I have an extra 14' 30 Herrett and a 14" 30-30.
Do I AI the 30-30, or 308 Bellm the 30 Herrett.
Or do I sell the 30 Herrett or 30-30 or both?
I would like to have something with a little more zip that my Herretts ( I will keep a 10" and 14" Herrett) but not burn a bunch more powder and pick up significant recoil for a slight improvement in ballistics.

HECK THE HERRETT HAS AND STILL IS PERFORMING EVERY HUNTING SEASON FOR A LOT OF FOLKS.

Someone out there with either or both or all three have any suggestions?

LouisB

the 30-30 could be rechambered to 308bellm. the 30herret is a prime candidate for a 30-30AI. i absolutely love my factory 14" 30-30AI barrel. i got 2588fps with imr4198 and 130gr hornady ssp's. the 30-30 case is not as durable as a 444marlin case(which the 308bellm is made from), but they are cheap, easy to find, and easily replaced. the 30-30AI can fire factory 30-30 ammo to form cases and,or hunt with. just rechamber both for two great 30 caliber powerhouse's
lee precision now makes 30-30AI dies for around $25(estimate).i think www.midwayusa.com has them. if not, i did see them somewhere for that(i forget)

KYODE et al.

Ok, so who to go to for the 30-30 AI, if I should choose to go that way?

LouisB

I gots bunches of 30-30 brass.
Got to have it to make the 30 Herretts, 357 Herretts and 30-30s.

Mike at OTT does great work. I have one 221 fireball barrel he did and its a great shooter. I have a 6mm 30-30 rechamber from a 6x45 and its great also.
http://ktsammo.250x.com/ott/priceandorder.html

Tommyn,
Sent PM
Thanks again.........

Hee Haw back to you.

I do not have a 30/30 AI but I do have a .308 Bellm. I do like the .308 Bellm, I like the .308 Bellm a whole lot! I have only tried 135's and 150's but so far, it likes most anything I feed it.
FWIW, Mike

mines a factory barrel, so i can't give a direct recommendation for the rechamber. i have a buddy that had his 30herret rechambered to 30-30AI at SSK.
like tommyn posted, OTT has been getting great reviews.
david white is using mike bellms barrel chambering ideas, and may be a good candidate for a 308bellm. he has a special forum on mike's site.
jeff stratton, at virgin valley custom guns, also has a special forum on mike's site.
i guess, just check around. lot's of options out there. thats good for us handgunners.

Why not a .309 JDJ? The dies might be a little expensive, but I think it will prove to be the most accurate of the three. Personally, I prefer the sharp shoulder of the .309 or the AI for accuracy.
Don't have anything against either Mike (I have several Bellm barrels), but my .309 rechamber is a barrel that I will never get rid of. Once shot a ten shot group at 200 yards in -15 degree weather - 2.1". Maybe not so impressive, but 7 of the 10 were within an inch. The other three were probably me shivering.
The only draw back of a rechamber is that you will probably not get the velocities you might out of a Shilen barrel.
And SSK will get it to you QUICK.

Talk to Gary Reeder about the 30 GNR! The Reeder web site now has a photo and explanation of most of his wildcats. He offers custom barrels and rechambers. Custom dies are Redding. Can't say enough about the workmanship and accuracy of my custom 7 GNR 20" carbine barrel.

I have the .308 Bellm and it shoots great. Mine is being used by the son of a friend of mine trying to get his first deer. I can't comment on the 30-30 AI but in a pinch, regular (available just about anywhere) 30-30 ammo can be fired through it and the Bellm is a handloading proposition all the way.

[ 11-04-2003, 17:10: Message edited by: DennisF ]

The 308 Bellm is excellent! It is a definite favorite. If I were going to the short barrel after what I know now, it would probably 30-30 AI instead of the 300 Whisper that I have.
Rich Jake

check out some 30-30AI data i posted at web page - boartuff outdoors http://boartuffforums.proboards21.com/index.cgi
you should always start low and work up.
it is info from a few different barrels, from a few different sources

KYODE
I read the threads over there & I have to tell you guys that I'm impressed with your results! I'm sorry that I didn't know about this cartridges performance in the contender sooner.
Rich Jake

My .308 Bellm clocks 2667 fps out of a 16" barrel using the Hornady 130 Gr. SSP bullet.

