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[DeadWood]

Have only been handloading for awhile in .223REM and .40S&W. Decided to start loading for my Win.94 and looking for information came across this site. I was very pleased with the amount of info and got me thinking of some day hoping to cast my own so i registered and am here to learn.

currently have OregonTrail 170GR TrueShot(w/gas check). Hoping to develop a load this winter. Besides that want to find a good plinking fun round for this weapon to shoot 50-75yds at the max maybe 100 using good priced boolits. I was told about our local caster withing a 10 min. drive from me.

http://www.snscasting.com/

Hoping i can start using his boolits to get started for both the .30-.30 and .40S&W.

What does everyone think of this site/boolits??
What questions should i ask if purchasing from him for these calibers?
I noticed they didn't have gas checks and from what little i know believe i need them for the rifle but NOT my handgun(SDM)??
If i don't buy from him what other places should i look for?
What grain boolits should i be looking at for both calibers?
Powders to start with for both?

Going to be asking alot of newbie ?'s if i can't find them searching the threads first!

Sorry for so many ?'s just getting excited thinking of the possiblities

[JSnover]

Welcome aboard! I doubt you'll need a gas check for plinking at 50-75. If you load to higher velocities it's a different story.
Scroll down to the Levergun section, you'll find a boatload of people who can answer your 30-30 questions.

[Firebricker]

Welcome, DeadWood. There are guy's here that know a lot more about loading 30-30's than me but here's what I use. For plinking loads I use Unique with good results and for full power load's BL-C 2. Unique does'nt take a lot of space so be extra watchfull for double charges.
There's lot's of good boolits but I've settled on Lyman 311041 170gr flatnose for everthing.
FB

[JIMinPHX]

The 30-30 is a great caliber for cast. For hunting, I've gotten up over 2300fps with a 150-grain flat point out of a Lee mold. It gives me better accuracy than factory ammo ever did. I was using RE-7 over a WLR primer for that.

For plinking/target use, I change the powder to Unique & load down to around 1300fps, keeping all other components the same.

Probably the single most important thing to watch for when loading cast, is the fit of the boolit to the barrel. You really need to know the groove diameter of your individual rifle barrel, so that you can size the boolits correctly. A difference of .001" can make a really BIG difference in the way that a gun shoots & the amount of lead fouling that you get. Ideally, you should get no lead fouling if everything is done correctly.

I haven't loaded 170's in my 30-30, but plenty of other guys here on the board do & I'm sure that some of them will chime in.

Welcome aboard.

[Wayne Smith]

On that site I only saw a 100 gr boolit for the .30 Cal. Having only one choice is not optimum, and having that choice made for you is not either. Go over to CastPics and look at the various choices of molds for this caliber from the various makers. Look at BaBore's catalog in the Vendor section.

You can expand your horizions greatly by making your own.

[smoked turkey]

Welcome DeadWood:
Just yesterday I dug the old Marlin 30-30 out and shot at some pop cans. Boy what fun. I moved the old 30-30 closer to the front of the gun cabinet so I don't wait so long to shoot it. My load is an old Lyman cast from mould 311291, 168 gr. from wheelweights, 16.5 gr. IMR 4227, velocity of about 1575'/s. I should say that this is a roundnose boolit which is a no no in tube magazines, but I am careful how I load use it in the Marlin. I also use it in an old bolt gun with a detachable mag. As JSnover said go over to the levergun section and they will get you going right. You'll find that cast boolits is the best around. Best support people, best designed, best on line community you'll ever run into. Glad to ride down the trail with you.

[Bad Water Bill]

WELCOME

I do not know that dealer and I live in their area and attend many of the local gun shows.

Here is a member of this site I and many others here have purchased from and will do so as I need more.

http://www.gardnerscache.com/about_us_-_company_info.html

Since you did not say where you live I can not send you to a show he will be at.