Buckshot Round Balls in 30-30 & 357 Magnum?

DMW1116 said:

I was searching around for some cast bullets for a rifle caliber and ran across some buckshot. Two sizes are possibly useful with the two calibers above for cheaper plinking, and one guy at the local range uses it for target shooting in a muzzle loaded pistol. Is this a fools errand or will it yield useful practice ammo.

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Most buck is pure lead and can be put through a sizer and loaded. I've herd of it in pistol, don't know I'd do it in rifle.

Not sure what is useful in your opinion. If you mean does it go bang and hit a target then probably yes (so long as it's got enough umph to get out of the barrel consistently) but highly doubt you will see any practical accuracy beyond short distances. May be useful for those gallery plates at 15 yards with super light recoil.

I've been thinking about duplicating this in 38 and 357 for a while. It seems like life keeps giving me other things to do.
When I decide to go for it I'm going to buy a lee 000 buck mold and use powdercoated range scrap. I don't have any practical use for it other than plinking. (Not my pictures, borrowed from web)

I don't know how useful it would be for serious practice, but its certainly something that you could try.

I bought a Hammond Game Getter in 30-06. Its a specially adapted case that powers buckshot with a ..22 nail gun cartridge. They are made for 30-30 too. Mine came with some #0 buck and a swage sizer. That worked pretty well, but I acquired a .311 round ball mold and have been casting projectiles from wheel weights. I've only tried it a 25 yds., and its decently accurate at that range, but the POI is quite different from full power ammo as you might expect. I did kill a squirrel with it once in my M70.

https://gamegetter.ca/calibers.html

My recommendation is get the Lee .360” round ball mold. It casts a much better projectile.
For the .30/30, get the .310” RB.
Coat them with a thin coating of Lee “tumble lube”
A small charge of a fast burning pistol/shotgun powder is sufficient.

I’ve used Bullseye, RedDot, GreenDot, and Unique. About 2gr for .38spl. About 5gr is enough(.30/30). A small pinch of Dacron pillow stuffing helps with fouling and accuracy.
I use a measure made with a .22 Short empty case for pistol.
Point of impact is several inches lower than with full power loads.

A proper cast bullet would be more accurate and effective in 30-30. For gallery loads in 30-30, the Hornady 86 grs short jacket 30 Mauser bullet is pretty fun.

Be careful ! A fact discovered when much younger and dumber, low velocity round balls fired against metal or wooden target backers will allow them to constantly bounce back at the shooter.

blackhawk44 said:

Be careful ! A fact discovered when much younger and dumber, low velocity round balls fired against metal or wooden target backers will allow them to constantly bounce back at the shooter.

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That's good to know.

I’ve done the duplex load before but I used two 75 grain wadcutters, stacked on top of one another.

DMW1116 said:

Is this a fools errand or will it yield useful practice ammo.

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Depends on what you are trying to practice. If I am casting my own, it’s just as easy to cast a decent bullet.

The round balls for .31 cap & ball revolvers load nicely into .30-30 brass. I used them with a light load of Red Dot for potting squirrels (silencing the red squirrels!) and the odd grouse that came near the deer stand when using the Win. 94.

jmorris said:

I’ve done the duplex load before but I used two 75 grain wadcutters, stacked on top of one another.

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Depends on what you are trying to practice. If I am casting my own, it’s just as easy to cast a decent bullet.

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Not looking for your specific load data, but did you use a load for a 148 - 158 grain bullet or something less/more?? And how did they print on paper?

Duhhhhhh, just went back and saw the thumbnail of your target. Looks good for that kind of loading.

DMW1116 said:

Yes it’s just as easy to cast real bullets if doing so yourself. I just wondered if these things would even work, so I’m mostly tinkering.

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Id put 3 grains of tg, rd or BE and see what happens in a 38 case.

These are the reason I got into reloading, I enjoy the multiball loads. I did think of trying them for .32's, but abandoned the idea as 50gr balls just don't have enough mass to be useful IMO, so these are a .38/.357 minimum type deal, my favorite is for .45 Colt, easy to buy .454 muzzleloading balls and they shoot great.

I do use 000 Buck for the .38 multiball loads, I've been told it's harder, but IDK if that has any effect over the pure lead .454 balls.

All I can day is do it, they're super fun, but you'll have to seat the balls on a single stage press.

TTv2 said:

These are the reason I got into reloading, I enjoy the multiball loads. I did think of trying them for .32's, but abandoned the idea as 50gr balls just don't have enough mass to be useful IMO, so these are a .38/.357 minimum type deal, my favorite is for .45 Colt, easy to buy .454 muzzleloading balls and they shoot great.

I do use 000 Buck for the .38 multiball loads, I've been told it's harder, but IDK if that has any effect over the pure lead .454 balls.

All I can day is do it, they're super fun, but you'll have to seat the balls on a single stage press.

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Single stage only. For shame

AJC1 said:

Single stage only. For shame

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I say single stage because there's not enough room to work with on a progressive. You have to hold the top ball up into the die in order to guide it into the case mouth and also force the bottom ball down.

dartor said:

Not looking for your specific load data, but did you use a load for a 148 - 158 grain bullet or something less/more??

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75+75=150 so I just used data for a regular 148gn wadcutter.

jmorris said:

75+75=150 so I just used data for a regular 148gn wadcutter.

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Yeah if your doing more than one that seems the better approach. I was thinking single.

jmorris said:

I’ve done the duplex load before but I used two 75 grain wadcutters, stacked on top of one another.

View attachment 1152085



Depends on what you are trying to practice. If I am casting my own, it’s just as easy to cast a decent bullet.

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Would 2 wadcutters reduce the ricochet hazard compared to round balls? I shoot with the family alot and don't want to create a hazard.

Probably not out of my bullet traps.

I use .313 round balls to load 32 short and long ammo for gallery loads. They are not as accurate as regular lead bullets but neither are the old 32 cal BP revolvers I shoot them in.
I have learned and built a special target holder to minimize ricochets. It is a U shaped deal made out of wood strapping that takes a piece of cardboard the size of a dish washer box (can get many) and is driven into the ground upside down in front of the berm. It is in effect open bottom as that was the direction most of my lead balls hit when they were not so accurate.

This all but eliminated any bouncing back at all. Note, I do routinely clean the dirt on the berm of lead and reuse it as well.

I've loaded 00 buckshot in a .32 caliber revolver and it made a decent plinking load at close range. Been a long time ago, but I seem to recall using a cardboard wad over a pinch of Bullseye or Red Dot tamped down with a pencil and then the 00 buckshot hand stuffed into the case mouth with about 1/3 of the ball exposed. It was a friction fit, but I went ahead and sealed it with a drop of Elmer's glue.

Shot it in a 1920's era H&R gun so pressure was kept very low. Never had any dies; this was more an experiment than a serious attempt for accuracy. Sharpen the mouth of a .32 S&W case and use it to cut your cardboard wads by pounding it int a piece of cardboard.