Bolt action 30-30

[rhocutt]

I have a Remington 788 in 30-30 and I want to get started in reloading for it. I want to use the Combined Technologies 150 Gr Ballistic Silver Tip spitzer. It is a boattail bullet.

I have been shopping load data to choose a powder. Hodgdon's site lists an interesting compressed load using 38.5 grs of LVR, which I think is the Leverevolution powder (sort-of). However their data is published for a 150 gr flat nose bullet,like most all other 30-30 tables I've seen. I this case a Sierra

Soo... is it safe to substitute a spitzer for a flat nose provided they have the same mass ( in this case 150 grs), for use exclusively in a box magazine, bolt action rifle?

Question 2: how would the boat tail bullet influence the compressed load?

I'm sure to have more questions as i go further down this road so I would appreciate any advice.

 

[redbullitt]

I would honestly cut the load back a bit and work up. The different bullet may produce better accuracy at a different charge anyway.

I have not done a lot of compressed loading with boattails, but I would imagine it should be fine. I could see powder grains getting wedged between bullet and case wall at the boat tail maybe?

 

[R.W.Dale]

Been there done that the 788 mag length is far far too short to facilitate anything but traditional 30/30 bullets.

I've owned savages and the 788 in 30/30 and they all suffer from the same limited mag length achellies heel

The pic below shows a hornady 110g v-max seated as short as possible and loaded into a 788 magazine



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[MMCSRET]

I shoot a Savage 99 in 30-30. I was loading 150 gr. pointed bullets because the rotary magazine will allow it. The problem is that the pointed bullets are longer than standard flat point bullets and in order to get them to feed thru the magazine I had to seat the bullets so deep in the case that it raised pressures to unacceptable levels unless I cut back on the powder charge. Check your magazine length, if it will accept longer cartridges you are good to go.

 

[rhocutt]

Winchester makes a 30-30 factory load with the round nose CT bullet. The spitzer is about .214 inches longer than the RN. Seems it would be longer than the V-max 110 grn but a quick check of the web site didn't give the V-Max length.

I will play with the magazine length issue and see what to do from there. I might be stuck with the RN or maybe use the leverevolution bullet. I think it is available to reloaders. Maybe they have improved the bullet since I tried their factory loads. The last ones I bought had the tip stick out at the juncture with the jacket so bad you could catch a fingernail on it. Some guys love them but I was not impressed. Maybe I'll load the round nose.

Thanks

 

[popper]

Try the FTX's. They work well. They seat back far enough to have same length as RNFP. I use H335 or 8205 XBR. Haven't used the LVR powder yet. The range I use only has 100 yds, but I can't tell the difference between the 170 RN and FTX, as far as groupings. From your pic, it looks like the mag is too short even for RN.

 

[osprey176]

If you are loading to hunt,you may be disapointed with your choice of bullet.At 30-30 velocities,that bullet may not expand well.The flat nose bullets are made for the lower velocity.You won't see much advantage to using a spitzer at 30-30 speeds,but you may want to try 125 gr Ballistic Tips or the 130 gr from Hornady and Speer.This will shorten your COAL.and give more space for powder.

 

[rhocutt]

Hunting is the main thing. The factory load round nose does a good job on deer. The spitzer is listed with the same minimum velocity as the round nose so it ought to work as well. Thanks for the other bullet suggestions, I'm going to check them out.

Have you discussed here the possibility of trimming the case neck back to give some extra length. I'm a novice at this but it seems that, provided there is enough neck length, you may be able to gain some room that way. How much neck would you need if you don't crimp the bullet and would that change if you do crimp. Also, is is worthwhile to crimp on a bullet that does not have a cannula.

What do you think about this approach?

 

[R.W.Dale]

Hunting is the main thing. The factory load round nose does a good job on deer. The spitzer is listed with the same minimum velocity as the round nose so it ought to work as well. Thanks for the other bullet suggestions, I'm going to check them out.

Have you discussed here the possibility of trimming the case neck back to give some extra length. I'm a novice at this but it seems that, provided there is enough neck length, you may be able to gain some room that way. How much neck would you need if you don't crimp the bullet and would that change if you do crimp. Also, is is worthwhile to crimp on a bullet that does not have a cannula.

What do you think about this approach?

Honestly

that it's far far too much work for a gun that already kills bambi just fine.

I've gone down this road myself and let me tell ya no amount of projectile pointiness will turn a 30-30 into a 300savage or help you kill things any farther away than you can with traditional 30-30 loads

 

[rhocutt]

I really like my 30/30 except I think the trajectory could be much flatter and accuracy better. Especially at longer ranges. But even at shorter ranges I would like to get the longest Maximum Point Blank Range constrained by, say, a 1 inch mid range rise.

So it is likely problematic to mess with it, Ok, I accept that in the spirit given, but it should be theoretically possible, no?

 

[NCsmitty]

it should be theoretically possible, no?

Theoretically, your 788 is designed for higher pressure than the lever action rifles chambered for 30-30. However the weak link is the thin brass of the 30-30, so you're limited there. And you're limited with your magazine length.
As mentioned, about the only option with that rifle is to use the FTX bullets, and that might get you another 25yds of range.

You either have to live with the limitations of the 30-30, or buy or trade for a 308 or a 300 Magnum.

You could rechamber the 788 to 30-30 Ackley improved and gain a couple hundred FPS, but that would devalue the rifle a bit.



NCsmitty

 

[FROGO207]

I have a couple of the Savages (model 340) and I tried this before the Lev ammo came out. You can try single loading the bullet and see if it is any better but my rifles had the rifling so close the bullets still had to be setback a little. I did not get any real improvement as the pressures also need to stay down due to the lack of brass strength as mentioned above. Trying to duplicate the Lev round would be the best way to improve anything IMHO.