Cast or plated 30-30 round

[michael.birdsley]

So I’ve been on a 5 year reloading hiatus. I got back into reloading after the recent price increase on my .450 hornady bushmaster rounds.

Any how, I just want to run something by people. I have a savage 325c. I want to load up either a cast boolit or a plated bullet. At this moment in time I would probably buy the cast bullet from Missouri bullet company. The plated bullet would probably be extreme. I figure I would start with around 8 Grns of Unique ( I have 2 lbs of it) . Only thing I would have to buy if I bought the cast bullets would be the expander dye.

The whole point of the round would be to give me a cheaper round to develop my shooting form and punch paper. I probably wouldn’t push the round faster than 1200-1300 fps.

Eventually if the load works out I’d probably start casting for it. Would tumble lube work or powder coating work? or are we full on lubing with a lubrisizer at 1200-1300 fps out of the savage ?

[sigep1764]

I lube mine through a Star. For me, it's just easier and takes one less variable out. I shoot mine through a 336 with 6 to 7.5 grains of Red Dot.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I've got a 325, branded Stevens. Interesting old rifles, still work just fine in the woods. I think you could satisfactorily use either tumble lube or powder coat at 12-1300 fps., speaking of casting your own. But you'll probably want to size them to a uniform size for best accuracy, so why not use a luber-sizer and do it all at once? Also, if you want to use gas checks (I do) the right luber-sizer will seat them for you. Personally, I went with your first idea and bought a couple boxes of precast and lubed 170 gr. bullets from Midway.

DG

[charlie b]

PreCOVID I bought commercial cast bullets for my .30-30. They worked really well and were a bit less expensive than jacketed or plated. If you can find some cheap enough that would be a fair way to go. The other thing I did was download the cartridge. Started with H4895 and their recommended loads (65% of max). Worked really well.

Eventually I got back into casting. Being retired helps a lot :) Started with tumble lube then went to powder coat and haven't gone back. Size with NOE push through bushings.

Now I sometimes download my plinkers even more. Subsonic with pistol powders. Lots of shots per pound and a lot of fun. Get decent accuracy out past 100yd.

[michael.birdsley]

PreCOVID I bought commercial cast bullets for my .30-30. They worked really well and were a bit less expensive than jacketed or plated. If you can find some cheap enough that would be a fair way to go. The other thing I did was download the cartridge. Started with H4895 and their recommended loads (65% of max). Worked really well.

Eventually I got back into casting. Being retired helps a lot :) Started with tumble lube then went to powder coat and haven't gone back. Size with NOE push through bushings.

Now I sometimes download my plinkers even more. Subsonic with pistol powders. Lots of shots per pound and a lot of fun. Get decent accuracy out past 100yd.


#1 Whitetail
.309 Diameter
165 Grain RNFP
Brinell 18
Bullet OAL .926 +/-
For .30-.30 Lever Guns
Price per box of 250

I can get 250 cast bullets from Missouri bullet company for $33 dollars. I consider that a good deal. I believe 500 extreme plated flat nose bullets are $50 which, I consider that a good deal too.

I bought 500 Missouri bullet company bullets for my late 1960’s iver Johnson revolver in .38 s&w. They work very well over 2.2-2.3 grains of bullseye

At the moment I just can’t afford a $220-$300 lubresizer. I would like one maybe at one point. I have powder coated my 9mm boolits before. They shot really good. I gave it up though when 9mm went down to $10 a box 2017-2018

2 reason I got out of reloading. 1st reason I think I was over whelmed and burned out from trying to do to much. I also was expecting too much out of my deer rifles and got frustrated. Now I realize that a 2 inch group out of my 325c is good And that’s about as good as it’s going to get. 2nd my daughter had just been born and I didn’t think with a screaming newborn and wife in the house. That I could keep my concentration with charging cases. Luckily though, I just put my stuff in storage and never sold any thing.


