SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

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Gareth Holland
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SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by Gareth Holland »

Hi all, I am a game keeper in southern England and I would like to develop a small game / vermin load for my Marlin 336. I hand load for all my centre fire rifles so am ok there. I can obtain .310 balls this side of the pond and this is what I would like to try. I just need some guidance as to powders etc.
This would be a short range say 50yd load. We release over 3500 Pheasants a year and have 2 1/4 miles of hopper fed feed rides (tracks through woodland or game crops) the feed hoppers are set 50yds apart. This makes range finding simple, park the land rover by 1 feeder and the squirrel feeding under the next 1 is a simple shot with a .22rf. at 50yds. Same applies for Deer management count the number of feeders. Now all this is well and good until you have your 336 with speer 130gr hand loads and you see one of your little grey friends under a feeder ?. its not the Wheat they eat I mind its the fact they chew holes in the feeds as well. Hence the need for a small game load. Thanks Gareth
Nath
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by Nath »

I use to use 150grn gas checked and blue dot in my 30/30.

Have also used 115 cast and W231. Trouble is mixing copper foul and lead foul!

The round ball load I only ever tried in a 308 but it was not that succesful for me much past 20yds.

http://www.tfsa.co.uk/bullets.htm

In the end I used some Speer 110 HP bullets. No issues with fouling and loaded them as slow or as fast as I wanted them,,,, pretty cheap too.

Oh and I am glad GK and I are not the only vermin men using a levergun :D

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gamekeeper
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by gamekeeper »

Welcome to the Fire.. :D I tried some cat sneeze loads in my 30/30 but being new to reloading I never really got great accuracy with them, but I know the guys on here have worked out some very reliable light loads.. :wink:
My 30/30 is up for sale but I might just try again, I sure miss it..
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Griff
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by Griff »

Image and Welcome to THE Forum!

My favorite small game load is a Sierra 125gr JHP @ around 2500fps. But it'll drop a coyote DRT. The only cat sneezes at my place are from the cat! :twisted: :P :lol: :lol:
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Ji in Hawaii
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by Ji in Hawaii »

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E holo nō lākou, ʻaʻole hoʻi e māloʻeloʻe,
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765x53
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by 765x53 »

If you can get IMR Trail Boss powder, here are Hodgdon's instructions for reduced loads for any cartridge.http://www.imrpowder.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-data.pdf
They should work with .311 cast revolver bullets or with 100 grain Speer Plinkers
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2ndovc
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by 2ndovc »

I've taken Squirrels with 8 Grains of IMR 4064 and the .310 Round ball from my .308s. Wicked quiet and all were head shots. Five grains of Bullseye is about as loud as a .22lr but more accurate than the 4064 load and packs more punch.

By the way, welcome to the camp fire!


jb 8)
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3leggedturtle
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by 3leggedturtle »

Welcome on board. I used a lot of loads with the Lee 113gr FP with 4 grains of Red Dot. Had no trouble head shooting greys with them. Never got around to shooting round balls in a 30/30. But have shot them with a 44 Mag and .433 RB at about 750fps, you could eat up to the bullet hole.
30/30 Winchester: Not accurate enough fer varmints, barely adequate for small deer; BUT In a 10" to 14" barrelled pistol; is good for moose/elk to 200 yards; ground squirrels to 300 metres

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InTheWoods
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by InTheWoods »

I shoot Hornaday 110 grain half-jackets ahead of 8.5 grains of Unique in my pre-64 94. They give me about 1510 fps, don't lead because of the jacket, are fairly cheap, and are plenty accurate for small game. I do have to change my sight setting due to the different point of impact this load offers.
wm
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by wm »

18 grains of Win 296 (pistol powder) with 110 gr JHP or SP. I chronographed the load once with a buddy's equipment and IIRC it was a hair over 1855 fps. Not fast by rifle standards but faster then my sling shot by a good bit. I've never tried it with roundballs but I guess that is where I would start based on my experience.

I was searching for a small game load years ago and was not getting satisfactory groups out of my Win 94 & one of the old hands at the club let me try some he made up for use on his trap line contender pistol. Worked well for me.........but be careful as it is possible to double charge a case. I normally prefer a powder take up 3/4 of a cartridge case's capacity for safety and I believe it helps with consistency of performance but there is no denying this load worked better in my carbine.......as always YMMV.

Wm
Rusty
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by Rusty »

If you try the RBs don't forget the lube. A drop of Lee liquid Alox, or maybe some parafin on top of the ball after it's seated in the case goes a long way.
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3leggedturtle
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by 3leggedturtle »

Do you access to a 1977 Gun Digest. Great article about 30/30 handloading. Has a quite a few loads covering cat sneeze to almost full power loads. Author used a dash of wheel bearing grease on the roundballs for lube.

Rusty glad you remembered about lube. I just assume everyone knows as much as me :lol: :P Of course as much I know I still haven't made my 1st million $'s yet.
30/30 Winchester: Not accurate enough fer varmints, barely adequate for small deer; BUT In a 10" to 14" barrelled pistol; is good for moose/elk to 200 yards; ground squirrels to 300 metres

250 Savage... its what the 223 wishes it could be...!
J35
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by J35 »

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w30wcf
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by w30wcf »

Gareth,
Welcome to the forum. Check this out:
http://www.castbullet.com/shooting/rb30.htm

Personally I found 3.5 / Bullseye to give pretty good results with a round ball.

335nut,
Thank you for the link. :D It's been a few years since I wrote that.
Excellent small game .30-30 rounds.

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El Chivo
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by El Chivo »

I did best with IMR 4227, between 15-17 grains, and 17 grains was the most accurate. That was with regular bullets. Trail Boss is another excellent suggestion, although watch for bridging and it sticking to everything. Trail Boss will fill the case nicely and it's a fast powder, might be just the thing for those balls.
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by Blaine »

I'm not one to tinker too much, but, I have to opine that the best varmint load for a 30wcf is a .22 rimfire magnum...
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J35
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by J35 »

w30wcf wrote:Gareth,
Welcome to the forum. Check this out:
http://www.castbullet.com/shooting/rb30.htm

Personally I found 3.5 / Bullseye to give pretty good results with a round ball.

335nut,
Thank you for the link. :D It's been a few years since I wrote that.
Excellent small game .30-30 rounds.

w30wcf
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

---J
Keep The Peace, Love and Harmony, These are the Gold Nuggets, All Else Is Sand !!
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by piller »

Welcome to the fire. A few years ago I loaded up some 110 grain FMJ bullets with IMR3031 for my wife's Marlin 336. The lower powered end of the range gave good accuracy and kept things quiet. The only reason for not continuing it is that she has sort of lost interest in shooting. She would rather bowl than breathe.
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Gareth Holland
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by Gareth Holland »

Thanks Guy's duly noted, balls, powder and lube ordered with my gunsmith. I will let you know how I get on. I may be across the pond but the net sure shrunk the world, just as well when one can't see the wood for the tree's. Gareth
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Re: SMALL GAME LOADS FOR A 30-30

Post by MrMurphy »

If you hit the squirrel with a 150 grain softpoint, I guarantee you won't need a second shot.......
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