FTX bullets in 308mx

[Budmen]

I wanted to load factory loads in my spent cases. So I pulled a 160g FTX from factory loaded hornady Lever Revolution Ammo. The charge of powder it containded was 44.2g. I figure the lever revolution ammo uses the lever revolution powder? The Hornady manual that I have lists a max. charge of 41.3g of lever revolution powder? How can this be does hornady overload or do they use a different powder? Any help would be aappreiciated.:lovebooli

[Larry Gibson]

The FTX 30-30 factory ammo has a different charge of LeveRevolution powder in them than the manual lists also. The powder is the same but probably different lot numbers which makes difference. I suggest you chrono the factory ammo and then work up your loads with Leverevolution and the 160 FTX bullets to the same velocity. That's the place/time to stop. I've done that with the 30-30 and the psi's (measured) are well within SAAMI MAPs. However, as always, watch out for the usual pressure signs when working up and stop if they show up before the factory velocity is reached.

Larry Gibson

[Budmen]

Thanks for the help Larry at least I didnt start one of those ongoing posts like the 8mm again Sorry about that

[Larry Gibson]

No problem Bud, looks like frank is off on another tirade on the 30-30 with 296 thread. I ended up with a box of the 160 FTX bullets for the Marlin cartridge (wanted the 30-30 bullets, read the label on one box and picked up another........:cry:) Those Marlin FTXs sure are good looking bullets. I'm going to use them in my short barreled FR8 Scout rifle for hunting one of these days. They should work fine there over my standard 165 gr load in the .308W.

Larry Gibson

[6pt-sika]

I tried just about all the Leverevolution bullets in Marlin XLR's when they first hit the market and "generally" they shot very very well . So I never saw the need to reload . Although I of course had dies for all the rifles . Sold both the 308 Marlin Express rifles before I veer loaded anything for them or bought rubber tipped bullets , I did get closer with the 338 Express as I did buy a couple boxes of the rubber tipped bullets as well as the dies but again I sold them before I go to the reloading point !

FWIW , when Marlin brought the 308 Express out I got both a 308MXLR and a 308MX . Both of those guns with the Honrady factory ammo would shoot 3 shots MOA out the box . Matter of fact the first 3 shot group I ever fired with the 308MX was .745" at 100 yards .

I've never used the Leverevolution powder in anything either but I do have several friends that swear by the stuff .

[6pt-sika]

OBTW , it seems to me Hogdon and or Hornady issued a statement when they first released the LE powder that while it was close to what was in the factory loads it wasn't "exactly" the same . Hence that might explain the difference in the weight of the powder charges

[Budmen]

Yeah the 308 mxlr I have shoots less then 1/2" @ 100yds with factory loads I cannot bring myself to spend the money on factory and its just not satisfying hence the reason I wanted to copy the factory load data it shot so good why try to work a load up. Never heard the LR powder wasnt exactly the same guess it really isn't!!

[Budmen]

6pt-silka how did the 338 perform thinking thats the next purchase now that I finally found my 450 mxlr

[Haggway]

I have a 308 marlin SDT. Its a 16.5 inch carbine. It shoots better than I am able to at 100. 5 shot group around an inch give or take a little. I have dies and powder, but not sure I really want to shoot anything else. The problem is that factory ammo is so darn expensive. Maybe it will be a paper patch project one day.

[6pt-sika]

6pt-silka how did the 338 perform thinking thats the next purchase now that I finally found my 450 mxlr

The 1895MXLR (450 Marlin) I had shot the rubber tipped stuff about an inch for 3 shots at 100 yards and it killed the only two deer it was ever fired at PDQ !

I had a 338MXLR and a 338MX when they first hit the market . Matter of fact the dealer I was using then got them both in the same day from two different distributers and I picked them up a couple days later . I had him get the word out to his distributers for one of each before they were released by about 6 months . Pretty much the same thing I did with the 308's LOL's !

