heavy bullets for 30/30
- Thread starter GRIZ1911
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Typically it is a 170 grain flat point, but since the actions are manually operated, as long as you can seat the thing to 2.550", you could use a 240 grain bullet going at 800 fps. The limitation is not so much weight as pressure and thus velocity. And you want flat point bullets for the magazine.
RedRabbit
Member
I have been shooting a top break, single shot H&R.With this I can shoot just about any thing.30-30 is a great caliber.I have used any thing from a 90 grain to a 200 grain.
45lcshooter
Member
Heaviest bullet i've shot out of a 30/30 is a 200grain bullet, it drops aweful fast. If you want to shoot heavy grain bullets, get a single shot or truck gun 30-06, if you don't already have a 06.
06 can hold up better with the heavier bullets. 30/30 your going to start to blow out case necks and shoulders after 1 shot.
06 can hold up better with the heavier bullets. 30/30 your going to start to blow out case necks and shoulders after 1 shot.
NCsmitty
Member
Chances are, you cannot drive anything over 190gr with enough velocity to stabilize consistently in the 1in10" twist of the 30-30 with normal pressure. They will usually keyhole on target. the heaviest that I would recommend is Sierra's 180gr Pro-hunter RN, and I'm not sure that they will expand properly at the velocity of the 30-30.
Probably a good heavy cast bullet would be the best to experiment with, and a lot cheaper, and Hodgdon's Leverevolution powder or their CFE223 powder would give good velocity.
I'll say right now that 220gr bullets will not work out of a standard 20" 30-30 lever action rifle.
NCsmitty
Probably a good heavy cast bullet would be the best to experiment with, and a lot cheaper, and Hodgdon's Leverevolution powder or their CFE223 powder would give good velocity.
I'll say right now that 220gr bullets will not work out of a standard 20" 30-30 lever action rifle.
NCsmitty
RealGun
Member
I guess that means the question is really whether 220 gr will work, not really to establish the heaviest bullet. I chose 150 gr RN for all around range with a scope, but see 170 as an option for close cover and more likely shooting within 50-100 yards.
The Hornady 150 gr Interlock RNSP bullet is currently available from a couple sources. Look at Powder Valley and MidwayUSA. Also get on backorder for the 160 gr FTX 30-30 Winchester.
GooseGestapo
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Exactly what are you wanting to do with a heavy bullet load in the .30/30?
The heaviest bullet I've loaded is a Lee .309 170gr FNGC, which from my mould with w/w metal runs 178gr.
I've loaded it over 28.0gr of RL15 for ~2,100fps. This load is the fastest I can run it and still get good accuracy (2moa at 100yds).
This would work on most anything you'd need to shoot including Moose at close range or personal defense on bear.
This bullet seated to the crimp groove is the longest bullet that will feed through a Marlin or Winchester l/a. I've shot deer with it and it completely penetrates, every time. Without hitting bone, expect to trail them, however...It dosen't expand much, just punches through.
This bullet over 7.5gr of Unique, GreenDot, Herco, or Hod. Universal without a gascheck is a plinkers delight. Cheap, not so loud, and accurate.
However, I prefer the Lee .309150gr FNGC as it's slightly shorter, just as accurate and works just as well on deer.
I size them to .311" and use Lee TumbleLube on the "plinkers" and SPG on the gas-checked full speed loads.
About 20yrs ago, Sam Fadala wrote an article for Gun World. He talked about using some 190gr RN jacketed bullets originally intended for the .303 Savage. He had to re-size them from .311" to .308" before seating them. For some reason I want to think they were Winchester component bullets. Not available now.
fwiw; A poster on the marlinowners.com forum did a test on the commonly available bullets for the .30/30.
He found that the 170gr Winchester SilverTip gave the best penetration, followed closely by the 150gr Barnes TSX. The Remington 170gr Corlokts and Nosler Partitons were close behind.
I've used the 170gr Corlokts with excellent performance. They are about as good as you can get in factory ammo for the .30/30. I would use these before I would the Noslers. You can buy 200 Corlokts for what 50 Noslers cost.
I doubt that any 180gr RN or FN will do anything better than a 170gr Corlokt or Sierra 170gr ProHunter, and wouldn't likely function through a l/a unless crimped in with a Lee Factory crimp die. The cannulures on the 180's will be in the wrong place for the .30/30 and velocity will be too low.
I'd suggest investing in some 170's and LVR powder. If not LVR, either H4895 or Reloader 15.
For a cast bullet, RL7,RL15, or H4895.
The heaviest bullet I've loaded is a Lee .309 170gr FNGC, which from my mould with w/w metal runs 178gr.
I've loaded it over 28.0gr of RL15 for ~2,100fps. This load is the fastest I can run it and still get good accuracy (2moa at 100yds).
This would work on most anything you'd need to shoot including Moose at close range or personal defense on bear.
This bullet seated to the crimp groove is the longest bullet that will feed through a Marlin or Winchester l/a. I've shot deer with it and it completely penetrates, every time. Without hitting bone, expect to trail them, however...It dosen't expand much, just punches through.
This bullet over 7.5gr of Unique, GreenDot, Herco, or Hod. Universal without a gascheck is a plinkers delight. Cheap, not so loud, and accurate.
However, I prefer the Lee .309150gr FNGC as it's slightly shorter, just as accurate and works just as well on deer.
I size them to .311" and use Lee TumbleLube on the "plinkers" and SPG on the gas-checked full speed loads.
About 20yrs ago, Sam Fadala wrote an article for Gun World. He talked about using some 190gr RN jacketed bullets originally intended for the .303 Savage. He had to re-size them from .311" to .308" before seating them. For some reason I want to think they were Winchester component bullets. Not available now.
fwiw; A poster on the marlinowners.com forum did a test on the commonly available bullets for the .30/30.
He found that the 170gr Winchester SilverTip gave the best penetration, followed closely by the 150gr Barnes TSX. The Remington 170gr Corlokts and Nosler Partitons were close behind.
I've used the 170gr Corlokts with excellent performance. They are about as good as you can get in factory ammo for the .30/30. I would use these before I would the Noslers. You can buy 200 Corlokts for what 50 Noslers cost.
I doubt that any 180gr RN or FN will do anything better than a 170gr Corlokt or Sierra 170gr ProHunter, and wouldn't likely function through a l/a unless crimped in with a Lee Factory crimp die. The cannulures on the 180's will be in the wrong place for the .30/30 and velocity will be too low.
I'd suggest investing in some 170's and LVR powder. If not LVR, either H4895 or Reloader 15.
For a cast bullet, RL7,RL15, or H4895.
Most all domestic 30/30's have a 1-12" twist. The Husqvarna Stalking Rifle has a 1-18" twist.
The domestics do best with the 150 gr bullet, the Husky works well with the 125-130 gr FP bullet.
Don't try to re invent the wheel, it works fine as designed.
The domestics do best with the 150 gr bullet, the Husky works well with the 125-130 gr FP bullet.
Don't try to re invent the wheel, it works fine as designed.
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