Project Thutty-Thutty!

[TXGunNut]

I learned a few years back to focus on one or two CB projects at a time and there's one project that I've been excited about for some time. So far I've developed CB hunting loads for my 45-70 (Guide Gun), 35 Rem and 45 Colt and have been successful with them in the field. My 32 WS project is well in hand but I'm too puny to take it to the range this weekend to test the work I've done on it. Decided I'd straighten up my loading bench, wound up loading some BP 45 Colt rounds while I was there. Gradually it occurred to me that it was time to move Project Thutty-Thutty to the top of the list. I had some RD 311-165 boolits cast up and a NOE 311-041 mould standing by. I had sizers in .311 and .309 (don't ask ) gas checks, M-type and RCBS Cowboy neck expanders (another oops), a good supply of once-fired cases and a few pounds of LR powder. Within an hour or so I had LLA drying on those RD boolits and 50 cases sized, trimmed and even uniformed the primer pockets before I tossed them in the cleaner.
I've had at least one 30-30 in my collection for quite a few years but until recently didn't consider loading for it. Decent ammo was cheap & easy to find, why bother? I saved my brass and even scooped up a few on my October range trips but didn't even buy a set of dies until a couple years ago. For some reason I rescued a clean old 336 off Cabela's used gun rack and it joined a very clean Trapper in my safe. Pretty soon a Redfield scope showed up and the wait began.
I guess the wait is over. If all goes well I'll have the boolits sized & checked with a 2nd coat of LLA drying on them when I toddle off to bed tonight. Might even have the cases out, may even expand the necks....naw, no need to rush this.
No idea what I'll do with that .336 when I get a load figured out. Everyone knows a lowly thutty-thutty isn't good for big game hunting, won't even kill those pesky little deer we have in Texas.

[Shuz]

Let the fun begin! Good luck in your trials. I'm having a ball with my 2/ea 336 Marlins in .thurty-thurty. Great cast boolit guns!

[TXGunNut]

Thanks. I can't believe how much I'm enjoying this project. Even got a kick out of the perfect fit of the gas check on the boolit shank...free brass, free lead, free lube (w/sizers)...what's not to like?
Like you I'm a big fan of the 336, since I started buying them my Winchesters have mostly become safe queens. I can't resist picking up a 336 on the used rifle rack, sometimes I can't put it down.
Any favorite loads?

[Shuz]

My favorite load with both .30-30's is the RCBS 30-150FN and 34g of the old H-4831 and a CCI 200 LRP. Velocity is in the 1750fps area and SD in the low 20's based on the gun. I've been also working with some Tubal 2000 that was gifted to me by a member of this board and it shows promise with the RCBS 30-150FN and the 311291HP'd and the 311265HP'd. (Tubal 2000 is "similar" to H-4198 from my experience with it in my guns.)

[popper]

30 gr LR behind that RD. toughen with Cu, 1-2% Sb, .5% Cu. how does the CB expander do? mine likes .311, is 181 gr with GC.

[Threepersons]

My newest project is a 1894 Win. 30-30. RCBS 150CM, Plain base. Sized to .311
18 gr. 4895. Average groups about 2in. at 50 yards. Open sights and old eyes. The rifle
was made in 1972 and has good bore.

Cast some boolit this morning 15 bd. I'll load them up latter today. Way to cold
to test gun this week.

If anyone has experience with Flat base boolits in 30 cal. please share your knoldge.

[shooting on a shoestring]

For the OP...I've had good results (3 to 4 inches at 100 yds) with my iron sighted 94 and 336 with 18 grs 2400 and the Lee 150, and the Lee 170. 26 grs of 4198 was also a goodun. The Saeco 315 is under trials and looking good.

My Lee 150 is high mileage.....so I used a 5/16 drill bit and remove the gas check shank. The boolits look good as bare bottoms but haven't got to load them yet. Will probably use Herco and start looking for 1500 fps or so.

[TXGunNut]

30 gr LR behind that RD. toughen with Cu, 1-2% Sb, .5% Cu. how does the CB expander do? mine likes .311, is 181 gr with GC.

Agreed on the LVR powder, seem to recall pushing j-words w/ 748 but my 32WS didn't much care for it behind boolits. I was very pleased with the RCBS cowboy expander in my .32 but haven't gotten that far in this project, it's the next step. I wanted to get the boolits lubed & checked so I could set up the exander. May have them loaded by this time tomorrow, we'll see.

[Gunnut 45/454]

I had Lee make me a 170 PB mold hoping it would shoot well in my 300 Blk. Never got good accuracy so I loaded up some light loads in the 30-30 shot them out my Win 94 got about 1.5" at 50 yards and about 2.5 at 100 yards with 8 gr Reddot. Nice lite plinker.

