Reloading bottlenecks, what's a good beginner's cartridge?

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Savage cuz I don't think the Winchester's or Remington's are worth the grand people are asking for them.

I have owned and loaded for several Stevens and Savage marked .30-30 bolt action rifles and the two things you need to consider are the limitations of the magazine and the strength of the bolt. The single lug design is not terribly strong and most of those rifles are a half century old with very likely a lot of hard use behind them.
I’m not saying don’t do it. I’m saying think hard about whether that’s really the best platform for starting out with reloading for rifle.

 

[nettlle]

I reloaded 30-30 for my fathers Model 94 many years ago. With all due respect the 30-30 wouldn't be my first carrot to chase. I don't own a 30-30.

 

[N555]

I don't see the benefit and when the cost of a lever over a Savage bolt .30-30 is as much as it is, I can't say whatever the benefits others think are there are worth it.

I don't either. I load mine for normal 30-30 coal.

 

[TTv2]

I have owned and loaded for several Stevens and Savage marked .30-30 bolt action rifles and the two things you need to consider are the limitations of the magazine and the strength of the bolt. The single lug design is not terribly strong and most of those rifles are a half century old with very likely a lot of hard use behind them.
I’m not saying don’t do it. I’m saying think hard about whether that’s really the best platform for starting out with reloading for rifle.

You meaning to tell me the single lug and strength of the action in the Savage is weaker than that of a Marlin or Winchester lever action?

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

You meaning to tell me the single lug and strength of the action in the Savage is weaker than that of a Marlin or Winchester lever action?

In my experience, yes.
As said, I have had several and reloaded for each. But I learned not to push them too hard. It’s not just the lug, it’s the metallurgy.
I’m saying don’t count on being able to load close to maximum pressures. The T/C Contender and Marlin 336 are stronger.

 

[TTv2]

In my experience, yes.
As said, I have had several and reloaded for each. But I learned not to push them too hard. It’s not just the lug, it’s the metallurgy.
I’m saying don’t count on being able to load close to maximum pressures. The T/C Contender and Marlin 336 are stronger.

I'm not looking to go beyond standard pressures with this, just use pointed bullets.

Which appears to be an issue with the 340 and the magazine, so unless someone knows of a pointed .30 bullet that will work in .30-30 and fit in the 340 magazine, this is quite a dealbreaker because the entire appeal of a bolt action 30-30 is it doesn't use a tubular magazine and allows for pointed bullets to be used.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I'm not looking to go beyond standard pressures with this, just use pointed bullets.

Which appears to be an issue with the 340 and the magazine, so unless someone knows of a pointed .30 bullet that will work in .30-30 and fit in the 340 magazine, this is quite a dealbreaker because the entire appeal of a bolt action 30-30 is it doesn't use a tubular magazine and allows for pointed bullets to be used.

In .30-30 the best bet is to find an H&R HandiRifle and upgrade the stock and trigger. I had one for quite a while that would keep pace with my Contender for accuracy using 180gr SMK BTHP’s. I got a Boyd pistol grip stock and forearm for it, converted it from ejection to extraction, put on a good Redfield 4-12x scope and had all kinds of fun. Sold it (like an idiot) for way more than I had into it because I needed new tires.
In my opinion the .30-30 wakes up and kicks serious butt in a single shot platform. The Savage 340 is great if you want to shoot cast in a .30-30 It’s really good for that.

 

[Skeptic13]

To me it there really isn't a lot of difference from one bottle neck cartridge to the next as far as difficulty in reloading. I also do not find that there is more or less difficulty from rimmed to not rimmed cartridges. Right now it is much more difficult to find large rifle primers than small so take that into account. And it is more difficult to find 30-30 brass than say .223 or .308 brass. Just a few things to think about.

 

[41 Mag]

Just throwing this out there for ya.

I just went through a several month search for 30-30 brass and ammo. What little I did find was almost a dollar a case for new empty, and roughly $2.00 per round of loaded, some more. It was ridiculous. I finally ended up picking up some "previously fired" from a couple of forums. I'm loading for an 30-30 AI Contender so fully understand the pointy bullet part.

Right now if I were getting into loading, I would grab up all the .223 or .308 brass you have components to load into them. From there I would go 30-06 the same way. Maybe pick up twice as much as you feel is needed for culls or losses later. It won't spoil sitting in a ziplock or vacuum sealed bag.

Other than a couple of calibers, everything I have is based off the .308 or '06 case. That's close to a dozen rifles that can all utilize the same parent cases. Might not all be the best cases to run in a particular arm, but they will feed and function and empties are usually available.

 

[Show Me]

first stop reading about these guys scopes, rifles past and present, grips, metallurgy and such and research firearms and pick a common caliber that suits your needs then read everything you can about reloading. learn to keep it simple to start out.

 

[DMW1116]

You won’t have much luck acquiring 30-30 brass and factory 30-30 ammo is packaged with unicorn tears locally.

While I started with 30-30 for rifles, it was also what I had in the form of a Marlin 336. I have a lot of fun reloading for it but if I had a bolt action in 30-06, 308, 7.62x39, or 300 BO, I would have done much the same with them. I had to dig to get the information I wanted for reloading 30-30. The others have more recent information.

Anything I do with a 30-30 can be done with any above 30 caliber manual action in terms of reloading. Cast bullets, jacketed bullets, heavy, light, subsonic, downloaded, etc. can all be shot through a 308 bolt action or 300 BO single shot. I wasn’t even shooting it, but I still got a big grin when the guy next to me shot his CVA Scout in 300 BO with a 220 grain cast bullet and a suppressor.

