What size for 30-30 and 30-40

[Char-Gar]

I hammered the lead into the throat using a steel rod from the muzzle. It looks like a good fill out to me. I did it 4 times and the numbers all came out the same.

Reading that just give me the willies. I would never hammer on a steel rod in a rifle barrel. Neither would I trust a measurement obtained by doing so.

[JTknives]

Reading that just give me the willies. I would never hammer on a steel rod in a rifle barrel. Neither would I trust a measurement obtained by doing so.

Thats what I was told to do. And reading on line seams to be a common way to measure the throat/chamber

[Char-Gar]

Thats what I was told to do. And reading on line seams to be a common way to measure the throat/chamber

If you want to expand a dead soft lead slug in the throat, you do it from the breech end with a brass rod with taps and not hammering. Hammering on a steel rod that is in the barrel full length is a good way to damage the barrel.

When we clean a barrel with a steel cleaning rod, we use a rod guide at the breech or muzzle, depending on which end we are cleaning from to prevent the rod from flexing and/or rubbing on the inside of the barrel. Steel on steel is not a good plan for protecting and preserving the quality of your barrel. This is the reason some folks use aluminium or coated cleaning rods. A steel rod works fine for cleaning, but it must be clean and centered in a rod guide.

I don't know who told you to hammer on a steel rod in the barrel, but you either misunderstood or they were giving bad advice.

My best counsel to you is to forget trying to pound lead into the chamber and throat. Size your 30-30 bullets .311 and you 30-40 bullets .312 or .313 and go shooting. Those number will give you good results if everything else is right as well.