Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Reduced 30-30 cast bullets in Savage 99

It can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it. It can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it also.

I've cast my own for about 52 years and still learning. I started with pistol bullets and then had a yearning to shoot some in my rifle, a 99G .300. A friend had a single cavity Lyman 311466 mold and let me borrow it so I cast up a lot. They shot so good that I used it to kill a couple of bucks that fall and I was hooked forever. I tell those who ask me at the range about casting that a fellow could buy one mold and could probably never explore all the possibilities with it. Try it, I highly recommend it.

I have about 30 pounds of IMR 7383 (50 BMG spotter ammo powder). Bulky stuff about like 4831. Peculiar smell due to the anti-flash additive (nitroguanidine). We call it cat-piss powder!

100% loading density and a 150gr Berry in a 30-30 is surprisingly accurate! And yes...you cannot get yourself in trouble with this powder in a 30-30.

"Peculiar smell due to the anti-flash additive (nitroguanidine)."

We made that at the Sunflower Army Ammo Plant, DeSoto, KS. I was the Quality Assurance Engineer. Packed it out in 50 ib drums and shipped back to the Radford.VA plant. Most was used as part of a triple base canon powder aboard ship.

One gets to where you cast by sight, smell, and feel.
You watch the spurs button turn color. You can smell the right temp in your mold and even your pot, furnace, or whatever. The feel of the spurs cutter lets you know how set your pour is.
I use that to time between pours.
About 5 years ago I sold 75 % of the molds I had acquired over 60 years. I still have about 30. From 22 to 50 cal. I hate casting 22 cal.
44 and 45 cals I use 6 cavity molds.
Then I got into powder coating for awhile. That is another kettle of fish all together. I like it for my 45-70 loads . White for trapdoor, yellow for hunting and red for bruised shoulder loads.
Think I
I will go load some cast in my new 300 blackout.

I had a 6 cavity Hennsely and Gibbs 38 wadcutter mold for a while. HEAVY!

Mike

Bought mine from Bartlett's Reloaders. Purchased a case of 7 pounders and kept three for myself. Wish I had bought more! 6 months in and my first jug is half gone.

Though I don't have or have ever had a 30-30, I've shot cast bullet (mostly gas checked) reduced loads in my collection of WW1/WW2 military bolt rifles for around 20 years with great success. Calibers ranging from 30-40 Krag, 30/06 Springfield, .303 British, 7.62X54 Russian, and German 7.92mm (8mm) Mauser. Casted fairly hard using a variety of powders that include Red Dot, IMR 4227, 2400, Unique, and my favorite that works great for all calibers Accurate 5744 (works good also for more stepped up loads). 5744 is a favorite of gun writer of Mike Venturino who edited and wrote many of the articles in the newest Lyman Cast Bullet Reloading book. A must book for any lead bullet caster and reloader. I've seen various reduced loads for the 30-30 for target and informal shooting. Reduced cast lead bullet loads are fun to shoot, easier on the body and gun, and are way cheaper to shoot than higher fps jacketed bullet loadings. The only military rifle I don't shoot reduced loads in are my M1 Garands, as they need a certain power level to operate the piston. I plan on doing some cast bullet/reduced loads for my 250 and 300 Savage 99's next year, just have had the 250 99G a short year and just recently obtained the 99R 300 Sav. Big fan of reduced loads, although I do get brave and reload and shoot 'the big stuff'!