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Thread: Contender, what cartridge do people like for 30 cal?

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    Contender, what cartridge do people like for 30 cal?

    Just sort of thinking so far, maybe a 30-30? Nothing too hard on my hands as they're getting sore just thinking of a hot .30 in a pistol :P Thanks!

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    .30-30, the .300 Blackout/Whisper family, the various .32 calibers, and .30 Carbine would all work. Even in a 12" barrel the .30-30 is more than manageable.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    Hmm, 300 BO might do it - I am tending to get 14" or 23" (or 21" whatever someone has LOL) barrels, I like the length and I'm a big guy so with a rest it's just fine; I can hold some rifles like they're a pistol (friends' HK 93 for example) so I'll trade some muzzle weight for less recoil (partly because arthritis SUCKS.) .30-30 could be doable though, if I find it too much recoil I know just how to do reduced loads Hadn't seen a 300BO Contender barrel, good to know it's an option.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master Shawlerbrook's Avatar
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    30 30 , 30 30AI or a 30 Herrett, but my favorite is the 7x30 Waters.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    I had a 32-20 10" barrel (30-20 really) and it was a good shooter, fun, accurate, and not punishing. You can load it as hot as any 32-20 brass should be loaded with no problems.

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master Tatume's Avatar
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    My thirties are 30 Herrett and 309 JDJ. The JDJ cartridge is a fantastic hunting cartridge, but is fierce to shoot. The 30 Herrett is a good hunting cartridge, and is relatively mild. Of the two, the Herrett is the better recreational cartridge. The 30-30 is also an excellent Contender cartridge.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master

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    I have a 30 carbine 10" tube for mine, one of the TCA barrels. It is so much fun, but wow it is loud!

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    30/30 can load like a 32 auto on up. Strictly plinking and small game 32H&R or 30 Carbine. Todd

  9. #9
    Boolit Master


    Walks's Avatar
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    .300 Whisper or .32WCF
    I HATE auto-correct

    Happiness is a Warm GUN & more ammo to shoot in it.

    My Experience and My Opinion, are just that, Mine.

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  10. #10
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    30-30 in a 14" barrel is great. Mine groups well with 95 gr-180 gr bullets. In a 10" that was the reason for the 30 Herrett.
    [The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy ikarus1's Avatar
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    another vote for the .300 AAC blackout. It was designed for short barrels, and has similar power and trajectory to the 7.62x39 and .30-30, in a smaller more efficient package. Also, brass is easily made from .223, about as easy as anything else that necks down from common military brass.

  12. #12
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    Faces with the same dilemma, I opted for a MGM 10" bull barrel chambered for .30-221 Blackout/Whisperer rimmed with a 1 in 8 twist. It shoots anything from 110 to 240 grain boolits with great accuracy. Can also shoot factory .300AAC or my custom brass made from .360DW necked down to .30. The little extra weight in the barrel helps with the "Encore bounce."

  13. #13
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    AZ Pete's Avatar
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    30 Herrett


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  14. #14
    Boolit Master

    TCLouis's Avatar
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    As some have said . . .
    14" 30-30
    Mild to serious loads and everything in between!
    Tons of brass, bullets and BOOLITS available.
    Dang near any kind of powder will work, maybe not well, but will work.
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  15. #15
    Boolit Buddy
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    30 Herrett is one of my favorites. Capable of taking deer. Doesn't beat you to death. Good case life. Lots of 30 Herrett barrels made.

    Down side wildcat cartridge.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    I have 30 Herrett in 10" & 14" along with a 14" 30-30 for my contender.

    At the opposite end of the 30 cal spectrum, I just assembled a 7.25" long "stub tube" 32 S&W / 32 ACP based on a scrap 30-30 rifle barrel. I made up a bunch of custom fit brass (32 ACP length, 32 S&W rim, made from 9 mm range pickup brass) for this gun. I expect to shoot a lot of my "pop gun" loads in this gun. It does not get much cheaper/easier than a 55 gr no lube groove BLL coated 0.312" boolit (made from a 2 cavity mold I made myself) over 2 gr of Titegroup.

    Going back to the more typical application, I do not consider either the 30H or 30-30 as "great choices". Any round based on the 30-30 needs to be loaded with max pressures well below the point where you can use a primer to gauge max loads. Lots of reports out there about "streched frames" on contenders from 30-30 based ammo that was pushed too hard. Also, 30-30 brass is not "hard to find" but it is no where near as easy to aquire as 223/5.56.

    The 7 tcu is actually better in this regard. It would be on my shopping list if I had not aquired a mini-lathe to enable me to go in a "more interesting" direction.

    The contender seems to be able to take any round based on 223 brass loaded up to max military 5.56 ammo pressures. This is due to the smaller chamber diameter. I am pretty sure that one of my cheap scrap 30 cal rifle barrels from Numerich will soon turn into a 14" - 15" stub tube barrel with a case real close to the 7.62x40. This round checks off a bunch of "boxes" that make it likely to be my next contender barrel:

    • The basic brass (223/5.56) is cheap & plentiful
    • I just like 30 cal. I allready have lots of molds, sizers and scrap barrels in 30 cal.
    • The conversion is quick, easy & does not involve any "necking up". Just cut it off at the shoulder and run it through a sizer die.
    • As previously noted, the case OD is small enough to allow for hot loading without risk of frame stretch.
    • This round has just a smidgen more case capacity than the 300 BO. It should be able to duplicate near 30-30 rifle performance easier than the 300 BO given this extra capacity (both use the extra allowed pressure to make up for reduced capacity). It is also not trying to be too many things at once, i.e "designed for subs, but can shoot supers" like the 300 BO.
    • Case capacity should be small enough to allow full power "efficient loads" using faster powders such as H110/WW296
    • The extractor situation for this category of cases is not great (rimmed is better), but is not terrible. I happen to have a 222 barrel that will probably be called on to provide a "loaner" extractor for the new project.
    Last edited by P Flados; 08-03-2018 at 01:18 AM.

  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master



    M-Tecs's Avatar
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    I love the 30/30 in a 14". A buddy has a 10" and it is way louder than my 14".

  18. #18
    Boolit Master Jack Stanley's Avatar
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    The .30 Badger is easy on the hands .

    Jack
    Buy it cheap and stack it deep , you may need it !

    Black Rifles Matter

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    Well the .30 br. is the most accurate .30 out there, so ends the search.

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master uscra112's Avatar
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    .30 Herrett or .30-30, assuming you have a Gen 2 or an Encore. In Gen 1, I would not go past .32-20. I know.
    Cognitive Dissident

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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