[Nicodemus38]

30 wcf, can you safely reload them by neck sizing and not full length resizing?

i know the lever action is supposed to stretch the base of the case a little bit upon extraction but i havent seen that in fired casings yet.


also when you load a levergun with fmj or cast bullets, how do you ensure sufficient crimping to prevent setback of bullets? have seen setback on a few factory jsp rounds last week of hunting.

[MMCSRET]

With the lever gun you are asking for trouble if you don't full length size, I'm sure some one will chime in with more information.

[SlamFire1]

With the lever gun you are asking for trouble if you don't full length size, I'm sure some one will chime in with more information.

Agree on that. Lever actions just don't have powerful cams. At some point you will either have difficulty getting the bolt closed, or difficulty getting the bolt open.

Buy a Cartridge headspace gage, the one below is a 308, but I also have a 30-30 gage. Use the gage to set up your die so that you size the case to gage minimum, or .003" under fired length.

I am curious to know the reloading life of 30-30 brass, I suspect that given proper sizing, ten reloads would be reasonable.

Crimping, heck if I know. I just roll crimp cast bullets to their grooves. My 30-30 did not need any crimping on the jacketed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/SlamFire/Reloading/ReducedWilsongagemeasuringnew308bra.jpg

[ReloaderFred]

You should crimp any rounds that are going to be stored in a tubular magazine, as the compression of the spring exerts quite a bit of pressure on the column of shells. Also use flat point bullets, so you won't have the point of one bullet resting on the primer of the case above it in the magazine. This could cause a round to go off under recoil, and has in the past. I full length size all brass for my Marlins, as noted above.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[qajaq59]

Yep, full size them and crimp them. Especially if you're going to hunt with them. Otherwise, sooner or later you'll have a jam. Oh, and that jam will come just as soon as you see the biggest rack you have ever seen. :evil: Also never use pointed bullets in a 30-30 lever rifle.

And Slamfire 1, if I use Unique and cast bullets the case life just seems to go on and on. They don't even stretch.(They're great for practice, by the way.) With my hunting loads though it's a different story, but they still last quite a while.

[rcmodel]

Lever-actions are quite "springy and stretchy" due to the rear locking bolt.

Case stretch will rear it's ugly head no matter how you size them if you load to full power.

It is best to resize to headspace off the shoulder of your chamber rather then off the rim however. Many lever-guns have a little excess headspace, and not all brands of case rims are created equal.

Adjust your sizing die to just push the shoulder back just enough for the sized case to chamber without any extra effort on the lever.

I have seen more variation in rim thickness and case OAL in mixed brand 30-30 cases then any other caliber.

rc

[Galil5.56]

30 wcf, can you safely reload them by neck sizing and not full length resizing?

i know the lever action is supposed to stretch the base of the case a little bit upon extraction but i havent seen that in fired casings yet.


also when you load a levergun with fmj or cast bullets, how do you ensure sufficient crimping to prevent setback of bullets? have seen setback on a few factory jsp rounds last week of hunting.


Watch out not to collapse the shoulder during seating/crimping that will cause cambering issues, and your best friend regarding cast bullets (jacketed too) is a proper relationship between expander diameter, bullet diameter and crimp die. Some 30/30 loads I made up used a very compressed charge of IMR 4064, and the crimp in this application was to keep the bullet from pushing out, not pushing back from the mag tube. Also, some Sierra "30/30" bullets from years back were actually sized .307" and may prove to be too small for your situation should you find some to try.

I loaded the bullets I cast .3105" as I recall, and they offered plenty of neck tension and accuracy at any practical velocities I tried. I did lightly crimp even with sufficient neck tension, and this would especially apply using a Lyman "M" die where the flare would need to be removed.

Here is a recovered sample from a Unique powered plinker showing very good rifling purchase on the bullet:

http://img101.photolava.com/2009/11/24/img_8412-rjrq32qp.jpg

"Pointy" bullets are fine if single loaded directly into the chamber and suitably loaded, but not placed into the magazine.