Most accurate .30-30 load?

[fnbrowning]

Putting hunting aside for a moment, what would be the most accurate, flatest shooting, paper punching load for the .30-30?

I'm thinking it would be the 125 to 150 grain loads. Can we also talk about pointed soft points? Given that the bullet points don't in reality rest against the primers in the tube, we should at least be able to use a soft point safely, for more accuracy!

The powders I currently have on hand in the medium burning range are Reloder 15 and Accurate 2520.

Thanks!

[savageT]

Geez,

Get a Savage bolt or '99 lever in 30-30 if you must consider using spitzer bullets.  Please!

[Crayfish]

Every lever gun is capable of safely shooting pointed bullets .... you just have to limit your gun to a "2-shot" :  1 in the chamber and 1 in the magazine.  Then you can shoot whatever you like.

In my 14" Contender, 150gr Ballistic Tips and W748 have been amazingly accurate.  Many groups have been fired in the .6's with most in the .7's and .8's.  Can't say how well this would work in a lever rifle given possible twist rate differences, velocity difference, etc.

BE SAFE!!!   ... Crayfish

[Mainspring]

Pointed bullets in a tube fed rifle = an instant over/under rifle... :eek:

[Ric]

:-D

Best ever for me, and I've tried a bunch of stuff over 30 years is:

H-322 powder

Federal match primers

Sierra HP bullet, #2020

Work your powder up from 29 grains, (not hot) in tenths of a grain. Ya, I know it takes you time and lots of powder and bullets but, the work is worth the result and so is being safe. Sorry, I can't tell you my powder charges as every rifle is different.. Once you get there the accuracy is surpurb and, (here is a hint) so is the velocity. In both my 94 A&E trappers. Using Leupold 1.5x5 scopes, (for light weight) both rifles pack easy, shoot streight and kill whitetails like lightening at reasonable ranges and some beyond.  Good Luck!

[w30wcf]

fnbrowning,

In answer to your question, "What would be the most accurate, flatest shooting, paper punching load for the .30-30?",  I would say that the flatest (fastest) may not be the most accurate. Also, pointed bullets do not guarantee accuracy.

With regards to the flatest shooting bullet in the .30-30, in 1922, Rem-Umc introduced a 110 gr. High Speed Mushroom (Hollow Point) loading for  the .30-30.  This bullet had a .12" flat on the hollow point and was safe in tubular magazines.  (If you lay .30-30 cartridges end to end on a table, you will see that the bullet nose rests mostly on the base of the cartridge in front of it and not the primer.)  Advertised velocity was 2,720 f.p.s.

Today, handloaders can replicate this ammunition using Sierra's 110 gr. hollow point bullet.    In the  26" barrel of my 1894-1994 Winchester Commemorative rifle,  this bullet over  38 grs. of H335 powder sparked by a WLR primer clocks 2,857 f.p.s.  (Maximum load from Hodgdon's manual but with a 125gr. bullet )  Not bad for a .30-30!!

Accuracy is very good with 3 shot groups in 3/4" to  1 1/4" @ 100 yards using a tang sight on that rifle.  It also shoots well at 300 meters (327 yards) on the NRA High Power Steel Javelina.  If the sights are on,  at the drop of the hammer, in an instant, it's goodby pig!

w30wcf

[Robert357]

I'll add my 2 cents.

If you are looking for accuracy, you need to understand that a tubular magazine is an accuracy killer.  Finding an accurate load that matches barrel vibration at a null point is within most peoples capability.  If you then, through a combination of varying numbers of cartidges hang differing amounts of weight from the barrel and change the spring tension (effectively stiffening) the barrel, you will change how it vibrates.  

Think about how different the center of mass on the barrel must be with 4 rounds in the magazine versus none.  Think about the amount of difference in spring tension in the tubular magazine with 4 rounds and none.  Now think about how all of that changes as you load a full magazine of ammo and then lay your lever action rifle on a sandbag and fire away until it is empty.  This fact alone is enough to explain why lever actions have gotten a reputation as basically inacurate.  If you only load a couple of rounds (one in the camber and one in the magazine), you might be surprised at how accurate a lever action can really be.  

I like to use a 1 inch diameter florecent red dot in the center of my black pistol targets that I use at the local range where I belong.  On one ocasion I was verifying the point of impact on my Marlin 336 prior to hunting season.  The range master at the range came up behind me and asked about the accuracy of my 30-30.  I told him it was good enough for hunting accuracy.  He smilled and then looked through the scope as I fired a round into the red dot.  He then looked again at me with a surprised look and said that I just shot in the red.  I looked at him and said, yes hunting accuracy.  He looked at me and said, but it is in the red!  We made eye contact, he smiled and walked away.  It is nice to be able to outshoot some of the bolt action caliber of the month hunters on the range with a lever action.

The best advice I got for my Marlin 336 in 30-30 was to only load one or two rounds at a time, otherwise as you shoot you are changing barrel vibration charateristics too much.  

Having said that, I have recently found happiness form my Marlin 336 30-30 with Speer 150 gr flatnose bullets and about 31.0 grains of Hodgdon 4895 powder infront of Winchester Large Rifle primers.  Using a Stoney Point Bullet comparitor the reading on my caliber is 3.165 OAL (I did not adjust my caliper to compensate for the size of the Stoney point bullet comparitor).  I developed this load form my particular Marlin using the ladder test or incremental load method and it shoots nice groups at 100 yards until the barrel heats up.

Other good advice I got on this forum was to purchase a book by M.L. McPerson, "Accurizing the Factory Rifle."  It has a lot of information on things you can do to increase the accuracy of your lever action rifle, if you want to get crazy about accuracy.

[fnbrowning]

Geez,

Get a Savage bolt or '99 lever in 30-30 if you must consider using spitzer bullets.  Please!

Let's look at what Yanqui, Moderator wrote on Sun Feb 09, 2003 4:27 pm    Post subject: What rifle was the 30-30 Accelerator for?  

">>I have never read any official information that a round was fired in a magazine with disastrous effects. Other than word of mouth from a fellow shooter who has a friend or friend of a friend which the round went off in the magazine and exploded in his face or tore up his hand.

But I did read an article in GUN DIGEST 2002 56th Annual Edition where a test was performed on tubular magazines. The article is TUBULAR MAGAZINES...ARE SAFE by R.W. Ballou. He had to shim the spitzer loads so that the bullets nose would have to contact the center-line of the primer because of the taper you mentioned. No shrapnel."<<

[fnbrowning]

Thanks to:
Robert357
w30wcf
Ric

You guys gave me some good starting ideas. Yes, I have several 100's of the Sierra Pro-Hunter #2020 on the bench. They are obstensibly for the g/f's rifle, but now I have an idea one how to make them work for me.  Faster than her light loads. :grin:

Recently, I also ordered a box of the Speer Bullets .308, 130gr flat nose, said to be real accurate in the Marlin. So I will experiment  with the 125 & 130 grain bullets first. I will have to try my RE-15 and AA2520, just because they work so well with other .30 cals. Wish more people shot Accurate brand powders. Any receipe info for RE-15 and AA2520 would be appreciated.

Thanks for the info on the tube magazine and spring tension. That will keep my expectations realistic.