Got a set of dies coming for an older Winchester chambered in 30-30. While I have been reloading for decades, I have never loaded for this little gem. Anyone have any insights or pet loads? I have some Sierra 170 FNSP's to start with. As soon as the dies get here, I will size and trim all of my brass to a consistent length to improve consistency crimping. Just looking for general insight. Thanks in advance..

I had to go back and look because I loaded up all my .30-30 brass six years ago and haven't taken the rifle out since then. It seems I chose AR-Comp to fuel it. If I'd had Leverevolution at that time I would have used it instead...it sems to be THE powder for it. I prefer the 170s over the 150s, either Sierra Pro Hunter or Speer Hot Cor. Maybe one day I'll carry the old 94 one of these days when I o sneaking through the creek bottom looking for pigs. A 170 just seems to be the better choice for that duty.

Is that part number 2010 on the bullet? If so, it's the 170 grain version of the all-time best .30-30 bullet ever made, the Sierra Pro Hunter 2000 which is 150 grains and been unobtainable for years. I have a few boxes stored away but I mostly load a Ranch Dog 172-ish cast, gas checked, powder coated bullet. IMR3031, H335, and Leverevolution are the most common powders I see ... I use 3031 for "hunting" loads and 10 or so grains of Unique for "fun shooting" loads. Some call them plinkers. I don't like that word.

Saw midway had some 190 grain Barnes original bullets listed, don’t think they make them any more but always wanted to give them a try. I’ve got a 30-30 coming some day but not yet.

.30-30 brass is thin and the tapered case shape will cause a thick sizing lube to accumulate and dent the shoulder. Go easy on the lube.

You will likely crimp the bullets. Be sure to trim all cases to the same length and set your die to ensure the case mouth crimps easily into the cannelure, otherwise you will bulge the mouth.

I really liked IMR 3031 when I fooled around a lot with a 30-30. I recommend loading lightly so your brass will last a long time, the deer won't care.

Leverevolution is a great 30-30 powder if you can get it.
I loaded a batch last night 160 Gr Hornady FTX and IMR 3031. shoot great!

Yeah I surely crimp my home cast, powder coated, and checked bullets. Supposed to. I don't use lube that dents (cough, Imperial sizing wax on 5.56X45), I use a common cut lube in a spray bottle. I have never trimmed a .30-30 case but I haven't needed to yet. I don't try to hit cannelures, I try to make the round the proper length for the bullet, chamber, and charge.



Right. IMR3031 is my go to for .30-30.



Happy for your results. I won't subject my 70+ year old Ballard rifled Marlin to a jacketed bullet for the most part. When I do, it's an unobtainable Sierra 150 that's only partially jacketed with a soft FLAT point ... like my Ranch Dog cast bullets.

Look at the data on Speer's site for 130gr. Run it up hot as they say with CFE 223. My Marlin does 3/4" for three at 100. Blood trail machine.

3031 is all I have ever used in the 30-30.

Leverevolution gets my vote for 30-30.

I do at least one hunt every year with my 30-30 and regularly toss it on the rack for a little range time - always been a fan of playing with lever actions.

Very nice. I use the old IR4895 for 35 Remington. Quite accurate in several rifles. Quite accurate in several rifles. I believe that could be a good fit for 30-30.

If you guys have not seen Paul Harrell's recent YouTube video on 30-30 bullet weights you might check it out. I was pretty surprised with his findings 150 grain versus 170 grain.

Thanks gents. I do have some IMR-3031 and knew it was an old stand-by for this chambering. This is a Winny Model 64 Deluxe in 30 WCF, that belonged to an uncle who fought with Merril's Marauders in WW2. Kinda special to my father and I, so I want to get it up and running, but I have no desire to hotrod it. If i can't harvest a whitetail with a 170 Sierra going 1900-2000'ish, then I probably just need to put it all away and take up checkers.


Gas Guzzler, can you expound a bit on these ranch dog cast bullets? I think I saw them mentioned on the Marlin Owner's page as well...heck that may have even been you over there. I will get pics posted when I have a chance to drag it out.