[jbc]

I hope you have better luck with your noe 311041 than i did. I bought mine before i had a 30-30 to shoot it in and now i have a marlin and a winchester and the boolit wont fit either. The mold casts better than any other i have but the bore ride portion casts .305 and wont fit any 30 cal. i have seen or tried. Hopefully yours works out better, keep us posted!

[geargnasher]

Start with 22 grains of RX 7 and work up.

Gear

[TXGunNut]

Loaded a 20 RD boolits over a stiff charge of LVR, will try them this afternoon. When seated fully to the top of the crimp groove they are just a few thousandths off the lands, looks promising to me. Haven't even degreased the NOE 311041 mould but have high hopes for it as well. For some odd reason I've been kicking around using that boolit for 30-06.

[TCFAN]

jbc
I don't have a NOE 311041 but I do have several other molds that have the nose ride part of the boolit to large for my Marlins.What I did was to contact buckshot and about his nose sizing system and that solved my problems with over size boolit nose.It is a extra step in the sizing process but is worth it..........Terry

I hope you have better luck with your noe 311041 than i did. I bought mine before i had a 30-30 to shoot it in and now i have a marlin and a winchester and the boolit wont fit either. The mold casts better than any other i have but the bore ride portion casts .305 and wont fit any 30 cal. i have seen or tried. Hopefully yours works out better, keep us posted!

[jbc]

Thank you sir, I am going to play with alloy first and try to get it working but if I fail in that attempt Buckshot will be my next option. I have set it aside for awhile just to get over the initial disappointment of having cast and gaschecked several hundred before I realized the problem I had. Live and learn I guess. More than likely I will have to nose size because the gascheck shanks seem to be dead on with the lyman#2 I am using so if i get .005" shrinkage with alloy the shanks would be quite small.

[TXGunNut]

Start with 22 grains of RX 7 and work up.

Gear

I really like RL7 in 35 Rem and 45-70, can't recall using it in anything smaller. Odd. Lyman manual recommends a CCI 200 primer for that powder in 30-30 but other than that it seems like a good choice for the 30 WCF. Hmmm.
Thanks, will certainly give it a try if the LeveRevolution powder doesn't work out. I have a charge that seems to be working under RD's 32 cal boolit, looking for around 2100 fps.

[northmn]

I have shot a few deer with a 30-30 using a Lee 312 mold at 185 grains. It is listed for the 31 caliber military guns but I size it to 310 and use a flat nose punch to give it a flat nose. Got a nice fat doe at about 140 steps from my tree with that load and the deer was laying on its belly when I found it. Midwestern deer are a bit bigger than Texas deer so she might have run about the size of a large Texas buck. A little over 150 pounds. I just happen to like the heavier bullet in cast. I shot one deer through the shoulders and it went down on the spot but did not blow up a lot of meat. These bullets just seem to kill the deer without a lot fanfare. Another very popular bullet for the 30-30 is the RCBS 180 grain FN. I also use Re7 and get about 2000 fps out of my 24" barrel. Now using a 35 Remington but its the rifle not the caliber as I liked that 30-30 load.

DP

[TXGunNut]

Agreed about the relative deer sizes, a S TX deer generally won't weigh over 100 lbs on the hoof, here in N TX they get quite a bit larger in the right habitat but seldom approach the 200# + deer I've seen in the midwest.
I'm a big fan of the 35 Rem myself, shot two nice hogs on it's first CB outing last month and neither went more than a couple of steps. This project involves that pretty little rifle that followed me home last April, sweet rifle and interesting project but it won't replace my 35 Rem or my Guide Gun....yeah, right! Already thinking it needs sling swivel studs.
Another RL7 endorsement. Interesting. Have you tried LeveRevolution?

[TXGunNut]

First CB outing for the 30-30 Marlin was very disappointing, most but not all rounds were within a 6" circle. I was using a charge weight of LVR that is showing promise in my 32 WS, I think it was a bit warm. Slight cratering of the primers and a bit of expansion above the web of the case. Rifle did not exhibit any heat-related stringing and shoots very well w/ j-words so I'm thinking I'll drop the charge 1.5-2 grns. Also giving the bore a good scrubbing. Trigger is a bit heavy, may need to address that as things progress.

[jbc]

First CB outing for the 30-30 Marlin was very disappointing, most but not all rounds were within a 6" circle. I was using a charge weight of LVR that is showing promise in my 32 WS, I think it was a bit warm. Slight cratering of the primers and a bit of expansion above the web of the case. Rifle did not exhibit any heat-related stringing and shoots very well w/ j-words so I'm thinking I'll drop the charge 1.5-2 grns. Also giving the bore a good scrubbing. Trigger is a bit heavy, may need to address that as things progress.

Really looking forward to your results with the LVR powder as it is one of the few that is available around here right now. I picked up one pound and loaded a few, and if they show promise I am going to pick up a few more. Now if only I could find some primers for sale I would be set

[kbstenberg]

1+ for TXGunNut. Larry Gibson did a writeup on LVR which is in the stickies. Which lead me to the powder.