cast bullet loads for 30-30 M. 94 win

N

Nitescout

New member
I`ve never shot cast bullets in a rifle, so I thought someone on this forum might have a pet load for a 150 gr. or a 170 gr.

what velocity is best for wheel weight alloy?

I use IMR 3031 for my jacketed loads. and would like to use it with cast as well. The rifle is a 20" carbine.
 
With these Lyman 311291 gas check 170 gr bullets:
http://www.westernbullet.com/ly3gr2.html
25 gr surplus 4895 from the 1960s [acts like H322 in Quickload]
2.58" over all length ... too long to feed from Win 94, must be fed single shot like a schutzen.

Shot a 2.4" group at 100 meters in May 2003.

I got the rifle for $180 in 2003 at a gun show. It was made in 1978 and is called an angle eject.
 

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150s might be light for 3031. 15 or 16 grs. of 2400 would be a good starting load.

170 works real good with 3031. Check a manual. start around 25-26 grs.

Top velocity for a 170 with gas check will be around 2000 before accuracy goes south on you.
 
ns,

During the last "great hoarding" when jacketed bullets were unavailable I started casting for my Winchester 94 30/30 (as well as 30/06 and .223/556).
The problem you get with cast lead bullets is that your velocity is limited to the high teens or low 2000 fps range. Any faster and the soft lead may lose grip on the rifling. At what speed this happens depends on how hard (heat treated or not) and tough your alloy is (adding tin and copper help attain higher speeds). So when shooting cast bullets one often uses a heavy bullet and slow to medium velocities. Then there is the need to use gas-checks and a proper lube and most importantly of all is that the bullet needs to be sized 0.001-.002" wider than the diameter of your bore.

My Win 94 was made in 1946 and has a 1"12 twist rate and if I bump the velocity up too much the primer starts backing out. For cast bullets I use a mold from Tom at www.accuratemolds.com, the model .310"-180grain-F mold which drops bullets at 0.3106-0.3107" so no additional sizing is needed (my barrel slugs at 0.3091").

With 3031 powder I use 26 grains which gives me a velocity of 1748 fps and 3 MOA groups which is acceptable for me with iron sights. At this load I get no primers backing out. My alloy has a BHN of 8 with air cooling and if I heat treat and water-drop it increases to 15 which is what I use in the Model 94.

Shooting lead in a rifle is a whole different ball game than it is in pistols and can be frustrating. Take a look as www.castboolits.gunloads.com for more info.

Happy New Year- oldandslow
 
According to what I have in front of me...

Max charge for the Lee 150gr gas checked flat nose with IMR3031 is 29.7gr for 2181 fps from a 24" barrel. With 3031 you shouldn't see much drop off with your 20" barrel.

Max charge for the 170gr Lyman 311291 is 28.5gr for 2095 fps, and for the Lyman 311041 is 27gr for 2016 fps with IMR3031.

If you want to get into cast bullet shooting for cheep, start off with the Lee as you can get the molds for cheap and doing a load workup quickly: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/72...er-309-diameter-150-grain-flat-nose-gas-check

If you want a 170gr bullet mold, Lee has that too: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/57...er-309-diameter-170-grain-flat-nose-gas-check Use the Lyman 311041 data as a max charge and start at 21.5gr of IMR 3031.

The velocities listed should be perfectly fine for straight Clip on Wheel Weights as your 1:12 twist shouldn't over spin the bullets until velocity is north of 2,333 fps. Straight clip on wheel weights might be too hard for good hunting performance, so you might have to tinker with your mix to get it just right.

Hope this is helpful, good luck!
Jimro
 
3031 is a pretty good powder in 30-30. Like others said, there is a point in velocity where commonly used alloys lose their accuracy. If you are going to use this powder, stick to the published "starting" loads, and you may get lucky and find a good combination for you and your rifle.

If you are shooting gas checked bullets cast of commonly available wheel weight metal, the sweet spot is typically somewhere between 1550 and 1800 fps. You may get lucky and find good performance as high as 1950 fps.

I find using XMP5744, or IMR 4227 or IMR 4759 in moderate loadings, I get good accuracy with a gas checked 180 grain RCBS bullet, using a variant of Emmeritt's lube, at the velocity range I mentioned. H4895 is also a very versatile powder and can be loaded to these slower velocities without SEE effect or other adverse consequences. Personally I find the cleanliness of IMR4227 to be one of its greatest attributes.

My old 1894 is not a MOA rifle. The lower recoil impulse and good accuracy without leading of this velocity range make it easier to shoot well. And I hate cleaning lead from a rifle barrel.
 
150gr. Lee GC flat nose cast. Mine drops at 155gr. I use 21gr of AA5744 in both Marlin 336 Micro-grooves and the stainless Mossberg. 20 grs. of IMR 4198 also works well. We shoot tons of these for fun. Deadly within 100 yds. on white tail deer.
 
Kerreckt,

thanks, I`ve got a can of IMR 4198 sitting on the shelf...hasn`t been used in
a long time ...I think I`ll try your recipie.
 
I use IMR3031 for the 170s I cast and they shoot at least as well as any commercial jacketed loads in my W94. I am using a gas checked WW alloy and full power loads; it may not work as well if you're looking for a light load. Haven't tried it myself.
 
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