Thanks for posting this. I shot some older (but age unknown) Winchester 170 gr Silvertips a few years ago though a chronograph and got about 2050 fps (Marlin 336, 20" barrel). Seemed a little low to me.

I'm happy to see that all of your tests resulted in velocities over 2100 fps with 170s-- that's about what I would expect from factory loads. Newer Remington 170s go around 2160 fps in my rifle. I can handload to that level using RL15, but I can't do better. Although I don't use them a lot, factory loads in .30-30 seem to wring about as much as you can get out of that old cartridge.

Thanks again!

"You cannot miss fast enough to win."-- Ross Seyfried