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Thread: Bullet Fit In .30-30 Factory Chambers

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Bullet Fit In .30-30 Factory Chambers

    The standard .30-30 chamber has no "throat" or "ball seat", but simply a 15 degrees, Basic transition from the case mouth diameter into the rifling.

    Most production molds for the .30-30 are of two-diameters, a larger diameter of about .309-.311" for the driving bands contained inside the case neck when seated, and only a minimal band in front of the crimp groove, followed by a parallel-sided, ogival nose. In most production molds this parallel-sided forepart is only .3005-.3015" diameter, because they are worried about hard chambering, etc.

    Tom Ellis at Acccurate Molds has two designs with tapered noses which are engraved upon chambering in standard .30-30 chambers, but in which the slight effort to chambering is not an impediment to rapid firing, nor does the bullet telescope more deeply into the case or debullet upon extracting a loaded round. FYI this '94 Winchester was made in 1930. My 1942 vintage gun shoots the same loads with the plainbase on the 4th step of the open sight elevator and the full charge load on the first step.

    These bullets are the 31-155D plainbase, and the 31-171D in gaschecked version:

    Attachment 221808Attachment 221809

    This is what a loaded round looks like after being chambered and extracted:

    Attachment 221810Attachment 221811Attachment 221812

    I load a "half-charge", i.e. 15 grs. of 4895, 4064, RL15 or Varget with the plainbased bullet, which shoots "on" at 50 yards with the sight ladder raised to 200 yards, and a "full charge" of the same powders, 30 grains, which shoots to the sights at 100 yards with the ladder folded down, using the 171-grain GC. version.

    K.I.S.S. principle.
    Last edited by Outpost75; 06-09-2018 at 02:22 PM.
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  2. #2
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    Texas by God's Avatar
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    Thanks for this, Outpost.
    Timely for me as I need to load 30-30's.

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  3. #3
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    Parallel-sized?
    I give loading advice based on my actual results in factory rifles with standard chambers, twist rates and basic accurizing.
    My goals for using cast boolits are lots of good, cheap, and reasonably accurate shooting, while avoiding overly tedious loading processes.
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  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HangFireW8 View Post
    Parallel-sized?
    Sorry, typing on phone is hell.. Parallel SIDED, not sized....
    Bullet is dimensioned properly and drops from the mold so as not to require sizing. Use Lee Liquid Alox on the plainbase, and I pan lube the GC version. GC is seated by hand and crimped in .311 Lee push-through die so rest of bullet is untouched.
    Last edited by Outpost75; 06-08-2018 at 11:32 PM.
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    Boolit Master
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    Would have liked to have found that about 10 years ago. I have a 1949 336A in 30-30 that would not chamber with anything I had. On Ed Harris's advice I reamed the throat slightly, now it will chamber most anything. They still have to be sized to .310 or the neck is to tight.

    I like the idea of the half charge loads, you hit a home run with that one.

  6. #6
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    Gents:

    I'm in the middle of sorting out this same issue. Of 6 30-30's, the 2 Marlins are the worst, a 1949 336A and a 30AS microgroove. I'm thinking about trying the NOE nose sizer.

    Any thoughts?

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FredBuddy View Post
    Gents:

    I'm in the middle of sorting out this same issue. Of 6 30-30's, the 2 Marlins are the worst, a 1949 336A and a 30AS microgroove. I'm thinking about trying the NOE nose sizer.

    Any thoughts?
    Do pound cast and order one of the Accurate molds to fit. No sizing needed. That's what I did for my pre-WW2 Winchesters.
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    Boolit Grand Master FergusonTO35's Avatar
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    Very nice!
    Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
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    I've been dealing with it similar. I found the RCBS 30-180-FN would not chamber without engraving badly. The new Lyman 311041 I bought did fine however. The mould cast .006 out of round and I returned it. Still waiting on the replacement. I have a sample of the NOE 311041, and its a touch shorter than the normal lyman 311041 and fits fine in my rifle.

    I dont know how much it would cost, but I spect it would not be too bad to have the throat cut deeper in the rifle. I plan to have mine done one of these years when I find the right gunsmith.

  10. #10
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    Thank you for sharing , I'm very interested in reduced powder charges it seems my personal powder selection runs from fast shotgun powders straight to slow rifle powder like imr 4831 , 4350 , 4064 with very little in the middle .

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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