Deer boolits for .30-30 micro-groove Marlin

[skeeter1911]

Question for you guys that shoot a lot of deer. I'm looking for recommendations on moulds (molds?), alloys, and loads for the above gun (mid seventies vintage). Ranges of 25-100 yards, 125 tops. Looking to put them down w/o excessive damage to meat. What works really well in the real world? Thinking ahead to next season, so I have some time to get it right.

[45 2.1]

Question for you guys that shoot a lot of deer. I'm looking for recommendations on moulds (molds?), alloys, and loads for the above gun (mid seventies vintage). Ranges of 25-100 yards, 125 tops. Looking to put them down w/o excessive damage to meat. What works really well in the real world? Thinking ahead to next season, so I have some time to get it right.

Head shots with the GB 311041 PB. 8.4 gr. of Unique with the end of the case neck seated on the nose band. Groups quite well in the Marlins. This is for the fellows that live in rifle states. Works well for varmints also.

[skeeter1911]

I'm in Michigan, rifles are okay "Up North". Must be the bow hunter in me, never thought of shooting one in the head. If one were to run across a buck with a really nice set of antlers, would the same load perform well for a chest (heart/lung) shot?

[corvette8n]

I've shot the Lee 150gr fngc with minute of deer results at 100 yards. I sold that mold off cause I got the RD 165fcgc, cast some but have not loaded them yet.

[45 2.1]

I'm in Michigan, rifles are okay "Up North". Must be the bow hunter in me, never thought of shooting one in the head. If one were to run across a buck with a really nice set of antlers, would the same load perform well for a chest (heart/lung) shot?

Depends on how far you can let them get from you. Some will fall over and some won't. In that case I would want a hollow pointed boolit at about 1750 fps.

[jhalcott]

I've used the 311041, 311291 and an RCBS 180 FN too take deer with a 30-30. I also used some LIGHTER 150 grain bullets that worked just as well! Alloys were generally ACWW or lyman #2. Velocities were from 1700 to 2000 fps. Accuracy is better than speed! Internal damage SEEMED to be more with the FN style than with a RN. Round noses drive right thru and do little damage. This may NOT be the case for YOU! Where I hunt it is important to drop the animal with in sight, or a slob might get there first!

[skeeter1911]

Thanks. I think that gives me a pretty good starting point.

[303Guy]

... moulds (molds?), ...Depends on how you spell it ... :mrgreen:

The fungus can be spelled 'mold' or 'mould' while the thing you cast boolits with can be spelled 'mold' or 'mould'. Go figure!


Head shots with ...I'm just not a 'head shot' person. The brain part of the head is just too small for me and the head just moves too unpredictably, but that's just me. (Had a bad experience with a jaw shot once!)

[runfiverun]

when in doubt hit a bone,the flat nose helps and if you are shooting slow then weight is your friend.

[lead Foot]

when in doubt hit a bone,the flat nose helps and if you are shooting slow then weight is your friend.
So true Mr runfiverun;
Lead foot;

[Ranch Dog]

Question for you guys that shoot a lot of deer. I'm looking for recommendations on moulds (molds?), alloys, and loads for the above gun (mid seventies vintage). Ranges of 25-100 yards, 125 tops. Looking to put them down w/o excessive damage to meat. What works really well in the real world? Thinking ahead to next season, so I have some time to get it right.

My dad and I shoot a lot of critters with serveral Marlins and a Winchester chambered in 30-30 Win. We use the TLC311-165-RF of my design. I don't sell the molds any more but there have been some group buys here on this forum I believe. I cast with 95% wheel weights, 5% tin, and add 2 oz of #8 shot per 10# of alloy. The bullets are water dropped and end up with a BHN of 19 to 21. In all the rifles I push them at jacketed bullet velocities (2150 to 2250 FPS) and with heart/lung hits the deer and hogs fold up. I've never recovered a bullet and the wound channels have been devastating. For the Glenfield 30 and Marlin 336A I size at .311". For the Winchester M94 and the 308 Marlin Express I size at .309". I shoot a similar bullet at similar velocities out of my Marlin 336RC chambered in 32 Win Spl and it literally flipped a buck with a heart/lung shot at 165-yards last season. He barrel rolled through the air one and a half revolutions and landed on his back with his feet up in the air dead as a hammer. Once in a while you see some amazing reactions from hits and this was one of them.

Here is a reference to the the TLC311-165-RF (http://www.ranchdogmolds.com/TLC311165RF). There is always so many group buys going on at any given time on the forum, I don't know if there is one for this or not. I do know that I wish I would have saved several 2 cavities molds and a 6 cavity mold for my use when I was selling them. My original mold is getting pretty long in the tooth but it still has a bit of casting left in it.

[pls1911]

A big +1 to Ranch Dog's comment.
If you cannot find a RD mold from someone on this site, then look for a group buy mold from NOE for RD's design contour with "normal" lube grooves.
I refer you also to my post this morning in the "cast bullets for hunting" section of this site... It's called a "Short Story".. sixty seconds, six shots, six pigs, each dead right there.

I am a big proponent of shot placement at the shoulder/spine. I've never had ANYTHING move after a center of mass hit to this point, shot from any angle..broadside is preferred of course.

[nighthunter]

I've had good luck with 2 different cast bullets in my Marlin 30-30. The first bullet is from a group buy through Lee. It was called the .312-150 but by mold drops them about 160 grains. The second bullet is from an NOE group buy. It is the 311-165 RFGC. It drops bullets at around 170 grains. Both bullets are very good shooters and I have taken 2 deer with the .312-150. Meat loss was near zero as they were both neck shots. I size to .3095 and load them to about 1800 fps. Both deer dropped right where shot. Alloy is 60% WW and 40% lead. Bullets are air cooled. The 311-165 RFGC is a real shooter in my 30-06 03-A3. It shoots under an inch at 100 yards sized the same and loaded with 32.0 grains IMR 4895. I will let you know how it performs on deer in a couple of days as tomorrow is when deer season opens here in PA.

Nighthunter