What rifle was the 30-30 Accelerator for?

[Yanqui]

What rifle was the 30-30 Accelerator for if not for a lever action? I have pondered this question for some time. I have been told and read on some forums not to load the Accelerator in the magazine tube because of the bullet design. There could be disastrous consequences. I know that they chambered the 30-30 in bolt and pump actions. But I noticed that when you go to buy bullets for reloading that the ones designed for 30-30 are marked such that you will not unintentionally reload the wrong type of bullet. So why would a manufacturer put out a product that would unintentionally be used in the wrong type of weapon? After all when you say "thirty-thirty" or as my ol' Poop would say "trienta-trienta" or hear in it the movies it automatically is considered a lever-action.

Any good information out there on this matter? Right now I'm surfing the NET for info.

[Yanqui]

So far I haven't found any official information that says not too. But I did find some good information.

Accelerator® Type Sabots for Reloading
https://www.eabco.com/reload02.html

.30-30 Win. Accelerator
http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/guideoutdoors/resources/remington_charts/3030wabal.htm

Shooting Sabots
http://www.loadammo.com/Topics/March02.htm

So far I found nothing that says not too.

Welcome to Remington Country
http://www.remington.com/NR/exeres/000010dbujmlkwgoabuzhvdk/RemArms+Product+Group.asp?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fammo%2fballistics%2fbalinfo2%2eHTM&NRNODEGUID=%7bCB2C868E-AECC-4C10-BCEE-4E8FD61F68E2%7d&NRQUERYTERMINATOR=1&cookie%5Ftest=1

.30-30 Sav.
.30-30 Win.
.30-30 Win Accelerator (SEE NOTE A)
.30-30 Marlin
.30-30 Win. High Speed
.30 W.C.F


NOTE A: High-speed cartridges must not be used in revolvers. They should only be used in rifles made especially for them.

The .30 WCF and the Model 1894 Winchester by Jim Taylor
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/model94_3030.htm

ACCELERATOR

During the testing of the Factory loads we fired some of the lightweight loadings including the Remington Accelerator. This is a .22 caliber 55 gr. bullet in a plastic sabot. Advertised at 3400 fps, this load ran somewhat over 3200 fps out of my gun. It was hot enough to punch a nice clean hole in a piece of 3/8" steel. While they were interesting I did not do much else with them. I think they might be useful for the person who has only one rifle and wants to expand the use of it to blowing holes in coyotes or other varmints. I know they work on smaller animals for I once guided a friend's wife on a Javelina hunt. She used an old Model 94 Winchester and the Remington Accelerator loads to take a nice Javelina from about 100 yards. It worked just fine, creating massive internal damage in the chest cavity.

[Yanqui]

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.

[Flint]

I do know of shooters having ammo fire in a Henry (repro) magazine caused by allowing the follower to fly back from the locked position after loading.  It is suppoed to be slowly let back by hand to the stack of loaded rounds.  The Henry follower is heavier as it has the brass finger  spur attached, and the shooter may have been loading roundnose rather than flat bullets.  I have personally seen theblown open tube.  Which did repair by reforming the magazine over a mandril.

[Advocate]

Like the rest of you, I have long read of the hazards  detonation created by using pointed bullets in tubular magazines, even though I've never experienced  such a detonation nor have I any personal knowledge or anyone else who has either.

Nevertheless, I am unwilling to throw caution to the wind and volunteer to throw caution to the wind and use pointed bullets in tubular magazines.   I hope anyone else who volunteers to flaunt this well accepted rule of gun safety lore, whether well founded or not, will advise me ot that fact so that I can get the Hell away from them before they try!

[Geno]

I agree with you advocate, never heard of it happening but aint about to try it. I'm more inclined to not use pointed bullets in a tubular magazine so as not to deform them. I'm thinkning accuracy may tend to suffer as they get bent, mushroomed and peened over. It may even affect how the rounds cycle through the magazine. I have used them on occasion though loading and shooting 1 round at a time, just to see how they would shoot. These are rounds I had loaded up for my Contender. Never have tried the Accelerator, but I'm pretty sure I will be ordering some soon, looks like they could be fun.

[Mikey]

To answer Yanqui's question, the Accelerator round was made for the lever action.  Based on the known yaw of the bullet nose in the tubular magazines that the sabotted bullet could be used in the tubular magazine lever actions without problems.

I have never personally seen a lever action tube blown open by a cartridge being detonated by the one loaded after it into the tube magazine.  But, I feel the same way the Advocate and Geno do - although I have never personally seen it, I ain't gonna go there.  Mikey.

[R. Tillery]

IIRC, it takes 400fps impact velocity to detonate a primer.

[John Y Cannuck]

The article in Gun Digest mentioned above, was a test performed on a Marlin tube mag. The author, filled the tube mag with pointed bullets, and detonated the back cartridge. The result?
Brass being unsuported, the back cartridge burst, and as a result, it did not burn all of it's powder. The pointed bullets ahead of it were seated deeper in their cases. No damage to the tube. He repeated the tests several times, and was unable to damage the tube mag.
He then took the bullets to a vise, and proceeded to try and detonate a primer by driving a pointed bullet on to it with a hammer. NO LUCK! He mashed the bullet points on the primer that's all.
He did not test FMJ bullets, but said he suspected they would detonate.

The Henry Mag mentioned above is weaker, due to the split for the follower.
I'm guessing the bullets were FMJ.

However, even given the above, I will pass by the line waiting to try it, thank you very much!

[jh45gun]

I would pass on this also as safety is to be considered first I did see read in a forum who knows maybe even this one where a guy shot them only as a 2 shot one in the chamber and one in the tube as a back up I suppose this would work well as long as you remembered only to load one in the tube> JIM