Rich, i was impressed with info i got on the 30-30AI too. after i bought one and actually shot it, i was even more impressed. i'll never understand why it has not been more popular. i think it has many advantages.

T/C Nut

Probably quite a bit more than a 30-30 AI, 51 grs. of W760. But when I gave it to M. Bellm at a gunshow in Tulsa stretching powder further was not an issue, I just liked the idea of having something a little different and since I already had the dies needed for the Bellm I figured I could load for quite a while before I paid for a new set of 30-30 AI dies.

Dennis

[ 11-05-2003, 19:28: Message edited by: DennisF ]

Have both, love both, recommend you make the 30 Herrett a 30-30AI and make the 30-30 barrel a 308 Bellm. You can lots of folks do the AI rechamber, I think David White is the key man doing 308 Bellm work right now as Mike Bellm isn't taking any new work.

regards,
Graycg

I have been watching this thread with curiosity as to what everyone's thoughts are.

Here's my take on the situation (for what it is worth). I would concure in making the .30 Herrett in to a .30-30 AI (which is what I did) and making the .30-30 into a .308 Bellm.

I have been shooting my Super 14 .30-30AI since early spring and it has been a pure joy to shoot and load for. However I had an ace in the hole (so to speak) in that I have an old magazine article by Sam Fadala that contained some loading data for the .30-30 AI. In addition I also have a friend that has been shooting and loading for two different Super 14 .30-30 AI's. I compaired all of this data to what P O Ackley published in his Handbook for Shooters and Hunters to have a good idea as where to start.

In my opinion the .30-30 AI will shoot with most all of the .30 Caliber Contender Cartridges with bullets up to 125 to 130grs. (and maybe 150's) in weight. However it is when you get to bullets over 150grs. in weight is where the .308 Bellm, .309 JDJ, .30 Bower Alaskan etc come into their own.

I also agree with KYODE in that I think the .30-30 Ackley Improved cartridge is an underrated cartridge and does not get the attention it deserves.

Good luck with whatever you decide to go with.

SD Handgunner

PS In my Super 14 .30-30 AI Barrel fireform loads with 125gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips produce 1" or slightly less 5 shot groups at 100 yards, and I spent the summer shooting Varmints with them with quite good success.

Call me crazy, but I'd buy a new barrel of each... Hey, I've done that!

Web sites and internet shopping is amazing. Thanks to tommyn's posting I had a back door to find some simple information that one would think is readily available.

30-30 AI ain't likely to be ready for this years season, but that gives me a bunch of time to get it ready for next year.

Luckily I can go to KTS Ammo's site and get a mailing address for OTT. Sure couldn't find it on easily on their (OTT's) site.

I notice KTS is one smart internet marketer, their address is listed on EVERY page that you go to in their site.

LouisB

Thanx to Larry and KYODE (for data) and the rest of you for helping me decide to save a bunch of powder and go with the 30-30 AI.

[ 11-09-2003, 17:45: Message edited by: TCLouis ]

You are very welcome. Just use the info with the normal precautions as I consider the loads safe in my barrel (you know how it goes). Yes I think the .30-30 AI is a hoot to shoot. Good performance without horrendous recoil or muzzle blast.

Hopefully I will have some info to share from the Hunting Fields after the 15th. East River Firearms Deer Season opens on the 15th here in South Dakota. I have been out doing some watching every evening and have been seeing lots of Deer in the meadow I normally hunt. There is a huge hill about 1000 yards from the meadow so I can sit up there and scout without disturbing anything in the meadow. Friday everning and Sunday evening we had the privelege of watching a pair of Bucks fighting both evenings.

Try the link, it should get you the info you want for OTT. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page (after reading everything of course) to get either an on line order form or a printable order form.

Good luck

Larry

OTT Order Form

[ 11-10-2003, 17:50: Message edited by: SD Handgunner ]

Would a 12" Hunter barrel be too short for a .309JDJ rechamber? I know 14" would be a better choice. I'm not sure I understand if a 30-30 chamber can be rechambered to 30-30AI, and if not, why not? - Jim Brady

[ 11-19-2003, 23:45: Message edited by: jabradyjr ]