cast bullet rifle

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  • Last Post 13 April 2010
buggybuilder posted this 22 March 2010

I am thinking of building a rifle that will be a dedicated cast bullet shooter.

My issue is, I very much like the Ruger #1 and would rebarrel to a 30-30.

Or, would I be better of with something on the order of a Rem. 788 or Rem. 700?

I need this rifle to group well at 200 yds. As far as accuracy goes, what kind of groups would a good shooter be able to get at this range? I'm very new to the cast bullet thing and I think this is probably my first post here. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

I need to stay with the 30-30 cal. because I have molds, dies, brass and everything else for this round.

buggybuilder

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galenaholic posted this 23 March 2010

You might be better off looking at something like a .308 Win., preferably one with a 1 in 1” twist. I would look at one of the push feed Winchester m70s in .308 as they come with the 1 in12” twist. They have a fairly decent trigger that can be adjusted to as light as 2.5 pounds without any problems. At least mine at that weight has been just fine.

I won mine in a raffle. I was trying for a .300 Weatherby that was first prze and ended up with a Winchester M70 Youth Ranger. Te stock did not fit me, being way too short so I put the gun in a Ramline and used an older 3x9X Tasco I had laying around.

I've had decent result with Lyman's #311291, 311334 and 311644. I can get five shot groups in the 1.5 MOA range at 200 yards with the latter two bullets, 25.0 gr. of IMR-4895, a one gr. tuft of Dacron, Federal match brass and the Winchester WLR primer. I can get 2.5 MOA at 300 yards if it's not too windy. Dunno the velocity but they're proabably not moving out too fast.

Converting a Ruger #1 or #3 to 30-30 could get a tad pricey. My gunsmith wants $450 plus just to do a rebarrel and that's if he doesn't have to change the extractor. (I'm having a #1B rearreled to .35 Whelen.)

Finding a bolt action in 30-30 is not impossible but not all that easy. Winchester m54s are quite scarce and pricey, just ask me how I know. Yes I have one. The exterior was a bit rough, not much bluing left but the bore was as shiney and bright as a brand new dime. I used to shoot with some other bullets casters and we'd have impromptu matches, loser buys lunch. I got an awful lot of free lunches with that rifle. I haven't seen a Remington 788 in so many years in any caliber so like the M54, you'd just have to get lucky. Savage used to make the M340 and I think Stevens had a lower priced gun that was just like the 340 but a lot plainer. haven't seen any of those lately as well.

I kind of like the idea of a #1 in 30-30 though but I'm thinking that converting the extractor is where you might run into trouble. I collect Ruger #1s so have a working idea of what works with them, which leads me back to looking closely at a rifle in .308 Win. JMHO.

Paul B.

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nimrod posted this 23 March 2010

If you are thinking singleshots how about a CPA 44 1/2 initial price a little high but shoot great and have the option later on of changing barrels very easily.

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JSH posted this 23 March 2010

bb, not to bust your stones or anything. You are going to spend $XXX on a rifle, be it a #1 or a bolt of some sort. You want the rifle to group very well? Then you want to stay with a 30-30 (which is very capable of shooting excellent at 200, but not my first choice) because you have brass dies etc. There is not a lot of “match” type brass to be had for a 30-30. It will involve a fair bit of work to get say 40 rounds of match brass. I am of the same thoughts as above. Go with a 308 and down load it to mid to upper 30-30 levels and I think you will be happy. IMHO the #1 is a fine rifle, but it by no means is a bench gun Your project and your $$$, go forth and have fun. jeff

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Buffalo Bill posted this 23 March 2010

A dedicated cast bullet rifle in .30-30 should work fine.  The .30-30 case gives you a lot more flexibility in choice of cast bullets than does the .308 Winchester (unless you want to do some special chamber-throat work in the .308 to get several good cast bullets to chamber properly).  Also, the longer neck of the .30-30 with a standard chamber should allow most .30 caliber bullets to be seated without the bullet base and gas check “hanging” in the case body (a situation generally regarded as not good for accuracy).  Also, the case capacity of the .30-30 is less than the .308, but still plenty to get all the velocity you need (with a little less powder) for good 200 yard shooting.  A batch of .30-30 brass can be prepped like any other caliber for pretty serious match shooting.  After initial firing the brass can be neck sized only for improved chamber fit, as with any other cartridge.  Without further ado, I personally favor the .30-30 over the .308.  However, very good results can be obtained with either cartridge.