223 is pretty easy too. The only things against it are the primer crimps in most brass, handling those little cases and bullets, and the fact that 90% of it is intended for use in semiautomatic rifles. Most load data reflects the need to run an action. Finding tested data for downloading can be tricky. Why download 223? Same as downloading 30-30. Cheaper rounds, powder supplies last longer, and not everything requires maximum power.

 

[dartor]

308 would be my choice, as others have said components are readily available. Large rifle primers will be pricy, but they are out there.

OP if you're still considering 30-30 Starline has brass on backorder, 250/$98.00 with free shipping. Their backordered brass recently takes about a week to arrive.

30-30 Winchester Brass - Large Rifle - Brass Cases

 

[HKGuns]

In my view, there is no beginner rifle cartridge. They could all blow your face off if you screw it up under the right circumstances.

Reload a cartridge you need and have the components for, start low and work your way up looking for pressure signs on the primers.

 

[AJC1]

I would start on 223 myself for a few reasons. 1 you shoot it, 2 brass is free all over every range, and if you have mistakes learning, who cares, 3 223 components are cheap, and final for this thought process srp are way easier to find than lrp....

 

[ballman6711]

I agree with most of what you've already been told. I will ask what do you intend to use this new to you rifle for? You said "shoot it", but what do you intend to shoot? Paper, small animals, dangerous game?

That will make a difference as far as what recommendations you get.

30/30 could be a good choice, but there may be a better choice for your intended purpose.

chris

 

[allisd17]

I started the rifle journey with .303Brit not realizing how difficult it is to work with for a variety of reasons - most of which have been solved since I started reloading .303. It’s a rimmed case, the .303 starts life at a moderate pressure for a long range battle rifle. That said, If I were to start all over with rifles I would go with a bolt action in 7.62x39m/m. It’s an easy cartridge to load and in a bolt action it is super flexible. JMTC’s.

I also load for both of those calibers. With .303, handloading really improves my accuracy; not so much with the x39.

 

[FROGO207]

You do realize that you can load the 308 to 30-30 velocities if you want to.there are many choices of bullet weight that you can use in your already owned 308. Also you can load a 223 down to .22 LR or 22 Hornet velocities as well as standard 223 fare. A bolt rifle in this caliber would be good. I have two H&R Handi Rifles in 223 and a CZ 527 bolt action in 223. Brass is free and bullets from 35 grains up to 70 grains shoot well in it for me.
Those two would be my top choices. 7.62X39 has expensive brass, .311 bullets that are not as easy to source as bullets for 308/ 30-06 in the USA.
My .02 worth.

 

[DMW1116]

Now that I think about it, a 223 manual action is hard to beat for cheap rifle reloading fun. I can beat the price by just a little sometimes with 30-30, but it depends on the load. Going from hunting squirrels to deer is possible with both, though as they get smaller, I'd prefer a 223 and larger, I'd prefer a 30-30 or 308.

 

[film495]

have you don't straight wall pistol cartrdiges?

 

[Nature Boy]

.223 and .308, assuming you have rifles that shoot them. If not, solve that problem immediately

Probably the two most versatile cartridges with the widest variety and quantity of available components

 

[jmorris]

have you don't straight wall pistol cartrdiges?

Not on Sunday nights, have to get up in the morning.

 

[adcoch1]

OP, since you have a 308, I'd start there. Or 223, the ease of getting srp vs lrp is a real issue in most places right now. But in all reality if you want spire points in a 30-30, you're probably going to do it someday, and the 308 will be shooting the same projectiles. That way you can lay in bullets and lrp as you shop for the right 30-30. I'd probably go for a single shot instead of the bolt gun though just because most 30-30 bolt guns are weak or weaker than a levergun as was mentioned above. I went through this a few years back and decided I'd scratch a few other itches first, so I can't tell you my final pick, but a handy rifle or a Henry single shot might just be MY answer.

 

[Charlie98]

One reason loading the .30-30 has me interested

Sorry, I have to laugh... at myself.

I picked the .30-30 as my first rifle cartridge to load for... what a disaster that was. As someone mentioned, .30-30 brass is quite thin. Coming off loading .41MAG, .45ACP, and 9mm, the first 20 cartridges I loaded for the .30-30 were absolutely unshootable... and I wound up junking them. Dented shoulders from too much lube, crushed necks and shoulders from seating and crimping (I didn't have a trimmer, so the brass was all over the place as far as length...) they were awful.

Personally... that .308 HandiRifle sounds like a good place to start... Plenty of brass, plenty of bullets... including cast if you are interested in that.

 

[TTv2]

have you don't straight wall pistol cartrdiges?

Yes

 

[TTv2]

You do realize that you can load the 308 to 30-30 velocities if you want to.there are many choices of bullet weight that you can use in your already owned 308. Also you can load a 223 down to .22 LR or 22 Hornet velocities as well as standard 223 fare. A bolt rifle in this caliber would be good. I have two H&R Handi Rifles in 223 and a CZ 527 bolt action in 223. Brass is free and bullets from 35 grains up to 70 grains shoot well in it for me.
Those two would be my top choices. 7.62X39 has expensive brass, .311 bullets that are not as easy to source as bullets for 308/ 30-06 in the USA.
My .02 worth.

Downloaded velocities isn't the goal or interest here.

However, I do have an interest in reloading .223 solely for the heavy 75 to 80 grain projectile loadings, something that costs quite a bit more than standard 55gr or 62gr green tips.

I have the H&R single in both .223 and .308, so maybe I should just use that as my starting platform, but my goal eventually is a bolt action in something easy to reload that doesn't require trimming brass each time.