Savage barrel has the slows

[Double 30]

My 340 C .30-30 is superbly accurate but equally slow.Velocities with loads that gave 2300 fps in a 20 inch Marlin are 150 fps slower out of the 22 inch Savage. I've used H335 to get great velocities in the past, and it is the fastest powder I've tried in my 340, but I'd be alot more comfortable with alittle more oomph.Winchester 1250 grain Power Point Plus is the velocity champ at 2250 fps and Hornady Frontier 150's oozed out at 2015 fps! The fastest I've gotten a 150 to go so far is 2250 ( 36 gr H335).H322 gives similar velocities , but accuracy is poor by comparison. IMR 3031 is about 50 fps behind H335 and gives fine accuracy. I am really puzzled why a rifle that slugs .300 bore .308 groove and shows little wear and no erosion, should be bested by a Marlin 20 incher with 3500 rounds through it. Any powders out there that could give higher velocities? I shoot 130 Hornady single shot pistol bullets , but not with H335 yet ( ran out)and accuracy is unreal. I want to get some 170's for bear too. I'd like to get the 130's to 2500 the 150's to 2300 and 2200 with the 170's. Any help would be apperciated.I'm not trying to turn a 30-30 into a 300 Savage, but it seems to me I should get better from a longer barrel...

[Double 30]

Oops the PP plus' were 150's ( not 1250's) and the 36 gr H335 loads were 2150 not 2250( those were the 130 Hornady ssp's over 38 gr BLC2) My bad...

[LaOtto222]

Every rifle is different. The length of the barrel is a factor, but there are other factors involved too. The rifling on the 340 seems a bit deep. Usually The rifling is no more than .002 - .003 deep. Yours is .004" this can be a factor. Chamber dimensions can also be a factor, especially the neck diameter and throat length. According to Hornady's 7th edition 35 grains of H335 is a max load for 2300 fps. This does not mean that you can get the same velocity. I have found in many cases that you can not get the same velocity out of your particular rifle as is published. 3031 is even slower as a max velocity of 2200 fps. In reality a couple of hundred fps is not going to make that much difference. You may have to reduce your max shooting distance a little. Instead of 200 yards shoot at a max of 175 yards. Personally I would opt for the 3031 with 150 grain bullets at 2100 fps and go for the accuracy and limit my shots to 150 - 175 yards. The biggest factor is how the bullet will perform at its terminal velocity. If you are at 1500 fps and it upsets well when it hits your target (game) at your intended spot (accuracy), you are going to put that critter (within reason) down. Bullet placement and bullet performance has more to do with killing than velocity. Good Luck and Good Shooting

[blhof]

I agree with LaOtto; I've got a 14" 30/30 Contender that has taken deer in Fl. and Ky. using Federal 150 factory ammo out to 180yds with all being bang flops.  I bought the barrel used and the previous owner said the Federal 150's were the most accurate in it.  I have since used 180's and 150 cast GC with equal results.  I don't worry about the speed; I start low and go up till accuracy worsens or near max and stop. A few hundred fps isn't going to make much difference to the game.

[Siskiyou]

I suffer from the slow and fast barrel syndrome because of the Chrony.  I have a long favored Savage 110CL in 270 Winchester, and Remington 700 in 270 Winchester.  The Remington 700 is approximately 30-feet per second slower than the Savage.  It does not matter what handload or factory load I am firing.

I hatched a plan to buy a 24-inch take off barrel from a custom rifle builder.  A number of custom builders buy a new rifle and strip them of the stock and barrel, selling them at gun shows.  The plan was put aside when I made a long range kill on a mule deer with the first shot.  In 2008 I was carrying the rifle with the slow barrel and fire one shot, and killed another buck.  It has become a lucky rifle.

I realize the loss of 30 fps in the 270 Winchester is insignificant compared to 150 fps in the 30-30 Winchester.  I have a can of H-335 powder set aside for the 30-30 Winchester.  It was selected because of published velocities.  It was a second choice because IMR 4320 could not be found.  IMR4320 pushing a 150-grain Hornady in my Marlin has proven to be accurate.  I have never run the loads across a Chrony.

When I fired the new Hornady 160-grain flex-tip loads this Spring, I realized my 30-30 had climbed a rung on the ladder.  Even with the flex-tip bullet as a component I doubt if I can duplicate the load.  This fall I hope to carry the 30-30 instead of the 270 on some hunts.

I have taken pride in using my reloads when deer hunting, but I feel the Hornady flex-tip load is a big improvement, and I bought four boxes of them for hunting.  I have a lot of standard 30-30 loads to use for practice.

[Lone Star]

A few hundred fps isn't going to make much difference to the game.

Actually it can make a huge difference if the bullet does not expand.  An example is the 150-grain Hornady SP.  Out of my 14" .30 Herrett it will expand on deer and give quick kills at 100 yards.  Out of my 10" barrel - 200 fps slower - it does not expand well and the deer travel too far for my liking.  As long as the impact velocity is within the expansion velocity window of the bullet, no problem.  That's one reason the Ballistic Tip bullets are so well liked by handgun hunters - they expand well at quite low impact veolcities compared to all-lead-core jacketed bullets.



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[drdougrx]

This thread is kinda interesting.  Many of my Remingtons have "slow" barrels.  I have a 700BDL SS in 375 HH w a 24" barrel that I cannot get anywhere near the published velocity with any load.  I found a very accurate load for a 300gr NoslerP and 72gr of RL-15 that gets a v of 2460fps.  It's supposed to get more than 2550.  I'd need 75gr of powder to do that but the accuracy is awful.  Funny...a buffalo didn't seem to notice.  Same w my 700 KS mountain rifle in 06.  Game doesn't seem to notice either. It's just kinda aggravating when you work out ballistics on a particular load and find it completely different than published.  Sometime I wish I didn't buy an oehler.

[Savage]

The Marlins with the "Micro Groove" rifling routinely give a little better velocities than other barrels with traditional rifling in my experience.
Savage

[smokey262]

I have not tried H335 in any of my 30-30's yet, but W748 and 150gr Speer's provided over 2400 fps with very good accuracy in a Marlin 336 w/ 20" barrel for me.

[Double 30]

Thanks all! I agree completely that a 150 fps change in velocity is significant in a round like the 30-30. I dont often get 200 yard shots but...I do most of my hunting using lightly constructed bullets in muzzleloaders with amazing results.
 I've shot 11 deer with a 30-30, velocities unknown,including a 200 yard bang flop with a Winny 94 and PMC 150 factory loads. I am a firm believer in the "power dump" espicially in cartridges or loads with modest power levels.I posted about the best expanders in bullets designed for the 30-30 because if you dont have the velocity that bullet better dump what power it has QUICKLY.
  I dont mind shooting carbine velocities out of a 22 inch tube, but I want a bullet soft enough to make a nicxe batch of chest soup when I pull the trigger...