30-30 Lead at 1900fps?

[Jon_Snow]

I don't have much experience loading lead bullets and I have none loading them faster than 1200 fps. Are there any concerns about loading lead in a 30-30 at ~1900 fps? I've tried to research leading velocities but there seems to be a lot of disagreement on the subject.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have heard of lead loads @1800 fps not leading the barrel but I have not loaded past 1600 fps. IMO if you're going to push a lead bullet to 1900 fps or more you should use a bullet with a gas check, that will work...

 

[56hawk]

I've shot lead bullets up to 2500 fps. It requires a lot more cleaning, but worth it for me for the price savings.

 

[JLDickmon]

I would think with a gas-checked bullet it would be within the realm of possibility.

 

[kelbro]

Yes, no problem with a gas check and a semi-hard bullet that's .001 or better over the bore size.

 

[Jon_Snow]

Great advice so far. Will a .001 oversized bullet cause any significant pressure rise or is the load data the same regardless?

 

[10 Spot Terminator]

Lead bullets even in the 18 BHN range will NEED to be at least .001 oversized and many go .002 to insure good sealing in the bore especially at the velocity you are trying to achieve. As posted by another a gas checked cast bullet would definitely be a plus. Would recommend the alloy be at least Lyman #2 which should do the job and not be brittle should you opt to hunt with these bullets.There have been BOO KOO deer, elk, bear, moose etc. that fell to a cast lead bullet . Also recommend if you go .002 over to get a neck expander die .001 over to reduce stress when seating your cast bullets. When done right you can get decent accuracy from those cheaper to shoot lead bullets as well.

 

[kelbro]

Agree with the Lyman #2 recommendation. No, .001 over will not create an overpressure situation. The Lyman M die (expander) is a great tool for loading lead bullets.

 

[GP100man]

If it`s a Marlin Micro Groove size at least .002 over .

Mine likes .3105 & I have reached 1600fps with freechex & 13 bhn boolits.

I`m using the classic Lyman 311041.

 

[Clark]

http://www.westernbullet.com/ly3gr2.html

That .309" 170 gr gas checked Lyman #311291 bullet at ~1825 fps from my 20" Win 1894 1977 angle eject 30-30 will shoot better than jacketed bullets.
2.4" at 100 meters.
That is because I can seat it long and single shot jam it way into the lands like a schutzen.

 

[popper]

I've gone to >2000 fps, 50/50 #2/pure with RD311165 cast, GCd. No leading. The accuracy part is what takes attention to detail.

 

[10 Spot Terminator]

+1 on the Lyman #311291 170gr. gas checked cast. I have it in both the standard round nose and hollowpointed round nose and it performs very nicely in 30/30, 30-06 and my 7.62x54R Mosin Nagant . This is very likely the #1 most popular .30 cal cast bullet of all time. Google up 30 cal 311291 load data and you will find a vast amount of threads referencing this bullets applications. I can feel the hook being set even deeper ,,,

 

[41 Mag]

If you are going to be pouring them yourself, I HIGHLY suggest looking up White Label Lubes and giving some of their BAC or Carnuba Red lube a hard look.

There are others out there, but for the price and performance these two are hard to beat for what your looking to accomplish.

If you are buying commercial bullets, then you should at least slug your bore to determine the best size to purchase. Some commercial casters will do different sizes and some won't, and in the cast game fit is King and lube is Queen. Even with the GC designs, you can and will experience leading to some degree without the proper fit and lube for the job. Slugging can easily be done with a pure lead sinker that is a bit over your bore diameter. Just be sure to use some oil and a substantial rod to drive it through with, and not a cheezy wooden dowel.

Don't let this distract you from your project, just do a bit of homework and you will be fine. There are folks pushing cast 2K+ FPS all the time, but they have things dialed in to fit and lube their barrels. Quite a few of them are also running lower BHN alloys as well . Like I said, you simply need to assure your fit is good first and foremost, and then the lube, and the rest will take care of it's self.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I load the exact same thing for my .30/30.
I'm running both the Lee 150gr FN (.311" @ 158gr) and Lee 170gr FN (178gr).
I load the 150gr over 30.0gr of RL15 for 2,100fps (lubed with either NRA 50/50 (Lee) or SPG lube). The 170gr I run over 28.0gr of RL15 for ~2,000fps.

Both of these bullets are cast from w/w with 95/5 solder added to improve castability.
Both are as or more accurate than factory jacketed ammo.
Effectiveness on deer has to be seen to be believed... (think premium jacketed or so-called copper monolithic...). Even loaded to ~1,250fps over 7.5gr of Unique, the 150gr FN will completely penetrate a whitetail doe lengthwise..... Increase in velocity is to flatten trajectory and improve expansion which will reduce penetration.
I've quit buying jacketed bullets for the .30/30..... yeah, the cast "boolits" are that good.

I run them at .311". The improvement in accuracy over .308 or .309 is substantial. I run them at .311 in my .30/06 likewise. In the '06, I use 20.0-24.0gr of #2400.....
The "oversized" lead bullets don't significantly increase pressures as the bullet metal is very ductile and "squeezes" down easily.... Improvement in accuracy overrides the slight increase in pressues... In the .30/30, especially the "microgroove" Marlin/Glenfield's, you won't notice any pressure increases with the larger diameter bullets... It takes a .314 or larger bullet to notice an increase in pressures and this is accompanied with very poor accuracy... btdt.

I use Hornady .30cal gaschecks. Without the gaschecks, ~1,500fps is tops for good accuracy...