Whit Spurzon
08-31-2008, 09:24 AM
Posted this on leverguns and Marlin owners too.
336 Texan
93 grain Lyman mold cast (wheel weights) bullet, sized .311"
3.3 grains of Red Dot (=.5cc Lee powder scoop)
Remington 9.5 primer
Winchester Brass
Loaded with a $20 Lee Loader
I was given a few hundred of these bullets and I've been toying around with them in the 30-30. The last time out I tried them with 5 grains of Red Dot and averaged 1178 fps with OK accuracy. This time I dropped the load to 3.3 grains and averaged 1007 fps. The accuracy was 2-1/2" at 50 yards with iron sights and it shoots about 2" lower than 170gr Remington Corelokt factory loads. At 25 yards It managed to keep them at 1" including the flier and shot point of aim. it would make a good close range Grouse load.
The surprise of the day:
.314" average ~48 grain 0- Buckshot pressed into the case with thumb pressure
a 22lr case full of Bullseye powder
Remington 9.5 primer
S&B case (terrible brass, I won't reuse them again)
Out of curiosity I decided to try this load at 50 yards. I was VERY pleased to see that it shot point of aim and about 2" group size. Much better than I had anticipated at this range and better than the 93 grain load. The load averaged 1059 fps. At 25 yards this shoots under 1" and just slightly below the point of aim. Very economical. The most expensive component is the primer. Not counting the brass this load is less expensive to shoot than CCI Mini-Mags. The report is less than a 22lr and no recoil. No resizing of the case is required, just decap and reload. It is a bit sooty on the case neck after a while though. I'm going to see if Red Dot is any cleaner.
Next I ran some 170 grain factory Remington Core-lokt's through which currently a $5 per box rebate going on... Get it on sale and you'll end up paying less than $0.40 per round for it. This batch ran through the chronograph 2253 fps average which is almost 100 fps quicker than previous batches I've purchased. The accuracy was good, just slightly over 1" at 50 yards with iron sights.
This rifle loves and is sighted in for a 170 grain Laser-Cast bullet over 5 grains of Red Dot. I shot a 3/4" fifty yard group as a baseline and it averages 1024 fps.
The Cowboy
The last trip out the Cowboy showed a strong preference for the Ranch Dog TLC311-165 bullet with a Hornady Gas Check ( www.ranchdogmolds.com ) over 10.5 grains of SR4756 - which happens to be the charge my 45 colt Rugers like with a 255 grain cast bullet. Today that trend was tested and proved. The load averages 1420 fps and produced sub 1" groups once the barrel was fouled. I'll probably try this load for Cowboy Silhouette matches using this rifle. Mild shooting and low report.
336 Texan
93 grain Lyman mold cast (wheel weights) bullet, sized .311"
3.3 grains of Red Dot (=.5cc Lee powder scoop)
Remington 9.5 primer
Winchester Brass
Loaded with a $20 Lee Loader
I was given a few hundred of these bullets and I've been toying around with them in the 30-30. The last time out I tried them with 5 grains of Red Dot and averaged 1178 fps with OK accuracy. This time I dropped the load to 3.3 grains and averaged 1007 fps. The accuracy was 2-1/2" at 50 yards with iron sights and it shoots about 2" lower than 170gr Remington Corelokt factory loads. At 25 yards It managed to keep them at 1" including the flier and shot point of aim. it would make a good close range Grouse load.
The surprise of the day:
.314" average ~48 grain 0- Buckshot pressed into the case with thumb pressure
a 22lr case full of Bullseye powder
Remington 9.5 primer
S&B case (terrible brass, I won't reuse them again)
Out of curiosity I decided to try this load at 50 yards. I was VERY pleased to see that it shot point of aim and about 2" group size. Much better than I had anticipated at this range and better than the 93 grain load. The load averaged 1059 fps. At 25 yards this shoots under 1" and just slightly below the point of aim. Very economical. The most expensive component is the primer. Not counting the brass this load is less expensive to shoot than CCI Mini-Mags. The report is less than a 22lr and no recoil. No resizing of the case is required, just decap and reload. It is a bit sooty on the case neck after a while though. I'm going to see if Red Dot is any cleaner.
Next I ran some 170 grain factory Remington Core-lokt's through which currently a $5 per box rebate going on... Get it on sale and you'll end up paying less than $0.40 per round for it. This batch ran through the chronograph 2253 fps average which is almost 100 fps quicker than previous batches I've purchased. The accuracy was good, just slightly over 1" at 50 yards with iron sights.
This rifle loves and is sighted in for a 170 grain Laser-Cast bullet over 5 grains of Red Dot. I shot a 3/4" fifty yard group as a baseline and it averages 1024 fps.
The Cowboy
The last trip out the Cowboy showed a strong preference for the Ranch Dog TLC311-165 bullet with a Hornady Gas Check ( www.ranchdogmolds.com ) over 10.5 grains of SR4756 - which happens to be the charge my 45 colt Rugers like with a 255 grain cast bullet. Today that trend was tested and proved. The load averages 1420 fps and produced sub 1" groups once the barrel was fouled. I'll probably try this load for Cowboy Silhouette matches using this rifle. Mild shooting and low report.