30-30 Plinking - Lead and Microgroove

[Gadzooks Mike]

So I bought some 165 gr. lead bullets sized at .309" for my .303 Savage and they work great. Coming out of a microgrooved barrel of a Marlin 30-30 was like shooting a shotgun. So I've been using up my supply of 110gr FMJ bullets (they're made for a 30 carbine) for plinking with the Marlin. I finally found some 165 gr. .311" lead bullets and loaded up a few rounds to test with this morning, and boy did that make me smile!

These make some great fun, cheap, and NO recoil plinking rounds. Should be great for rabbits as well, just aim a bit high.

The jacketed bullets were loaded with 8gr. of Unique, the lead bullets with 7 gr. of Unique. What a fun round that is!

In the first photo, the aim point for group 2 is mis-marked. It was the top of the orange, not the top of the target. The gun is sighted in for 100 yards using normal hunting rounds (150 gr. 30-30) and these were all shot at 50 yards. They all drop about 3 1/2 inches.

 

[Shoney]

I've used AL-8 (now Blue Dot) for my 303 Sav, 308, 30-06 and 300WinMag combined with 115 gr 32-20 cast bulletes. By adjusting the loads, I was able to have these light loads to hit roughly at the same point of impact at 100 yards as the respective rifle.

These loads were handy for grouse, snowshoe hare, and to dispatch wounded animals without blowing the bajeeprs out of them.

 

[Galil5.56]

Nice work, and you will read some folks say microgroove and cast bullets don't mix... Well, like any other handloading endeavor, you have to do your homework and as you have shown, experiment. I have had great luck with microgroove and the cast bullets I make that are *properly* sized using Unique and Red Dot.

Here is a picture of one of my recovered bullets, showing how well a purchase the microgroove rifling can take when properly sized. Properly sized in my situation is .310"-.311":

 

[ThomasT]

Galil did you use a gas check on that bullet? It looks like the MG barrel really grabbed that bullet.

Shoney what charge of blue dot are you using with the 32-20 bullet? I have 32 mags and have some 115gr and 100gr bullets I have been wanting to try. I would like to use some of the red dot powder I have on hand.

I use to load 30-30 cases with 5grs of bullseye and a #1 buck pellet. It worked just fine for the short range I used it at. It was louder than I expected. I should have tried 3-4grs.

 

[Galil5.56]

That 30/30 bullet was recovered almost 30 years ago, and I can't remember if it was GC'd, but comparing another unfired bullet it appears it was, most likely with a non crimped Lyman GC I used early on. Now I only use Hornady crimp ons. For my Red Dot and Unique powered plinkers, I never did GC, but this bullet may have been from a slightly "hotter" 2400 powered round recovered from deep, soft snow.

I had so much fun shooting these handloads, but unfortunately the rifle has long since been stolen. I still use these Lee 150 grainers in other 30 cal rifles, and they are extremely accurate with, and w/o gas checks. These bullets seem to expand well when cast from straight air cooled WW, and driven around 1500+ fps. Shown below is a snow recovered non GC "plinker" fired from my Rem 700 30/06, and a well expanded GC one driven by 17 grains of Unique as I recall.

 

[Gadzooks Mike]

I've used AL-8 (now Blue Dot) for my 303 Sav, 308, 30-06 and 300WinMag combined with 115 gr 32-20 cast bulletes. By adjusting the loads, I was able to have these light loads to hit roughly at the same point of impact at 100 yards as the respective rifle.

Shoney, thanks! I was wondering if that was possible. 7gr. of Unique is a pretty small pop, and I know there's room to go yet. I think I'll try some at 8 and 8 1/2 grains and see how they do. I don't want to over-do it, as these are not gas checked, but it would be nice to get the close to the target without re-aiming.

Oh, before I forget, in case anyone wants to know, these are Hunters Supply cast bullets, 30 cal, 165 grain FP .311 and I bought them from Midway USA. I'm not sure of the hardness - anyone know what it is for these things? The .309 bullets I'm using in the Savage are from Missouri Bullet Co. and are BRN 18.

 

[GooseGestapo]

FWIW;
I use .311" sized bullets in my Marlin .30/30 with M.G. barrel. I get 1.5-2moa at 100yds at velocities up to 2,200fps.

My current favorite load is 30.0gr of RL15, under a Lee .311 150-FNGC. Weighs 158gr from heat-treated W/W and lubed with 50/50 Alox-Beeswax lube and sized to .311".

I also shoot a lot of them tumble-lubed w/o gascheck over ~10.0gr of Unique. My brother shoots it through his Win M94 as well over ~7.5gr and calls it his "coffee can" load. Costs about a $ to load a 1lb coffee can full of them. And will provide an afternoon full of entertainment, for a couple of "hill-billys" like us.

The MicroGroove barrels will shoot very will with cast bullets, but the bullet design and diameter has to be properly matched. The MG barrels tend to want oversized bullets.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

good post

one of my nephews just inherited a 30-30 Marlin and is interested in cheap plinking and small game loads. I'll have him check this thread.
he's my hog blind 'buddy-backup' and has a H&R 20 ga Mag he has been useing so the 30-30 will come in handy.

