Round nose cast bullets in lever action tube

[condor13]

Got a question. I have 3 lever actions (30-30 Winchester, 444 Marlin & .357 Rossi M92), but the first time I have run into this concern. I usually load 158 gr Hornady XTP hollow points in my .357 Rossi M92, but for pinking these are expensive. I have been loading and casting since 1973 and my very first set of molds was a Lee 150 gr RN single cavity which I still have but don't use anymore. Now I know that you can't load a FMJ RN bullet in the tube of a lever action and why. But does that apply to a CAST RN bullet? If I can, figured I'd drag out that old LEE mold and put her to use again. Thanks in advance for the opinions.

[crazy mark]

I use Lyman 358311's in my rossi and marlin 357/38 spl carbines without any problem. Win loaded RN bullets in 30-30 and remington in 35 rem. Lyman has made RN moulds for lots of levers. I have never had a problem with some stout loads.

[johnny_xring]

Condor13,

I have loaded/tested Lee 155 2R cast bullets (spitzer cast) in my Marlin 30-30 (Westernfield 748) and have some great accuracy from them. Just load one in the chamber and one (1) in the tube. Just be sure to have the lever about 90 degrees from the bore to get the lifter up to load that first round in the chamber. Who cares--more accurate loads and so you have a followup shot for that first one. I'd go hunting with this right now. Use that mold and experiment--(I have to go to .312 for the microgroove barrel for the 30-30).

Soon to do the same in loadings for 1894s in .45LC and also .357/.38. Flat points are great for the tube and safety but--hey, put em where they count to begin with.

JX

[Safeshot]

I like to use Flat Point bullets. Either round nose flat points or semi wadcutters with flat points. Just my choice.

[curator]

It is not too difficult to flatten the nose of a round nose boolit using a flat top punch in your lubrisizer. I do this to bump up the nose on my Lyman 311291 as well as make a nice flat on the business end. Just remember to bump them right after casting to avoid age-hardening of your alloy. My 311291s drop from the mold at .299/311 so bumping the "nose" give me a .302/311 and MUCH better accuracy.

[jlchucker]

I like to use flatnose bullets (and boolits) too. But don't forget that the Coreloct bullets (component and factory loads) are actually round nose. I've got a bunch of the 200 grain 35 Remington Corelocts, and those have been sold and used for decades. They've not only been used in Remington's autoloaders, but in lots and lots of Marlins over the years. Both 170 grain and 150 grain Corelocts have been loaded and sold in 30-30 ammunition for a very long time. Care to guess how many of those were shot from Winchester 94's and Marlins? I don't know either, but if they were not safe, there'd have been plenty of lawsuits over the past decades by now. I never worried about using Lyman round-nose boolits cast for those calibers, either. They've withstood the test of time, notwithstanding the opinions of gun mag writers and gunshop hang-around experts.

[Pb2au]

Well, don't tell anyone but I have loaded and shot a couple of coffee cans full of 45 colt loaded with the Lee 230 grain RN boolit through my Rossi and had no problem.
jlchucker and others have made a good point about the Remington Core-loct ammo and the round nose projectile contained therein. The end game is that there is a world of difference between a spitzer and a round nose design. Would I load a spitzer style projectile for 30-30,,,not so much.

[aspangler]

It's the pointed (spire point) boolits/ bullets that you want to avoid. The SHARP nose is where the danger lies. They WILL tend to set off the primmer in the round ahead of them in a tube mag. Round or flat nose is ALL that is recommended in tube mag. Use your mold and enjoy your rifle.

[condor13]

Outstanding. Thanks for all the responses folks. Multiple opinions is exactly what I was looking for. Just wanted to make sure that others felt the same and that I wasn't making an "old timer's" screw up that was going to cost me. Can't be too careful. Time to start casting!