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[HWooldridge]

The Lee push-thru sizing dies that screw into a loading press work pretty well, in lieu of a complete sizing setup. I have an old SAECO lubrisizer I bought over 40 years ago but I also own some Lee dies and have no complaints.

[charlie b]

You don't have to get a lubesizer. Tumble lube works just fine on many designs at lower velocities. Some even come out of the mold the right size. If you need to size and you are only casting for one rifle then one of the Lee push through dies is fine. You can even custom order the size you want. If more than one then NOE bushing system is better.

If faster velocities then gas checks are needed. Since you know about powder coat then you can decide if you want to stay on that route.

[dverna]

There is nothing cheap about shooting CF if you look at current component prices.

If you want inexpensive shooting, the only option is switch to air guns for plinking and target practice. They will be far more accurate than cast bullets at the ranges we play at....well I should say I play at...up to 50 yards.

I am averaging less than 1” groups at 50 yards and my cost is $15/k. And I do not need to waste time picking up brass, cleaning it, casting, lubing/sizing or reloading.

If you like to make noise, feel recoil and waste time, air guns are not a good solution. If you want to hone your skills, they work very well.

[michael.birdsley]

You don't have to get a lubesizer. Tumble lube works just fine on many designs at lower velocities. Some even come out of the mold the right size. If you need to size and you are only casting for one rifle then one of the Lee push through dies is fine. You can even custom order the size you want. If more than one then NOE bushing system is better.

If faster velocities then gas checks are needed. Since you know about powder coat then you can decide if you want to stay on that route.

I have 2 lee push through sizers. Those arnt that expensive picking up another one isn’t that unreasonable. Even picking up $60-70 mold isn’t super un-reasonable at the moment. Dropping $225-300 on the lubrisizer at the loment would be. Can the lee sizers be used to installed gas checks ?


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[charlie b]

Yes, they can. Just position the GC on the base of the bullet before placing it on the ram. The die seats them nicely.

I like the NOE system simply because I can choose the dia bushing I want.

[charlie b]

There is nothing cheap about shooting CF if you look at current component prices.

If you want inexpensive shooting, the only option is switch to air guns for plinking and target practice. They will be far more accurate than cast bullets at the ranges we play at....well I should say I play at...up to 50 yards.

I am averaging less than 1” groups at 50 yards and my cost is $15/k. And I do not need to waste time picking up brass, cleaning it, casting, lubing/sizing or reloading.

If you like to make noise, feel recoil and waste time, air guns are not a good solution. If you want to hone your skills, they work very well.

I have come very close to doing this. The two things that stop me are the limited range and the buy in cost. I like to shoot long range and even 100yd is not very interesting to me. $1000 for an air rifle and air tank are a bit too much for me to consider. I have a springer and a pump but they just are not enough to satisfy the range 'thing' for me.

[michael.birdsley]

I have come very close to doing this. The two things that stop me are the limited range and the buy in cost. I like to shoot long range and even 100yd is not very interesting to me. $1000 for an air rifle and air tank are a bit too much for me to consider. I have a springer and a pump but they just are not enough to satisfy the range 'thing' for me.

You don’t get the recoil or sound either which, to me is the big thing. I have to break my self from flinching after 5 or 6 so rounds after shooting my .450

Big issue with the price is at 250-300 bucks for the lubrisizer is that I could be on my way to buying a new bolt rifle in .223 and shoot cheap ammo with pretty good accuracy. Don’t get me wrong, eventually I want a lubrisizer. But by the time you buy the lubrisizer and all the accessories to load the my various calibers I’m in new rifle territory.


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[Bigslug]

The convenient thing about the .30-30 is that all but its most extreme screaming top-end load performance can be easily obtained within the limitations of cast bullets.

