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Thread: Which cast boolit weight for cat sneeze 30-30 loads?

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master bedbugbilly's Avatar
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    Which cast boolit weight for cat sneeze 30-30 loads?

    Long story short - I've always liked the 30-30 cartridge as I hunted with a Win. Model 94 many, many years ago. I recently lost out on a Win. 94 in 32 spl. but in the process, have run across several 30-30 that have caught my eye - a Savage bolt action, a Marlin plus I'm still looking.

    I'm getting stuff together to reload 30-30 - have dies, 1X fired brass, etc. but am ready to order a bullet mold - decided to go with a Lee due to price and to try.

    I don't hunt anymore but want to do some "light" plinking with the 30-30 - up to 100 yards probably. I will only be using cast and want to keep them slow enough so I don't have to use gas checks (although I might try them down the road).

    So . . . what weight bullet do I want to go with for just light plinking rounds - usually at 25 and 50 yards but up to 100 yards?

    Lee offers a C309-113-F flat nose (which I'd need if I go with a lever gun) that would probably drop around 113 gr. - they also offer a C309-150-F which should drop around 150 gr that is flat nose.

    My goal is to load light and I'll probably never load up loads in what I would consider hotter hunting loads - I'll only be plinking.

    My Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook #3 shows to size them .308. I have an old set of old Lyman All Americans I can full length size the 1X fired brass in and I also have a RCBS neck sizing die on the way - so I can either use my single stage to load or I also have a set of Lyman 310 tongs and 310 30-30 dies.

    I currently only use the Lee push through sizers so I thought I'd order a .308 Lee push through sizer die - my expander is .308. Should I get a .309 push through sizer as well if I'm loading cast?

    Suggestions of mold selection/bullet and sizer would be greatly appreciated.

    As far as powders - I have Bulls Eye, Red Dot and Unique on hand. I've tried to get some 2400 but never seem to hit the store at the right time.

    I know I'm kind of going about this in reverse since I don't have the rifle yet - still looking so I can't slug a bore that doesn't exist yet. Thanks for any help from those that load the 30-30 in "cat sneeze" loads.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master Yodogsandman's Avatar
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    My Lee 309-113F weigh 114.6gr from AC COWW + 1/2 lb 50/50 bar solder in a 10 lb pot. I size .310" and they drop from the mold at a thin hair under that. I full length size and use a .30 cal. Lyman "M" expander die. I'm shooting 2.7gr Bullseye and kinda giggle with every shot! The Lee 309-113F is made for a gas check and I do use them but, probably don't need to at about 700-800 FPS. If I didn't use a gas check, I'd just tumble lube with LLA. I get about 1 1/2", 10 shot groups at 50 yards and haven't tried them at 100 yards, yet. I'm still working on the C.O.A.L. for the best accuracy.

    Good luck finding that 30-30, it'll be lot's of fun to plink with!

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    lee 150grn plus 3.6 grns bullseye over a bit of Dacron goes about 875 fps
    4.2 grns about 950.
    i can still hit the 300 metr gong with enough hold over with a scope.
    bang..............ting!
    then again it's more hold over than a 22 lr and that's doable too.
    what ever you choose have fun and drive the nimrods crazy with There tricked out black rifles that can,t shoot.

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    I`m using for one my loads a 150 rcbs cm plain base with 4.5 grains of red dot running about 1000 fps.2-4 inches rested at 100 yds with a savage 99 takedown in 303 savage and peep sights.A lot of fun trigger time.

    Horace

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master
    Mk42gunner's Avatar
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    Most of the recommendations for cat sneeze loads I have seen call for a heavier boolit and miniscule loads of powder. I have not done that.

    What I have done is load .32 pistol boolits in front of small charges of Green Dot and 231 for plinking loads. They aren't cat sneeze quiet, but they don't bellow like a full charged round either.

    My go to size for .30 caliber rifles is .311" first, then go up or down as necessary. I have never had to go down in size. In fact the only other sizer I own at all suitable for said thirty cal rifles is a .313", it worked fine in my H&R 158.

    Robert

    Forgot to say that all my low velocity plinking loads so far have been plain based, (must be something about doubling the cost of a shot with a gas check). I haven't tried boolits meant for gas checks without the check.

    R

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    Mine might be closer to a dog fart than a cat sneeze. 180 grain plain base over red dot or herco. Right now I use herco and get 1300 fps with 9.6 grains. It easily knocks down 30+ pound steel pigs at 80 yards. I shoot chickens at 110 with it, for competition. It is cheap to load, and the recoil is light but not as soft as a 22lr. It feels more like a 223 in a light gun. It has a decent report as well, but is definitely quieter than a full power load. I have not tried lighter loads, as I have to knock over the steel. This thread makes me want to try my 125 grain checked 30 m1 carbine boolits in the 30-30 for some soft and quiet loads. The plain base boolits are cheaper and faster to make, but I have some of the lighter boolits ready to be loaded. For 30-30, 30-06, and 30 m1 carbine, I use 0.311" sizing dies. The 180's in the 30-30 will reach out to 160 yards to ring steel with no problem, even though they are light loads. I use a 14" steel plate at 160, so it isn't precision shooting, just practicing offhand with iron sights and my win 94 30-30 (was my grandfather's first deer hunting rifle).

