cast bullets?

[nick_rup]

ok so i have been collecting my 30-30 brass everytime i go shooting so i have a big tub of it now and i was to reload but not break the bank was thinking cast bullets and a trail boss powder since you dont use as much per reload and cast bullets are a lot cheaper then say hornady 160 ftx bullets can anyone tell me how to proceed doing this?

[GH1]

Well, if you don't have it already you'll have to buy some reloading gear. Lee, Hornady, and RCBS all have starter kits that will give you everything you need to get started, with the exception of a tumbler. You can reload ammo without tumbling it, but I like to clean my brass before I load it. I believe it makes the brass last longer due to elimination scratches that can cause weak spots. It also makes it easier to spot splits in the cases.
You'll need to buy a set of dies and if you plan on shooting cast you'll need a case expanding die as well. Oftentimes Rifle dies don't include a case expander and a cast bullet typically needs to be .001"-.002" oversize for standard rifling, and .002"-.003" oversize for Micro-Groove rifling. In case you don't know the difference, standard rifling will have 6-8 fairly deep grooves while M-G rifling will have 12 shallow grooves. I don't know why M-G needs a larger bullet, it just does.
.30-30 is a straightforward round to load for, and while I've not used Trail Boss in that particular cartridge I've used it in .38, .357, .45 Colt, .45-70, and .500 Wyo Express. It's good stuff and it's bulky design virtually eliminates the possibility of double charging a case.
I assume you'll be buying you cast bullets? I've used some from Meister but they were sized at .309" and didn't work very well in my M-G bore. They seemed to be well made but being so small I had accuracy and leading issues. I've since sold the gun and haven't loaded any more .30-30.
One can't discuss cast bullets without meantioning leading. There are several variables which can contribute to this undesirble effect including velocity, incorrect pressure, and bullet hardness but the single biggest culprit is having a bullet that's too small. If you have a bullet that's sized correctly you should be able to run close 1800 FPS with no leading, possibly more. I routinely run close to 1800 FPS in my 1894 with no leading.
That's about all I can think of at the moment, I'm sure others will mention things that I haven't. I really enjoy reloading. I find it to be a relaxing and rewarding hobby and hopefully you will too.
GH1

[BubbaJon]

You have one misconception. Trailboss will not save you money -it is a big fluffy powder that fills the case but gives a low velocity load. It is intended for Cowboy loads.
If you want a powder that takes very little to get you rolling try HP-38, Unique or Bullseye. I personally don't like Bullseye as it has such a narrow range. But I do like the HP-38.
As far as cast there are a lot of vendors and everyone has their favorites. I like what I've been getting from Matt Dardas who is a sponsor here. Nice thing about his is you can order the boolits oversized.

ok so i have been collecting my 30-30 brass everytime i go shooting so i have a big tub of it now and i was to reload but not break the bank was thinking cast bullets and a trail boss powder since you dont use as much per reload and cast bullets are a lot cheaper then say hornady 160 ftx bullets can anyone tell me how to proceed doing this?

[piguy]

What BubbaJon said about HP-38. My favorite mild 30-30 load is 6.3 grains of it behind 185 grain cast bullet sized at .311". It will make one hole at 50 yards and wants to stay around an inch at 100 when I'm up to the task.

[GSCSA]

2400 is a great mild recoil load powder in a lot of .30 caliber rifles. Red dot works good as well.

[GH1]

I use Dardas cast bullets as well, but I don't think he makes one for the .30-30. But I could be wrong. On the few .30-30 loads I did make I was using AA5744, I think between 16 and 19 grains. I think my velocity was in the upper teens, but I don't know. 5744 is pricey though. For more low velocity loads check out this link: www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm
GH1

[nick_rup]

alright so i have been reloading 30-30 before i use the ftx bullet and will trail boss give me enough to make my lead bullets used for hunting ?

[35remington]

Trail Boss hasn't the velocity to make a 30-30 a deer gun. You will be limited to practice, pliinking, and small game and pest hunting when using cast bullets and Trail Boss. So yeah, you can hunt with it if you hunt like I do, which is a bunch of small game hunting with a cast bullet. If "hunting" means deer hunting, Trail Boss is not your powder.

When using cast bullets, there is relatively little to distinguish between such powders as Trail Boss, Unique, Bullseye, HP-38 (more popularly known by its more common name, W231) Red Dot, 700X, etc. What one powder will do, accuracy and velocity wise, the others will pretty much do. Minor differences are in granule shape, ease of metering, bulk per unit weight (save for Trail Boss which is really bulky, and cost. None are useful for high powered loads. All are used for reduced loads. There is substantial and particularly notable overlap between Bullseye, Unique, W231 and Red Dot in actual application for the 30-30. Not to mention a whole lot of other powders that are not mentioned here.

Generally, these fast powders give good accuracy, but they are usually exceeded in accuracy by a slower powder at equivalent pressures......in other words, the very best cast bullet powders for reduced loads in terms of accuracy are such as 2400, 4759, 4227, 4198, 5744, etc.

But if decent accuracy at very low cost are important the fast pistol/shotgun powders are hard to beat.

[imashooter2]

15.5 grains of Alliant 2400 gets a Lee C309-150-F going at 1,739 fps average from my 30AS and is every bit as accurate as jacketed.

[jimkim]

Try the data from lever gun performance studies. Lever Gun Performance Studies
10.0gr of Unique or 13.0gr of Blue Dot will get you into the 1500's with most cast bullets. That'll take a deer down. Just choose a cast bullet with a sizeable meplat or HP. The Meplat's Tale