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30-30 Cast bullet trials
After getting into loading this year and really enjoying it I decided to purchase a Marlin 336 in 30-30 to explore the possibilities of this cartridge.
I have found that with jacketed bullets the system has pretty much been refined to where anybody with basic loading experience will have success. Its an easy bullet to load and many powders work well with jacketed bullets.
However, I like to shoot and I like to shot a lot! In these times the cost of jacketed bullets is just not in my budget for the volume of bullets I throw down range. This leads me to cast bullets.
Like jacketed bullets, cast bullets have also been pretty much dialed in enough to get in the ball park but there are a few items I waned to share that if I had known would have saved me a lot of time.
1.) Buy a Lyman cast bullet relaoding book! No kidding, this book has information that YOU WILL NOT FIND ON THE INTERNET!
2.) Commercial made gas check lead bullets will not save you a bunch of money over jacketed unless you buy volume. http://www.westernbullet.com/ly3gr2.html
3.) Commercial made plain base bullets WILL save you a bunch of money. http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=6
4.) Make sure ALL of the copper fouling is out of the barrel before you shoot cast bullets.
5.) Plain base cast bullets are best ran between 1000 and 1400 FPS.
6.) Plain base bullets love fast burning shotgun and pistol powders.
7.) There is no load data for plain base cast rifle in any of the reloading books
After many trial runs with the missouri plain base bullets I would like to share what I found so far....
Powders
H335: Great with jacketed bullets. Bad with plain base cast bullets. Burns the lube of the bullet before exiting barrel. Leads the end of the barrel. Bullets fly all over the place!
H4227: Shoots PB cast bullets straight at velocities under 1300 FPS. 1400 FPS and over and you get flyers. Smokes quite a bit. No leading under 1300 FPS.
Unique: Works well with 7-10 grains. No leading. Keep below 1300 FPS. Smokes but is accurate.
Red Dot: Works the best for lead plain base up to 1400 FPS. Almost no smoke which tells me its not burning much lube. No leading under 1400 fps
Conclusion
After many tests I have found that I can run both Missouri bullet company's 135 and 165 grain plain base bullets over 6.5 grains of Red Dot and get same point of aim accuracy as I do full power jacketed bullets out to 100 yards. The small powder charge does not have an effect on accuracy and I do not use any fillers. There is virtually no smoke from the bullet lube being burned and there is no leading. I would compare the sound and recoil to that of a .22 magnum. This load allows me to use the same sight settings with both full power loads and reduced loads.
The Lyman Cast Bullet handbook is where you will find the best information and loads for the velocity you are trying to achieve.
Missouri Bullet Company is the best commercial resource I have found for cast bullets. I run them in my pistols, revolvers, and rifles. They are spot on when it comes to customer service and shipping. I've never had to wait over five days for an order to be on my door step. http://www.missouribullet.com/index.php
Next, I will try my hand at casting for the 30/30. I'm going the cheap route, Lee Bullet mold, liquid Alox, wheel weights, coleman stove, and cast iron pot!
Wish me luck
I have found that with jacketed bullets the system has pretty much been refined to where anybody with basic loading experience will have success. Its an easy bullet to load and many powders work well with jacketed bullets.
However, I like to shoot and I like to shot a lot! In these times the cost of jacketed bullets is just not in my budget for the volume of bullets I throw down range. This leads me to cast bullets.
Like jacketed bullets, cast bullets have also been pretty much dialed in enough to get in the ball park but there are a few items I waned to share that if I had known would have saved me a lot of time.
1.) Buy a Lyman cast bullet relaoding book! No kidding, this book has information that YOU WILL NOT FIND ON THE INTERNET!
2.) Commercial made gas check lead bullets will not save you a bunch of money over jacketed unless you buy volume. http://www.westernbullet.com/ly3gr2.html
3.) Commercial made plain base bullets WILL save you a bunch of money. http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=6
4.) Make sure ALL of the copper fouling is out of the barrel before you shoot cast bullets.
5.) Plain base cast bullets are best ran between 1000 and 1400 FPS.
6.) Plain base bullets love fast burning shotgun and pistol powders.
7.) There is no load data for plain base cast rifle in any of the reloading books
After many trial runs with the missouri plain base bullets I would like to share what I found so far....
Powders
H335: Great with jacketed bullets. Bad with plain base cast bullets. Burns the lube of the bullet before exiting barrel. Leads the end of the barrel. Bullets fly all over the place!
H4227: Shoots PB cast bullets straight at velocities under 1300 FPS. 1400 FPS and over and you get flyers. Smokes quite a bit. No leading under 1300 FPS.
Unique: Works well with 7-10 grains. No leading. Keep below 1300 FPS. Smokes but is accurate.
Red Dot: Works the best for lead plain base up to 1400 FPS. Almost no smoke which tells me its not burning much lube. No leading under 1400 fps
Conclusion
After many tests I have found that I can run both Missouri bullet company's 135 and 165 grain plain base bullets over 6.5 grains of Red Dot and get same point of aim accuracy as I do full power jacketed bullets out to 100 yards. The small powder charge does not have an effect on accuracy and I do not use any fillers. There is virtually no smoke from the bullet lube being burned and there is no leading. I would compare the sound and recoil to that of a .22 magnum. This load allows me to use the same sight settings with both full power loads and reduced loads.
The Lyman Cast Bullet handbook is where you will find the best information and loads for the velocity you are trying to achieve.
Missouri Bullet Company is the best commercial resource I have found for cast bullets. I run them in my pistols, revolvers, and rifles. They are spot on when it comes to customer service and shipping. I've never had to wait over five days for an order to be on my door step. http://www.missouribullet.com/index.php
Next, I will try my hand at casting for the 30/30. I'm going the cheap route, Lee Bullet mold, liquid Alox, wheel weights, coleman stove, and cast iron pot!
Wish me luck
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