30-30 issues

[bhilliker@comcast.net]

Got this marlin 336 lever I bout back around 1989. Never been able to hit the barn even if I were inside. Gosh darn thing. Even factory ammo gives me grief! Loaded up some ladders yesterday and took a friend with me today to try them out. Bullets---165 grain Missouri and 160 grain FTX. Powders---Trail Boss, Unique, Varget and BLC2. Unique and trial boss were a bust. The varget and BLC2 worked well----both 30 grains. Varget was a little smoother to shoot. Bullet didn't matter. Problem is sights on that marlin were a pain. We both had problems with sight picture. He shot high and I shot consistently low however I grouped where he was all over. I'f I hold 12 o'clock at 36 yards I won't win any awards but I'll eat. I have scoped weapons and non scoped weapons. I wanted to leave this one as a fast sweep brush gun so not planning on optics. I'll have to take it the way it is. I will go with the varget.

[bhilliker@comcast.net]

sghart----the weapon is over 35 years old. I've put less than a 100 rounds through it and the first owner didn't shoot it either. How do I know if it is micro grooved. The 165 grain missouri bullets are cast They shot well

[jbj]

['ol shooter]

If it's microgroove it will have a bunch of grooves, not just the usual six. I have a .444 with one, it likes jacketed better than lead, a trait of the microgroove barrel. Ballard rifled Marlin's love cast lead.

[bhilliker@comcast.net]

issues with the sights----yeah----we couldn't see the dog gone things. Marlin sights I find are a bit cumbersome as the rear sight saddle is multi
dimensional. It kind of steps down ten you loose the front pin in the rear saddle. That's just me. I find the sights on my Uberti and Henry's a bit more user friendly---again---that's just me and old eyes.

Just went and looked----the barrel is marked --"micro grooved". I used Missouri cast bullets as well as the FTX bullets. With Varget and BLC2----and I only used these because I had them on the shelf---results were the same---I shot low but grouped and he shot high all over.

[ojisan]

Receiver rear peep sight.
Especially for old eyes!
You can thank me later.

[NapalmCheese]

If it is a microgroove barrel I would try cast bullets sized to .311". Load these over 25-27 gr of IMR 3031.


Steve in N CA

Indeed, Missouri sells their 165 RNFP sized to .311 just for the micrgrooved barrels.

Sounds to me like you're looking for a short range gun

I wanted to leave this one as a fast sweep brush gun so not planning on optics.

For hunting

I'f I hold 12 o'clock at 36 yards I won't win any awards but I'll eat.

If the above is true (you're fine with a 36 yard gun) I'd just use a shotgun.

Also

The 165 grain missouri bullets are cast

So I'm guessing you're not hunting in CA. Given that, the 165 RNFP from Missouri is not my first choice in a hunting bullet. They are 18 BHN and don't have a lot of meplat. If you're going to use a hard bullet with a small meplat you'll need some more speed for optimal terminal ballistics.

Trail Boss, Unique,

And those powders won't give them to you.

Most cast lead hunters using small bore rifles use duplex (soft lead over hard) or just soft lead bullets; often gas checked and seem to work in the 1500 fps and up territory.

Good luck!

Someone just gave me some raptors to try out, they're brass and interesting and should work at lever gun velocities.

[bhilliker@comcast.net]

Napalm----this is just a safe queen that I've had forever and due to covid got it out and decided to load for it. Unique and Trail boss was just because it was on the shelf and the books had a recipe for it. I knew they were garbage but shooting is shooting and experimenting is experimenting. I was in the woods and had a room for 36 yards. I guess I could have set up for 25 yards to give me 100 yard accuracy. I have many other go to guns and I really haven't hunted in years. I just like to know if it's in my safe I can load for it and hit what I need to hit if I have to grab it and depend on it. I have my "life depends on it" weapons and my safe queens. I just want to be able to say I can hit something with it.

[NapalmCheese]

I just want to be able to say I can hit something with it.

If that's all you want, I've had exceedingly good luck loading 5.5ish grains of Red Dot under those 165 RNFP bullets from Missouri and lobbing them at targets out to 100 yards. Offhand I was holding them to about 3 inches at 70 yards. It's subsonic, relatively quiet, swings an 8 inch gong fine, and has the energy of a .38 spl if you feel like shooting something. One of these days I'll take it out of state and shoot rabbits with it, punching little .30 caliber holes right through them.

This is, however, in a Winchester rather than a Marlin though I don't see why that would make much of a difference.

I loaded up 17-21 grains of H4895 with the same bullet, but Hi-Tek coated; every load left unburnt powder in the bore. I have another group loaded to work from 21-25 or 26 grains but haven't had a chance to test them.

[bhilliker@comcast.net]

Thinking maybe a gold pin on the front sight and a red dot on the rear at the bottom of the saddle and I'll be able to see the sights.

[bhilliker@comcast.net]

that's good info---thanks Napalm!!

I've got a bunch of IMR4895. I didn't try that one for what ever reason---I was just experimenting around the shop this weekend.

[hermosabeach]

As someone posted above, if you have the buckhorn sights, skinner sights are a huge improvement

[hermosabeach]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ecnhhNVlGNA

http://www.skinnersights.com/

[NapalmCheese]

that's good info---thanks Napalm!!

I've got a bunch of IMR4895. I didn't try that one for what ever reason---I was just experimenting around the shop this weekend.

The H4895 load was chosen because a) it was in the Hodgdon date for cast lead and b) H4895 can be download for pretty much any cartridge to 60% of it's max load to create a reduced recoil load.

I don't know how IMR4895 would take to being loaded light so, obviously, proceed with caution and research.

That said, H4895 is pretty close to Varget in burn rate IIRC.

I originally worked from 5-8 grains of Red Dot but noticed a few things. First, supersonic loads quickly transitioned to subsonic and I started keyholing, so load faster or slower. Second, the bullets as lubed by Missouri didn't seem to have enough lube (i.e. not enough lube grooves in the bullet design) to handle much velocity without leading; my muzzle was getting leaded for the last 4 inches of barrel or so until I reduced the velocity to 1050 fps. Honestly I think it's a pressure problem more than a velocity problem as 8 grains of Red Dot is not low pressure, even if it IS low velocity.

Check this out if you want to play with low velocity cast lead loads: http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm

[hermosabeach]

http://www.skinnersights.com/1895_sight_4.html