3030 squirrel loads?

[luna butte]

i am wanting to load some 180g Wheel weight bullets (air cooled) up in my 3030win they are cast from the Lee c309-180r mold, i don't have any gas checks right now and thought that i could take my kid squirrel hunting and let him get used to shooting a big boy gun. the problem i have is, Where do i start? the powders that i have available to me are
Reloader 15,Win 760, Win 748, H1000, H335, H4895, H4831SC, H110

can you guys help me out with a load that will be around 850-1000fps and accurate enough to slay a few squirrels. heck i don't even know if they need to be traveling as fast as i am wanting.

thanks,

[Gadzooks Mike]

8 grains of Unique.

[woody1]

I would choose none of the powders you've listed to do what you're trying to do. Like Gadzooks Mike said, I'd prob'ly throw about 8 grains of Unique under it and give it a go. If I had to use the powders you listed, I'd try around 20 grains of 4895. Without a gas check I'd want to be sure my boolit was plenty large and use a good lube. Velocity would prob'ly be on the order of 1500 fps or so.

IMO you need a faster powder and not ball or spherical. Regards, Woody

[btroj]

Sounds like a good place to look at Trailboss. Bulky enough to not need a filler and it thrives on low velocity demands.

[luna butte]

darn, i thought i would have a few options with the powders available, maybe i need to go shopping again.

[NHlever]

I agree that all the powders you listed are slow burning for the kind of load you seek. I like 5 grains of Red Dot for a very light 30-30 load, though I have shot quite a few pounds of Unique down 30-30 barrels using boolits from 115 to 190 grains. I usually use 7-8 grains like many others here.

[Larry Gibson]

I'd concur with the others, none of your listed powders are suitable. I'd cast those bullets soft (ww/lead at 50/50, maybe 30/70) and simply tumble lube in LLA. A GC is going to give the best accuracy but something useable without a GC in the 800 - 1000 fps or so range can be had with that bullet using 5 - 5.5 gr of Bullseye. No filler or wad needed.

Better yet is to get a box of Hornady's .32 swaged 90 gr SWCs, push them through a .311 Lee sizer and load over 2.7 gr Bullseye. Velocity will run 810 - 820 fps out of a 20" barrel and you'll be amazed at the accuracy and fun that can be had with such a load.

Larry Gibson

[luna butte]

i do have some bullseye. though being ignorant,(which i am) i neglected to include it as a possible choice. thanks a bunch.

[roverboy]

Another load that would work good in a .30-30 would be a .311 roundball. Look on www.castbullet.com and look in the shooting section and down near the bottom of the page there is a article with loading data on this. I think your idea will be good I just thought this was interesting.

[35remington]

Just don't ask a roundball load to do too much. Fifty yards is too far; a regular lightweight bullet has a considerably accuracy advantage over the roundball at fifty yards.

Roundball loads must be fairly slow. Too much speed ruins them.

For trajectory reasons, I like my bullets to be traveling around the 1050 fps range or just subsonic, similar to long rifle subsonics. If accuracy holds up, this speed produces usable trajectory to sixty yards, and that's as far as most shots on squirrel are taken.

Fairly quiet too, and minimal damage. I have had good luck with the Lee plainbase roundnose intended for the 32 revolvers. This weighs about 100 grains.

[excess650]

I was thinking you're using a too heavy boolit for squirrels. My choice would be either the Lyman 311008 (32-20 boolit) or Lee 311-100-2R. Both of these loaded over miniscule charges will shoot accurately to at least 50 yards with minimal noise, and neither takes a gas check.

[NickSS]

My favorit small game load for a 30-30 is a Lyman 311008 over 6 gr of Red Dot. It shoots into under 2 inches at 100 yards and is deadly on such critters as squirrel, rabbit, raccoon and coyote out to that range. I have been using that load for about 40 years with great results so Highly recommend it for what you want to do.

[johnly]

I just punched some really nice groups with my 30-30 Marlin using 7 gr. of Clays and a 311410 sized to .310"

John

[Bret4207]

I'd concur with the others, none of your listed powders are suitable. I'd cast those bullets soft (ww/lead at 50/50, maybe 30/70) and simply tumble lube in LLA. A GC is going to give the best accuracy but something useable without a GC in the 800 - 1000 fps or so range can be had with that bullet using 5 - 5.5 gr of Bullseye. No filler or wad needed.

Better yet is to get a box of Hornady's .32 swaged 90 gr SWCs, push them through a .311 Lee sizer and load over 2.7 gr Bullseye. Velocity will run 810 - 820 fps out of a 20" barrel and you'll be amazed at the accuracy and fun that can be had with such a load.

Larry Gibson

Dang Lar! You took the words outta my mouth! For all the casting I do, I would never want to be without a 500 count box of those swaged Hornadys. They simply WORK in most 30's and .311/2 cal guns. 32 S+W to 300 H+H, they work. A little Bullseye, red Dot, 2400, most any faster pistol powder or shotgun powder can be made to work. Think 22LR on steroids. And if the boy hits a squirrel, it WILL fall down.

[Larry Gibson]

Bret

The Lee TL314-90-SWC is almost identical to the Hornady, except you get to cast them yourself. I've a 6 cavity mould and cast them by the thousands, litterally, using mainly recovered range lead with 2% tin added. I TL in LLA and then pass them base first through a .314 Lee sizer. Then I can use as is with my .32 S&WL, .32 H&R or any of my .31 cal rilfes. I push them through a Lee .311 sizer for most of my .30 cal rifles. I also use a .31 M die with the .30 cal rifles. Even then I do not hesitate to pick up a 500 count box or two of the Hornady's when the price is right. :-)

Larry Gibson

[Bret4207]

You are a lucky man Larry. I missed the boat when Lee discontinued the 6 bangers in that design. I wish they'd do a run of them.

