Gonna give my 20" T/C G1 .30-30 carbine a go with 130 TSX's. Anyone try this combo yet?

I think I'm going to try IMR-4198 and IMR-4895 for starters and compare with my basine load of IMR-4895 with 150 gr NBT's.

I'll be very interested in seeing your results. I've thought about this combination and would love to use this for deer next season.

Have used Nosler 125gr BTs and other brand softpoints up to 130gr that work great in the grandsons' .30-30 TC carbines. I'd be interested, too, in the 130 TSXs performance in this older, but still useful, cartridge. May have to try it this fall on mule deer.

Just wanted to give a quick report back.

Good things with IMR-4895 and the 130 TSX. Not really enought groups to be stastically significant, but I tried 30.5 and 31.5 grains. One group under 1" and one just over for 3-shots @ 100yds.

This was at only one seating depth at approx 0.015" off lands. I think I can work up to 33.0 grains and see what kind of V I'm getting.

This is in a stainless custom shop 20" bbl. I don't know what the twist is. It's a funky 8-groove LH twisty, though.

I've got some 125 NBT's, but I'm saving them for the .30 Herrett. I will try a few of the 130 TSX's in the 14" Herrett also.

The twist is 1:10.

MuskegMan wrote:

quote:

I will try a few of the 130 TSX's in the 14" Herr

You may find you are disappointd in terminal performance on game. These bullets perform superbly from gun/cartridge combos that can generate significant velocity. But the low-velocity threshhold of the Barnes bullets still leaves something to be desired, hence the introduction of the TTSX with a wider hollow cavity and polymer tip geared towards generating expansion upon impact. The TTSX was introduced solely to improve low-velocity performance of the X/TSX lineup.

Bullets like the 125 grain BT and 125 grain Sierra perform exceptionally well at the lower velocities such as your Herrett will be operating at. In fact, the 125 grain BT, my favorite in this cartridge, almost always exits on deer given virtually any broadside presentation. A premium is certainly not needed.

I don't have any photos of .30 caliber TSX bullets at the moment, but here's a 6.5mm, 120 grain which was recovered after an impact velocity of 2504 fps. WHile that degree of expansion will certainly take care of a deer, other bullets may serve your purposes even better.

Here's another moderate-velocity impact comparison. This Barnes is the 7mm, 120 grain TTSX, but even at 2365 fps at impact, it still does not generate the full depth-of-cavity expansion that Barnes claims. Nonetheless, above 2050-2100 fps at impact, it will do just fine.

I am currently hoping for a cooperative hog to try the 120 grain TTSX on using my Contender in 7mm Bullberry, which drives the bullet to just over 2600 fps.

If you are looking for a monometal bullet for your 30-30 contender, try the one Barnes makes specifically for the 30-30. It will give you full function at the velocities you are likely to get. If you want more velocity with the lighter bullet, I would recommend something else. I don't think you would get the bullet to function at long range and 30-30 impact velocities.

I have been pondering this myself. Would these bullets not perform at the velocities generated during the first 50-100 yards? I would imagine at some point even from a 30-06, the bullet will be traveling at the same velocity as the 30-30 does in the first 100 yards.

I wanted to try some conventional spitzer 30 cal bullets, but chickened out, instead using some old nosler 170 grain solid base boat tails. I also have some 150 sierras specific for the 30-30.

Is it worth having the 30-30 recut for the Ackley Improved?

In an Encore or Contender, you can't correctly rechamber to a 30-30 AI from a standard 30-30. The headspace will be wrong.

Yes, a judicious reloader can deal with it. But it's something to think about if you ever plan to sell the barrel.

In a bolt rifle, this rechamber poses no problem as the barrel can be set back.

Yes, the TSX in a 30-30 AI would do well at relatively close range. It's when the velocity begins to taper off that problems begin to arise. As to the 30-06 comparison, keep in mind that the '06 has a several hundred fps advantage at the outset.

quote:

Originally posted by dwheels:
If you are looking for a monometal bullet for your 30-30 contender, try the one Barnes makes specifically for the 30-30.

Yes, I can always use a .30-30 flat point bullet, but that is not my quest. I want a spitzer bullet for a little better range.

I trust the 150 gr NBT down to 2,000 fps, so I'm looking to drive it at 2,400 to 2,500 fps in a 20" bbl. Once I work a load up, I'll run it over the O-35 for velocity readings.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby Tomek:
In an Encore or Contender, you can't correctly rechamber to a 30-30 AI from a standard 30-30. The headspace will be wrong.

Not true. The .30-30 AI (this is really a misnomer) is not a TRUE ACKLEY design. The headspace datum is moved forward - a la Gibbs design. I'm looking at the two drawings side-by-side. You can cut an .30-30 AI chamber w/o setting the barrel back like you need to do with all other AI chamberings. The neck is shortened from 0.477" to 0.350"

MuskegMan-

You are absolutely correct on the AI. I got ahead of myself thinking about the 25-06 AI Encore I recently saw. Of course, starting out life as a 25-06, it was not a true AI chambering in the ENcore.As someone whose favorite barrels are based on necked-down versions of the Imp. 30-30 case, I guess my mind was asleep at the wheel.

Thanks for catching my goof...

I took my contender to the range today, attempting to find a full power hunting load. going on a theory I read somewhere, and using the bullet I want to use,(170 gr. nosler solid base, specifically for the 30-30) I tried 3 different powders. (that's all I had for the 30-30 loads listed) I started with a middle powder charge and went up in 1 grain increments, loading 3 of each powder charge. For each powder change I also loaded a fouling shot, and cleaned the gun after each powder. This was just to make sure there were no pressure issues and look at the inate accuracy of each powder in this particular gun.
Primers were all CCI BR-2.
All r-p brass from same run.

414= 35, 36. 37 grains
3031= 28, 29, 30 grains
4895 29, 30, 31 grains

The results were interesting to say the least. First up, the 4895 did not print well at all.

heres the best 4895 group


the 414 worked much better
35 grains

36 grains

37 grains


next up 3031
28 grains


29 grains

30 grains


the 3031 opened up in the second load but seemed to close back up again at the higher charge.

Now that I know these loads are safe and which ones seem accurate I will load some more and run them through the chronograph. I wish I had brought it today, but didn't grab it this AM.

again, the theory I'm testing is that powder plays the largest part in finding the sweet spot for a particular barrel.