Wilderness
posted this
18 April 2023
Ross
In .30-30 you can't go far wrong with the 120 gn bullet and about 4.5 or 5 gns of anything fast (shotgun or pistol powder).
I see from the burn rate charts that Clays lines up with Red Dot, which would suggest a load of say 4.5 gns with the 120 gn bullet and maybe 5 gns with 165. Expected velocity in .30-30 will be about 1050 fps. Accuracy at this speed is usually pretty good, but requires uniform powder position.
These light loads are ABSOLUTELY NOT for jacketed or plated bullets - these will stick in the barrel. I prefer soft cast bullets with conventional lubrication.
I use pistol primers with these light loads of fast powders.
If you doubt the reliability of ignition of small charges of fast powder, put some on the floor, put a primed case in your rifle, and "flash" the powder from a few inches away. Fast shotgun powders will light, rifle powders will just be scattered - this should give you some idea of what might happen to a small charge in a big case.
You are only as good as your library.