FL size 30-30 brass?

S

stubbicatt

New member
Do you fellas full length size your 30-30 brass, or just neck size it when you are shooting reduced loads?

For my 32-40 I just thread the FL die out one full turn from cam over, and size the necks this way when I load fixed ammo. I wonder if the same can be done with the bottleneck 30-30?

Thanks in advance. I sure wouldn't want to mess up the lock up on this old rifle in some way. I reckon the rear locking action will spring somewhat upon firing, thus stretching the brass a bit, perhaps leaving it a little too long to chamber easily.
 
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I would suggest you experiment with your die settings. I would keep brass for reduced and full power loads segregated. Egspurts say to full length resize for action with weak(er) extraction, levers and pumps, but that plays hob with case life.
For my 1936 Win 64 carbine 30-30 I have dies set to give minimal sizing and still give dead reliable extraction. My guess is about halfway between a Full resize and a neck size. My brass lasts forever but I don't shoot heavy loads in it either.
 
I full size everything that I reload because I have more then one rifle of most calibers and I am NOT going to segrigate for each RIFLE. If you only have one of each caliber.
 
I would suggest you experiment with your die settings. Egspurts say to full length resize for weaker extracting actions, levers and pumps, but that plays hob with case life.
For my 1936 Win 64 carbine 30-30 I have dies set to give minimal sizing and still give dead reliable extraction. My guess is about halfway between a Full resize and a neck size. My brass lasts forever but I don't shoot heavy loads in it either.
 
With reduced loads using Trail Boss powder for the .30-30, I really do not know if I am FL sizing the cases, or just neck sizing, but it probably doesn't make that much difference, if any, as long as the rounds chamber properly without resistance. I suppose FL or neck sizing depends on your definition of each. The most simplistic definition I guess, if setting the shoulder back during sizing, that is full length, if not, that would be neck sizing. I adjust the die essentially the same as you do, simply by backing it off some, hardly even a quarter turn, above the shell holder, and don't know if I'm contacting the case shoulder or not. So I see no need to change your method as long as chambering is proper and not getting case separations, and not to be concerned whether the cases are FL or neck sized, whatever your definition is of each. But if the shoulder is being pushed back excessively, that could lead to case separations. Set the shoulder back some only if needed for chambering without resistance.
 
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I do not FL size .30-30 once it has been fired in my chamber...

My Marlin 1893 is fine with full power loads, but 98% of what I fire are reduced cast loads, including mouse fart round ball loads...

The only brass I segregate are the cases I use for round balls...I do no sizing to the round ball cases whatsoever...
 
I would suggest determining the length of the chamber from the shoulder of the chamber to the bolt face. There are many 30/30 chambers that have been cut with total disregard for the chamber in front of the rim. It is not considered a compound problem but the case is able to move forward in the chamber because of clearance with the rim, then there is that other problem, the shoulder of the chamber is too far from the shoulder of the case when the rim is pinned to the rear.

I am the fan of cutting down on all that case travel.

F. Guffey
 
Mr T

Why do you maintain that full length sizing should be done every time and I guess you mean with all lever actions? With some 15 lever actions, mostly straight walls, I don't find that necessary at all but that depends on what you call full length resizing. Considering bottle necked cartridges, if sized just to the point where shoulder contact is made, but not setting back the shoulder, and chambering remains normal, do you consider that to be full length or neck resizing? Or somewhere in between, some have used the term half and half which maybe refers to that. The body of the case would remain full sized for chamber dimension but slightly longer than original. For straight walls, I guess I consider full length resizing to be when the sizing die makes contact with the shell holder. For bottle necks, when the shoulder is pushed back some for proper chambering.
 
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Lever actions require FL resizing every time.
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Except of course, that they don't...

It may make you feel better, and it may well be that you have a finicky gun, but the only lever ammo I FL is .44mag...

.30-30 and .35Rem that have been fired in my gun do not get, nor do they need, full length resizing...
 
Had a .30-30 Win M 1894 back in the late 60s. FL sized cartridges would not chamber.

Had to get a small based FL die to make them chamber.
 
Neck size only

Lee makes a collet neck-size die that works very well. The main problem with FL resizing of 30-30 is that it exaggerates the problem with case length growing. So going to neck-sizing reduces if not eliminates the need to trim the cases. And when shooting reduced loads, you aren't going to stretch the brass.

Neck-size and enjoy less grunting and mess.
 
Thanks fellas. I do appreciate the input.
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And you are welcome. There is a member on this forum that purchased a Marlin 336. Not an older one, he measured the cases before and again after firing. He thought there was something wrong with his math.

He is one of the few that understands everything that happens to a case when fired is not about stretch. The shoulder on his fired cases was .017” ahead of the shoulder on cases before firing.

He sent the rifle back, the replacement was not an improvement.

F. Guffey
 
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