30/30 Bhn

[Calhunter]

Hi all, long time reader first time poster. I was wondering what a good bhn for the 30/30 would be. I have a Lee 150 gr 309 and am trying to figure out some loads for my 94 lever.



Thanx
Calhunter

[Buckshot]

Hi all, long time reader first time poster. I was wondering what a good bhn for the 30/30 would be. I have a Lee 150 gr 309 and am trying to figure out some loads for my 94 lever.



Thanx
Calhunter

............. Calhunter, a hearty welcome to the board. Glad you finally posted! The 30-30 is one of those cat-ridges that will shoot a good cast slug as fast as it will one a them store bought kinds. If it were me and I wanted to just work up some good fun plinking loads with a bit of authority I'd just use WW alloy.

Powders for the above type loads would start out with maybe 10.0grs of Unique, 12.0 / 2400, 16.0/4227, 16.0/SR4759, 18.0/4198. You could then work your way up a grain at a time (watch the Unique) to what you felt you needed.

For full power 30-30 stuff I'd go for a 170gr slug and begin with starting book loads for jacketed bullets. The 30-30 is probably the best commonly available bottle necked cartridge out there for ease of getting to shoot cast.

...............Buckshot

[9.3X62AL]

Another "welcome aboard" here.

The 30-30 WCF was the first rifle caliber I tried with cast boolits ~20 years ago, and the only one for a couple years until a 45-70 came along. The 30-30 is about as perfect a cast boolit rifle caliber as has ever been devised, AFAIK. I have run Lyman #311291 to the high end of the caliber's design specs (2200 FPS) with pretty good accuracy--every bit as good as what I get with the j-words of the same weight class (170 grains). If deer hunting is in the cards, Lyman #311041 might be a better choice. I've only taken varmints with cast boolits in the 30-30, and #311291 does a right fine job of ruining a jackrabbit's day at 1600 FPS.

My next stunt in the 30-30 will be a test between the Lee Soup Can and #311316. Unlike a lot of folks here, the Lee Soup Can hasn't shown me much love, excepting the Marlin M-62 in 30 Carbine. Both of these "light for caliber" flat-noses should be fine for varmint-zapping, if accuracy results. 170 grains is a bit much for jackrabbits, after all.

[Cherokee]

I use the same Lee bullet in my 30-30. I cast mine from wheel weights plus 2% tin and they weigh in at 151-2 gr with the gas check and lubed. Sized to .310, have never had any barrel leading in my Win 94 "Classic" 24" oct bl.

[Calhunter]

Thanks guys, I have already cast some 80% lino 20% pure lead with some tin thrown in to make a bhn of around 16. I've also done the 50/50 thing with a bhn around 13-12 or so. I don't have WW lead just lino and pure lead. I want to load the 150gr lee to go around 2000 fps so I've been sticking with the harder alloys mainly. I just didn't want to have to worry about being too soft and leading my barrel. Thanks again

Calhunter

[BlueMoon]

Calhunter,

I have been using lino/ww ingots and some pure lead sheeting ingots for my 30/30 boolits. I'm using the RCBS 180 and 150FN molds. My boolits need to be .310" from the mold and if I go too soft the mold will only drop .309" boolits like the ones that tested BHN13. I guess I need to try to "Beagle" my mold but haven't tried that yet. Most of my boolits are testing at BHN20-22 for my .310 sized.

Deputy Al, I recently got the Lee 113f soup-can mold also and with all the trouble I've had casting keepers with that mold, I'm going to try for a accurate load. The first two times I used the mold, a pin would come out of one side holding the handles on, about the time the temp came up enough for good boolits.


Bill

[drinks]

With my .303 Savage, which is just a short, fat .30-30, I had very good results with the Lee 113gr with 9.5gr Herco, over 1700fps and 1" at 50 yds.
With the 1602R Lee pointed thing, 32gr IMR4064 did 2040 and 1" or less at 50yds, these both were 3 shot groups from a good rest.
I also load the Lee 170fn, 31gr IMR 4064 is fine for it and with the 200gr RN from Lee, I use 34.5gr BLC-2 and have good accuracy and 2000fps.
All bullets are waterdropped wws.

[mag_01]

Hello new to board but not new to shooting I use a Lee 160 GC with felix lube with AA 5744---21.5 grs. if u try this load start lower say 19 and work up--16 or 16.5 grs. of 2400 is a nice light load---bullet composition is mostly wheelwieghts--10% linotype---10% babbit some bar solder and a little range scraps---droped in water.---keep em in the black.

[versifier]

I use the very same bullet with GC, liq Alox lube, Lee sizer. I have used ww, lino, and 1/2&1/2 (lino/pure); all three alloys work great in Win94, Sav24V, & Rem788. Pet load with that bullet is 21.1gr of RE-7 with an OAL of 2.445". That gives a "book velocity" of around 1900fps, but I have never bothered to chronograph it. I also like the Lee 120 gr with 29.5gr of RE-7 and an OAL of 2.35", "bv" of 2700 fps. All three rifles like both bullets, and I've had no leading problems with any of the alloys. The m94 groups a little better with the lighter bullet, the other two like the 150. My personal opinion is that the lighter bullet gives you at least an extra 50yds on deer-sized game without enough bullet drop to worry about. There's no difference in flavor between the deer that got hit with one or the other, none have ever complained, or needed a second shot. (Not that you can GET a second shot up here, the woods are too thick, most shots are less than 50yds.) I assume if you shoot enough to have gotten onto casting your own, you can hit what you're aiming at and make your first shot on the money. I wouldn't go with the the lighter bullet for the "spray & pray" kind of hunter, but then I wouldn't be in the woods with that sort, either.