The 338 Marlin Express did not shoot as well for me with factory ammo . Maybe both barrels needed a break in period I dunno . But neither shot much better then 3 shots in 1.5" at 100 yards . The 338MXLR started at 3 shots in about 2.5" and after about 20-30 rounds it tightened up a bit . The 338MX however started at about 1.75" and and after about a dozen shots got to 1.5" . I'm pretty sure they'd both have shot better if I had loaded the rubber tipped stuff for them . But to be honest by that point I had lost intrest in the stainless laminated rifles as well as the rubber tipped bullets .

At one point I had a,
336XLR in 30-30
336XLR in 35 REM
308MXLR
308MX
338MXLR
338MX
444XLR
1895XLR
1895MXLR

And a Davidson's LTD run in 45 Colt that was also stainless in laminated with a 16.25" ported barrel .

By no means nothing against any of the guns I mentioned I just lost intrest in so many different cartridges . Now I gotten in lever guns and cast bullets to the 44 MAG , 444 and 45-70 . And believe you me it has made life a bit less congested to say the least !

I failed to mention when I originally made this post. I was at 90+ Marlin's in everything from a 218 Bee to the 450 Marlin and 45-70 when I had all the stianless rifles . About the only cartridge Marlin ever chambered a lever rifle for that I didn't own at that time was the 45-90 . So as you can easily see trimming the fat so to speak and getting me down to about 27 Marlin's has made life a good bit easier as far as casting/reloading is concerned . Of what I have now all are 444's except for one 44 MAG and a 45-70 . Also all my guns are Pre 1976 except for a loan 444 from 2001 I wanted just because it had the faster twist and I could shoot 400 grainers in it .

[6pt-sika]

I finally found my 450 mxlr

The 450 Marlin cartridge got me started on Marlin's in 2000 !

I got one of the 1895M's even before they were cataloged to use in northeast PA during bear season .
Later I acquired a 1895MR which is just the same as the model 1895 except chambered for the 450 MArlin instead of the 45-70 . And of course I had the 1895MXLR .

Sorry to say i never tried ANY cast bullets in the 450 Marlin's I owned .

Used the Nosler 300 grain PArtition in the 1895M , the Barnes 300 grain Original bullet in the 1895MR and the Hornady rubber tipped factory loads in the 1895MXLR . Killed deer with the 1895M and the 1895MXLR but never hunted with the 1895MR , that one was kinda rare . Shot the MR at the range some but never could bring myself to take it to the woods and later sold it for a tidy profit .

[Budmen]

My 20 factory loads are shot in the 450. I dont think it will ever see too many jacketed bullets ever again. I bought this gun for an upcoming moose hunt andf I am still trying to decide if want to use the FTX or a cast bullet I would hate for the bullet to not perform well on my first mooose!!!!

Where did all your XLRS go 6pt? I want them all very nice collection you had. I cannot ever bring myself to sell any guns even if they are for another. I learned when I was 17 never to sell guns sold everything I had for a newer truck still to this day I am looking for some of the guns I sold

[6pt-sika]

My 20 factory loads are shot in the 450. I dont think it will ever see too many jacketed bullets ever again. I bought this gun for an upcoming moose hunt andf I am still trying to decide if want to use the FTX or a cast bullet I would hate for the bullet to not perform well on my first mooose!!!!

Where did all your XLRS go 6pt? I want them all very nice collection you had. I cannot ever bring myself to sell any guns even if they are for another. I learned when I was 17 never to sell guns sold everything I had for a newer truck still to this day I am looking for some of the guns I sold

Sold most of them on Gunbroker .

Right after my mother passed a little over three years ago I had an a realization that one does not need as much "stuff" as they typically have . So over the course of the last three years I've sold probably 100-120 of what I had at that time plus buying and selling since . Also cleaned out my molds etc for everything but the 44's and 45's . My loading room even got more uhm well kept shall we say after I sold off all the brass , dies , molds etc that went with the guns I no longer owned .

The funds from all this sell off paid for my last three trips to the Philippines which accounted for about 3 1/2 months over seas .

[popper]

Was the factory load a compressed charge? I've not pulled a factory round to see. I load @ 40gr, they work fine but I didn't compare with factory. Others have posted that they haven't been able to duplicate factory 30-30 or 308mx loads.