Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting 30-30 Ackley and cast bullets?

Recall reading somewhere that cast bullets are not too well suited for use in the 30-30 AI due to the shorter neck. Anybody have any first hand knowledge on the subject?

At the risk of speaking out of turn for I have no experience with a .30/30AI, I do have some experience with loading cast bullets in .300 Savages which have about the world's shortest .30 neck. While certainly not ideal, real world experience shows not much of a hindrance to be had. In the end, I would say not to fret about it.

If a purpose-built rifle for shooting cast bullets is your consideration here, I would recommend the standard .30/30 case. If a .30/30AI is to be had, for whatever reason, then go forth and load cast bullets in it too.

The 30-30 Ackley & the 30-30 Winchester should have the same neck lengths. Ackly improvements only reduce case body taper by enlarging the diameter of the case at the shoulder. Remember, you can fireform 30-30 Winchester cases in the Ackley chamber, so the neck length can't be appreciably different. If the neck were shorter, the factory round wouldn't chamber in the rifle at all.

Wrong. Neck length 30-30 = .426". 30-30 Ackley = .340" More than a few Ackleys move the shoulder forward. Your take/explanation of the standard version not chambering in the AI chamber is incorrect. Think about the Hornet and the K-Hornet, very similar to the 2 versions of the 30-30.

I stand corrected, but I'm seeing some variance in the case drawings for the Ackley case, but a lot would depend on which cast bullet design you intend using. This is one of the better drawings I've found, and it's neck length doesn't match the original drawings I found, or yours either. There does appear to be about 1/10th (+/-) in. difference in neck length. I still don't see any insurmountable issues. A chamber drawing from the reamer manufacturer you intend using would probably clear up the whole matter.

Thanks for the drawings. The Ackley you show (40 degree)is the most common.