30-30 and LBT bullets

[cetme]

can you get LBT bullets to work in a 30-30? If so whats a good one for whitetails and blackbear?
If it matters there going in a savage 325.

[ND Sharpshooter]

15 years or so ago Veral made me a 4 cavity mould for a 170 grain cb for a 30-30 Marlin I had at the time.  Cast of 3 parts wheel weights and one part linotype, their relativly wide flat point did nice work at 1800 or so fps.  Found only one of the several I used on ND whitetails.  The one I found went thru a smallish buck the long way --- entered on third rib from front and ended up under the hide at the rear of the right ham.  He dropped on his face and never moved.  Meat damage was minimal.  Bullet weighs 168 or so now so it didn't lose any weight.  Nose flattened just a bit.  So, yes, Veral can make you a good one.

[Veral]

I reccomend my LCFN in 170 gr, or down to 150 gr minimum if one wants to keep recoil down.
I make it without a crimp groove, and the customer crimps lightely with the Lee Factory crimp die if he finds bullets tend to be driven intot he case from magazine battering.

If the barrel is lapped with the lbt lap kit, this bullet can be driven at well over jacketed velocities without increasing pressure compared to jacketed, and when I designed it, it's BC was way over any jacketed I could lay my hands on.  I didn't calculate actual BC, but velocity loss over two  chrono's was less than half what the best jacketed 30-30 bullet had.  This testing with 170 gr bullets.
(Lapping is mandatory for new Marlins, some others are smooth enough to perform quite well without lapping, but lapping always helps.)

If 2% tin is added to wheel weight metal and bullets are dropped on a towel to cool, best with a fan blowing softly accross them and not letting the bullets touch each other, hardness after aging will be about 14 BHN, which will withstand full jacketed bullet velocities and close range inpact, and expand reliably at ranges farther out than with jacketed.

This same information applies to all rifle calibers in mid caliber class, say from 270 caliber and up.

[cetme]

Mr Smith

 Would you recomend a soft point mold or just stick with the standard mold. I'm going to fix up this 30-30 bolt gun and give it to my nephew for deer and barn raiders with light "gallery" loads.

[Veral]

The recommendations I made were for full power hunting loads, in which case, the prescription I gave will give excellent expansion out to very good 30-30 ranges.

If you want to load gallery loads, which means low velocity low recoil loads to me,  I suggest a WLN at 150 gr.  Load it to full throttle for deer and at low velocity for plinky uses.  Or if loaded to about 1400 1500 it will far outperform what Michigan farmers where i grew up called the most used deer rifle cartridge, the 22 long rifle!

What I'm driving at here is:  The LCFN has a fairly small meplat so it needs good speed to be effective without expansion, and is best used with alloys soft enough to insure expansion.  With expansion it will give large fast bleeding wounds.

The WLN or FN, has a .030 wider meplat, which makes it much more effective if it will be shot a lot at low speeds, where expansion isn't possible.  Started at 1400 fps, it will punch about a 1/2 inch wound diameter through the vitals of game, killing small game quickly with minimal meat loss if large bones aren't hit.  If a large bone is hit with a heavy bullet like this, unlike a 40 gr 22 bullet, the bone becomes a secondary projectile and is very destrictuve to meat.  You'll learn that quickly enough in the field.  Speeded up to 1600 fps, which is still very light for a thirty-thirty, the wound will go up to about 3/4 inch diameter and kills on deer are much quicker.  At 1800 fps, it's REALLY effective, out to ranges well beyond 100 yards, yet recoil and report will both be mild.

  One of the joys of cast is the total flexibility of what one can do to make them suit any kind of shooting needs.

  Another option for light loads with the LCFN, should you purchase it to obtain maximum power potential.  (It WILL EXCEED JACKETED PERFORMANCE BY A GOOD MARGIN IN 30-30'S BECAUSE IT COMES OUT OF THE GUN WITH LESS FRICTION, AND IT'S B.C. IS SO HIGH.)  Load the bullet backwards for light loads, seating deep enough in the case so it chambers easily.  Drive it at about 1200 1400 fps, and see how far they shoot accurately.  Most fly true out to at least 100 yards.  Backwards bullets are very effective on small critters because of the large flat, and you'll never mix the light loads up with your heavy loads!