit. The one that has stood out as best for accuracy for me is an LBT LFN 200gn.
Wayne S
Using a flat TP on a RN is not the best way to get a FN from a RN design. The reason is the unsupported nose will not consistently form the same way each time.
The best way I have figured out is first to size/lube all boolits as normal. Then in a second step adjust the depth stop all the way down so that the boolit being used will not bottom out. Next with a solid flat TP in the ram push an inverted boolit nose first all the way into the die as far as it will go. Next adjust the depth stop up until it just touches the nose of the boolit. This is the setting for zero bump. Now back off the ram and begin adjusting the depth stop up by very small increments and after each adjustment bring the ram back down and apply steady pressure. You will feel the bump of the nose flattening.
In this way the boolit is fully inside the die for full support all around, and you can adjust the amount of flattening you want.
If bumping is needed and only conventional sizing equipment available this is the method I have found to produce the most consistent results.
BIC/BS

[XWrench3]

i bought the lee 150 grain flat point 30-30 mold (gas check). i have not shot a bunch of them yet, as i got the mold a bit before deer season, then i got pnemonia (which i still have). shot enough to decide to shoot with checks. at least with the lube i have now. i wanted boolits for fun, not necessarily for hunting. they shoot great.

[10x]

I have been shooting the Lee 150 grain gas check flat point out of various 30-30s for over 35 years.
Over unique, 700x, and IMR 3031. The mold has cast thousands of bullets and is still going strong. Depending on the gun and load this bullet can group under 0.75" with few - if any - flyers.

[softpoint]

I just got a .308-180 RCBS in a trade on the board here and it shoots and functions in my Marlin 336 MG just fine!

#1 on the 180 RCBS, My 30/30 XLR likes it with 28.5 gr H414.:coffeecom

[JIMinPHX]

A lot of guys always recommend the 170-grain boolits for the 30-30, but I'm going to go against the grain on this one. I had such good luck with the 150-grain flat point from Lee that I never bothered to try anything else in that cartridge. I got that boolit up over 2300fps with better accuracy than factory ammo. That boolit also works well for easy-shooting plinker loads around 1400fps. I don't know what more I could ask a .30-30 boolit to do.

[1Shirt]

150 flat nose Lee! Shoots well in all my 30's at a wide range of vols. Sort of an ugly blt, but is kind of like a homly woman with a great personality, it sort of grows on you. Shoot more of them than all of my other 30 cal molds. Good luck!
1Shirt!:coffee:

[Will]

If you only need a few you can use the SP and file the point flat, use a scale to be sure you take the same amount off each one. Works for me.

[Recluse]

lee 170 grain with gas check. I get one inch groups at 100 yards from my 94 AE. I load them over 28 grains of accurate 2520.

+1 on the Lee 170FN.

Also, I'd go ahead and gas-check them. You're already sizing/lubing the boolits, so it's not as though it's an extra step.

:coffee:

[Suo Gan]

Yuppers, the Lee 170 buy it from Natchez Super Shooters here:

http://www.natchezss.com/Category.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=LEE90368&prodTitle=Lee%20.309%20170%20grain%20Flat%20Nose%2 0Double%20Cavity%20Mold&CFID=1096976&CFTOKEN=66830177

Or a used one from ebay for $39.99.