30-30 Load For New Shooter on Dangerous Water Jug Hunt, Unique or H4895?

[chrometip78]

My daughter inherited a 94 in 30-30 and I'm looking to load up some Speer 110gr HP (I left out the J part...) so she can have fun shooting Grandpa's rifle when she's ready. I mostly use Unique and H4895 for everything, thinking 10gr of Unique or 22gr of H4895 for a starters. Wondering if you guys have experience with either load and how they are for noise and recoil?

I also need to get a new 30cal mold for making tube safe bullets, so far Lee 2 cavity molds have been good enough for me. Does 113 mold do pretty well with these type of light loads and the 94? Reason I ask is my old 336 made in '48 could be picky with bullets (cor-lokt's were real accurate while FTX were tumbling at 25yds). Wondering if the 94's were prone to any quirks?

She's barely 6 and still working with her Red Ryder so a little ways off but I'd like to go ahead and get some loaded up for when she's ready.

Any help is appreciated.

[BigAlofPa.]

Red dot is another one to consider. I been using it for reduced rifle loads. And really enjoy it.

[Rcmaveric]

I like 2400 in my 3030. Buffalo bore was also just as accurate. They produced best results in my case. You can use H4895 for heavier loads and Unique magically works good in everything. Like a jack of all trades, master of none. I like to keep the velocity around 1500 fps. Makes the gun and recoil light and fast acting with little to no recoil for fast hunting in thick woods. After about 1600 fps the recoil starts getting stiff and stout. Plenty of energy at 1500fps according to my balastic calcs. Its still plenty accurate upwards to 2000fps. I just dont like being kicked in the chest by a mule every trigger pull.

I personally use the Lee C309-150-F mold. Thing has to be miss marked because they weight about 175g before gas check and lube. They shoot great though. Think its about 180g with gas check and lube. Probably why it recoils like an angry mule 9ver 1600 fps.

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[popper]

Try 7 gr Unique with the half jacket ones. No real recoil so I loaded in the tube. Let her get some practice before trying the Youth loads, they are pretty inefficient powder wise. Don't know how fast you push the FTX, they don't have as much bearing surface as the coreloc. With any of the light boolits, try just partial neck sizing - I had a bunch of circular neck cracks from working the brass too hard at the base. Maybe just FCD the fired & loaded brass? I normally use 2400 for light loads in 30/30 but tried Rx7 Thurs, like it better.

[mr surveyor]

I've become a big fan, for just plain old fun paper punching, loading cast rnfp g/c bullets from a buddies Lee 150 gr mold (his examples weigh more like 143-144 gr ... he gave up on the 30-30 several years ago) with 9.0 gr of Unique. After several different loads from 8.5 to 9.5 gr the 9.0 gr was the most repetitive in the accuracy department from my old 336 micro-groove. After six or eight bench tests every five or ten round groups tend to pattern the same sub inch at 50 yards. I haven't played with them since last November and this morning decided to load up a couple of dozen and see what they do at 100 yards .... and may even raise the scope up so poi is closer to poa.

For the last month or so I've been fixated on loading the .45 acp, but this thread rekindled my interest in the 30-30 light loads.


jd

[hwilliam01]

I load what I call "Cat Sneeze" loads for my 30-30. I use a pure lead RNFP projectile that is advertised as 110 grains, but weighs closer to 119 grains. They are advertised for the M1 Carbine. These are loaded with 7 to 9 grains of unique (depending on the rifle I shoot them from), using a CCI Large Rfile primer and crimped. They are just a little more than a 22lr and a real hoot to shoot all day. Plenty accurate within 50 to 75 and maybe more.

[mr surveyor]

Target from yesterday... two ugly flyers from 5 shots ....

[rintinglen]

I have loaded many hundreds (well into the thousands) of "chicken" loads, 95-100 grain lead boolits over 8.0 grain of Unique. IIRC, they head out around 1300 FPS and were made for a light recoiling load to topple 50 meter chicken silhouettes. I have used lyman 311-245 and RCBS 32-98 SWC boolets virtually interchangeably. My eldest daughter learned to shoot her 30-30 pretty well with those. She has a silhouette trophy for Best "B" shooter that she earned with that rifle. Now I am working with her Daughter... Time marches on and it is stepping on me.

[gnoahhh]

Since she's only six you have plenty of time to suss this out. Were it me I would acquire a 150-170 RN or FN mould, gas checked from any manufacturer, and a couple more powders. Go ahead- save your nickels if you have to, you have plenty of time so don't rush into it.

The reason I stated my mould recommendation is such a bullet is very versatile. It can be loaded without gas checks with any number of fast burning pistol powders such as Bullseye, Red Dot, Clays, etc., to produce sub-sonic backyard plinker loads for her initial shooting. (Not to mention cheap as heck when you are looking at over a 1000 shots per pound of powder.) As she grows up and (hopefully) yearns for loads with more oomph then the next logical step is with gas checks installed and somewhat slower powders for ammo in the 1400-1600fps range. After that, if she atarts making noises about maybe going after deer with her Gramp's rifle, reach for the same bullet and 3031, 4895, etc. for ammo in the 2000fps vicinity.

