.30-30 Cast Bullet Accuracy

September 2024 -- Jamie R.

A while back Steve wrote a article querying the possibility of using the .30-30 Winchester for benchrest target shooting. I found this to be an interesting read as well as a testworthy concept. I discussed this with him briefly at the August gun show and finally got out to the range today to test my take on the article.

My curiosity was if the .30-30 could be a contender as a target round with my own twist on the concept. As many of you know I am a bullet caster and reloader. I have always liked the idea of being as self sufficient as possible and put the time in that is needed to make that happen. That being said, it was time to see just how well a .30-30 cast bullet would shoot.

To be consistent, all bullets were cast at the same time with the same alloy, sorted, weighed, had home made gas checks and lube applied at the same time, as well as being sized to .309 inch. The bullet itself was from a Lee mold, 150 grain round nose flat point which the rifle had been sighted in with months ago.

My test rifle was an older Savage 340 C bolt action with a period correct Tasco 3-9x40 scope. Nothing fancy here folks other than the rifle being a bolt gun rather than the more common lever action.

The load data was from a Lyman manual which was the basis for the load that I worked up for this rifle using 3031 powder.

The group was fired from a lead sled to be consistent with many bench rest shooters that don’t shoot off hand, but use a rest that they prefer. All shooting was done at 100 yards. I took a few shots at my favorite berm rocks to verify the gun was on prior to shooting the group from the rest. The rifle was sighted in for the rocks, not the 100 yard target.

[Click on image to see a larger version] I was extremely impressed with the 4 shot group, my third shot going a little left was entirely my fault and I called it as soon as I fired it. But even with a touch of shooter error on my part, I can only conclude that even .30-30 rounds fired with cast bullets can perform equally well in a hunting or bench rest shooting situation.

Good on you Steve for bringing this information forward. It was a fun test for me and even better to see very positive results. Happy Shooting!

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