Didn't see an introductions section, so hello everyone.

I have been working up loads for my marlin 30-30 using hornady's leverrevolution bullets and IMR 82whatever XBR powder. Was hoping to have some loads ready for the season opener tomorrow, but when I went to the range today, was getting 6"-8" groups at 50 yards. Sticking to factory loads for tomorrow, but I'll keep going.

Case length is to the book specs, all of them trimmed, primers are Winchester large rifle primers, and have loaded from 29 grains to 31.5 grains with no pressure signs so far. I'll get back to work on it after hunting season, but if anyone has any tried and true loads I can try, I'll start working that direction. Thanks!

6" to 8" groups @ 50 yards...? I hope that wasnt shooting from a bench. If so I would forget the loads and look for something wrong with the rifle, like perhaps a loose scope mount or??

It was off a bench, nothing is wrong with the rifle. It shoots 1 inch groups with factory ammo, with iron sights so I'm certain of it. I'm sure it would do better but my eyes have been going downhill pretty quickly lately. off the top of my head, the hornady book said COL was 3.00". I haven't gone through the process of finding out where my rifle likes to be so the bullet is toughing the lands but i think that may be the next step. I've been reloading pistol rounds for years, but just getting my foot inbthe water with rifle rounds

You couldn't make it shoot 6 inch groups at 50 yards with any load. Unless the bullets are bad. What make are they?

They are hornady 160 grain sxt (the lever-revolution billets)

They them in another rifle.

All I can think is even though I am going to the book COL, the bullets aren't seating in the lands properly. I don't use a powder measure for my rifle loads, I weigh each load on an RCBS balance beam scale so I don't believe inconsistent charges are the problem. Besides, the groups were inconsistent in elevation and windage.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
They them in another rifle.

I have a buddy with a brand new Henry in 30-30. That's a good idea. As I said, I've reloaded for years, but just starting to load for rifles. Some "common sense " things aren't so common sense to me yet.

You don't want the bullets seated into the lands at all. That raises pressures.

6"-8" groups at 50 yards? !!! That sounds like the sort of thing that can go wrong with cast bullet loads, but not so much with jacketed loads. Are you sure you're not trying to shoot .30-30 ammo through a .32 Special?

Sometimes, you can encounter a situation where a gun just doesn't like a certain combination. I have two different .32-20's that when fed 115 grain bullets cast from a Lyman mould specifically designed for .32-20, they spray an 8" to 12" group at 15 yards. Load them, sized appropriately, into .30-30 cases and run them through my Marlin 336 or Winchester 94, and the same bullets group well under an inch at 50, loaded to .32-20 velocities. Go figger.

I've had nothing but success with the Speer 130 FP and 30 grains of Re7. Kills deer DRt out to 150 yards, assuming proper shot placement, and shoot accurate as all git-out in my rifles.

Porosonik.

Since you said season starts tomorrow and it shoots factory well I would go with that for now and work on the problem when time constraints are not an issue.

Whatever the problem(s) is/are, they are really giving you significantly poor groups.
Do you have anyone close by that can give you small amount of other 30-30 powders, bullets to try? I would do that before bothering any more with your current supply of components.

Based on your information I's just shoot factory ammo, your getting one inch groups with it...Factory ammo for a 30-30 goes on sale a lot and its cheaper to buy than it is to reload sometimes.

I have found that LeverRev. powder to get its grandious velocities with considerable pressure. I went back to H-380.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Based on your information I's just shoot factory ammo, your getting one inch groups with it...Factory ammo for a 30-30 goes on sale a lot and its cheaper to buy than it is to reload sometimes.

I have found that LeverRev. powder to get its grandious velocities with considerable pressure. I went back to H-380.

For the season, that's what I am going to do... use factory ammo. I know ammo can be cheaper to buy than reload, but I'm not ready to give up quite yet.

And I guess I wasn't as clear as I could have been, It's the leverrevolution bullets, win primers, and IMR 8208 powder.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
You don't want the bullets seated into the lands at all. That raises pressures.

But you do want them close for accuracy, correct?

Each gun likes them a different place, so, not necessarily. In any case, we are talking about fine tuning a load by varying the seating depth/distance from the lands. Not fixing a 6 inch group problem; That ain't it.

quote:

Are you sure you're not trying to shoot .30-30 ammo through a .32 Special?

I'm fairly certain. I mean, someone Could have snuck into my safe and rebarrelled my marlin without me knowing... stranger things have happened. Remember that one time when we had our choice between a a democrat with bad hair and another democrat under investigation running for president?

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Each gun likes them a different place, so, not necessarily. In any case, we are talking about fine tuning a load by varying the seating depth/distance from the lands. Not fixing a 6 inch group problem; That ain't it.

Fair enough. I don't know why I still have in my head that the COL is too short for my particular rifle, but I will look into it closer in the future. I think the bullet is making the "jump" to the lands when the primer ignites inconsistently, and at slightly different angles. I appreciate all of the input for sure. even the. 32 special one!

Still, none of that would give a 6 inch group at 50 yards.

Well, what do you suggest? Factory loads group fine, it was mentioned above that I am not the only one that has had this occur.

I always suspect the bullets in cases like this; your rifle seems fine and you know how to shoot. It isn't powder, starting depth, or anything else; those variables just don't make a one inch rifle shoot into 6 inch. I would test these bullets in another rifle, and/or I would not use them.
The guy above is talking about cast bullets; a completely different animal to train than jacketed bullets. Cast rifle bullets are very sensitive to everything. Jacketed, not nearly as much.
Send me some bullets and I will load and shoot them in known accurate rifles. 308 and 30-30.

How many do you need, and I think you can message me your address. I haven't poked around the private message section here.

I will PM you. Then you hit "GO" at the top here. Click on Personal Zone, and Private Messaging. You will see it.

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
I will PM you. Then you hit "GO" at the top here. Click on Personal Zone, and Private Messaging. You will see it.

I haven't forgot, just been too busy to send the bullets. I'll get to it when I can