One mould can do it all by following this protocol- it keeps expenses down and simplifies the process by eliminating several variables such as jacketed vs lead, and light vs heavy, etc.

[Hick]

I bought a box of Bear Creek supply 32 pistol bullets: 0.314, moly coated flat point. Something like $35 for a box of 500. I size them down to 0.309 and load them in my 30-30 with 5.5 grains of HP-38. They run about 1200 fps like a 22LR but with more punch and very, very light recoil. I did this thinking they would be inexpensive plinkers-- which is true, but it turns out in my 30-30 that they are very, very accurate-- on a good day 1" groups at 100 yards, and they can hit those little 2-3" gongs all day long. Its a very accurate load that lets a person learn to shoot before encountering much recoil.

[Texas by God]

I just loaded some as cast Lee 31490swcTL in un sized Hrtrs brass over 7grs of Unique with a light crimp. I fired a test round last night out the back door- sounds good!
Edit - I threw a few fliers settling in but by the 5th shot I had them clumping together nicely at 40yds. I also tested the C309113F over 9.6grs of Red Dot with some resourced Rem. LRM primers from my Mauser. Just in time for St. Patrick's day I can make cloverleaves!

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[Texas by God]

I tried some more C309113F. The morning sun in my eyes and glare on the sights is my excuse on the Carbine. The target on the right is a use up old components experiment. A bit of unburned powder kernels on the bench. I like this boolit but it doesn't feed as well in the Mauser as the C150 of 170. The carbine and my Marlin 30-30 are fine with it.

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[Bookworm]

TbG, did you Chrono the W296 loads in that .30/30 ?

I'm just now starting to mess with a .30/30 Remington 788 I purchased a couple years ago, and I have maybe 4 pounds of that powder just laying around.....

[Texas by God]

The W296 loads are in .30 carbine. It's on the target on the left. I think I can do better with a little warmer load. These are estimated at 1900fps.
Congratulations on the 788!

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[chrometip78]

Thank you for all the great info, really appreciate your input on this. I'm going to work up some loads with Unique and 110gr to see how it does for now. I'll also get a 150gr FP mold and work up some youth loads with the H4895 for later on if she enjoy and pursues shooting. This thread made me realize I don't have a 30cal FP mold, only a RN mold, most of my casting has been pistol boolits.

[popper]

I chronyd a 20gr H4895 170gr @ 1200 fps. Performance wise it's a waste of $,you can get that with unique or Rx7. Save it for hotter loads. I did use it for G.K.s in 243 when they started. 14gr 2400 gets pretty good fps without much kick for 150gr cast. A RN mould is fine for the tube mag at LIGHT loads. It's recoil that is the problem in the tube and even then it is not a very common problem. I start the youth with single loading for safety.

[toallmy]

The noe 165 plain base flat nose & small charge off unique = fun with my 30-30 very light recoil and noise .

[sniper]

Years ago, there was a scribe in one of the gunzines who came up with what he termed the"UMAGGB" (Universal Make any Gun go Bang) load. It was 10 gr. of Unique. A bit heavy for pistols, but 12 gr worked like a champ in my 257 Roberts with a 100 gr. cast GC , and 10 gr. will get the boolit out of the barrel. Good luck in your search. Do your young lady a favor, and when she gets of a size to use the 30 30, be sure the stock is a proper length to fit her, and put a large, soft recoil pad on it. I'll bet she will thank you!

Those DWJs can be treacherous! Use enough gun! (Of which the 30-30 is #1 on the list!

[Texas by God]

Years ago, there was a scribe in one of the gunzines who came up with what he termed the"UMAGGB" (Universal Make any Gun go Bang) load. It was 10 gr. of Unique. A bit heavy for pistols, but 12 gr worked like a champ in my 257 Roberts with a 100 gr. cast GC , and 10 gr. will get the boolit out of the barrel. Good luck in your search. Do your young lady a favor, and when she gets of a size to use the 30 30, be sure the stock is a proper length to fit her, and put a large, soft recoil pad on it. I'll bet she will thank you!

Bob Hutton in Guns&Ammo.

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[dverna]

Years ago, there was a scribe in one of the gunzines who came up with what he termed the"UMAGGB" (Universal Make any Gun go Bang) load. It was 10 gr. of Unique. A bit heavy for pistols, but 12 gr worked like a champ in my 257 Roberts with a 100 gr. cast GC , and 10 gr. will get the boolit out of the barrel. Good luck in your search. Do your young lady a favor, and when she gets of a size to use the 30 30, be sure the stock is a proper length to fit her, and put a large, soft recoil pad on it. I'll bet she will thank you!

Good advice on the stock. Scan eBay for a beater stock you can cut down and refinish for her.