Tennessee Jed
New member
The difficulty in finding jacketed 30-30 bullets has me thinking about using cast bullets with gas checks. However, I'm not sure about some of the reloading info I am seeing on powder manufacturer websites.
For example, Hogdon lists a 30-30 load for H4895 and a 160 grain cast bullet that tops out for velocity of only 1562 fps. The pressure on that load is only 23,100 CUP, while their max load for a 150 grain jacketed bullet tops out at 2,390 fps and 36,700 CUP.
What I'm wondering is if it's possible to get a gas-checked cast bullet for a rifle up to at least near jacketed bullet velocity? Or, if I go with cast, even with a gas check, does that mean I'm still going to be running at greatly reduced velocities?
For example, Hogdon lists a 30-30 load for H4895 and a 160 grain cast bullet that tops out for velocity of only 1562 fps. The pressure on that load is only 23,100 CUP, while their max load for a 150 grain jacketed bullet tops out at 2,390 fps and 36,700 CUP.
What I'm wondering is if it's possible to get a gas-checked cast bullet for a rifle up to at least near jacketed bullet velocity? Or, if I go with cast, even with a gas check, does that mean I'm still going to be running at greatly reduced velocities?