[luna butte]

well i found this link (http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm) that, i think holds the info that i am looking for. you need to click the bullet weight on the left side to see the info.

anyway, i am now wondering if anyone is familiar with this website .

[Larry Gibson]

Very neat info. Compared several cartridges with my own results and I fine them to be correct. I saved it for future reference, thanks.

Larry Gibson

[Larry Gibson]

Bret

If you don't mind single loading either the Hornady or Speer .32 swaged HBWCs shoot extremely well in my .30/.31s also. They do feed from the right side of my Mausers if only one cartridge is put in the mag. Accuracy is excellent if you don't push them to hard. I stick with 2.7 gr Bullseye with case capacity up through .308W and 3 gr Bullseye in those up through the '06. That WC is very deadly at 800 - 900 fps on rabbits, squirrels and othe vermin. Great for plinking also.

Larry Gibson

[atr]

8 gr Unique !!!.....160-170 gr. boolit
amen !!

[luna butte]

alright, i loaded three rounds twice. with 4.8grains Bullseye (lee dippers are my friend) and shot em at 20 paces. they seemed to be accurate enough for me. i didn't measure the 6 round group but it was close to 1.5" maybe 2" , standing without a rest. i could not see any trace of lead and all that was there for fouling was a couple unburned powders. i am pretty happy with the results and i would like to thank you all for helping me get started with this project.

oh, at 20 paces my group was just below the bull and very much centered on target. it should be a simple sight adjustment and be right where i want to be.

now all my son and i need is a warm sunny day and the greydiggers will pay for all the grain they got out of the barn this winter. yee haw.

[Gadzooks Mike]

Luna, you're gonna need a lot of them wheel weights! That's how my son learned to shoot, and we kept loading the same 20 cases over and over. I say "we" but he was doing the shooting and I was doing the loading with a Lee loader. Spent about 4 hours at the range until I couldn't go no more. It's not easy to explain WHY it's so much fun shooting lead out of a 30-30 using pistol powder, but it sure IS fun. Enjoy the shooting and enjoy the squirrel stew!

[excess650]

Your thread prompted me to do a little more casting on this rainy day. I cast a batch with the Lee 311-100-2R and another batch with a MM .309-140FNPB. Both of these look like they'll work in my CZ-527 7.62x39 as well as 30-30s, 30-06s, 7.5x55, and 32-20. The 30-06s and 7.62x39 are the only rifles wearing scopes so may be chosen for tree rat control.

[skeet1]

If I wanted a squirrel load for the .30-30 I think I would use the Lee Soup Can and some Unique.

Ken

[Blammer]

hmm 30-30 huh?

why not use a 30-06, 1850fps with the 311284 boolit.

works for me

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2008%20Deer/DSCN7412.jpg

[luna butte]

nice Blammer, though my 06 is actually a 270 and i am not set up to load for it yet.

oh man! this load has got to be the funnest thing to shoot ever. i packed my 3030 all day and let my horseshoeing clients try it out. most of em didn't see the practicality of it though one guy grinned real big after shooting it and said

"you ever see the old video of the fat guy that catches a cannon ball with his belly. i bet this load will knock a squirrel clean across the road. "

we had a good laugh.

from a rest (my pickup mirror) at roughly 25-30 yards i stuck three of em into less than an inch, not touching but about as close to it as possible. it was great and i am pretty sure that the primer pop is louder than the charge.

[KCSO]

My best squirrel load for the 30-30 is a 90 grain Lee rn bullet made for the 32 acp I push it with just 5.0 of trail boss or 4.0 of bullseye and it groups under 1" at 25 yards. For the heavy bullet you have I have a standard plinking and traing load of 10 grains of Unique for out to 150 yards and I drop down to 6.0 for small game and close range.

[Bret4207]

"Horseshoeing clients"??? If you're a equine foot doctor you'll fit in here just great!

[JWFilips]

Bret

The Lee TL314-90-SWC is almost identical to the Hornady, except you get to cast them yourself. I've a 6 cavity mould and cast them by the thousands, litterally, using mainly recovered range lead with 2% tin added. I TL in LLA and then pass them base first through a .314 Lee sizer. Then I can use as is with my .32 S&WL, .32 H&R or any of my .31 cal rilfes. I push them through a Lee .311 sizer for most of my .30 cal rifles. I also use a .31 M die with the .30 cal rifles. Even then I do not hesitate to pick up a 500 count box or two of the Hornady's when the price is right. :-)

Larry Gibson

Sorry to resurrect and old post but I want to ask Larry Gibson why past them through the Lee sizer die base first?

[jimwill48]

Very load I use but use the Berry .32 HBWC but guess you can't get them anymore. Will get the Hornady HBWC when they become available again. Last winter ended up shooting 5 possums in our persimmon tree in our fenced front yard because my lab tree'd them and wouldn't stop barking. One shot each at about 15 yards = dead possum.....


Bret

If you don't mind single loading either the Hornady or Speer .32 swaged HBWCs shoot extremely well in my .30/.31s also. They do feed from the right side of my Mausers if only one cartridge is put in the mag. Accuracy is excellent if you don't push them to hard. I stick with 2.7 gr Bullseye with case capacity up through .308W and 3 gr Bullseye in those up through the '06. That WC is very deadly at 800 - 900 fps on rabbits, squirrels and othe vermin. Great for plinking also.

Larry Gibson