New to the world of Cast Boolits need advise

[Creeperbob]

Well here is the story i have loaded alot of copper but never lead coated boolits. so im going to do the 30-30 wcf with sns 158gr fp using 700x .the lead cast book i seen said 7 to 9 gr .and i was wondering how far can i go before i need to stop? i have loaded 7.5- 8 -9 and 10 gr and did not see any difference in the casing or primers. what dose a person check before he goes to far?? thanks for all the feed back i can get.

[zarrinvz24]

Welcome to the forum. 30-30 is one of the unique cartridges ideally suited towards casting, as you can attain the full performance of the cartridge with cast boolits, same as the factory jacketed loads. How do you know when to stop? Start low and work up slowly, checking for leading and signs of excess pressure. Then compare all the groups and see which one is most accurate for your combination.

[Creeperbob]

by excess pressure do you mean primer flatting and fire pin indent

[Winger Ed.]

I wouldn't put too much faith in the primers going flat like high pressure jacketed stuff does.
Once in a great while I've had extraction issues I think were from high pressure, but the primer was no more flattened
than what you'd expect to see on a .38WC that had been fired with a small magnum primer.

Without going off into uncharted waters with powders and charges--
I'd be more concerned with barrel leading, poor accuracy, and the causes of that.
I've found that going by the powder recommendations & load data in a well accepted loading book has helped me avoid several pitfalls.

[Creeperbob]

so they say with the coated boolits i should not get leading is this true ??

[Bazoo]

Well, I'm not an expert but my opinion is that the pressure will go higher than the rifle can safely handle before you see pressure signs, depending on the rifle of course. Sticky extraction would probably be the first sign and maybe the lever unlocking on lever guns. Might be the only sign, or maybe you won't have any. Primers will take above 50k psi but a winchester 94 won't. I'd stick to the book on the amount of pistol powder.

Rifle powders though, you can load 30-30 to jacketed levels without much special in the way of technique.

[Creeperbob]

ok i want to stay safe and did not know . this is going through a marlin 36g jm and my grandpas model 94 so my grandson and i can plink and maybe hunt with .its all about safe and fun.

[Winger Ed.]

so they say with the coated boolits i should not get leading is this true ??

You can push a coated boolit faster than a lubed one before it too will start to strip through the rifling and put deposits in the barrel.
However; .30-30 speeds shouldn't be a problem for either one.

If you don't have one- I'd encourage getting the Lyman Cast Handbook.
There's a bunch of good info in it other than just load data.

[Creeperbob]

that is where i got the starting points from but the book i had was not a new one and only had 151 gr and 165 gr so i did a in the middle start. can someone tell me which lyman book is the best cast book to get because the horndy and speers i have are no help??
?

[Bazoo]

Cast bullet handbook 3rd and 4th are both good.

http://marvinstuart.com/firearm/Manuals/Bullet%20Casting/Lyman%20Cast%20Bullet%20Handbook%20-%203rd%20Edition%20-%201980%20-%20Reduce.pdf

Loadbooksusa one book one caliber manual is always handy for data reference.

I've had good success with loading 30-30 at jacketed pressures and velocities using both W748 and IMR3031.

[Krag 1901]

Google Lyman Cast handbook. their #3 (see above) is on the web for free. It has lots of listings for .30-30. Slower powders will get you better accuracy, in my experience. 2400, 4198, and H322 worked well for me in .30 cals. 3031 is a respected powder in .30-30 but I've never used it.

[Creeperbob]

http://marvinstuart.com/firearm/Manu...-%20Reduce.pdf that is the one i got my starting points from

[Conditor22]

link to castpics data shows the max charge

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cjuw_nZ44l1F1aWESOLpkEa2FFVdANhKtWY-wAEfPZw/edit#gid=1220600477

[charlie b]

For low vel loads.

http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm
700X 170RNFP
charge vel SD Group
5.0 977 14.5 2.85
5.6 1048 16.3 2.34
6.2 1125 17.4 3.60
6.8 1190 5.9 3.50
7.4 1261 7.4 5.0

Lyman 3rd edition,
151gn #311440
700X 6.5 1235 27,000 8.0 1401 36,400

Note Lyman's pressure at 8.0gn.

[Alferd Packer]

Well here is the story i have loaded alot of copper but never lead coated boolits. so im going to do the 30-30 wcf with sns 158gr fp using 700x .the lead cast book i seen said 7 to 9 gr .and i was wondering how far can i go before i need to stop? i have loaded 7.5- 8 -9 and 10 gr and did not see any difference in the casing or primers. what dose a person check before he goes to far?? thanks for all the feed back i can get.

Howdy
That 7 to 9 should be your start and finish start load being 7 hrs of 700x and 9 grains being Maximum.
The idea with the lead bullet is to get an accurate load that does the job for you without leading your barrel.

After that you will have to change powders that will allow you to maybe get you more velocity and to do this you go back to the recipes and powder tables to find a slower powder and it's starting and Maximum recommended loads.
Powder is hard to find right now so unless you find or already have some, you have to make do with what you have.
You refer to using lead coated bullets.
I am guessing you meant solid lead bullets. I never came across lead coated bullets yet.
But you have reached the limit on how much 700X you are loading at 9 grains.
Let the info in the powder tables be your guide just like when reloading jacketed bullets.
If you venture out beyond the Recommended Max loads you will likely severely lead up the bore and end up subjecting your firearm to dangerous pressures and begin to shoot the workings loose to include the bolt and you may jug a bulge in the chamber to include bursting the barrel. A lot of 30-30s are shot loose from reloaders hot rodding these rifles. They are tough and can stand a lot of overloads but you never know if the next trigger pull is all she can take, then KABOOM! Thar she blows!
With cast bullets, the safest course is to find the most accurate load within the parameters of the starting load and the Max load.From one reloading manual to the next, you may find they agree or they may vary a grain or two on their starting and Max loads. You will be Ok whichever manual you follow but you also can tell when you are getting your best performance by felt recoil and the holes in the target. You be the judge.You pick the load that suits you best. And when you start a new can of the same powder, remember. Unless it's from the same production lot number, it's got a slightly different burn and pressure rate and you should go back to the starting load and work your way back to the most accurate and best velocity within the start and Max loads again.
Thats the way it's done by the experienced reloaders. It's the only way to do it!
Anyway, welcome to the Cast Bullet Forum!

[GregLaROCHE]

Don’t forget to keep track of your accuracy. It may be best with lesser loads.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Creeperbob,
Welcome to the forum.

It sounds like you are off to a good start.
If you are seeking a high pressure (faster) load, you may not get the best accuracy with a cast boolit in 30-30, with a fast powder like 700X. The reason the the Lyman castbullet handbook stops at 9gr with 700X, is not due to pressure limitations of cartridge, it is about area where accuracy goes south. If you are looking for Max Pressure loads, that are near Jacketed bullet ammo, you need a slower burning powder and a harder lead alloy.
Good Luck.

[cosmoline one]

I suggest 5-5.5 grs (1100-1200fps) , Accurate, recoil like a 22, but carrying alot more energy.
They'll hit much lower & you'll have to adjust sights

[charlie b]

Given how fast 700X burns, that 9gn load might be max for the gun.

I have not had good luck with 700X and supersonic rifle loads. It works fairly well down around 1000fps.

If you want to push them hard then get something like 4198 or 4895 or similar med rate powders.

Sent from my SM-P580 using Tapatalk

[John Boy]

Here’s the powder charges for your 158gr bullet ... http://stevespages.com/308_9_150.html
Personally, I have found the 170gr bullet to provide better accuracy out to 500 meters