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BP in a 30-30?

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05 March 2020, 16:02
blackeyeddueler
BP in a 30-30?
i know it was originally designed for smokeless, but i thought it would be fun to shoot a white tail with it. i was going to shoot it in a single shot 30-30, i have Goex FF, magnum primers.

1)would it be safe?(not straightwall)
2)does anyone know of published data?(or have their own)

i know i would have to use lead bullets.

as always thanks for the help!
05 March 2020, 18:52
Bill/Oregon
Dueler, a case full of Goex FFg and a hot primer should be perfectly fine -- and safe. Recall that you never want any air space with black, so fill your case so that when you seat your cast bullet, the powder is lightly compressed. The .30-30's slightly larger and younger cousin, the .32 Special, was designed to be shot with both smokeless and black.
While I have not tried this with a .30-30, I did make up some black powder loads for the .303 British case. They shot fine, but fouled the barrel throat pretty badly -- a problem with the bottlenecked cartridges of smaller diameter when using black. Choose a bullet that carries plenty of BP-rated lube such as SPG. You may have to clean often, but you should be able to find a load that will be just fine for whitetails. Good luck!


There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.
– John Green, author
05 March 2020, 21:32
dpcd
The 303 was originally designed for compressed black powder. If you want a clean burning load, use some 5744 under 2 or 3 fg black; I use ten % with all straight wall cases, as well as with 38-56 which is bottlenecked. Start at 5% in the 30-30, I would. It will burn clean as smokeless. Velocity? 1200 fps.
05 March 2020, 23:19
Bill/Oregon
Tom, great advice. I made up those BP loads out of curiosity as I had one of the Martinis converted to a .303 carbine, and full smokeless loads were a bit robust in such a light gun. Cleaning that fouled throat cured me of the straight-black loads. I should have tried duplexing but never did.


There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.
– John Green, author
06 March 2020, 03:27
dpcd
Once you try duplex loads (banned in NRA competition) you will like it. No cleaning between shots, fouling, grease wads, blow tubes, etc, needed. I did all that before I started using them. First used 4756 but they don't make it any more. Du Pont; that might not be it. Close.
06 March 2020, 20:53
vzerone
quote:
Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
Dueler, a case full of Goex FFg and a hot primer should be perfectly fine -- and safe. Recall that you never want any air space with black, so fill your case so that when you seat your cast bullet, the powder is lightly compressed. The .30-30's slightly larger and younger cousin, the .32 Special, was designed to be shot with both smokeless and black.
While I have not tried this with a .30-30, I did make up some black powder loads for the .303 British case. They shot fine, but fouled the barrel throat pretty badly -- a problem with the bottlenecked cartridges of smaller diameter when using black. Choose a bullet that carries plenty of BP-rated lube such as SPG. You may have to clean often, but you should be able to find a load that will be just fine for whitetails. Good luck!


....and make sure you clean your rifle well including your empty cartridge cases!!!

A ballistician just did some testing with black powder and found that the standard primers actually gave a better more consistent ignition. He also said compression of the powder made it perform better with better accuracy. I always preferred 3F over 2F. Use to shoot a 32 Special with black powder. Lots of fun and interesting comparing the different between black and smokeless.
07 March 2020, 22:50
dpcd
True, and I, and others, used to use pistol primers; the feeling was that too much fire is a bad thing.
Cartridge cases are best cleaned with vinegar but it you use a duplex load they won't be very dirty.
08 March 2020, 05:38
blackeyeddueler
what size lead bullet should i use?
08 March 2020, 06:53
dpcd
.309 ish.
08 March 2020, 08:08
blackeyeddueler
Thanks