Shooting lead

[Mike in tx]

I have been going to the range every week for the past 6 or 7 weeks. Today I took only lead loads for the 30 WCF and 32 WCF. I uses approximately 26 grains of RL and 3031 as I am out of 2400. The 32 was great and I shot 30 rounds. Fine accuracy, 3 MOA, with peep sights. The chrony showed that the deviation in speed was <25 fps. Wish I could say the same for the 30 WCF. Shotgun accuracy, deviation up to 100 fps and shot 80 rounds. Guess I will have to slug that bore. The crown looks good but will check that tomorrow. It is a '64 model 94. In a fairness to the 30 WCF the 150's shot better. I will check the sizes tomorrow.

It was a fun 3 hours shooting these light loads. Velocity from 1600 to 1900. Darn clay mud made me grow 2". LOL

[Mike in tx]

Also purchased 8 lbs of 2400 for $133.00 Hope it was a good price. I left all of mine in NH for my grandson. What a fool I am.

[Mike in tx]

Very little leading and the crown on the 30 WCF LOOKS Ok. Slug the bore is next when the honey do list is done.

[versifier]

We ought to be able to come up with something it likes out of more than a dozen different moulds once you get the size figured out. I cast 170gr 8mm Mauser bullets in pure lead for .30cal barrel slugs (and I load those in .32WinSpec in the proper alloy). Got a great custom 150FNGC hunting bullet many .30-30's really like, 120gr FNGC soupcans, and all of the old standbys like 180grFNGC 311041 and modern 180grFNGC Ranch Dogs.

I am generally not much on pistol powder rifle cast loads, but it is nice to have some easy shooting target loads. With the medium capacity cases and milsurps I load cast in, reduced loads of extruded powders have generally yielded better accuracy and velocity with the acknowledgement that my testing has always leaned towards faster hunting loads instead of slower target loads. With both those rounds there is no difference between cast and jacketed data for hunting loads, but it is a pleasure to shoot reduced loads in those light and hard kicking little leverguns especially when you want to shoot a lot of rounds, and with cast bullets you can reduce them until the bullet barely falls out of the barrel if you want actual gallery loads. Also there are a lot of published target loads for the pistol powders, and the truth is that they are all most will ever need to keep the older rifles shooting at paper. If you want to load cast to hunt deer or any large game with a rifle you need a chrono and some off of the map (surp powder and/or wildcatting) skills to end up with safe usable loads that give you enough velocity to reliably kill game at reasonable distances.

[Mike in tx]

I figure that 1300 fps 400 grain soft cast killed bison then deer are in trouble. LOL I do have some soft .323 cast and will try them. Honey do came first today.

[versifier]

Shoots a little flatter when you push a 120 or 150gr .30-30 bullet up over 2000 with RL7 or 3031 though. No reason you can't go to 2500 with the lighter ones especially if the rifle has an accuracy node with the bullet/powder up there. Most of what I have all cast is already sized at .310, let me know what the barrel slugs at. They will likely work just fine as is. No reason I can't to put a sampler together for you if you want to see what it likes. What do you already have for .30cal moulds and sizers?