A tumble lube bullet run through a push-through sizer to crimp on your gas checks would be an excellent one-bullet option for the whole performance range, but if you have no intent to go past about 1500-1600 fps, there's no need to bother with a gas-checked bullet design. In that case, you could just go with a tumble lube plain base in an appropriate diameter and load with no need for sizing equipment.

[Larry Gibson]

If you watch the for sale forum you can get a 450 or 4500 Lyman lubrasizer for $75 - 150. Here's one; https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?448989-Lubesizer-electric-powder-dispenser-pewter-257-dies-rcbs-trickler-lyman-310-stuf. Also, watch for dippers (I prefer the Lyman or RCBS) and a cast iron pot of 5 - 10 lb alloy capacity. I started many years ago with a similar set up.

As previously mentioned a Lee .311 push through sizer will work fine and the kit will come with a bottle of LLA in lieu of the lubrasizer. Also, Lee's double cavity moulds can cast excellent bullets. Getting into casting isn't all that expensive.

[dondiego]

You don’t get the recoil or sound either which, to me is the big thing. I have to break my self from flinching after 5 or 6 so rounds after shooting my .450

Big issue with the price is at 250-300 bucks for the lubrisizer is that I could be on my way to buying a new bolt rifle in .223 and shoot cheap ammo with pretty good accuracy. Don’t get me wrong, eventually I want a lubrisizer. But by the time you buy the lubrisizer and all the accessories to load the my various calibers I’m in new rifle territory.


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Don't buy one! I haven't used mine in 30 years. The LEE and NOE sizers work well and less hassle and set up.

[farmbif]

for 1200fps the little bottle of alox that comes with a lee push trough sizer will coat a bunch of bullets along with lees 170 gr flat point bullet mold is a great way to get shooting for cheap and it works.you might not even need gas checks at that velocity but they might be a good idea anyway when starting out to eliminate that as a variable to accuracy and performance. ive had as many as 7 different 30-30's at the same time and all ive ever used is the lee 150 and 170 grain molds. they work really well for me anyway. the only other thing you would need is an expander . there are options for these as well from the Lyman "m" die to lee or the expanders in "cowboy" die sets.

[Digital Dan]

I've found accuracy with the Lyman 311041 at many velocity levels, 1,000-2100 fps using LLA. With a Win 94, elbow rest at 50 yards 1.5" groups of 5 with loads over 2000 fps were easy. A gas check is not required for velocities in the 1,200 fps range, assuming fit and alloy are appropriate.

[Harter66]

First I have a bunch of 30/31 cal moulds .
I refused the gas check for 8-9 yr and refused to spend the money on a lube sizer . Now I have 2 lube sizers and 10-15,000 checks .
Cost was always a factor in the decisions ........

I have about $250 in the assorted H&I dies and the 2 lube sizers purchased here . Both are older but very serviceable tools .
Having said that I probably have $250 in Lee push through sizers also and I lubed 1000s of bullets thumbing Darrs lube in the grooves .

Having a number of 30 cal moulds makes this easy too . Go on up to the sponsor banners and click on Titan Reloading and for $100 you can be casting your own . Love life says it best "you need lead , something to get it hot in , something to put it in to cool to the desired form , and something to get the hot lead into the cooling form " , or something close to that .

Commercial cast v copper plated? Where you want to go before the advice on cast your own ........ I'd go plated , you'll have $250 in 1000 rounds of 30-30 and that's probably going to be a couple of yr of shooting.

The decision to start casting came for me when 45 Colts LRNFP jumped from $18 to $34/50 and I was only getting 250 in a bulk pack of copper plated. I choked on the 80,90,100+ moulds and bought a $20 Lee mould in 45 and 357 . I don't know how many for sure but I've shot over 10k 45 Colts since my join date and by a significant measure those were from that first mould . That mould has gone on to help another long since and been replaced with an RCBS , 2-3 Lymans , an H&G , and an NOE in 200,250,255s and ultimately a new 6 cavity Lee direct replacement. They come they go they fill the need they don't.......

See PMs .