Recommend Powder for 30-30 and 8x57

IMR3031 is my favorite for jacketed 170grn .30-30 loads... don't know nothing about the 8x57...

For Jacketed bullets in both the 30-30, 8x57 and others I use IMR4064. It is a very universal powder with load data for all calibers of rifles I have. The powder is a stick powder so its a bit difficult to meter in the measures I have but for the quantities of rifle ammo I load each charge is scaled.

I don't have gobs of experience with jacketed in the .30-30, I load mainly cast now. When I was loading for it, I started with H322, which is very similar to IMR3031, but didn't get the accuracy I thought I should have with Speer 170grn HotCor bullets in my Marlin 336, so I switched to IMR3031. 3031 produced about the same accuracy, so I switched bullets... then I saw some results! With Winchester 170grn Silvertips my accuracy improved to about 1.25" at 100yds... so it wasn't so much the powder choice, but the bullet. I didn't have a chronograph back then, so I don't really know the velocities I was getting, only the book data.

Jack of all trades is probably IMR4895, I used to use it for everything .30'ish, but then started fooling around with faster powders (IMR3031, as a result of my .30-30 experiments) and slower powders (all the way up to H4831, in my .348WCF.) Since then, I've pretty much abandoned IMR4895 (except in the M1 Garand, for now, anyway... I still have 16# of 4895.) I use IMR3031 in shorter barrels, and IMR4064 in longer barrels. My experience with H4831 with the .348 in a 20" barrel showed me there is a breaking point for slow powders, even behind a fairly heavy (200grn) bullet... I was getting huge muzzle blast and pretty lackluster velocity from that combo, but a lesser charge of IMR3031 not only gave me more velocity, but less muzzle blast and better accuracy, so IMR4064 would not be my first choice in the .30-30.

3031 works for both.

For the 30-30 I use either IMR3031 or LVR.

If you are a speed guy, CFE223.
IMR4064 is top of my list. IMR 3031 was top of my Dad's.

IMR3031
H4895
Varget
All three are good performers in the two rounds listed .
Gary,
"It's like deja vu all over again"

dak0ta said:

Hi,

I was wondering if there’s a common powder I can use for these 2 calibers. I’m loading 170gr 30-30 and 200gr 8mm. I was thinking IMR4064 for 8x57. How about 30-30?

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I recall IMR's 3031 and 4064 being listed in .30-30 and 8mm Mauser. I'd have to look at Hornady's 5th Edition because I don't remember right off about which bullet weights they're listed with.

I do remember I loaded some 8mm with a 170grRN and enough IMR3031 to run it 2500fps by the book.

i use Winchester 760 powder behind a sierra 170gr prohunters at 33.6grs of win 760. works great for me! I guess i'm the only one using Winchester 760 powder??

midland man said:

i use Winchester 760 powder behind a sierra 170gr prohunters at 33.6grs of win 760. works great for me! I guess i'm the only one using Winchester 760 powder??

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I tried it. There was an excessive amount of flame near dark.
I want my night vision ruined by a fireball while hunting. Especially since it doesn't give great velocity for the charge weight.

IMR4350

Win 748 works good in my 30 wcf.

After 40 years of trying this powder and that powder and not any real difference in any of them,I've settled in on IMR 4064. It does great in all my center fire rifles, .223, .243. 270 30-30, .308, 30-06. Ck your loading manuals, IMR 4064 is about the most universal powder out there. hdbiker

The thing about all the powders today, within their burning range there isn't a nickels worth of difference in any of them . LOL hdbiker