Savage 219 in 30-30

[dubber123]

I am new to this site, but I'm getting alot of good info already. I have cast for a long time for my handguns, but only for 32-20 and 45-70 in rifles. I wanted to get something in a 30 cal and found a Savage 219 single shot in 30-30. I have heard the 30-30 does well with cast, due to the somewhat smaller case than some of the other 30's. Has anyone tinkered with the 30-30 in general, or the 219 specifically? Thanks for the great site.

[Ben]

Depending on your guns condition ( bore ), it could very well be a wonderful cast bullet shooter.

The 30/30 and cast bullets go together like a hand into a glove.

Volumes of load data for cast bullets in the 30/30.

I've shot the Lyman 170 gr. 31141 with great success.

In a single shot, nose shape isn't critical like a tubular fed lever gun. The combinations of different cast bullet styles that will shot well in your single shot are almost unlimited.

By the way, dubber123, let me offer you a big WELCOME ! ! to Castboolits .

Good Shooting,

Ben

[PPpastordon]

dubber123;
"I have heard the 30-30 does well with cast"
I've heard that,too.
I have had some OK loads with a Lee 130 grain and a Lyman 150 grain; but I have not put any serious work into the loads. Mainly used them for rolling soda cans and busting dirt clods. I am ready to do some serious load work, though. I want to try and do some coyote "control work" with the 130 grain, or with a 115 grain Lee mould for a FN bullet that I also have.
Maybe I should just use my own .45-70? I got loads for it!

[dubber123]

Thanks for the welcome, I'm getting to like this site alot. The 219 I got has an absolutely mint bore, which along with it's cheap price talked me right into it. The triggers not the best, but not horrible either. I have oil finished the stock, and will reblue the barrel in the spring only because of a small scratch in the finish. I hope it likes cast. Thanks again.

[threett1]

I have a 219 in 22 Hornet that is an absolute dandy. Great old guns.

[qajaq59]

Cast bullets work very well in my Winchester 30-30. In fact that's about all I shoot in it. It's accurate at a 100 yards, and the components are cheap. I go thru a 100 rounds a week with it and price matters when you are retired.

[Molly]

I am new to this site, but I'm getting alot of good info already. I have cast for a long time for my handguns, but only for 32-20 and 45-70 in rifles. I wanted to get something in a 30 cal and found a Savage 219 single shot in 30-30. I have heard the 30-30 does well with cast, due to the somewhat smaller case than some of the other 30's. Has anyone tinkered with the 30-30 in general, or the 219 specifically? Thanks for the great site.

Hi dubber,

The 30-30 was almost custom made for cast bullets, and the designs 311291 and 311041 were made for the 30-30. Use a reasonably hard alloy or heat treat wheelweights if you want. Actually, untreated wheelweights alone do a pretty darn nice job. My 30-30's like 0.311 to 0.312" sizing, Alox lube and Hornady gas checks. Loading data? Pick up any manual and look up 170g bullets. You can load the 30-30 cast bullet with the same data as the jacketed bullet, generally getting the same accuracy and velocity.

A couple of warnings though:

The residue left from jacketed bullets can ruin results with cast bullets. Your rifle must be CLEAN before you start.

Cast bullets tend to be a bit more particular than jacketed in what loads they will shoot well with: It pays to play around. However, the classic formula is "28-30g of IMR-3031 for the 30-30" This will just about duplicate factory ammo for the above bullets. Start a little lower (say, 25g) and work up to see what it likes best on the target range.

Also: Cast bullets act differently on game than jacket bullets. Jacketed bullets are designed to open into the classic mushroom. Cast bullets generally shed the front 1/3 to 1/2 of the slug into small fragments, and the rest of the bullet bores through like a Nosler. Still very effective, but different. Don't yield to the temptation to holowpoint it unless you're fond of bloodshot meat. The result of hollowpointing will be to make it do to the deer what a .22-250 does to a chuck.

Molly

[KCSO]

I sold a 219 to a friend a while back after working up some loads for it. We used a Lyman 31141 bullet and pushed it with either 10. of Unique or 28.5 of WW 748. The first load is a 1400 fps plinker and will shoot as good as you can hold, the second is a hunting load and will go 1950 in the 219 and will drop a deer as good as any 30-30 load ever made. The trigger was a little rough on this one, and I took it down to 3.5 pounds even. You doo need the right slave pins to reassemble the 219.

[dubber123]

Thanks for the fresh info guys, I don't think I will be able to wait for my group buy mold to come in, so I think I may go to a shop I know of with some used molds, and see what I can scare up tomorrow. I have been shooting nothing but jacketed, but have some new Shooters Choice copper remover that really seems to get the copper out. I am still waiting for my lubrisizer die. I took a guess at .310", figuring I can hone it to .311". Any bigger, and I'll just order another. This should be fun. Thanks again.