Originally Posted by
35remington
I really can't see why a classic "woods" caliber like the 30-30 needs to be passed over for cast bullet use. It's probably at least as suited for cast bullets at full power levels as the 357, has more power potential, increases its lead in power as the bullet goes dowrange, especially with LE ammo if you want to "cheat" and compare its potential with jacketed bullets.
Its long neck enables fairly heavy for caliber bullets that rival that heaviest the .357 carbine can put out. With lightweight cast bullets it can be loaded more cheaply than the .357 can....use a few grains of Bullseye and 32 Smith and Wesson Long pistol bullets that are readily available in several mould designs. Less lead than the .357 uses if desired. No more powder, either.
The throttle of the .30-30 can be adjusted from "meat saving" to "plenty adequate" with cast bullets.
If you want something "big bore" a pistol cartridge with its small case capacity doesn't seem to be it.
If you want a 45-70, I could see that far more than swapping a .357 carbine for a .30-30 carbine. That seems backward to me.
If you want different than a .308, a 45-70 is unquestionably it, getting its energies and effectiveness from big bullets. It's certainly nothing like .357 bullets that average out to be no heavier than .30-30 bullets and go slower.