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Old July 30, 2019, 03:18 PM   #1
HOTSHOT45ACP
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.30-30 Winchester RELOADING

I,m planning on reloading .30-30 Winchester this winter. I have a 550B set up with Lee dies. I'm guessing I'm going to need a case trimmer from what I've read so far. Is there anything else? Any information will be greatly appreciated.
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Old July 30, 2019, 07:21 PM   #2
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.30-30 is a pretty easy one.
Plenty of good bullets, with lots of data - some of it nearly interchangeable.
Crimping is recommended for lever guns. Doing so as a separate step from seating helps avoid collapsed necks (common when people get too aggressive - especially with untrimmed brass).

Put a dummy (or six) together and make sure it'll (they'll) cycle through your rifle(s) before loading a bunch up. Some rifles are picky - due to chamber geometry or sensitivity to COAL.
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Old July 30, 2019, 08:28 PM   #3
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I reload for 30-30, so let me say this: Trim your cases to a consistent length so that you will have a consistent crimp. If you are faithful to trim, then you don't really have to have a, "Factory Crimp Die". However, after getting a Lee Factory Crimp Die, I'll never go back to crimping any other way for 30-30. So get one if you don't already have one.
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Old July 31, 2019, 07:42 AM   #4
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30-30 is a very easy caliber to reload. Stick with published loads and seating depths. I use IMR3031, 1-1.5 grains below max loads, with 150 and 170 grain bullets. Have recently begun experimenting with Trailboss and H4895 and reduced loads using 110 and 130 grain bullets. Makes the 30-30 fun to shoot for youngsters.
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Old July 31, 2019, 01:08 PM   #5
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I recommend neck-sizing only. I like H4895 best and 150gr bullets. My fav is Speer 150gr FP.
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Old July 31, 2019, 01:33 PM   #6
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Have a look at what comes with an RCBS Beginner's Kit. No trimmer included. It doesn't come with a Vernier calipre either.
You really only must trim if the cases are longer than the Max case length given in your manual(that you should read completely). However, FL resizing is required every time for lever actions.
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Old July 31, 2019, 02:37 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T. O'Heir View Post
Have a look at what comes with an RCBS Beginner's Kit. No trimmer included. It doesn't come with a Vernier calipre either.
You really only must trim if the cases are longer than the Max case length given in your manual(that you should read completely). However, FL resizing is required every time for lever actions.
Hmmmm? Some cases longer than others...trim to all the same length to assure consistent roll crimps.
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Old July 31, 2019, 02:37 PM   #8
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Thanks "guys" for the info so fast! I have been reloading .45 ACP & .357 MAG for about three years now. A couple months ago I picked up another 550B for $245.00 and sent it to Dillon for a refurbish. It looked brand new when it was returned, so I decided to turn it into a "rifle press". I know .30-30 ammo is cheap, but I really like to reload!! Who knows, a 30-06 or a .308 maybe in my future!!!! Thanks again Steve(HOTSHOT45ACP)
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Old July 31, 2019, 02:41 PM   #9
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I got excellent results reloading for my Marlin M336 years ago. Recall reading that 30-30 case at that time were a little thin at the neck so care had to be used when seating and crimping.
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Old July 31, 2019, 03:03 PM   #10
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Might consider checking how far out the shoulder is in the chamber. A lot of the 30-30 levers seem to have looser dimensions and accuracy/case life may benefit from not over sizing.
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Old July 31, 2019, 04:30 PM   #11
Paul B.
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I'll second Zeke's comments. (post #10)

