7-30 Waters for deer?

Is anybody using a 7-30 Waters for deer hunting with cast bullets?
I load a 145 grain GC at 2250 fps, water quenched wheel weights. Shoots well with no leading, just wondering if this combo would be good for deer or is bullet diameter getting to small.

Probably still limited to close range work like the 30-30 but a well placed boolit should work nicely.

Good shot placement up to 125 yds and it will drop deer. That's a good speed for them leaving the barrel. I would use air cooled myself.

Yes, air cooled and maybe a little softer too.
I was shooting deer with my 7R which is almost the same. I was using the 139 gr Hornady. It killed them OK but blood trails were not there. The last one only went 30-40 yards but I had to walk circles in the brush to find her.
I changed to the 120 gr bullet but have not used it yet, I am a little leery of a hard cast with small diameter boolits.

The only bullet I've used in the 7-30 is the 120 Ballistic Tip, which is the nearest thing to perfection possible in that round. Of course, I'm using it in a single-shot. In a lever rifle, you may have to do some legwork finding the discontinued Nosler 120 Solid Base or the Hornady 139, both flattip designs.

Lacking any of those, your cast design should work fine - but I'd make it a bit softer, as suggested.

at a slightly slower [1950] velocity the 145 rcbs silh boolit from ww's and 25% pure. waterdropped.
will drive straight through a 12" pine log at 100 yds.
i'd temper the nose some and hit the off shoulder. or on shoulder,or head.
the hornady 139 needs to be launched in the 26-2800fps range to be most effective,but 20 or so steps is common with deer,i've had elk go less distance with the same shot placement.

Thanks for the advise, I'll cast some up and air cool them and see how they shoot.

244, you can try the Paco Kelly trick. Place water quenched WW into water over the front band. Heat the noses to just before slumping with a torch. Let cool in place.This returns the nose to air cooled while leaving the base hard,

Flat point is a big advantage over round nose in game applications.

Also, consider getting Eric to HP one cavity.

Bill

244ack,

Well, I am by no means a cast boolit expert, but maybe I can relate my thoughts on the 7-30 Waters, cast boolits, and deer…

I am shooting the Lyman 287346 (gas check//135 grains), CCI 200, 32.5 grains of WC-844, @ 2044 fps from a Super 14” barrel…

I am also shooting the RCBS 45-270-SAA (283 grains), CCI 300, 20.0 grains of Lil’ Gun @ 1157 fps from a 45LC Blackhawk…

(I know you ask about the Waters—just a minute!)

Anyhow, I shot a groundhog at 70 yards with the cast boolit load from the Waters. The hit was right in the chest as the groundhog was standing facing me. The ‘chuck crawled about 20 yards towards its burrow before could get to it and well, finish the job. I don’t care for this type of hunting. Close observation indicted the boolit went straight through the ‘chuck and did little of no damage that initiated an immediate kill—just a hole punched through. The ‘chuck certainly would have died, but it would have been slow in its burrow—not good…

Now to the 45LC—I also shot a ‘chuck with the 45-270-SAA at about 25 yards and the hit was virtually the same place as the one previously mentioned with the Waters. The ‘chuck fell over and the tail twitched and that was the end…

I guess it is the large meplat that causes the kill as opposed to the speed or lack of expansion…

Back to the Waters—I also shoot the Hornaday 120 SSPSP (now the V-max), CCI 200, 32.5 grains of H-335 @ 2261 fps from the Super 14” barrel…

I have shot 3 deer with that particular load and the longest shot was about 65 yards and the shortest was right at 50 yards. All deer shuffled a dozen or so yards and the end arrived. The entrance hole was 7mm size, BUT the exit wound was the size of a half dollar. All shoot through the front shoulder…

I don’t think the cast boolit will allow expansion enough to cause this type of wound channel with a boolit that has virtually no meplat…

I know, I am comparing groundhogs to deer, but a boolit is a boolit and I think it will function basically the same in both cases…

Just my opinion, but I really don’t think I would do it—I don’t like chasing deer let alone not performing a clean quick death…

Good-luck with whatever you decide…

BCB

Just put some 120 gr nosler Flat point bullets up on swapping & selling. Made for 7-30 levergun. I've never found one so letting them go to someone who can use them.

I was wondering about using a small diameter cast boolit for hunting, I usually pack a 44 mag or a 45/70 but this '94 Win in 7-30 is such a nice handy rifle to pack around. I do have quite a few jacketed bullets but it is always more satisfying to use a boolit you made yourself. I think I will stick with the big bores for this fall and this winter try anealing the noses on some cast boolits and do a bunch of testing and see how they perform.
Thanks for all the input

Look at that round nse on the 346, wonder wht would happen if "we" filed a flat nose on that boolit.

I am way behind the power curve right now, but will attempt to get some test results out of my 7 mm TCU in the near future with nose as is and a meplat (or two) filed on the boolit.

I bought that mold just to have a plinker out of the TCU, a 7mm Mag Husky, and a 98 if I ever get around to finishing the barrel job.