Reloaded 2 rounds of 30-30 and 1 round of .40 S&w, What do you think?

[Josh45]

Okay, So I got the dies adjusted for my fathers 30-30 and his .40 dies

The data I got is from the Lymans 49th edition. I have a picture for both of them. Tell me what you guys think. Im sorry for the horrible camera phone pics, I cant find the camera!

One thing how ever, I had crimped one of the 30-30 rounds and I got a slight bulge on one side only. I thought this may have been to much crimp so I backed it off some and tried the next one and no bulge showed on that one.

The .40 seems to be fine even in length. No bulges or anything. It is a dummy round.

The 30-30 are LIVE rounds.

The load I used for the 30-30 is

Brass - Remington
Primer WLR
Powder - IMR 3031 Amount - 27.0 GR
Bullet - Sierra 150 GR FN
OAL - 2.540 I got 2.538-.2542

Anyways, I hope you fellas can tell if all is good to shoot!

 

[243winxb]

Look ok, do they chamber in your firearms?

 

[Josh45]

They chambered with no problems. The 30-30 anyways.

My father doesn't have a .40 and I dont either. He is going to get one so he figure he might as well start. Lol

I need to get better pics...

 

[Josh45]

Better pics.... Found the camera

 

[243winxb]

A slight bulge on the 30-30 on the right? If your going to crimp the 30-30 i would try a Lee factory crimp die. I dont crimp 30-30 for my Win. 94. Case lenght is not a major factor then. The 40 if it chambers looks ok to me, not owning one. If the camera has a macro setting , you can get real close up shots.

 

[Josh45]

I have the FCD but it didn't seem to do anything for it?...

I wasn't 100% sure if I needed to crimp it or not so I placed a slight one and just to get a measure right did it a bit more and I think that is how I got the bulge. The others dont have it.

I loaded a total of 5 rounds. One has to be pulled. Seated to deep.

The others varies. I got 2.532-2.539. Keeps going back and forth. :/

 

[popper]

The sierra bullet is flat base. I flare slightly to get better seating, then crimp(no FCD here) just enough to see the bright ring at the case mouth. Measure COL, push against a table-top and remeasure. If COL is the same, you are good to go. Over-crimping will bulge the case.

 

[rondog]

I can tell from the photos that the .30-30's were crimped with a Lee FCD. You can't see the crimp from it? The FCD has four "jaws" that slightly squeeze the mouth of the case, and leave four slight creases right around the mouth. You don't want them crimped too tightly, just enough to grip the bullet so it won't slide in the case.

 

[Josh45]

I did run them thru the FCD but I really didn't notice it until I looked closer and felt a tad more resistance. It was a tad light the way I was doing it.

Being new to reloading, I thought the die wasn't leaving any marks at all. Until I looked again and noticed the 4 jaws you mentioned.

So it's best to crimp just enough to grasp the bullet and just have a good OAL? Basically just follow the manual!

 

[[email protected]]

Just a thought on the 30-30 but did you trim the cases after resizing? And did you use he seater die to crimp as well. It almost looks like the round on the right has the neck deformed by over crimping. If all the cases are not he same length the crimo ring in the seater die will buckle the case.

 

[Josh45]

I checked the case length before resizing but not after. Stupid me! Also, I tried the crimp with the bullet seater die and decided to use the FCD rather....

I ended up pulling the bullets and re did them with a slight crimp.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I checked the case length before resizing but not after. Stupid me! Also, I tried the crimp with the bullet seater die and decided to use the FCD rather....

I ended up pulling the bullets and re did them with a slight crimp.

I was about to say it looks like the case on the right is slightly long for the crimp you applied and it's crimped incorrectly. Do you have pictures of the re-done loads?

In the end it really doesn't matter if they look good. If they are safe and shoot well it's all good...

 

[popper]

Size and then trim if needed, chamfer the neck if trimmed. Flare the case mouth to avoid that 'crunch' when seating the bullet. Seat the bullet with the die out about 2/10"( I use a washer as a shim); seat so the case mouth is in the middle of the crimp groove. Finish all the loads, then set the die back to slightly kiss the mouth of the neck. You will see a shiny ring at the mouth of the case. That will be enough to prevent set-back and not crush the case or bulge it. The standard die is a roll crimp, but will crush the neck if you crank it down too far. I only trim when needed, the kiss approach allows more tolerance in case length - I don't even over-center the press, just go by feel and look for the ring. This is NOT a 45 colt revolver.

 

[Josh45]

I don't have any pictures of the ones I redid but I did resize and then measure and I did this to a few of them and they did not need to be trimmed.

However, Those were Winchester brass. The Remington brass comes in at 2.040. Yikes.

I made sure I had the dies adjusted the way I watched a video of it done and I did it the same way without crushing anything, Thank god.

As for the new ones, There a little bit over the cannelure but not by much and a crimp was placed. Its light but looks kinda like a light- almost medium crimp with the FCD. So, I backed it off some for now. They all measure in the right OAL

 

[Craigman]

OAL is the main thing to have uniform when crimping.

Buy a cheap lee trimmer and trim all your brass once after sizing. You can then get a good crimp on every one. whether it be with seater die or FCD.

OAL likely wont change that much after many reloads (unless you resize too much)and OAL when using FCD is less critical cause it just basically "squeezes" the bullet in from the sides.

dont worry about perfect the first time. Keep reading and keep shooting/reloading and you will get the hang of it soon enough


add: wether they are within trim spec in the book or not is not as important as having them all the same length to get good crimps.

