...and you already had a .30-30 and a .30-06 but were just looking for something different to play around with, what other caliber might you look at?

Not different as in ridiculous or impractical like a .300 RUM, but reasonably efficient for smaller powder charges and not too hard to find brass and dies for. Already had a few .308s and they're okay but kind of thinking of smaller powder charges in these days of plentiful supplies and low prices on everything. .300 Blackout comes to mind but just looking for anybody's input here.

Krag

^^^^What he said.^^^^The long neck of the.30-40 could not have been designed better for cast. And in an original Springfield the the 'ball seat' throat is perfect for well calculated seating depth. Pretty well eliminates the need for gas checks.

303 savage

Fella here on the ‘Fire shoots a BO in a Contender with a 10” twist and cast of about 200 gr. Shoots very well.

Or if you're a certified Loony you can follow my path.

I'll second the Krag. Pretty hard not to make one shoot well.

Too bad you're limiting yourself to .30, as a .22 Hornet + cast bullets is even more fun than watching two Democrats paddle a canoe. And talk about being miserly with lead and powder!

There's a single shot builder, Paul Shuttleworth, who builds .32-20's with .308 bores. An idea that holds merit along with yon Sneezer and .30 Blackouts. It has gained a lot of traction among ASSRA shooters as an accurate 100&200 yard benchrest caliber. I'm not suggesting you run off to CPA and drop a couple thousand on a .30-20 rifle. Many alternatives exist.

Contender, 10" twist, 210grn, BHN 10/11, 11.2grns IMR-4198 = 1025fps... and vewy kwiut.....






7 shots

Years ago I was looking for a bolt gun in 30-30 Winchester for just the same reason. Sorry, but I forgot who used to make the rifles but they were around and pretty cheap.

Savage Stevens 340/325

They show up on gunbroker pretty regularly and I was going to get one but unfortunately they aren't that cheap anymore, most that are anywhere above total beater grade are bringing $400 or more and one in very good shape sold for over $500 a month or so ago.

I looked at them and figured if I was going to spend that much then go ahead and pop for a Remington 788. Those are really not cheap anymore and especially in .30-30. But I found a good shooter grade for a middle of the road price and got the notice that it was shipped this morning. Have had bunches of .30-30 lever actions but wanted to try it in a bolt action for a few reasons - accuracy with cast bullets mainly plus the ability to use my good stock of jacketed .30 caliber spitzers in various weights.

Reason for this thread is that I retire at the end of this month and will have 24/7 to play around with stuff, so even though the latest toy isn't in my hot little hands yet I already got my eye out for the one after that...

.30-30= best all-around .30 cast shooter IMO. Several .30-30 M54 Winchester bolt guns on GB right now. Use the factory mounting system so as not to alter the bolt handle, and stick an 8 or 10x Fecker/Targetspot/Litschert/Unertl on it and really see what a .30-30 can do with cast bullets.

I've had many Krags, most sporterized, but they were all good cast bullet shooters. I still have a Ruger #3 in .30-40 and a reproduction '95 Winchester in the same.

However, .30-40 brass is probably much harder to find than .308 or .30-06. The long case neck and nostalgia probably do more to sell Krags than anything else, but I prefer a .308 or .30-06. The Krag cartridge offers no real advantage over either in the way of accuracy or anything else, unless you're using a very long bullet and don't want to seat it below the case neck. I think case capacity of the .30-40 and .308 is about the same. Any modern .308 or .30-06 is also going to be built on a considerably stronger action than the one-lug Krag.

Because of its case capacity (and possibly neck length), the .30-30 cartridge might be the best of the bunch if you can find a good bolt-action. However, there aren't a lot of choices here, and some of them like a Model 54 Winchester or even a Remington 788 in good shape may cost more than many are willing to spend.

Here's the 788 in .30-30 I got. After owning several lever actions I already had Lee and Redding dies for it, a couple hundred flat and round nose jacketed bullets, two suitable cast bullet molds with a bunch already cast up plus about 400 cases both new and once fired. Maybe if we ever get back to pre-SHTF prices and availability of all things shooting related I might get more esoteric in cartridge choices but for now the tried and true - and on hand - seemed to be the best route.

