30WCF Cartridge

[4thebrdz]

I'm using the #311041 with brass trimed to 2.030. COL is 2.510. Sized to .309
I hadn't noticed but the lans are leaving .046 marks on the boolits.
I have rechecked the lengths and rechambered more cartridges and still the lan marks. I'm crimping to the forward point of the crimp groove.
Should these be driven into the lans. All the measurements are to spec.
The rifle is a 1955 Win '94. Never had this happen before with factory ammo or many of my reloads using jacketed pills.
Thanks

[9.3X62AL]

Many people prefer having the boolit ogive "kiss" the lands lightly when the cartridge is fully chambered. As long as the load is worked up from below maximum, this presents no safety issues. Does the load chamber without having to use undue closing effort on the lever? .046" is a lot of leade engagement.

Most lever rifle calibers have short throats and abrupt rifling origins (leade). I imagine that the Lyman #311041 boolit was designed with the 30-30 WCF in mind, and attempted to take the "normal" throat form found in this caliber into consideration with its design. All it would take to set up the conditions you have in your load/rifle combination is a newer reamer being used to cut the mold cavity, with an older reamer getting used to cut your rifle chamber--or some permutation of those variables.

If the load chambers with difficulty, one solution would be to trim cases a bit shorter until the "ideal" boolit relationship with the rifling leade is established. You should also note that after firing commences, bore deposits in the leade area may make chambering a little more difficult.

[KCSO]

As long as it chambers fine and doesn't pull the bullet if you eject a live one I would not worry unless accuracy is not right. I shoot this same bullet in my 30-30 and I don't see this much engraving, I would check my cases for length as they streach quick.

[4thebrdz]

What made me check the cartridge was the pull upon unloading. It wasn't that great but different. It did feed a little hard but nothing that I would remember if I didn't notice the unloading. All the cases were new unfired, sized and trimed. Maybe trimming the cast load cases a bit more would help. I've had the rifle since the early '60s and have reloaded for it since about 1980. Just something that made me think. Should try the loaded cart first and make sure it chambers.
Thanks for the response.

[versifier]

Paul,
Judging by the tiny little groups I saw you shooting the other day, I wouldn't worry too much about it either. The good firm crimps used would keep them from pulling when unloading anyway. Back off on the OAL a little and see if the groups open up if you're wondering about it. The only concern I'd have would be shooting them in a different rifle.

[LET-CA]

I pulled a bullet the other day in my Winchester (chambered in 444 Marlin) and dumped a full load of powder in the action. What a mess! Fortunately I was at the range and had access to a cleaning rod to tap the bullet out of the barrel.

[4thebrdz]

versifier- Thanks for the "tiny groups" thought. BTW I'll give a call or mail you about watching your cast op. I'll bring one of the carts over so you can look @ it. They seem to shoot just fine and do extract OK. No powder dumped yet. Nice crimp with Lee FC die.

[Larry Gibson]

I'm using the #311041 with brass trimed to 2.030. COL is 2.510. Sized to .309
I hadn't noticed but the lans are leaving .046 marks on the boolits.
I have rechecked the lengths and rechambered more cartridges and still the lan marks. I'm crimping to the forward point of the crimp groove.
Should these be driven into the lans. All the measurements are to spec.
The rifle is a 1955 Win '94. Never had this happen before with factory ammo or many of my reloads using jacketed pills.
Thanks

I have had the same occur with that bullet and others when sizing down .002"+'s. I had upset the nose in the lubrasizer making them larger in diameter. This also can happen in seating the bullets in the cases if there is to much neck tension. You might measure the diameter of the bullets where they are engraving before and after sizing and before and after seating. If that's the problem I solved it by sizing and seating the GC in a Lee sizer the same size as the H die in the lubrasizer. Then the lubrasizer just lubes the bullet.

However, perhaps that's not the problem so if the bullets aren't sticking in the chamber and they chamber easily then I'd be a happy camper. Many of us go to some extreme to get a "bore riding" nose in a cast bullet.

Larry Gibson