Honesty, I would stick with one lot of brass for the hunt. Sight in with your hunting lot. Let the boy blast a few with another lot for practice. Then confirm zero with your hunting lot. There is nothing wrong with mixing lots but it can cause a 2 MOA group to become a 4-6 MOA group. 6" at 100 yards can take a deer if the boy does his job but if he is off by an inch or three at 100yds maybe not. Give him the best ammo you can.

 

I would stick with one lot of brass for the hunt. Sight in with your hunting lot. Let the boy blast a few with another lot for practice. Then confirm zero with your hunting lot. There is nothing wrong with mixing lots but it can cause a 2 MOA group to become a 4-6 MOA group

Mike nailed it. Give the kid plenty of the mixed ammo to practice with, but use one batch of matched brass for the serious work, and verify the zero before hunting with it. There are a zillion companies making 30-30 brass, and there's a lot of variation involved between thickness and hardness. Sorting by weight is another option.

All that said, the 30-30 is a lot more inherently accurate than most people give it credit for, and while a nice bolt action can really make the 30-30 sing, some leverguns can also show surprising accuracy when you find the accuracy node with that particular gun. I lucked onto a load with Remington Core-Lokt 150's and 4895 several years ago that gives some high-priced bolt guns a run for their money. Leverguns aren't supposed to be accurate......two-piece stocks and mag tubes are not conducive to accuracy, but most Marlins don't read the gunrags, and don't know any better. Nothing will irritate a dedicated bolt-gunner than some old geezer at the next bench, shooting better groups with handloaded 30-30 ammo, a Marlin, and a cheap 4X scope! :bandit:

 

OK, makes great sense, thanks Mike. I think I'll be sticking with the R-P brass through this season, as it's done great for him, in combination with these Sierras.

Now, a completely shameless attempt to get an answer on another thread, letting go another member's extraordinary generosity (he knows who he is, and it's deeply appreciated): do I attempt to fix my beloved, but failing, 1895 and risk it not working, or leap to a 1980 Rem 760 in 30-06 offered at $500? :hmmmm:

 

I have a 1979 Rem 760 in 35 Rem and it will be with me on opening day. It is a great shooting rifle and a dependable one at that. I have shot and reloaded PPU ammo/brass in 30-30 and 7.62X54R--no problems whatsoever for me. The Serbs make some quality stuff and the factory 170 grain 30-30 is loaded hot!

 

You might really like that 760 pump. It's not an 1895 and you should seriously consider fixing it.
What is it doing or not doing that's causing issues?

 

Thanks, Mike. It's pretty substantial - the dovetail on the barrel itself, where it joins the tip tenon, is deformed. I'm not sure if I bought it like this and it was only a matter of time - which did happen, at the range, with the magazine tube exploding off on a shot, and someone could have been seriously injured. Anyway, two new tenons from Brownell's later, and some great and much appreciated advice from Msharley later, the problem continued and my smith said he has to try to fix it by welding metal on to the new tenon, to deal with the (deformed, larger) dovetail on the barrel; and deal with the barrel itself.

It will cost $150, and it may not work. Given the 760 costs $500, that $150 would put me a good way towards a gun I could use this season, though I've never shot one. Just going on the fact the Benoits and Hal Blood, both of whom I've actually exchanged with some, only use these 760's.

So, I'm stumped as to what to do, and pretty bummed with any scenario. I've worked hard to get the 1895 right, and now this. The member I mentioned was willing to loan me an XLR - talk about a good guy. But this 760 came up...

Thanks for your thoughts here, Mike, I know this is my problem, and no one else's!

 

There was a time when I would have said put it in a corner and fix it later but there are a lot of good old boys who like to tinker with guns so you might sell it and about pay for your 760.

The 760 is nice. if you like an 870 shotgun it's like coming home.

 

Thanks Mike. Honestly, the thought did cross my mind, though I hate the idea - so much committed in terms of reloading, thousands of cast boolits, modding the fit to be perfect, etc. I just thought, who would want a gun with this potential barrel defect? Isn't that a deal breaker?

Edit: Forgot to say, thanks for the positive note on the 760. I did have the 870 at one time and enjoyed it quite a bit. I wasn't aware until now, it's make is patterned in many ways on the 870. Thanks for that, Mike.

 

I've never had a problem with PPU (prvi partizan) which is made in Serbia. For the most part you will find the PPU brass to be on par with Lake City brass as far as hardness and thickness. It is much harder than Winchester brass so the first thing I do is anneal the PPU brass before reloading the first time. Should serve you for many reloads..

