Marlin 336 OAL with cast 311041 (30-30)

[wolters4]

I'm working up a load with a Lyman mold (311041 173GN FPRN). I tried the OAL from the Lyman manual 2.510 and the cast boolet is hitting the rifling. To get to the point that it wasn't engraving I had to take it down to 2.465. With this OAL the case is past the crimping grove. I'm wondering if this is OK as long as I crimp with a lee factory crimp die? Has anyone else had these issues?

All cases have been trimmed to 2.029

[geargnasher]

Not with that boolit. The Ranch Dog 311-165 tends to have that issue in some non-Marlin guns with short throats. I have the opposite problem you do with the 311041, it doesn't come close to the rifling, and the nose casts just a bit too small for my particular Microgroove gun.

Check to make sure your boolit noses aren't too fat, take one and poke it in the muzzle. It should slide in to the first band with a snug but not tight fit. If the boolit nose won't go all the way in the muzzle, check it for being out-of-round, like your mould wasn't closing completly due to lead trash between the blocks, poor handle fit, or alignment pin issues.

If all else fails you can trim the brass, but that boolit shouldn't need that. What are you sizing the boolits to?

Gear

[runfiverun]

if it engraves and you can unchamber it, that's perfect. [the crimp helps you here]
i play with my alloy to get that nose engraving without it sticking in the bbl.
measure the nose diameter,,, like gear suggested.

[wolters4]

Not with that boolit. The Ranch Dog 311-165 tends to have that issue in some non-Marlin guns with short throats. I have the opposite problem you do with the 311041, it doesn't come close to the rifling, and the nose casts just a bit too small for my particular Microgroove gun.

Check to make sure your boolit noses aren't too fat, take one and poke it in the muzzle. It should slide in to the first band with a snug but not tight fit. If the boolit nose won't go all the way in the muzzle, check it for being out-of-round, like your mould wasn't closing completly due to lead trash between the blocks, poor handle fit, or alignment pin issues.

If all else fails you can trim the brass, but that boolit shouldn't need that. What are you sizing the boolits to?

Gear

I sized the boolits to .311. I poked one into the muzzle and it went into the muzzle to the first band (snug fit).

[wolters4]

if it engraves and you can unchamber it, that's perfect. [the crimp helps you here]
i play with my alloy to get that nose engraving without it sticking in the bbl.
measure the nose diameter,,, like gear suggested.

The engraving was very faint at the recommended OAL. I can unchamber it with no problem. I thought if it was in the lands it would cause pressure issues. I kept reducing OAL until no engraving. So your saying that it's ok to have a small engraveing?

I'm looking to run it at about 1700 FPS (thinking 20 GN of IMR 4198)

[runfiverun]

yes, it helps align the boolit in the rifling.
i shoot several leverguns and love that little snick feeling when i have to squeeze the handle that last little bit.
i have used about everything from unique up through the 4895's in the 30-30.
and generally shoot 25 grs of aa-2230 with the nose engraved, airc it's right at 2200 fps in the 20" bbl'd carbine [ just a bit over that in my 24" octagon]

[Larry Gibson]

The engraving was very faint at the recommended OAL. I can unchamber it with no problem. I thought if it was in the lands it would cause pressure issues. I kept reducing OAL until no engraving. So your saying that it's ok to have a small engraveing?

I'm looking to run it at about 1700 FPS (thinking 20 GN of IMR 4198)

It's not only "ok" but its not going to get any better than that for fit. And no, it won't raise the pressures to any measureable degree.

Larry Gibson

[geargnasher]

The engraving was very faint at the recommended OAL. I can unchamber it with no problem. I thought if it was in the lands it would cause pressure issues. I kept reducing OAL until no engraving. So your saying that it's ok to have a small engraveing?

I'm looking to run it at about 1700 FPS (thinking 20 GN of IMR 4198)

It doesn't get any better than that. Don't confuse the guidlines for loading copper-jacketed bullets with those for cast boolits. Cast boolits often to better when crammed hard into the rifling or ball seat of the throat upon chambering. If the nose will engrave the lands (bore-rider) and still extract intact, it's perfect. When you shoot them, try extracting a loaded one from time to time to see how powder fouling affects the fit, you may find it de-boolits after things get dirty, but that's only an issue in the field rather than at the range. Don't forget to take your cleaning rod and a mallet just in case.

Gear

[makicjf]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but someone said they are using air cooled boolits in the 30/30. I have been running the lee 170 gc sized .311 water dropped over 30 imr 3031. Shoots better than I can from my marlin 336, no leading and has a solid 180 lbs pig kill behind it. I have a bunch (600 or so loaded, just in case the zombies attack i guess) but was curious if ya'll thought a gas checked a/c under the same load would be as accurate and leave no lead? I was thinking the a/c may expand a bit more. The oinker i killed with the wd load i went in at the last rib and came out just behind the opposite shoulder ( he was 1/4 away with his front end behind a tree) I'm pretty sure I took out his lungs. I rolled him down the hill, and when I got there he was bleeding from his nose and about dead. I went through him and the tree behind him.
sorry to hijack,
Jason

[popper]

makicjf - depends on your alloy. Check out the pigs under hunting with CBs.