On another note, I haven't shot a jacketed bullet though any of my 30-30s in years, much preferring my home cast bullets. Bullet of choice is the Lyman #311291 (1905 design 175 gr.) and load the ammo with the old Ideal tong tool. My only concession to modern times is I use a powder measure to throw the charges. What the hell, they had powder measures way back when. So sometimes I feel like going back in time, I run a few bullets, lube and size then and use the tong tool which only neck sizes BTW to size the neck, then the neck expander which also bells the neck, prime the case with the appropriate die, charge with powder and seat the bullet which also crimps the bullet. Sometimes I shoot them at the range and sometimes wander about in the desert harassing a jack rabbit or two.
Go far enough out and it certainly feels like the late 1800s. I usually use IMR 3031 or H4895 and sometimes load a 120 gr. cast bullet over 5.0 gr. of Unique for a plinking load.
I've even used that 175 gr. load to hunt deer and it works just fine. These days the 30-30 is a fun gun used at the range.
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Old July 31, 2019, 05:39 PM   #12
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Quote:
I'm guessing I'm going to need a case trimmer from what I've read so far. Is there anything else? Any information will be greatly appreciated.
I would definitely have a case trimmer of some kind. Any caliber that uses a roll crimp can benefit from a case trimmer.
I hate using them but they will make life so much easier for you when you have to roll crimp your cases due to using a tube mag.
With some 30-30s you can head space off the shoulder and some lever action rifles, it really doesn't make any difference so just use the rim.
You won't know until you load accuracy loads for it.
I'm not talking about 1/2" at 100yds accuracy, with 30-30 Win and lever actions, it's more like 2" at 100yds.

If you are using a bolt action you can expect a lot better accuracy.

You will have to full length resize your cases but you don't have to full length resize them the whole way down to the shell holder.

I test my chambers by sizing my cases really long to see if I am one of the lucky ones that have a SAAMI spec chamber with my lever actions
.
If I do have a decent chamber, I try to see if I can headspace off the shoulder instead of the rim.

It seems complicated at first but it really isn't once you get past the rim thing.

When trying to test your loads don't expect to be able to shoot more than about three or four rounds before your groups start to open up.

The barrel band holding the for-arm stock to the barrel will start pinching the barrel from it heating up and your groups will go awry.

Shoot 3 rounds they draft your barrel for a minute and shoot 3 more.
That's about all you can expect from a lever action mass produced deer rifle that was made with 100 yds of range as an expected norm.

I have found much better accuracy from them by handloading for the particular rifle as long as the chamber wasn't so long that it turned into a futile effort.
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Old August 1, 2019, 02:21 PM   #13
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If you use the Lee Factory Crimp Die, you won't have to trim each case to the same length to get a good crimp.
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Old August 1, 2019, 09:15 PM   #14
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Good Luck!

While others will, no doubt, disagree, my advice is not to use the Dillon as a full progressive when loading .30-30. Resize your brass separately.

The force needed to resize rifle brass overwhelms the feel of resistance you get when the bullet tips or otherwise isn't seating right. Likewise if the crimp isn't right, you can, once you develop some experience, feel it, and stop. But when you are resizing a case with the same stroke of the handle, you can't feel the smaller resistance.

If you're going to trim cases (and you will want to) you'll ALSO need a chamfering tool (de burring tool) to clean up the case mouth, inside and out, after trimming.

I've been reloading .30-30 since the early 70s, and am still using the Lyman dies I started with. And I use the built in crimp of the Lyman seater die. No need for a separate die, if your seater die has a crimp shoulder. I do not know if Lee dies do. Lyman and RCBS dies do. Lee should, but may not, check and see. Trim brass to a uniform length, properly adjust the seating and crimping and you're good to go.

recommend using either flat nose or blunt round nose bullets, with a cannelure, all the major makers have 150gr and 170gr made just for the tube mag .30-30 lever guns.
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Old August 2, 2019, 11:34 AM   #15
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I have a Marlin 36A lever action & a Springfield 840 Bolt action 30-30's. I load for both with 150 grain bullets boxed for the 30-30, with 32 grains of IMR 4064. Both rifles group 1 1/2 inch at plus or minus 2200 FPS. Both rifles are scoped and have killed many deer. hdbiker
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Old August 2, 2019, 12:07 PM   #16
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Per 44 AMP's suggestion, it is important to know case growth occurs during resizing, so you can't trim accurately before then, anyway. When I have reloaded rifle cartridges in my 550b, I have resized and decapped at the first stage and pulled the case back out and put it in the tumbling bin for cleaning. When all the cases are clean they go through the Giraud trimmer and then get dipped in inside neck lube. Only then do I put them back to go through the rest of the stages.
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