 

[Josh45]

Craigman,

Thanks for the tip. Being that it was the first time I reloaded any thing and especially rifle rounds, I wanted to make sure I had it 'Just Right' at least.

Like I said, They do chamber without much a problem so I hope to be posting a positive range report soon....More like a review lol

 

[popper]

You didn't state if you are FL sizing. You will probably find that a sized but unloaded Rem case will chamber fine. Shoulder set-back will generally be more of a problem than neck length. Neck tension and square bullet seating rule over crimp. The crimp is to prevent set-back due to recoil, not provide neck tension, IMHO. My groups with that bullet (H335 or H4895 or XBR) were cut in half when I started to slightly flare the mouth before seating. I may get the FCD when I start PP lead, but don't use one now.

 

[Josh45]

Popper,

It is FL sizing. I checked the diamter after it being fired and then resized and the whole thing was.

My father bought the dies used, So I wasn't sure if it was just neck or FL as well so I checked the book and then checked a case before and after sizing.

 

[Eb1]

They will shoot fine. I have shot with worse bulges than that in 30-30. Over crimped with the seated die when I first started. If they chamber then you are ok. I think 27.5 of 3031 is a little light. Could ne very accurate though.

 

[Josh45]

EB1,

The reason I went with 27.0 grains is because 26.5 is the starting grains in my manual. I only have one manual at this time. So, I wanted to begin at the starting point.

Ever since I have been here and reading about reloading and when your a beginner, Its best to start at the beginning load and then work my way up. So I just wanted to do this slow. No rush

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Ever since I have been here and reading about reloading and when your a beginner, Its best to start at the beginning load and then work my way up. So I just wanted to do this slow. No rush

You are 100% correct. Better to start out low and work up than making a mistake.

The classic 30-30 load is 31.0gr IMR3031 under a 150gr bullet. I usually load a 150gr bullet over 30.0gr IMR3031 and the accuracy in my Marlin is great with an AV of 2038 fps. (Sierra Power Jacket FN bullet) I charge 29.0gr when loading a 170gr bullet. AV for that load is 1930 fps. I prefer the 170gr load over the lighter bullet.

I tested a round charged with 28.5gr IMR3031 under a 150gr bullet which produced an AV of only 1894 fps. A charge weight of only 27.0gr is probably straining to reach 1750 fps. That load might not be effective on a deer hunt at levergun distances depending upon the bullet you're using. I would ask the manufacturer of your bullet what the minimum velocity for expansion is. (sorry, I tend to think out loud)

 

[Josh45]

ArchAngel,

31.0?! That's over max in my manual For the 150 GR

Maximum says 28.5. Different manuals, Different data I guess.
To be honest, its not for hunting or anything like that. It's the first time I reloaded anything at all so it was actually more of test rounds to see how I did with the reloading and just some rounds to shoot down range.

Supposedly, The FPS is around 1850+ at 26.5 IMR 3031 with the 150 GR. I don't have a chrony or anything of the sort.

This is more like a basic function test. Thanks for the information tho I appreciate it much

 

[ArchAngelCD]

31.0?! That's over max in my manual For the 150 GR
Maximum says 28.5. Different manuals, Different data I guess.

I didn't tell you to use 31.0gr, I said it was the classic load. I recommended a charge of 30.0gr and the Max charge on the Hodgdon Load Data Site is listed at 30.5gr. Also, the load data on the Hodgdon site is using the same exact bullet you and I are using.

Supposedly, The FPS is around 1850+ at 26.5 IMR 3031 with the 150 GR. I don't have a chrony or anything of the sort.

The velocity numbers you get from load manuals and powder sites are rarely if ever what you will get in the real world. I gave you average velocity numbers from ammo I shot myself over a Chrono so you can believe those numbers. Of course your rifle will probably shoot different velocities than I got but will probably be very close.

 

[Josh45]

ArchAngel

Sorry about that. I guess I understood it a different way. I also checked the site and noticed that data was the same. I need to get more manuals...

 

[Eb1]

AACD is correct. The forever mentioned load with IMR 3031 and the 30-30 is very easy to remember.

30 grain of IMR 3031 in a 30-30. Pretty easy huh?

I was trying to get you into loading trouble, and should have followed with the information that AACD relayed to you.

With 3031 you will be hard pressed to break 2000 fps with anything under 30 grains unless your shooting from 24" barrel, and then you may still not break 2000 fps.

I load H4895 with a 150 grain Winchester PP/Win brass/WLR primer, and I get right at 2300 fps. Just an FYI.

You're smart for being cautious, but buy a Chronograph. It is invaluable. You need one if you are going to really know what your load is doing.

One way I did things when I started was to take the max load and minimum load and add them together. Then divide by 2, and I started with that amount. That is the way I tried, but then again sometimes the starting load was the most accurate.

AACD is also correct in saying that 1850 fps is not going to open a jacketed soft point @ 100 yards, and will work even worse at 150 yards. If you want to shoot at low velocity you should shoot cast bullets.

To make the 30-30 really shine try a Sierra 125 FNHP @ 2400-2500 fps. Wowzers! That bullet at that speed puts the 30-30 into a whole different category, and is a wonderful hunting round with deep penetration, and opens quick. You could say it is a poor man's Ballistic Tip for a medium velocity hunting cartridge. Really smacks'em good!!! It's accurate also.