Talk to me about this round. I just picked up a Rem 788 in .30-30 and I'm considering rebarreling to this chamber. I've always read this is one of the better cartridges to AI.

How many of you guys out there running this cartridge? What are your thoughts on it? I'm thinking if I can get them all to fit, I'll run mainly 150 grain Spitzers or less in the rifle. I've got a .30-06 that can handle 150-180 bullets, and a .300 H&H for 180+ grains.

After all the 788 is almost perfect for pointy bullets in a .30-30!

I have a marlin chambered in it, it does, as claimed, about factory 300 savage vel. Win 748 will give about 2550 fps. With a 788 you could use the stroger 375 win brass and up pressures that a levergun wouldnt like. Standard 30-30 brass is quite thin, and when improved has nearly .308 capacity.

Before you change the gun, why not try some Hornady LeverEvolution ammo in it?

Or get some of those bullets and the the new powder used for their loads?

I have shot a couple of deer and pigs with the Hornady LE ammo in my Heym O/U 30/30, and it works great.

With the rear locking lugs of the 788 and 30/30 brass you will probably have short case life with higher pressure 30/30AI loads.

I also killed a coyote at 166 yards [lazered], and still got great expansion, usged by the exit hole...

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
Before you change the gun, why not try some Hornady LeverEvolution ammo in it?

Or get some of those bullets and the the new powder used for their loads?

I have shot a couple of deer and pigs with the Hornady LE ammo in my Heym O/U 30/30, and it works great.

With the rear locking lugs of the 788 and 30/30 brass you will probably have short case life with higher pressure 30/30AI loads.

I also killed a coyote at 166 yards [lazered], and still got great expansion, usged by the exit hole...

I don't usually buy ammunition and I don't see where the flex tip bullets will do me any good. I think I can load up some better bullets than that one. The powder is a possibility though.

I was hoping the AI case would grip the chamber walls better, thus not putting a whole lot more thrust on the bolt. I'm pretty much a novice at AI cases, but I read in Ackley's books that this was one advantage of the AI case. That is what I'm hoping anyway.

I'll shoot it as a regular .30-30 for awhile and may use it to help train my daughter for her first big game hunt.

Thanks!

The 30-30 is a fine cartridge out to at least 150 yds. the pointed bullets will extend it some.Your other rifles compliment it out a good deal further. What would you really gain? However, if you are looking for something to play with I can understand your interest. Performance ability increase zero fun from new toy imeasureable. roger

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
The 30-30 is a fine cartridge out to at least 150 yds. the pointed bullets will extend it some.Your other rifles compliment it out a good deal further. What would you really gain? However, if you are looking for something to play with I can understand your interest. Performance ability increase zero fun from new toy imeasureable. roger

Pretty much sums it up!

Many years ago, my second deer rifle was a 30-30 Rem 788. I liked it so well that I bought two or three more, but since have sold them all. I agree with Bartsche and NE 450. All the 788s that I shot in 30-30 were nicely accurate, and plesant to shoot. I was hunting deer in the oak bottoms and pines in Georgia at the time, and shot several deer with those rifles. I think the AI version is a waste of time with this rifle. Really, when you start shooting it, most likely you will come to agree, and leave it alone.

Also, I did some handloading for my 788 30-30 rifles. That was a long time ago, but as I remember, it became apparant that trying to load hotter loads was not necessary and probably not a good idea. However using 150gr pointed bullets was a good idea, as I remember.

My advice is to don't try to make it something it is not, and enjoy it as it is, and for what it will do, as simply a bolt action 30-30. They are good rifles, and plenty of fun.

The 788 in 30-30 has a great deal of nostalga value to me. I have missed the rifles that I once owned, practically since I sold them. Many times, over the years, I have tried to duplicate them (or perhaps that time period in life). I had a Contender in 30-30, but that didn't do it for me. I moved up to the 308 bolt action, which I can handload to duplicate the 30-30 if I want to. That's pretty good. Yet, I continue to look for the perfect replacment for those 30-30 mod 788s.

I don't want to go back to the 788s, and buy another one, for the same reasons I sold them in the first place. (the safety, trigger, rear locking lugs, rimmed, single stack, DBM) I discovered Mausers, and simply like them better. So, for nostalgic reasons, with the thought of making a replacment for those old 30-30 bolt rifles, I had a 7.65x53 made on a FN Mauser action. Although it's a bit more ballistically than a 30-30, it works in a Mauser action, and it's origin is of the same time period. The 8x57 = 1888, 7.65x53 = 1889, 6.5x55 = 1893, 30-30 = 1895.

So far, I think the 7.65x53 is gonna fill that nostalgia niche very well, in a light, slim, low recoil deer and hog rifle, which handloads easily.

I tried the 7.62x39 in the CZ 527, which is an excellent rifle, BTW, but it still didn't satisfactorily replace those 30-30s. I believe this FN in 7.65x53 will do the trick.