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KenK posted this 23 March 2010

A Ruger No. 1 in 30-30 would be very cool.

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galenaholic posted this 23 March 2010

Buffalo Bill. The three bullets I mentioned all have bore riding noses. The #311644 even has lube grooves on the nose portion and is one of the most accurate 30 caliber bullets I've shot. I've never bothered trying lube the nose grooves at all, although i think a thinned out Lee liquid Alox might help some. I get almost as good results with the other two bullets mentioned. What seems to work best is if the bullets slide easily into the rifling and are lightly engraved. Too snug a fit will push the bullet deeper intp the case so you might have to juggle the content of the alloy somewhat. If the bullet fits the bore properly, the bases will not impede into the powder area or below the neck.

I use that same load in 30-06 brass in my Remington 700 and if I hit the pig silhouette high enough toward the top edge, the will fall over, very slowly but they do fall down .:thumbsup: Makes for darn good offhand practice, especially on the follow though.

Paul B.

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JetMech posted this 23 March 2010

I like the idea of a dedicated CB gun in 30-30 also. A Remington 788 would be my choice, but I do love my single shots. I think relatively straight wall cases are more efficient so would go with P.O.Ackley's chamber though. In any case, the .30s provide great flexibility and the best variety of bullets to choose from. Good luck with your project and lets us know how you decide to go.

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nobade posted this 23 March 2010

I built a 788 30-30 into a very nice cast bullet rifle, and am very happy with it. Dave Manson makes what he calls the 30-30 CBM reamer that I highly recommend. It shortens the chamber to better fit the brass and has a proper throat. My 788 has no problem holding MOA at 200 yards, with either grease groove or paper patch bullets. I also went with a 1:12 twist to ease the stress on the bullets a bit, and it seems to work, full power loads are still very accurate.

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BilWil1 posted this 13 April 2010

Get a 30-40 Craig, it will out shoot all the others with cast bullets. Ruger made one in the #3 rifle and if you can find one get it and see for yourself. The 30-40 has a reputation for super accuracy with lead bullits. I had a bolt carbine from the turn of last century and it was a tack driver. Sold it not knowing what a good shooter it was.

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DAMRON G posted this 13 April 2010

buggybuilder wrote: I am thinking of building a rifle that will be a dedicated cast bullet shooter.

My issue is, I very much like the Ruger #1 and would rebarrel to a 30-30.

Or, would I be better of with something on the order of a Rem. 788 or Rem. 700?

I need this rifle to group well at 200 yds. As far as accuracy goes, what kind of groups would a good shooter be able to get at this range? I'm very new to the cast bullet thing and I think this is probably my first post here. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

I need to stay with the 30-30 cal. because I have molds, dies, brass and everything else for this round.

buggybuilder

I have had two 30-30 BR type rifles.One was a custom Savage 99 with a very good chamber and nice throat and the other was a Remington 788 again with a good chamber.(the SAAMI chamber essentially has noting but a 15 deg taper from the end of the case)

The Savage had a 19” bull barrel but only weighed 7.5# and shot many 1” and under groups but was finicky on the bags.I shot it in one CBA match in heavy class and averaged 1.5” for 4  shot groups with two under 1” and two waaay over 1".

The 788 is now owned by a friend and with plainbsed bullets in a MOA gun.it has a Douglas 23” 1-12 twsit barrel.

I think the 30-30 is as good as any with the right chamber.In the #1 i would expect 1"-1.5” 5 shot groups not too hard to obtain with GC bullets.

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