Thread: 30/30 reloading

Originally Posted by Nathanfish

Sorry mate. When I shot these, I had to use the indoor range which is pretty shit for light so my chrono didn't read . Mine did not shoot well with factory levereverlution where the cheap ppu stuff was good

No one seems to stock PPU currently

I've found the ppu brass to be good as well. The hornady brass is crap. Very tight primer pocket and ver thin walls , Had to bin a few cases with disturbing splits down the lengths of the case after firing the factory load.

I can buy PPU brass easily enough maybe I'll just load from the beginning

I would if I could start again .

Does the Remington Corelockt load okay? I have a fair bit of that.

Looks like good groups, did you have a scope on it?

Originally Posted by Nathanfish

Through my 336 15.5 inch barrel I'm using

29.5gn of 2206h with 160gn ftx
28 gn of 2206h with 170gn FN
And a plinker (sub) round with 7gn trailboss and a 150 RN

I would like to try casting at some stage, looks like fun.
Shots at 50m
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Originally Posted by 308mate

Does the Remington Corelockt load okay? I have a fair bit of that.

it will do....remington has been around the block more than once so knows its shit.
the speer 170grn flat nose has great reputation for the 30/30...as was said above its a balancing act and it sort of fits best.

Originally Posted by 308mate

What are those cast subsonics like? I've thought about cast bullets for my 30-30 but the suppressor I have for it (ODL) reccomends against using them in an Oceania can..

@308mate I have a ODL suppressor now on my 30-30, I emailed Bert about this subject but haven't heard back. What's the reason to not use casts, because you can't clean? Do lead casts leave a heap of residue in the suppressor? I used casts when I had my DPT, didn't notice any residue but then I didn't shoot a lot of them before getting ODL suppressor.

Originally Posted by joelhenton

@308mate I have a ODL suppressor now on my 30-30, I emailed Bert about this subject but haven't heard back. What's the reason to not use casts, because you can't clean? Do lead casts leave a heap of residue in the suppressor? I used casts when I had my DPT, didn't notice any residue but then I didn't shoot a lot of them before getting ODL suppressor.

So he has or had a comment on the ODL site not to use them which I am assuming you saw too - when I contacted him he told me some people were casting very soft lead bullets that sheared off the rifling. He tested a few and could hear them singing as they went down the can and they hit the target sideways.

I take it from that you could make them work with 'hard' cast bullets but I think you would have to make sure you made them hard enough (I don't know anything about metallurgy) or trust that the ones you are buying are hard enough. I don't want to risk that for a $1200 can.

Is your ODL a QD one or direct thread on? What sort of 30-30 do you have?

@ODL may be able respond directly

I haven't put a jacketed round through my winchester for years, it lives on a diet of cast bullets from 113 grains to 180 all flat nosed lead without gas checks, I have hollow pointed some and they expand better in tissue but if you hit bone it seems to make no difference.
Ive shot rabbits to deer with it at 20 feet to 100 yards speeds from 800 fps to just over 1600 fPS above that I get leading and can't be bothered with faffinf around with gas checks for a couple of hundred feet per second more. At 1000 ft lbs the 180s are about half the energy of the jacketed stuff but way more pleasant to shoot and seem to be as effective with way less tissue damage.
I have no experience with suppressing it however so the answer about why not I await with interest.

No scope. Got a bushnell trs-26 on it. Sorry for blurry pic

Originally Posted by 308mate

So he has or had a comment on the ODL site not to use them which I am assuming you saw too - when I contacted him he told me some people were casting very soft lead bullets that sheared off the rifling. He tested a few and could hear them singing as they went down the can and they hit the target sideways.

I take it from that you could make them work with 'hard' cast bullets but I think you would have to make sure you made them hard enough (I don't know anything about metallurgy) or trust that the ones you are buying are hard enough. I don't want to risk that for a $1200 can.

Is your ODL a QD one or direct thread on? What sort of 30-30 do you have?

I've got an Alpine Hunter, rather than a QD. I hadn't seen that comment on the website. I've been planning on casting, borrowed all the gear to do so. I guess the question might be how hard would be safe. Was going to be using wheel weights, thought I've heard they're around 90/10 lead and tin. Someone might give comment on hardness. Using a Thompson Contender single shot in 30-30, 1-10 twist. I guess if Hornady offer the Sub-X 175gr bullets for handloaders that could solve it. But there's an appeal to the casts, I found them really effective, massive blood trails. But got the pup now, so finding animals is easy.