 

[ThomasT]

Well this thread just cost me $83+ dollars. I ordered a Lee 170gr flatnose mold, a .311 sizer, case mouth belling die and 1000 gas checks. The mold says it is a .309 and I hope it cast a little larger. With a mix of lead wheel weights and some linotype they should cast a little larger than 309.

I have two 30-30s, a winny and a marlin. I have already put the williams peep on the winchester. I will most likely use it for the lead bullets.

A few years ago I bought a Gun Digest that had an article by Jim Forrel titled "My 30-40 Plinker". He used a 30-40 Krag and lead bullets for plinking at a local river. I have read and reread that article because it sounded like he was having so much fun. I hope I can do the same thing with my 30-30 and lead bullet loads.

 

[Gadzooks Mike]

You'll look back at this as the best $83 you've ever spent! Enjoy!

 

[Galil5.56]

Well this thread just cost me $83+ dollars.

I think you will shoot these more than jacketed... No real reason not too, as you give up nothing to top velocity if that is what you want, and if cast right they will fill a deer tag. Also doesn't hurt how far a lb of lead goes at 170 or so grains at a time, and if you blend scrap were talking peanuts for bullet cost. Cast bullets + 30/06 = fun plinking, and nothing like loading up a block



And stepping out back for a little steel clanging:



Lastly, you might be surprised how fast you can drive these bullets w/o GC's to save $$$/not waste them. I don't even think about adding them till around 1500 fps, and even then you might find them unnecessary depending on alloy, diameter, barrel, lube, etc.

 

[ThomasT]

I'm looking foward to doing some casting. I cast a big batch of 32 caliber bullets for my 32 mags a year ago and haven't cast since then.

Galil I want you to know I am green with envy. Someday I will a nice spot to shoot like you have.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

from the looks of the torn-up dirt behind the pig he must have a mg shooting those cast slugs!

 

[SASS#23149]

anyone who has not tried cast 'plinker' loads in their 30-30's is missing out on a lot of fun shooting at very low cost.
Be sure to get all of the copper fouling out 1st,the two don't mix well in most guns,accuracy-wise.
So many rifles just sit in the safe or closet until hunting season,then back into the safe they go. shooting cast with pistol powders extends their usage,and they are so much happier being used than neglected !

 

[GooseGestapo]

Ratshooter;
My Lee .311 170-FNGC casts to .311-.312" like my .311-150FNGC.

It's just not quite as accurate as the shorter/lighter bullet in my rifles. When seated to the crimpgroove, a portion of the first lube groove and gascheck protrude into the powder space and my be partially the reason for this.

Also, I have't pursued the 170gr as much as I bought it to use in the .30/06 which has a faster twist and can use the extra weight.

I also use the .311" diameter in the .30/06 as well. For general plinking in the '06 I use the .311 155gr PtGC that is intended for the 7.62x39. Over 20gr of #2400, it gives 1,700fps and near moa from my MkX Mauser at 100yds. I've shot deer with it over 24.0gr of #2400. Couldn't tell it hadn't been shot with a jacketed 150 at 700fps faster. The shoulder/spine hit dropped it "right there" and left a 2" exit would. Complete round probably cost 7-8cents.

I haven't bought a jacketed rifle bullet except for the .223/.22-250 in over a year now.

 

[ThomasT]

Thanks for the info Goose. I want to use the 170 for my 30-06 also. I'm glad to hear that the bullet comes out at 311-312. I ordered a 311 sizer.

I know you don't want the bullet in the powder area. So if the 170 doesn't work I will order a 150. You can't have too many bullet molds. I have 22 molds now and all I can say is the more the merrier. I have been scrounging lead for a long time in anticipation of the day I couldn't get jacketed bullets. It looks like that plan may pay off. I have around 1400lbs now.

I am going to try my winchester 94 with the lead loads first. I will make sure the bore is copper free before I start. Thats why I put the peep on this gun. It just seems more in line with using lead bullets.

 

[Slamfire]

My Marlin microgroove did not like bullets speeds over 1600 fps. As you can see from the targets below, at 1688 fps average the bullets started to scatter.

I don't consider a 30-30 lever action a target rifle, if I am shooting 3" groups at 100 yards with one of the things, I am happy.

I never did like microgroove barrels. I had the one on my M1894 replaced.

 

[Gadzooks Mike]

Just wanted to post the follow-up. I had determined to try a bit more Unique so that hopefully I didn't have the 3 1/2" bullet drop at 50 yards. I'm using a 165 gr .311" cast bullet, but I'm not sure what the BNR is. Anyway, at 7 gr of Unique, as I said, the drop was 3 1/2" but with a nice, tight grouping. Today I tried 10 shots each of 8 gr and 9 gr and lost the grouping. With 9 gr, the shots were centered around the X, but they covered the target. 8 gr had the same scatter but with a 2 inch or so drop. 7 gr put them right back to grouped, but 3 1/2" low.

If anyone comes up with something different, or uses different powders or whatever, post your results, please.

Safe shooting!