 

OK Gohon, great, thanks. I've never annealed my brass but will look it up and do it. Much appreciated.

 

Much of it depends on your application. Where I hunt, for instance, shots of 25 yards & less are the norm, 50yards is out of the question due to the thickly wooded, rolling terrain. So if mixed brass gives me 4 MOA, who cares? It's still well within the kill zone of a deer, assuming you don't try for a CNS shot.
What's the terrain like where you hunt?
GH1

 

GH, very thickly wooded, hardwood lots mostly, very little browse and mostly mast for feed. Tough land, but it's the wildest we have here in my neck of the woods. Only a couple of small areas with cuts aged 5-15 years, and those aren't too vast so if anyone else has my idea (no, they wouldn't have that :biggrin, I unfortunately expect they'll be pressured, though this is our northwoods.

The "minute of deer" was my thought as well, good enough for this late bloomer. One thing I've always wondered, though - a minute of deer at the range in terms of rifle, load, etc., accuracy - well, that's a best case scenario, isn't it? I mean, if I'm 4 MOA at the range when I'm largely removed from the process, what happens when I step into the picture, in the field?

 

I'm almost through shooting off that 100 PPU 30-30 brass I got at Cabela's. Had to load the BL-C2 down .2 grs for the same grouping as the Rem or Win.
But it's virgin brass, so I'll recheck when I reload them.

 

If it were me with your 1895 I would give Adam a call down at RPP and see if he could fabricate an oversized tenon and recut the barrel dovetail to match. And I've always wanted a 760 in any caliber but '06 would be awesome. For $650 total you would have two guns. You would take a substantial hit by selling the 1895. Then end up with one gun 5hat you paid out of pocket in between $200 and $300.

 

Bryan, thank you. I don't know RPP or Adam, but it sounds like I need to. What you're describing sounds almost to a "T" what my gunsmith has described doing - he's welding on to the tenon, just got it from Brownell's, then re-surfacing the tenon, and working the barrel dovetail, to essentially make a new joint, just a larger one. Does this sound like what you're talking about? I'm hopeful.

Thanks on the guidance on selling it. I decided over the last 24 hours or so, there's no way I could, I have to make it work. At the worst, Marlin said they could put a new barrel on though it would take months to get it back.

On the 760, I'm happy with what took place today, though not as happy as I would be, if I was able to swing the 760. It's just a cash flow thing, and needing things to go over the next few weeks, and couldn't spare the cash. I've got the Cabela's credit, so, well, there it is. I can't say enough, how thankful I am to you, Bryan. I ended up getting a Rem 700 ADL in 30-06, synthetic stock, and a Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40, BDC, all in for $475. I shouldered quite a few arms, an M 77 I really liked, and a 1969 (not '63!) 375 H & H, which given Texas' recommendation, did tempt me! But considering the cost, and the feel of the 700, and my getting over the synthetic thing, I hope I made the right call.

So, if my gg is good to go (it will be done around 10-30), I couldn't be happier. As it turns out, due to my being an idiot and overshooting the other week, I've chingered my left hand up pretty good, "De Quervain's" and tennis elbow to boot and so far, I've not been able to rest it, but may need to. Seeing doc tomorrow and if needs be, I suppose, though I hate the idea, maybe an injection to get me through season. At any rate, yeah, not the most stellar of a couple weeks but if my gg is good to go, great, and if not, I at least have the backup 700.

Thanks, buddy.

 

And I would use one lot brass for hunting and the rest for plinking.

 

Paul, I have found myself in the same situation. I hunted with same-headstamp brass to assure myself that the accuracy would be the best possible with the combination I was using, and everything turned out allright.

I am using PPU brass in a couple of different cartridges, and have no complaints whatsoever. I haven't reloaded them enough to see if the brass life is equal to REM, WW, or other domestic makes, but nothing has come up that throws any flags.

Now, a completely shameless attempt to get an answer on another thread, letting go another member's extraordinary generosity (he knows who he is, and it's deeply appreciated): do I attempt to fix my beloved, but failing, 1895 and risk it not working, or leap to a 1980 Rem 760 in 30-06 offered at $500? :hmmmm:

If a 760 were to cross my path at a good price, I would buy it. They are generally VERY accurate rifles. As with any platform, it has it's negatives, those being, in my experience, a forearm that rattles somewhat and a trigger that is literally straight out of a shotgun. A little hint if using with open sights and the sight picture is hard to get. 870 buttstock. Otherwise the OEM is geared towards using a scope. All in all, an excellent woods rifle with some serious reach.

