Anyone tired a 30 cal round ball primer only load?

[brstevns]

Has anyone tried a 30 cal round ball using Primer only in any 30 cal. such as 30/40 or 308 win.

[Outpost75]

Primer-only load does not exit barrel.

Use 1 grain of Bullseye or TiteGroup with Magnum primer and it will.

[brstevns]

what about using shotshell primers?

[GhostHawk]

#1 buckshot ie .30 cal worked fine with just a primer in my Mosin. Went through one side of a cardboard box but not the back side.

But I can see that a .30-30 or .308 diameter might be too small to let primer only do the job.

[brstevns]

#1 buckshot ie .30 cal worked fine with just a primer in my Mosin. Went through one side of a cardboard box but not the back side.

But I can see that a .30-30 or .308 diameter might be too small to let primer only do the job.

Have some .312 diameter to try, if that would work.

[bangerjim]

Have some .312 diameter to try, if that would work.

Good luck getting it out of the end of the barrel. I use mag primers and 1+gn of powder (any fast powder) with poly fill to hold the powder back against the primer. Works in my 30-30's and 30-06's for plinking rounds. Definitely will not cycle any semi rifles!

You won't know until you try! Good luck.

banger

[Norske]

Before you try just a primer, have a really strong bore-sized rod handy to finish pushing the bullet out if needed. Also look down the bore after every shot.

[Alferd Packer]

I keep a .25acp empty pistol case to slip over the end of a cleaning rod to push out a stuck cast bullet.
It doesn't hurt to put some oil in the bore to help it slide out once you break it loose.
Sometimes a cleaning rod without a flat tip or jag will dig into a lead bullet and actually punch thru it without breaking it loose.
A nd hopefully it will just pop right out for you.
Good Luck!

[SSGOldfart]

Primer-only load does not exit barrel.

Use 1 grain of Bullseye or TiteGroup with Magnum primer and it will.

Same here but that's a starting load speer #11 has some info on these RB loads.

[Alferd Packer]

Those round ball lead bullets that were shot with a primer for basement practice are fitted the exact size of the bore or slightly smaller.
Otherwise, if it engages the rifling, it needs a helper charge of fast burning shotgun powder.
Sometimes same fast powder used to load pistol rounds.
Sometimes only a 1/2 grain or one or two grains.
Three grains usually can clear a bore of a round ball, but more powder equals a much louder shot .
So the primer powered round balls were almost loose enough to roll down the barrel, but actually closer fitted for accuracy.
That's why some shooters say they only need a primer and others keep getting the ball stuck in the bore.
It's all just a matter of the ball fit to your particular bore.
Or, you need to know what you are doing and understand that rarely do two rifles ,same caliber , have the same size bore.

Also, when you get the ball at just the right fit for a primer to shoot it out, then bore fouling from the primer residue builds up and results in a stuck ball unless you pull a patch thru every four or five shots to remove the fouling.
So the bore gets tighter as fouling from sticky primer residue builds up.
Those oldtimers that were shooting roundballs from before the first World War used to slug their rifle bore and make a bullet mold to fit their particular rifle, or they just got a mold that shot a ball loose enough for acceptable accuracy at close range.
Because a round ball load is basically a close range load. Like shooting a big bore daisy air rifle.
But still plenty dangerous further out, just not accurate.
I hope this helps.

[Good Cheer]

Once upon a time put a hole in the sheet rock, primer only, 1888 and buck shot.

[trapper9260]

I use 00 buckshot size down to shoot in my 30 cal 's and also in my 32 cal's but use some powder I do not have my data cards with me now.

[bedbugbilly]

REFERENCE: An old Lyman/Ideal Bullet Mold RREFERENCE source

"31113 Round Ball for light charge, short range, or small game in .30 caliber rifles or .32-20. Cast balls about 1 to 10 Tin and Lead. Place ball on mouth of case and tap slightly to make it stick. Put a little lubricant on top of ball. Powder charge about 3 grains weight Hercules Bullseye powder. In some rifles muzzle of rifle must be elevated before shooting to settle powder around primer. Good for up to 25 yards."

[fastdadio]

REFERENCE: An old Lyman/Ideal Bullet Mold RREFERENCE source

"31113 Round Ball for light charge, short range, or small game in .30 caliber rifles or .32-20. Cast balls about 1 to 10 Tin and Lead. Place ball on mouth of case and tap slightly to make it stick. Put a little lubricant on top of ball. Powder charge about 3 grains weight Hercules Bullseye powder. In some rifles muzzle of rifle must be elevated before shooting to settle powder around primer. Good for up to 25 yards."

Would it be OK if one were to substitute 3 grs. of TightGroup for this load?
Asking for a friend....
[smilie=1: :coffeecom

[bedbugbilly]

fastdadio - I can't speak to that as I have never used TightGroup. This information is from an older And. I can't speak as to how the "Hercules Bullseye" compare to the Alliant "Bullseye" that we have today - perhaps another member who is familiar with both powders can address that.