  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    I would say to measure the inside of the casemouth of a case fired in this rifle and see how big a bullet you can fit in it and then get a sizer and size to the largest size possible. For what it's worth, my .30-30s don't shoot well at all with a .309", but do great with a .311". On the other hand, my .308 Win won't chamber a .311", but shoots a .309" great. Go figure...
    I passed my last psych eval, how bout you?

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

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    I don't think bullet weight matters as much as what powder you use. I like to use Trail Boss for my light pllinking loads and I've used 170gr for those just fine. They sound about like a .38 special and recoil is nearly zero. I had bought some plated .308" bullets and couldn't figure what to do with them until I went to Trail Boss.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    While not quite a cat sneeze load I use a 311041PB group buy mould in my 30-30 with 7.2 grains of Unique, I believe NOE makes a version of this.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Not quite a cat sneeze load but I have been shooting the 130 gr. Lyman plain base boolit with 8 gr of Trail Boss in my Mossberg lever for an MV of about 1200 FPS and can keep that 8x12 gong swinging at 150 yards offhand. Feels like a 22LR. Before commenting that the boolit isn't a flat nose, the cowboy RCBS seating/crimping die I am using puts a nice 1/8" flat spot right on the tip of the round nose. There has not been a hint of leading with the Lee Alox mule snot lube.

  11. #11
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I make some 94gn NLG boolits (and then powder coat them) with an antique 32cal mold I have. Nice light shootin'. Feels about like a 22LR but slower velocity.

    Also any of the lighter 30's as mentioned above. Since you do not have to worry about cycling, you can start very looooooow on the load. Just make sure you have enough "oomph" in there to get the slug out the end of the barrel!

    I use them all up thru 150gn at many reduced loads using pistol powders.

    banger

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    For lowest noise in .30-30 I use Accurate 31-114D sized .311 with 3 grains of Bullseye. Very accurate and quiet. Velocity about 850 fps.

    Attachment 119601
    Last edited by Outpost75; 10-19-2014 at 04:50 PM.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    I have a friend that wants me to cast him up some Lee .312 100 Gr boolits that I use for my .32 S&W and Plinking liads in my MN's and LE's.
    He wants them sized to .309, and is going to try some that I will Powdercoat for him.
    They do shoot pretty good at 100 yds in my Mosin Nagants.
    But i mostly use them at 25 to 50 Yards.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master GabbyM's Avatar
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    I have a plain based Saeco 140 grain FN mold. In my Daughters Marlin 30-30 a load of 8 grains of Unique would sometimes squib. leaving unburned powder and stuck boolit. Supposedly that shouldn't happen but it did in that Marlin. Have a big can of 700X that is faster and works better than the slower shotgun powders for PB boolits in a 30 caliber. I like sub sonic loads with the plain based boolits since they can't go much beyond that anyways.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    I run the lee 200gr in mine, going to say its bullet and rifle dependent. Most lever guns have a twist to run the 150-170gr best. You slow the bullet down and makes stabilizing them worse. So al you can do is try and see what works. I have a bolt action with a faster twist so does fine with a 200gr at subsonic velocity, may or may not work in your particular rifle.

  16. #16
    I use the lee 314 TL SWC 90 grainer coated and sized to .309" over a case of trail boss and a LP primer

  17. #17
    Boolit Master

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    The Lyman 311441 115g over 9g of unique should work well for what you want. It should work with any rifle you chose.
    NRA Benefactor Member NRA Golden Eagle

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    There's a thread over at marlinowners.com that is loaded with info about lite loads for 30-30 nad it includes a useful table.

    Since I have an old lyman 3118 mold for 32-20, I tried that thru a lee 311 push thru sizer that comes out at 310 with 6 grs unique w Dacron - works great. Like Banger Jim, I've started powdercoating them, but 7.5 grs unique seems better - still have plenty of testing to do.

    The lee 150, powdercoated and gas checked with 18 grs IMR4198 is outstanding in my 788 bolt gun!

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    One of my favorite super light and very accurate loads ( to 75 yds) in my Marlin 336 30-30 is the .32 acp 75 grain ranch dog flat nose boolit lubed in LLA & sized .311 over 3.0 grain Bullseye. With Aperture sights I can usually get 1.25" 10 shot groups@50yds on a good day ( With my bad eyes!) I really was amazed that this light of boolit could shoot so well in a 30-30. Never Chrono'ed it but feels like a . 22lr standard I have also used the Lee 90 SWC with the same load but never got it to group as well as the 75 gr .32 acp boolit ( could just be me) If you are interested: Carolina Cast Bullets sells the 75 gr Ranch Dog .32 acp bullets
    " Associate with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation: for it is better to be alone than in bad company. " George Washington

  20. #20
    Boolit Master GabbyM's Avatar
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    What amazed me. First time we shot some of those low velocity 30-30's. Is how easy the big 30 caliber boolits are to see leaving the gun then all the way to the target. At modest ranges of course. About like watching an arrow leave your bow.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check