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Joined: Jul 2001
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 714 |
I'm fairly new to loading .30-30, only the past three years. How many loading should I expect to get out of full length sized .30-30 brass? Headspacing on the rim isn't going to help but I prefer to full length size.
"Hail to the King, Baby!"
Ash, Army of Darkness
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9,526
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 9,526 |
I've gotten 10+ loadings with no problem, simply replacing the brass because I bought new cases, not due to the cases coming to the end of their life.
What has helped is watching how far I set the shoulder back. My chamber headspaces good, little to no primer backing out, but the shoulder will move forward .026". I use a Wilson case gauge and set it back .002", and all is well.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 28,375
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 28,375 |
The early death of most repeatedly FL sized cases is from head separation, but those are the ones that headspace on the shoulder. For rimmed cases, neck cracking from work hardening would be the worry and that can be greatly mitigated by annealing every few firings, say 4 to 6 just to grab a number. That assumes the rimmed headspace is minimal. If it isn't then you're still going to stretch that case head each shot. My current batch of .30-30 cases have been fired 14 times without the loss of a single case so far. But then I neck size most times and bump with a body die about every 4th or 5th firing as needed. As Vic notes, even with a rimmed case just setting that shoulder back a measured .002" will go a long way to making those cases go a long way.  FWIW, these have been annealed twice so far. I can't speak for all dies or chambers as my FL die is a Redding and the rifle is a 1955 Marlin 336, but it really worked the neck area. I forget the absolute measurements but neck OD before and after sizing (without the expander plug) was something like a .010" difference. Then with the plug in it expanded back up to about .006" under fired diameter. Do that after every firing and that's working that neck an awful lot.
Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery.
Hit the target, all else is twaddle!
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,743
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,743 |
The early death of most repeatedly FL sized cases is from head separation, but those are the ones that headspace on the shoulder. For rimmed cases, neck cracking from work hardening would be the worry and that can be greatly mitigated by annealing every few firings, say 4 to 6 just to grab a number. That assumes the rimmed headspace is minimal. If it isn't then you're still going to stretch that case head each shot. My current batch of .30-30 cases have been fired 14 times without the loss of a single case so far. But then I neck size most times and bump with a body die about every 4th or 5th firing as needed. As Vic notes, even with a rimmed case just setting that shoulder back a measured .002" will go a long way to making those cases go a long way. FWIW, these have been annealed twice so far. I can't speak for all dies or chambers as my FL die is a Redding and the rifle is a 1955 Marlin 336, but it really worked the neck area. I forget the absolute measurements but neck OD before and after sizing (without the expander plug) was something like a .010" difference. Then with the plug in it expanded back up to about .006" under fired diameter. Do that after every firing and that's working that neck an awful lot. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ THISEVERYTHING YA NEED TO KNOW, RIGHT THERE...I got 30/30 cases running on 30 plus reloads...I anneal the necks every 4th reload and a little prudence on the power scale helps alot...
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 11,322
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
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30-30 brass last forever....
I may not be smart but I can lift heavy objects
I have a shotgun so I have no need for a 30-06.....
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,743
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,743 |
don't know about that... I'd bet most 30/30 brass ends up int he trash can or left out in the field on the ground after being shot one time...can't think of a hunting season, when I didn't find a 30/30 case or two left on the ground from previous seasons by someone...
but like all brass, if taken care of and a little prudence on the powder scale not trying to wring out every last fps potential, one can get a surprisingly decent life span out of it...
30/30 ain't no difference...
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Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,387
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Apr 2001
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A whole lot of years ago my only firearm was a single shot H&R with a 20 gauge bbl and a .30-30 bbl. I reloaded the .30-30 and was also curious so I took five brass and kept loading and reloading them. This was on a Lee hand loader and required lots of hammering on the brass resulting in a neck sized case. On the 23 rd. loading I couldn't open the action anymore without a soft mallet. That is when I learned that case trimming and annealing were a necessity. I don't know how long those cases got but it had to be considerable. I learned lots then including that God can protect teenagers doing stupid stuff.
I'm not cheap, I'm frugal. ![[Linked Image]](http://militarysignatures.com/signatures/member501.png)
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 77
Campfire Greenhorn
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Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 77 |
None of mine have split yet. I just keep loading them. I'm cycling through about 200 though.
Last edited by 07blackwater; 08/29/14. Reason: speeling
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