A pump rifle, objectively viewed, is a serious contender to a lever rifle in the woods.

 

Paul, I have found myself in the same situation. I hunted with same-headstamp brass to assure myself that the accuracy would be the best possible with the combination I was using, and everything turned out allright.

I am using PPU brass in a couple of different cartridges, and have no complaints whatsoever. I haven't reloaded them enough to see if the brass life is equal to REM, WW, or other domestic makes, but nothing has come up that throws any flags.



If a 760 were to cross my path at a good price, I would buy it. They are generally VERY accurate rifles. As with any platform, it has it's negatives, those being, in my experience, a forearm that rattles somewhat and a trigger that is literally straight out of a shotgun. A little hint if using with open sights and the sight picture is hard to get. 870 buttstock. Otherwise the OEM is geared towards using a scope. All in all, an excellent woods rifle with some serious reach.

A pump rifle, objectively viewed, is a serious contender to a lever rifle in the woods.

Vic, thank you for this. I've got quite a bit in R-P brass, enough to load and get my son through season, I think, but it's good to know on the PPU and I'm looking forward to trying it out. At the end of the day, with this 100-lot in PPU and the numerous WW cases I bought from 308 recently, I wouldn't think it will be difficult to stay in one brass (well, one brand, if not one lot - thanks, Bryan) and the worst I'd have to do, is sight in, mild adjustment.

Thank you on the 760 note. I did anguish a bit on this and at the end of the day, just couldn't do it, cash wise. And obviously a few of my virtual eastern heroes are in mind, as well as you guys in this community who have one. I guess I also hoped, my gg will survive, and I have my deer-through-elk and beyond buster in the dark timber, so wouldn't mind securing a bolt, and loading it accordingly, for its own need. Petzal's "all around" category.

Thanks as well, Vic, for the guidance.

 

If I'm understanding you correctly, it sounds like you want to have the most accurate round you can get to help with "Buck Fever" jitters, right?
While it certainly never hurts to have the most accurate round you can get, the only way to control the adrenaline is to practice fundamentals like trigger control, sight picture, and proper breathing. Dry fire drills are wonderful for this. Anyone's shooting ability will suffer in an adrenaline charged situation, but with enough practice the effects can be minimized.
GH1

 

No, actually GH what I mean is, let's presume your gun and load has an intrinsic accuracy at bench of 2 MOA. This is with the shooter removed from the equation as much as possible. I don't use one, but let's say, it's with a lead sled. So there's minimal if any shooter error in the acquired MOA, so you can know you've got a good load setup with your gun.

Now, the shooter stands up. Not at the field, but at the range. Or, in the field, doesn't matter. That shooter's offhand shooting is necessarily going to be less accurate than the benchrest grouping. So, the groups are necessarily going to be wider, and the farther out, the wider still.

So, we want to get as good an MOA at bench as possible,** because whatever MOA we get at bench with shooter error largely eliminated is going to be only increased offhand, and more, the farther the shot.

So, a 1 MOA at 50 yards benchrest load development will be, let's say, 3 MOA at 200 yards, offhand. A 3 MOA at bench, perfectly adequate for killing a deer - may not end up being 3 MOA, but 9 MOA or more, standing, at 200 yards. (Just examples).

Right?

**Well, to some point of "good enough," whatever the shooter determines - far better to practice with a "good enough" bench MOA than fevering at the bench to get sub-moa, robin hood tack driving, while avoiding just practicing offhand and in field positions.

 

Correct.

 

I began collecting 30-30 brass years before I began to reload...every time I would shoot factory stuff; mostly Remington, Winchester, and Hornady I always pocketed the brass...as a result I have several buckets of once fired brass...I never pick up range brass and won't use brass that I haven't fired from factory ammo or brass purchase off the shelve. A few days after the Sandy Hook school shooting I purchased a quantity of PPU 150 grain .30-30 in the belief that ammo was going to become hard to come by, and it was; along with every thing else...as it turns out the PPU is pretty decent stuff and inexpensive; either for stocking up purposes, target shooting or hunting...I've reloaded some of the brass shot from these rounds and have no complaints with PPU in my reloads or with PPU in the factory form...last year a friend left his ammo at home when we went to deer camp, I loaned him a box of the PPU 150 grain .30-30 that I had on hand and he bagged a couple of does with it...they worked just fine and the deer never knew the difference; PPU kind of reminds me of Remington Core-lokt....new 30-30 brass is still pretty scares so if I were going to purchase brass I wouldn't hesitate to use PPU.

 

Good to know, thanks, PWB.