Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 307 Winchester loads with the 170 Partition

Anybody have any good loads worked up for a M94 with the 170 grain partition? I was looking at using 8208 or RL15.

I have found IMR 8208 to be at its best with 170-grain bullets in the slightly smaller volume 308 Marlin Express. I have also found I do not get top velocities and best accuracy until 8208 is compressed. It is perhaps the easiest powder to compress i have ever used - I like it.
For the 307 Winchester with 20"bsrrel I like both Hodgdon Varget (best accuracy) and Aliant Reloder 15 (best velocity with just slightly largr groups.
With the 170-grain Nosler bullet I start with 42.0 grs of Alliant Reloder 15 for 2,463 fps and stop with 43.0 grains for 2,519 fps. The 43.0 grain load pretty well uses all of the practical case volume.
I try for a 2.55" COAL using a Lee Factory crimp die (unnecessary with a 100% load density but when compressing it keeps the bullet from climbing out of the case. These are using Winchester cases and CCI 200 primers.
I believe Ken Waters used similar loads - not sure who got there first with 43.0 grains pretty well maxing out the case capacity.

With the 170-grain Partition Hodgdon Varget is a good performer. I start with 42.0 grain for 2,373 fps and stop with 43.0 grains for 2,437 fps.

Thanks for the info. Are you shooting a M94 or a converted Marlin?

Model 94, pre-cross bolt safety.

Nice, did you do a trigger job on it? Both of my 94AE rifles need trigger work. It's disappointing that there is no aftermarket option like the WWG Happy Trigger for those rifles.

Yes but a trigger job on an AE rifle is only an adjustment of the sear. The long take-up on the trigger is still there.

When it came to balancing working pressure and case capacity against bullet selection the .307 Winchester is the leader – obsolete but still the leader.
Here are two poor pictures to discuss seating depth, cannalure placement and meplat diameter.
From left to right the Hornady 160-grain FTX, 170-grain Hornady Interlock, 170-grain Speer Hot Cor and the Nosler 170-grain round nose Partition.
Note the position of the cannalure on the Nosler Partition. This bullet requires deep seating in the 307 Winchester.
The 160-grain Hornady FTX also requires rather deep seating. The FTX bullet also requires shortening the case length.
The Speer and the Hornady bullets have the cannalures pretty close to one another.
The Hornady bullet has a wide meplat as I tried to illustrate in the second picture. This requires seating the bullet slightly deeper in the 307 Winchester case as the ball seat and abrupt origin to the rifling will not allow the use of the cannalure in my rifle without an interfierence fit when chambering the cartridge.

When you are using appropriate burn rate powders you begin to run out of case capacity just as you are reaching maximum velocity. You will find yourself balancing seating depth with powder charge.

Neat pictures, those are some good bullets. I owned a M 94 in 307 quite a few years ago it was a gun I never should have sold. Today there are quite a few more good bullets you could add to the ones you have been using such as the Swift and Woodleigh flat noses. Going to have to buy one again in the future......

It is a fine rifle/cartridge combination. The rifle is not perfect but it is useful.
I just wanted to expand the discussion of the Partition. It is a better fit in the .30-30 due to cannalure location and bullet taper above the cannalure.
The Speer 170-grain Hot Cor is a pretty good .307 Winchester bullet due to cannalure placement. It has both a good BC and SD. It holds together well even on close shots. Penetrates well and retains weight. Not a premium bullet but a good one nonetheless.
If your deer are light framed the 130-grain Speer is amazing with the deer typically dropping in their tracks with broadside shots and bullet placement just over the heart.

The 170 gr Speer was the one I loaded in the 307 I had but never shot anything with them, good to hear they are tough, I know the 35 cal 220 is a tough bullet so would expect no less from the 170 gr 30 cal.

Out of curiosity what is the difference in speed between the 307 Win and the shortened version the 308 Marlin Express? I have to say I wish Marlin would have just given the 307 a better chance and developed a good new factory load for it instead of the 308 MX

It is hard to compare the Marlin and the Winchester without starting a fight.
In general terms the Winchester will accept slightly higher pressires than the Marllin rifle. We have proven this to ourselves shooting the .30-30AI, the .307 and .308 Marlin Express.
On the Shooters Forum Seattleroadwarrior proved this when he had a Marlin 336 converted to .307 Winchester. His rifle would not accept maximum loads in the .307 cartridge. He had Nonneman gunsmithing shorten the .307 Winchester case slightly and blow it out to a sharp shoulder improved case he named to .30 Maximum and the Marlin easily exceeded the .307 Winchester velocities I see in my Winchester rifle.
My 308 Marlin Express has a 22" barrel and it pushes the 160-grain Hornady ammunition about 2,260 fps on any given day.
My 20" .307 Winchester would push the 180-grain factory loads 2,375 fps but these were early factory loads. I understand later Winchester factory loads are about 50 fps slower.
With 150-grain bullets my 20" Winchester will push the 150-grain Speer bullet above 2,700 fps using 46.0 grains of Alliant Reloder 15.
My 22" .308 Marlin Express will push the same 150-grain Speer bullet to 2,700 fps using 43.0 grains of Alliant Reloder 15. I have had no trouble with the load but I am told it is over published maximum so it is just an example, not a recommendation.
My 22" 308 Marlin Express will push the 170-grain bullets above 2,500 fps using 41.0 grains of Alliant Reloder 15.
IMR 4007 is a wonderful powder for the .308 Marlin express. It is easily compressed and seems to be very tolerant of it balance point with no sudden surprises as the charge weight increases - part of this is because I am running out of case capacity.
The .307 Winchester is gone forever and the .308 Marlin is a reasonable follow on.