KB

I have to concur that 30-30 WCF is a fine caliber in its original trim. Nonetheless, a year or so ago I bought an old '94 that someone had run out to 30-30AI. It was in excellent shape, priced right, and sounded like fun.
Since then I've developed a load for it that works well, is accurate, and produces (gasp) 100 fps more than the top 30-30 WCF loadings.

If you make the conversion to 30-30AI, you may wish to try it: Federal or Winchester brass, WLR primer, 37.5gr. VV N540, 150gr Hornady RN seated to cannelure (approx. 2.515" COAL) with light crimp. This combination produces 2410 fps in my carbine, with typically 20 fps extreme spread for 5 shots. Fun stuff!

Dave Manson

Shoot the gun as is and see if the barrel is OK. If so, then the barrel can be set back and the chamber can be recut to 30-30AI for about 1/3 the cost of a new barrel.

I doubt I'll rechamber this rifle anytime soon as I've found some pretty good loads for it. The 788 is a little tougher action than the M94 so I can run a little hotter. Going to see how some 125 grain Sierra and 130 grain Hornady's like to fly out of this rifle first.

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
With a 788 you could use the stroger 375 win brass and up pressures that a levergun wouldnt like. Standard 30-30 brass is quite thin, and when improved has nearly .308 capacity.

I agree with the 375 brass being stronger and more suitable to a +P loading. Near .308 capacity? I think not.

quote:

Originally posted by Fat_Albert:
If so, then the barrel can be set back and the chamber can be recut to 30-30AI for about 1/3 the cost of a new barrel.

Should not be necessary to set back a .30-30 barrel to cut an AI chamber. It's not a "true" Ackley Improved chamber. See dimensions below:

quote:

Near .308 capacity? I think not.

4.5 grns diff between an actual sized win .308 case filled to the base of the neck and a sized 30-30 imp win case to the base of the neck.That might be night and day differance to you, but it's near to me.

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:

quote:

Near .308 capacity? I think not.

4.5 grns diff between an actual sized win .308 case filled to the base of the neck and a sized 30-30 imp win case to the base of the neck.That might be night and day differance to you, but it's near to me.

If the numbers are right that's about 12 to 14%. Some folks might say that's a good bit; others not?? roger

Bartshe,
it gets even more complicated if you factor that the 30-30 imp neck is longer and that most .308 150's would be a spitzer and take up more room in the case then a 150 roundnose in a 30-30 seated to their proper OAL. A 150 spitzer in a 30-30 imp case might use similiar amounts of case capacity in the seating. I didnt find it worthwhile to weigh, drill a hole, seat and weigh again etc. to find out exactly what it would change. The 30-30 imp case is not as strong, a marlin or win not as strong as a rifle for .308, so it will never be a .308. But, when talking just useable capacity, I still dont call it a big differance.

I've a 94 chambered in this thing and apart from fireforming it is a good round. I still now and again take moose with it and with 180 grn. hardcast I would shoot anything with it in my parts. I've seen grizz drop with it and moose and caribou. It is however and always be about bullet makeup and shot placement...and oh, get in close. One of my favorite rifles.

Rather than the 30-30AI, have you considered the 307?

The only problem that I've had with the 30-30AI is split shoulder because of the thin cases. This is with a Savage 24V that was rechambered from 30-30 to 30-30AI. I don't think that the Savage 24V action is strong enough to use 307 factory loads, so the 30-30AI with have to do.

I have a Savage 99H barrel band carbine from the mid-1930s that I rechambered from 303 Savage to 307 and have been very pleased with the outcome.

Jeff

For a 788 Rem I would also pic the 307 rechamber...much stronger brass, better ballistics and probably the same cost factor.

Not sure about the 30-30 magazine and 307 compatability...I know there are some differences between the 788 30-30 and 308 so maybe you are stuck with the 30-30 AI version because of the difference in the receiver/box mag.

LUCK

But why do a .307 rechamber when you can already get a 788 in .308? I don't think this one will become an AI anytime soon if at all. I've shot the rifle very little at the moment but it seems pretty accurate, the only problem I have right now it doesn't eject the spent cartridge very well.

307----308 mag simple

quote:

Originally posted by RR:
307----308 mag simple

Again why would I want to run a .307 in a bolt action? Wouldn't it just be better to run the .308? The .307 in a bolt action isn't going to give me any benifit over the .308, it would be different if I wanted the rim to help with extraction in my Encore.

The reason I wanted a bolt action .30-30 is to run all the Spitzer bullets 130 grains or less. I can run the new Hornady FTX but that only limits me to one bullet choice. I'm hoping that I can make this rifle my daughther first big game rifle.

IIRC there was a pre 64 win chambered in 30-30.That would beat the hell out of the 788.

quote:

IIRC there was a pre 64 win chambered in 30-30.

Sure, it's called a win 94. I think the model 54 might have been chambered in 30-30 also

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:

quote:

IIRC there was a pre 64 win chambered in 30-30.

Sure, it's called a win 94. I think the model 54 might have been chambered in 30-30 also

Yes the 54 was chambered in .30-30 and I've even seen one pre 64 M70 in .30 WCF. It was kind of an unusual rifle, as the owner couldn't find much history on it.