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Hey guys, I thought I’d get the 30/30 round going while everyone has plenty of time to post advice.
I’ve got a Marlin stainless 30/30 20” barrel, I bought it for the cowboy looks and never really used it much.
Got plenty of PPU shells and die set.
I wondered what everyone used in terms of powder and projectiles.
I think the factory rebounds are 150 grain Flatnose soft points.
Thanks.
I was using Hodgdon H335 with Sierra 125gr TMK (in my Contender single shot so I can load ballistic tips). I was going to try ADI 2207 and the Nosler 125gr BT next though, see how that goes.
AR2208 mainly, trying Leverevolution recently. Trailboss and 151gr cast bullets for subsonic.
Sierra 125 FNHP and 150gr Prohunter FN.
Hornady 150 and 170 interlock FN.
Tried the 160 FTX but not that impressed with accuracy, but they go okay in my 308 (mild load to keep to 30-30ish velocity)
What year is that Marlin mate? My 336 Dark will not reliably extract PPU brass and I know I'm not alone in that problem as far as the 336 Dark is concerned.Quote:
Originally Posted by lee308
A shame for me as PPU brass is good stuff.
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 Ocrania can..Quote:
Originally Posted by Cigar
It’s a stainless 336, 4 years old. and no problem extracting. I’ve shot 60 rounds through my one. Hasn’t had a problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 308mate
I haven’t put one in an animal yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by 308mate
They are very accurate at 50m so should do the job if I do my part. Need to keep in mind they only have roughly 4x the energy of a 22lr sub so need to pick my shots.
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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My Marlin 30-30 dark shoots PPU factory ammo fine but a bit harder to extract comparing to Hornady and FC. The reloaded PPU brass doesn't suffer from the extraction at all though.Quote:
Originally Posted by 308mate
I find Leverevolution 160gr FTX could cause keyholing with my Marlin 336 Dark 16.25'' barrel. Do you have similar issue as well?Quote:
Originally Posted by Cigar
Yeah my issue was the extraction I actually had to stuff a cleaning rod down to get the empty cases out a couple of times. No issues with any other brand.Quote:
Originally Posted by eamars
Interesting about the reloads working fine.
@Nathanfish what speeds were you getting for each load ? I have an identical stainless 336 with 16.5" barrel on the way and was just gonna use leverrevolution ammo but your results look promising I guess I might go down that rabbit hole and add 30-30 to the list of calibers I load :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Nathanfish
No keyholing, just very average grouping at 100m, which was not great when i was looking at using them for longer range shots. My rifle is a Win M94 Trapper with 16" barrel. I was using FTX reloads, only doing 1820fps so they might group better with more speed.Quote:
Originally Posted by eamars
The fallow weaner I shot front-on in the throat at 20m reckoned they worked okay...
While I don't have any loads for you, I used IMR3031 and switched to 170 grain projectiles years ago after having a good talk with a fellow who had devoted his career to Winchester 94's. His wisdom was that the 30-30 was a 100-150m gun for most people in most circumstances with it being almost always used within 75m, so the slightly more arc'ed trajectory more or less didn't matter but the additional weight of the projectile did, with 170 grains being about the heaviest projectile that would reliably stabilize in most 30-30 barrels.
Don't really know if it's true, but had a lot of success with the winchester 94 and those loads until I got tired of pulling the 94 apart to get the water out of it after every hunt. The 94 isn't all that waterproof or all that fast to disassemble/reassemble :P
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 :oh noes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Nathanfish
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 :D
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?Quote:
Originally Posted by Nathanfish
it will do....remington has been around the block more than once so knows its shit.Quote:
Originally Posted by 308mate
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.
@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.Quote:
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by joelhenton
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
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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.Quote:
Originally Posted by 308mate