Looked at a couple Model 54's and they sure are fine rifles from the days when fine rifles were the rule and not the exception but just too many issues trying to get it scoped. This was definitely expensive compared to what they originally sold for although not nearly as much as some have brought recently and a nice bonus was that it came with a steel Lyman 66 with target knobs which is a good hundred dollars added value, especially since my eventual plan was to mount a peep sight on it anyway. This one was made in December of 1967 so it's a first year production. The replacement stock is pure 60's kitsch with the white line spacers but it's a decent piece of walnut and has very good ergonomics. Wasn't looking for a collector or a showpiece, just a good practical shooter. Besides, it's a 788 - you could put it in a red dress and a blonde wig and it still wouldn't be pretty.

Have only had it out once for initial load workup with a TLC311 which is a 165 grain flat nose Ranch Dog design, but already a load of 748 giving 2150 fps and a middlin' load of 2400 at 1850 are showing real promise. When the wind/rain/typical Idaho spring weather give a break I have some loads with IMR4198 and IMR4895 to try as well.

No flies on that! I would've been drawn to it myself.

That's not a factory stock, is it?

That 788 is sweet.

Dunno how you want to roll with this, but a fella could do worse than picking up a Win 94 in .30-30. I’ve a USRAC Trapper model that flings the Lyman 311041 around 2100 FPS without even trying. Runs about 1” for 5 shots at 50 yards. Not too shabby for a piece that’s 37 years old and well used.

Another cartridge that might be some sport is the .25-20 Win, or maybe even a .35 Rem.

The stock is definitely aftermarket, given the time period it's likely to be a Bishop or Fajen.

Have owned a half dozen Model 94 .30-30's and a couple more than that in Marlin 336's, so I was wanting to try a different action. Those lever actions can be made very accurate if you unhinder the barrel from the magazine tube, barrel bands and other constraining features. I used to enjoy getting one and doing all kinds of stuff to get it to shoot up to maximum potential but getting where I wanted a more turn key situation. These 788 .30-30's have a very good rep in that regard and having owned a few in .223, .22-250, 6mm and even one .44 Magnum I knew that reputation is deserved.

I join the ranks of the permanently unemployed this Friday - retirement - so will be looking for more projects in the lesser used chamberings in due time but with the current scarcities a .30-30 did seem like the best choice for now.



Few more pics from the auction to show it off.

I guess you'd call this "honest walnut" - not fancy but good straight grain and decently laid out.




The sight had about 50 years of congealed oil and gunk in it but it was a labor of love getting it cleaned up. It's a nice piece of machinery with very solid clicks. There are scales and indexing hash marks on the dial and sight body so you can return to any exact sight setting without having to count clicks.






Action and finish show their age but overall are in good shape, no rust or major bluing loss anywhere. Trigger is a bit heavy at around 4 pounds but breaks very cleanly.







Definitely not a show piece by any stretch of the imagination but it should shoot straight and that's the main thing I ask for in a rifle.

I'm liking it more and more.

(But that isn't a Lyman 66. It's a Lyman 48, even better IMO. Don't forget to tighten that slide release button. Unscrew it to make elevation adjustments and then re-tighten it before shooting. Unscrew it and push it in to release the slide entirely.)

Very cool, thanks. I grew up using peep sights but mostly Williams Foolproof or similar Redfield set and forget hunting styles, have not had any experience with the higher quality target sights.

30 Carbine.

Don't overlook the 7.62x39 as a cast bullet shooter. I got a CZ-527 in 2004 to see how it would shoot cast and I've never been disappointed at all.

Good choice Joe

don't forget about the 30 herrett. I had one for a contender, years ago and sorry I sold it, that had a long neck on it. it was 16" long and if memory serves me correctly, it was a t/c barrel modified by van horn. came with a set of modified dies. worked great with cast bullets. killed everything from squirrels to deer with it, nothing past 100 yards.