Mold has long been discontinued. When one comes up for sale, the price is pretty high. I got lucky finding this one and the vintage steel Redfield peep sight on my waffle top.

Arsenal Molds makes a Ranch Dog clone: http://arsenalmolds.com/products?product_id=84&limit=100

5-Cavity for $88 ... Gas check or plain base versions available. Great mold.

Yep...looks very similar.

GasG, have you tried those on whitetails? Curious about their performance on critters? Do they mushroom well, or do they tend to cut a neat hole as they go through? Thanks in advance, sir.

I have not. The designer only made bullet molds that produced bullets to kill. He is not a paper puncher. The large flat nose is designed to expand in a manner such as a JHP. This is a "internet famous" mold so I bet there are reviews and stories.

More gratuitous ammo pics...

Tantalizing. Those look really nice. Guess I need to go on the hunt for some of those. I wonder if anyone commercially sells those bullets. Most of the cast bullets I have found have been partially rounded at the nose before the flat points.

Here are the three designs of my 30-30 Win bullet. All my bullet designs from 25 Auto to 480 Ruger used a 72% meplat. I spent a lot of time with that decision but was mentored by two of the most experienced cast bullet hunters on this planet.







Preferably, I used a tangent radius from the bullet diameter to that meplat, which classifies the bullet as a Round Flat (RF) vs. a Flat. On the drawings, you will notice a 3° "draft" on the flat that is not a taper, it is a taper to each half of the nose cut so that when the mold opens, the bullet will release. If it was truly flat, it could not be knocked out of the mold due to the features. As far as what the nose of the bullet does, that is driven by the alloy you shoot. Soft bullets flatten, and hard bullets use hydrostatic shock. The latter stretches the hide and tissue, while the nose profile cuts like a cookie cutter through everything it meets. Ballistics has been around for a long time, and math has been well proven. You can see that cut in the last column of the following table.



When I was a very young kid, I started hunting with a used Savage 340. I ordered a Lee Loader from an ad in Outdoor Life and bought reloading components from a country store a short walk up the FM from where we lived. My dad asked where I was getting all the ammo, I told him, and he was good with it as he shot a M94.

I've always been a 30-30 hunter and will remain so. I've owned a bunch of them and still have several favorites that my estate will end up with. I've always been a Texas hunter, but beyond the gob of whitetails and hogs I've taken with them, I have also killed our mule deer and pronghorns. When I had the mold business, I had reports and pictures of elk, black bears, and probably most of the hoofed exotics that are elk-sized or less. I was coming home from town one day, back to my ranch in DeWitt County and at the bend in the FM was a large sambar bull laying on the shoulder under the shade of a large live oak that was growing on my side of the barbed wire fence. I always kept a 30-30 handy as I wanted to take that bull with the cartridge. I never saw that dude again despite being in the brush every day.

My favorite powder for the 30-30 has always been W748, based on the first can I bought as a kid. I have used all possibilities.

I'm down to two of my favorites; a Savage 340 and a Winchester M94 Timber Scout.







Yeah, I like scout rifles.

Here is a cool rifle, the Savage 170, a pump offered in 30-30 Win and 35 Rem. I've owned several of both offerings. This hog was killed with the C311 bullet, 75~80 yards out in some tall grass. Kneeling, I could only see his ear, so I sent it. Cast bullets can be as accurate as any other bullet material through alloy and load selection.

Nice.

See, I told you it was designed to kill.

Mine is named like the middle one but is shaped like the third and weighs over 170 with my alloy (whatever that is on a certain day) with GC and PC.

The permanent wound channel is over an inch in diameter from 50 yards with barely more than 2K MV. I think that answers the question above about poking through like a BB.

Anyway ... my rifle is old (1951) enough to have Ballard rifling but this is still a great cast bullet for .30-30 WIN.

Straight from the horses mouth. Ok- now I need to find some of those magical pills to try in this M64. Dies arrived yesterday and I have powder- brass and primers.

RD clone, 041, several molds will work fine. LeverE, 3031,I/H4895, 335. Unique or 2400 for plinkin slow stuff. Never trimmed any, use the Lee FCD, OAL where the rifle like it.