reloading with cast bullets?

[deadwooddan]

Never handloaded with cast bullets before, and was curious what others have done. Reloading for my Win. 94AE .30-.30. I have Win 748 and OregonTrails 170gr True shot projectiles. I only have Hornady manual and it doesn't list anything for cast bullets.

Want to use these for hunting purposes and hoping to find a good plinking round. Found another site that was using pistol powder for such use. Any adive here?

I think i will get some Hornady lever evelution bullets (?) to work up next for hunting.

thanks

[Chuck 100 yd]

Many, as in, most of the guys here shoot cast in the .30-30.
I like the Lyman 311041 bullet and the RCBS 150 gr. bullet and also the Ranch Dog 160gr. cast bullets.

Powders I use are 2400, Unique, IMR 4198, Red Dot ,Green Dot, Trail Boss and a bunch more.

Pick up a Lyman cast bullet manual and read it before you start. It will, along with the fellers here, lead you into a great aspect of levergun shooting. Have fun!!

[Don McDowell]

I shoot 18 grs of aa 5744 with that bullet.
I'ld also recommend you purchase a Lyman 49th reloading Handbook.

[kooz]

I load 30gr/H-335 under a RCBS 170gr FN in my 32 WS and get excellent results.

[J Miller]

deadwooddan,

Welcome to the forum.

Normally I load jacketed bullets in centerfire rifles. That is what they were designed for so I see no really compelling reason to use cast.
~~ However~~ after being on this forum for so long I've been convinced to try some. Currently I have a hundred rounds of 170 ish cast gas check bullets loaded in 30-30 cases. I've tried several loads with 748, 3031, IMR 4320 and at the insistence of several forum members, Unique.

I have no idea how they will shoot. The weather turned nasty right after I loaded them so it will probably be some time before I get to the outdoor range.

Here's a couple threads where I asked some questions about this subject:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22223
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=22555

Joe

[KCSO]

My best, most accurate hunintg loads are with 748. I am pushing the 31141 at 2000 fps from a 94 carbine and it is deadly on deer. For plinking try 10.0 of Unique or 9.0 of Trail Boss.

[Griff]

and welcome to The Forum!

If I may be so bold, as I suggest you follow Don's lead with that bullet. AND his advise about that Lyman Cast loading manual! Matbe he can let us know the approximate velocity and you can extrapolate a safe load with a powder you already use that can act as a starting point for some accuracy tests.

I don't know if that Oregon Trail is a plain base or? Since all my cast .30-30 loads are for a gas-checked boolit, I couldn't advise ya.

Good luck!

[Don McDowell]

The velocity I'm getting is just a tad over 1700.
Looking in the Lyman 48, 25 grs of the 748 would be a good place to hover around.

[Charles]

The 30-30 is a fine cast bullet cartridge and will killer deer cleanly. You will want a good gas check bullet with a decent meplat. The alloy should be air cool wheelweight or a tad harder. No need for water dropping or rock hard alloys.

2400, 4759 and 4227 are excellent powders for the round. While different in size and density, they are similiar in burning rate and charge weights. A charge weight of 14 to 17 grains will give you good velocity and good accuracy. The upper end will give you 1.7 or 1.8 K fps and is plenty of powder for deer.

If you want to push the bullet faster than about 1.8 K fps, then go with a medium burning powder like 3031, 4895, H335 and the like. YOu can push a cast bullet in the 30-20 2.2K fps with good accuracy, but there is little sense in going that fast. It won't kill a deer deader and at those speeds, alloy and lube become more critical.

Some folks like 10 to 11 grains of Unique as a plinking for in the 30-30 over a good cast bullet.

[jlchucker]

I shoot 18 grs of aa 5744 with that bullet.
I'ld also recommend you purchase a Lyman 49th reloading Handbook.

Don, I've used that very load, and it's a good one. One thing I did notice though, and I wonder if you've experienced the same. For some reason, AA5744, while shooting tight groups at 50 yd to the same point of aim as, say a comparable (bookwise) load of 748 or 3031, seems to give noticeably less felt recoil. I notice this in not only 30-30, but even in 45-70 using an RCBS 405 gr cast bullet. One day a gunsmith friend and I were shooting 45-70s at our club range, and we both noticed this. He even thought my 5744 loads were loaded down, until he shot them to the same spot, using his rifle, that his RL7 loads were going into. Odd indeed!

[Don McDowell]

Jlchucker,yes I do notice the less "felt" recoil using 5744 in rifle loads, not so much in handguns.
I also like the accuracy of 5744, it shoots very comparably to black powder loads in the 45-70 even out to 1000 yds.

[missionary5155]

Good Morning
For a TON of Cast info for the 30-30 or any other caliber you can go to the Cast Boolits websight. Use the SEARCH mode on the LEVERACTION board & I think you will have all the loads yopu can desire.
The LYMAN Cast Manual is a Good tool. BUT beware... you may just decide you can CAST your own & wonder why you waited so long to start. My dad & his Navy buddy were casters so I had a good upbringing around hot pots & molds.

[O.S.O.K.]

I load and shoot Oregon Trail 170's with W748 and this is a good combination.

A few notes of advice:

1) get a Lee universal case mouth expanding die - this is inexpensive and flares the case mouth prior to seating your cast bullets - you don't want to scrape the bullets as you seat them and this prevents that from ocurring.
2) Those True Shot boolits are good, gas-checked bullets. You can save some money though if you buy their regular 170 grain cast .309" boolits and apply your own gas checks using a Lee sizer die kit. This kit uses a die that screws into your press - is very inexpensive $20 ish. Oregon Trail uses the same exact mold for their regular 170 flat nosed and the True Shot version. I also apply a coat of Lee liquid alox lube to my boolits and to date have experienced no leading whatsoever.
3) I use a load of 27 grains of W748 with standard large rifle primer and it goes around 1950-2000 fps.
4) apply a roll crimp into the crimping groove.

Now, one last thing - these Oregon Trail boolits are very hard. They likely will not expand on game but rather will punch a 30 caliber hole all of the way through. I have not hunted with these boolits.

I do know that if you cast your own using air-cooled wheel weights and load them to around 2000 fps that they will rivet or mushroom slightly on deer.

I'll let those who've hunted with 20+ brinell boolits advise you on how they work on game.

[1886]

Welcome. Avoid "pistol" powders. Plenty of slower powders available that are more suitable for the task at hand. 2495 is a great cast powder. Varget will also serve you well. You may find the Rem. 2 1/2 primer is just the ticket. The 173gr Lyman design that 100yrd Chuck suggested is a dandy. 1886.

[deadwooddan]

Thanks to all. I feel i have found another GREAT site to visit and ask questions. Have only been handloading for 2yrs mainly .223REM(AR-15) and .40S&W and still going through the learning curves. Have had this weapon for some time and have shoot less than 2 boxes of ammo.

Purchased 2 boxes of OregonTrails boolits off another board b.c. it was a deal and i new i wanted to learn to load next.

Once i do alittle more learning will be sure to post more newbie ?'s

thanks again