7-30 Waters reloading information

[northwoods99]

Looking for a little information about loading .284 (7mm) 120 gr. Hornday Spitzer bullets. I have just purchased a Savage Model 99 rebarreled to 7-30 Waters caliber. So I am looking to use the Sptizer bullets. I have plenty of the Federal 120 factory ammo, but I am looking to reload. Has anyone reloaded this bullet with powder H4895 and how many grains did you use? or what other powder has any one tried? The rifle has a 20 inch barrel so it should act much like the longer TContender barrels.

 

[Simon B]

I could not find any data for the Hornady spitzer, however according to my Lee modern reloading second addition i found this for the 7-30 Waters 120 grian jacketed bullet
Starting Grain/Velocity Max load/Velocity
H4895 31.0 Grains/2537 FPS 34.0 Grains/2733 FPS
Min. COL 2.500

 

[NCsmitty]

As Simon B mentioned, 34gr of H4895 seems to be the maximum for 120gr jacketed bullets, so a start load of 31gr sounds good.

Here's a link to Reloadersnest site showing loads for the 7-30 Waters.

http://www.reloadersnest.com/frontpage.asp?CaliberID=294



NCsmitty

 

[northwoods99]

Thanks

NCsmitty thanks for the info. I also found some information on a website. It had the Hornday SP 120 gr, using IMR 4064 at 37 gr. it pushs 2650 fps and 1867 ft.lbs. All the reading I have done today indicate that the 7-30 Waters is open to a bunch of differnet powders. So it should be fun to reload for.

 

[flipajig]

I have had great results useing IMR 3031 and RL-15 with 120 grn Hornady and 140 grn Nosler BT out of my 15'' tender barrel.

 

[k4swb]

or what other powder has any one tried?

I tried different powders in my TC Super 14" 7-30 but settled on W748 as the best all around for me.

 

[hoghunting]

I have had great results useing IMR 3031 and RL-15 with 120 grn Hornady and 140 grn Nosler BT out of my 15'' tender barrel.

Like flipajig, my best groups for a hunting load with Hornady's 120 gr SP have been with RL-15.

 

[Ateam-3]

I have tried several different powders, but about three years ago I settled on RL-15. This is the only powder I use now. It gives great results from my Contender.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I've got a T/C w/21"bbl.

My 120gr load is 34.5gr of RL15. It's quite accurate. My gun is picky about powder and pressure levels. However, with the 115gr Speer HP it's a real tack-driver at ~2,700fps

For the H4895 my data show 34.0-34.5 to be max for the 120gr Hornady V-max.
However, my gun dosen't like that bullet.

I would suggest that for deer hunting, you'll be better off shooting the 130gr Speer BTSpt. For anything larger, I'd use a 139 or 140gr bullet. At the speed of the 7/30 from your Savage, a 139gr Hornady Interlok will behave like a Nosler Partition. Ditto the 140gr Remington Corlokt. (my favorite bullet from my 7mm08 Remington M7).

I wish that Savage would bring back the M99! I've always wanted one, but would prefer it in .338Fed. With a 210gr Nosler partition, it would do !!!

But, I bet that for deer, the M99 in 7/30Waters is the cat's meow!
What was it before it was a 7/30 Waters? Someone might have messed up a collectors item! Bet it was either a .30/30 or .303Savage !

 

[OldmanFCSA]

7mm/30 Waters - not sure
7mm TCU (based on blown out 223 case) - used 28.5 grains IMR4895 with 139 grain bullets. Very accurate loads - out of a 10" barrel.

May not apply here - but IMR or H 4895 is a good powder - try it - you might like it.

 

[northwoods99]

GooseGestapo

Thanks for the information. I just so happen to have a box of the 120 Hornady V-max on the shelf. I use them in my 284 winchester reloads and they should work well in the 7-30 Waters. As for the 99, I have 3 of them. I have a 1941 Deluxe in .300 Savage, a 1915 1899H in 250-3000 and the 1895 rebarreled to 7-30 Waters. I suspect that it was an old 30-30 that was parted out. I have put an older Weaver 2.5 power scope on it. Gun looks shape and is nice to shoot. I can't wait to see how it does next deer season.

 

[wsm]

According to the 7th edition of the Hornady manual, the maximum charge of H4895 for the 120grain spitzer is 33.3 grains. Check with the Hornady website for complete listings. That is for a T/C Contender with 14inch barrel.

 

[GooseGestapo]

If the 120gr does shoot well from your gun, It'll likely do good on the deer. I've shot many,many deer with the .257Roberts with a 120gr bullet at around 2,700fps.

I've only taken one doe with my 7/30. It was out my kitchen window at 140yds (lased w/range-finder) while it was browsing under a water oak tree. The Speer 115gr HP hit it just off center of the spine as it had its head down and was facing me at a slight angle. The bullet transited the chest and lodged in the paunch (intestines/stomach), hence I didn't go "digging" looking for the bullet.

Don't overlook the 130gr Speer FN. It is designed for the 7/30 velocities and at under 150yds will perform splendidly. Likewise the discontinued 139gr FN. A friend that passed away in 1998 had a Winchester M94 that came with a 24"bbl shortened to 17.5" by Walker Arms in Selma, Al. After that rifle came back, it was an unbelievable tack-driver. It too wore a low powere scope. A Bushnell Banner 1.5-4.5 if I remember correctly. He had over 100 guns at his death, but 2mos from his passing (cancer), he told me that the little Winchester was his all-time favorite. He used mostly the 120gr Nosler FN, but he said the 139 Hornady with a heavy load of H414 was the better load. It chrono'd at about 2,550fps from his shortened barrel. He said it always exited and left a better blood trail,,, IF, the animal managed to get up and run after being hit with that load......
It's too bad that Marlin has never embraced the 7/30 and chambered it in the M336.... It truly is a better cartridge than the .30/30.

 

[northwoods99]

I am going with the IMR 4895 for now. But I have just ordered 2 pounds of IMR 8208 XBR and looking at its characteristics might be a fine combination with the 139 gr bullet. I will keep you informed after I do some loading with it.

 

[Kernel]

Coming to this thread late, but what the heck... I've got a Contender Carbine in 7-30 Waters and have had real good results with Varget and RL-15 with bullets in the 120 to 140 gr range.

Since your handloading, one thing I'd urge you to do is ignore SAAMI’s COAL of 2.520". When that cartridge was designed, it was held to that stubby length only so it could cycle thru the action of a Winchester 1894. Your Savage 99 should be able to handle MUCH longer rounds. Provided they function in your magazine and don't engage the rifling, a longer COAL will typically be more accurate, AND will free up space in the case for more powder.

This is important since the tiny .30-30 case is so capacity limited. Every grain you can add helps a lot. For example, when I load the Sierra 130 gr SSP, I use a COAL of 2.815" and 35 to 37 grains of Varget. The longer COAL increase the internal volume of the case by about 5 grains. Which is about a 13% increase. Rough rule-of-thumb is that would equate to about a 6.5% velocity increase with no increase in pressure.