A .30-30 gallery load

[Firehand]

Got curious about building some light loads in different cartridges to use at the indoor range(30 yards max), so did a bit of experimenting. I've got one of the Lee molds for a 90-grain tumble-lube wadcutter and wondered how it would do. So tried it with a couple of different charges in .30-30, and then tried it, lubed with Recluses' 45/45/10 lube, lightly (barely) crimped into the last lube groove, over 5.0 of Unique, which delivered this 5-round group at 30 yards:
131295
I'm going to have to try this again.

Won't feed from the magazine, so have to single-load.

[tdoyka]

not too shabby!!!

[mikes farm]

I really like the 115gr soupcan boolit with 7 grains of Unique in my 30-30 and my encore 30-06 pistol for that matter.
Very accurate at 50 yards. Like a 32-20 load.
I tumble lube them, but have powder coated a few. I have not had time to shoot them yet.
I have a skinner sight on the 30-30, but wish for a optic that would allow 2 sight in settings.
One for soupcan and one for full house 30-30 loads. You would think with LCD technology they could cheaply make one.

[sthwestvictoria]

I do the same - the Lee TL-314-90-SWC tumble lubed and sized to .311, over 7.0grains of TrailBoss, that is it in my avatar.
What are you shooting from? I have had this load feed from the magazine with Win 1894 and Marlin 336.

[Firehand]

Winchester 94, with a Williams receiver sight and front post. On mine, these wadcutters just won't feed.

I've read a lot about that Lee soupcan, I'm going to have to find a mold for it.

Just loaded a few more with the wadcutters, going to give them another try when can.

[Larry Gibson]

The WCs, Lee 90 gr TL SWCs the commercial Hornady/Speer swaged WCs and the Hornady 90 gr SWCs all will shoot excellently over 2.7 gr Bullseye in the 30-30. They should be sized .311 for best results.

Larry Gibson

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Is anyone trying to load with the original .30 WCF SR (short range) bullet? I have one. They show up quite regularly on evil-buy too.

[sthwestvictoria]

Is anyone trying to load with the original .30 WCF SR (short range) bullet? I have one. They show up quite regularly on evil-buy too.
according to this article:
http://winchestercollector.org/forum/winchester-shooting-and-hunting/30-w-c-f-short-range-cartridges-1896-1924-and-their-replications/
These light loads replicate the Short Range load.

[Firehand]

Larry, 2.7? I'll have to give it a try.

Rattlesnake and ST, I'd never heard of those, thanks.

[Firehand]

And, because I can't leave things alone, the next set of 'Let's see':
131690
.303, .30-06, .30-30, all with 5.0 Unique.

Now I need to put a few .30-30 together with the 2.7, too

[Janoosh]

In the stickies there is a post about "mouse fart" or "cat sneeze" loads. I am definitely hooked on these loads. I wound up buying a bunch of different moulds to try, all for either 30-32 ish pistols.

[mpbarry1]

I sized some lazer cast 115 gr fp bullets a friend gave me to 311 the other night. I'm going to try them over w231 and unique. I'm aiming for 1000 to 1100 fps. I think it should take 7 grains of unique. I'm still researching the w231 charge. Not published anywhere! I think I'll start at 5 grains unless you all can tell me a better place

[35remington]

I would suggest more like 5.5 grains Unique if the goal is 1000 to 1100 in a 30-30. 7 grains will be too much.

[mpbarry1]

Thanks 35

[jaysouth]

I sized some lazer cast 115 gr fp bullets a friend gave me to 311 the other night. I'm going to try them over w231 and unique. I'm aiming for 1000 to 1100 fps. I think it should take 7 grains of unique. I'm still researching the w231 charge. Not published anywhere! I think I'll start at 5 grains unless you all can tell me a better place

Go to this link. Pick the bullet weight under the caliber you are interested in. The only option is 170 grs. bullets. Click and scroll down. There will be 231 data for most calibers: http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm

[Firehand]

I've done some more messing around(screwing with these light loads is kind of addictive). I've never equaled that one 'big ragged hole' with .30-30, but some pretty tight groups; about equal or slightly better using a 100-grain SWC sized .311 compared to the wadcutter.

Also tried using a Lee 180-grain I usually use in .303 in .30-06 over five grains of Unique; about 1" group at 50 yards. Yes, I'll be trying that one again.

[iMigraine]

Glad I found this thread. Bought a Lee TL 314-90-SWC recently for 30-30 & 7.62x39mm rifles.

How do you gents figure out the OAL on this short boolit? My guess, since the 314-90-SWC is so short compared to one designed for 30-30, that it's probably not that critical. I realize that it will have to be feed one at a time too.

[Dimner]

I use the Lyman 3118 (311008) Plain base bullet with Ben's Liquid Lube and 5.1 grains of unique. Comes out to about 1190 fps in my savage 24 30-30/20ga. Perfect for small game. Gives me .75" groups at 50 yards.

A buddy of mine gets great 25 accuracy out of a lyman 311252 77 grain mold with Trailboss. This is using his Savage 1899 30-30 and they clock about 1050 fps.

[gnostic]

I was at the range this morning with my pre 64 model 94, 30-30 and the 170gr 041 Lyman, sized .309 with 9.5gr of Unique. For whatever reasons, Unique shot about 5" to the right of my previously prefered, 748 handload, that was doing about 1900fps and shot POA at thirty yards. I'm shooting at a dot, off hand, the size of the front sight at thirty yards. I'm going to try, Blue Dot, 2400, 296, 4227 and Bulls Eye.

[gunauthor]

Eight grains of 700-X with a 115 grain boolit makes for great offhand practice at 25 yards.