Those things said, other powders can certain be substituted. I use Bullseye,
Red Dot, Green Dot and Unique mostly for what I reload. The thing you have to remember with a round ball gallery load is to work you load up like you would any load. I loaded and shot 30-30 for a while and had a lot of fun with reduced loads and light boolits. Now that several years have passed since I sold my 30-30s, I am going to add one to the herd again - looking for a single shot so I can try different boolit designs/weights for general plinking. I'm ordering a Lee .311 round ball mold and will lube them in alox/paste wax. Since I like Red Dot and have a good supply of it, I am going to start my load with the .311 round ball at 2.0 grains of Red Dot and go up or down depending on the results. If I can get a decent load that will hit a gong at 25 yards, I'll be happy.

I posted the info as I thought others might like to see it - even though the OP was talking about "primers only". As someone stated, my guess that with just a primer you rune the possibility of ending up with a "squib" lodged in your barrel - I guess that would depend on a number of thing though - bore size, primer pressure and fit of ball to barrel. Personally, I have to tried 3.00 grainss of "Bullseye" as I don't know how the "old" Bullseye compares to "present day" Bullseye. But - that is why I would start with a lesser amount, shoot it and check the barrel between shots for possible squibs until you develop a load that works with your powder, your round ball size and your particular rifle.

One thing to remember and in another place, this reference refers to it - do not "overcharge" your round ball load - i.e. work your load up and don't try to push it harder than what it will take - using too much powder while it may be perfectly safe (or not) - pushing a round ball too hard will make it "jump the rifling"". This is when the ball is pushed too hard and instead of gripping the rifling on the way out, the rifling strips the ball diameter down in size - I would imagine a good sign of pushing a round ball too hard wold be leading.

An interesting side note: When I went back to this reference, I discovered that Ideal made two .311 round ball molds. One was for the typical round ball - the other was for a "hollow point" round ball. Basically, it is a round ball with a hole as you would expect. It states that it was designed to use in the 32-20 for use in hunting as the "hollow point ball" would cause more damage as it would expand. I am guessing that it wa nothing more than a round ball mold with a bottom pin for creating the "hollow point"{ and that the hole in the ball would be loaded "up" in the cartridge. I have never read anything more about this as to how effective it really was but I would guess it wasn't all that "effective"??? It would be interesting to experiment with though, just for fun, to see what the results were when a "hollow point round ball" hit. It would certainly be easy enough to take a cheap Lee .311 mold and alter it by drilling for a base pin tp creates the hollow point which would be directly opposite of the sprue. Maybe someday that will be another "project". :-)

[Drm50]

I loaded 32ball run through 310 size die in 30/06. Have to get out my notes I forget load but it was from magazine article on squirrel loads for 30cal deer rifles. I cast balls 100% WW and sized just put a “belt” around ball on the diameter. I also jacked up the given load. Shot these in a Rem 721 with Lyman 48sight. They had squirrel head accuracy at 25yds. I also loaded 375 H&H with balls but it didn’t have the accuracy of the 30/06. I did kill a 125lb doe with ball load in 30/06.

[brstevns]

Just how noisy are such loads? Say shot from a 30-30 is noise less, then a 22 short?

[Alferd Packer]

If you are itching to shoot something using only a primer, crayons are usually .30 caliber.
Break off a piece the length of a bullet and load into a primed case.
If it's too loose, put a bit of wax in to just hold it in the case neck or resize the case neck.

Leave the paper on the crayon.
They are high velocity and are just wax bullets that will shoot thru a cardboard box and probably break the tv screen or window or a water glass .
Another covid virus activity.
Range still closed.
Not trying to hijack, just sharing an idea I read elsewhere.
Please buy your own crayons. The kids need theirs in this stay home environment.

[Gewehr-Guy]

Alferd, that crayon load sounds like it might work to shoot sparrows in the tin roofed shop. When I get bored this winter I might try this, as my pellet rifle is a little hard on the tin.

[cwlongshot]

https://youtu.be/Jq14zsPSfU8

Taco is a great guy!

CW

[Larry Gibson]

Note Taco was using 2 gr Bullseye in the small 30 BO cartridge. That obviously gave plenty of oomf to the RB. My experience with primer Standard and shotgun primers) only loads with RBs and pellets is if they do initially exit the barrel (doubtful in larger capacity cases) in short order they will stick in the barrel due to the primer residue grit left deposited in the throat bore. Thus the small amount of Bullseye is used. Even then a wet patch wipe of the barrel every few rounds promotes better accuracy and prevents an RB from sticking in the bore.

If buying the RBs they are a worthwhile cat's sneeze" load projectile. However, it dawned on me that if I was going to cast then why not just cast a bullet to begin with(?). I got the Lee TL314-90-SWC and use it extensively in all my 30/31 cal rifles. In cases through 300 Savage in case capacity I use 2.7 gr Bullseye. In 308W up through 30-06 case capacities I use 3.2 gr Bullseye. Belocity runs 800 - 900 fps +/- with excellent accuracy to 300 yards. Excellent fro small game also and the rounds feed from magazines.

Also with these light loads cases with drilled flash holes will give better ignition and accuracy and prevent case headspace resulting in misfires and fail to extract in push feed actions with plunger ejectors in the bolt face.