30.30 bullet fired from a bolt action?

My neighbor lady gave me a few partial boxes of bullets from when her husband was alive & used to reload. One of the boxes contains about 80 .308 bullets that I believe are for a lever gun. They're kinda short & squatty and look like Hornady FTX 30.30 bullets. I think the number is a Hornady number (30395). They're still nice & shiny & I hate to see them go to waste. Anyone suppose they'll shoot OK from a 30.06 Savage? From the way they look, I don't think they'll be very accurate. Any input?
They're 160gr, copper jackets with a cannelure closer to the point than the boat tail, with a red poly tip. Like I said, they look kinda short, fat & squatty.

They should work just fine in a 30-06 or 308.

But being designed to open up at 30-30 velocity they may not hold together on game at the higher velocities.

I was concerned about velocity, as well. After I looked up 30-30 info in my Lymans manual, I decided not to use them. The velocities are half of a 30-06!
It would really ruin my day to have to jackhammer a 30-30 lump of lead from the barrel of my '06. Especially since I just had shoulder surgery a few days ago. I may not be able to do it with one hand....
Thanks, guys...

I would see no issue using them in a 30-6 or 308. Would work just fine for the range and will not harm your barrel. If you use them for hunting, there is a number of reduced loads available for the velocity of those bullets. They would make a wonderful light load for deer or varmints. I often load 30-30 lead bullets in my 30-06 for cheap range practice.

Target shooting was my original intention. Would you load them to 30-06 specs or use the 30-30 section of the book?
ANything else noteworthy about loading them.
As I said earlier.... Being a Scrooge type skinflint, I hate to waste free bullets.

Thirty-thirty bullets work great at their intended velocities. I know some folks who hunt with them in .308 Wins and .30-06, but they all hunt close cover and load to just over thirty-thirty velocity.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fgw_in_fla

Would you load them to 30-06 specs or use the 30-30 section of the book?

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If I understand you correctly, you can not use .30-30 data to load your .30-06 case. Squib loads are very dangerous. Look at the '06 data and look for a load in the 24-2500 fps range. Don't dismiss the accuracy, short and fat/squat doesn't mean inaccurate just decreases the Ballistic Coefficient and will reduce the effective range.

If I'm reading everyone correctly I can load them to a lower velocity comparable to a 30-30 load & use them in my '06 with no problem..... I hope :o
What the heck. You only go around once, why not take a chance. After all, they were free.
Thanks all. I'll have to wait about 5 to 6 weeks before I can shoot, anyway. Just had my left shoulder rebuilt and the doc was very specific with the instructions about screwing it up if I use it. I'll let y'all know.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fgw_in_fla

If I'm reading everyone correctly I can load them to a lower velocity comparable to a 30-30 load & use them in my '06 with no problem..... I hope :o
What the heck. You only go around once, why not take a chance. After all, they were free.
Thanks all. I'll have to wait about 5 to 6 weeks before I can shoot, anyway. Just had my left shoulder rebuilt and the doc was very specific with the instructions about screwing it up if I use it. I'll let y'all know.

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Some of the best groups I ever got from a sporter 30-06 was with the 170 gr 30-30. Shoot em keeping the velocity in the 2500 fps range as suggested and have fun.

i've wondered that myself i have 150 of those horndy flex tips from when i had a 30-30 just sitting on the shelf collecting dust.i might have to load them on the bottom end of the data scale and shoot them as a light load.

If you're just target shooting, 30-30 bullets will shoot just fine in a 30-06. I used to do it all the time, just for plinking loads. You can load them at -06 power levels also. It will not harm the gun. What the velocity limits would entail would be if you shot the bullets at game, like deer, etc. The higher velocity impacts would cause the bullets to come apart like a varmint bullet when they struck the deer, causing massive surface damage, but very little penetration, and likely crippling or wounding the deer.

I used to load 150 gr flat or round nosed 30-30 bullets for my -06 and go jack rabbit splatting in the desert all the time. I even shot a few coyotes with that combination. Great fun and great practice.

You only go around once, huh. I would much rather reload safely like Ihave been doing for the past 35 years and go around a few more times. Can't be too careful. Only go around once is suicide bomber mentality. Bill

Hornady website velocity recommendation for FTX (flex tip) bullets in a rifle is 1800-3000 fps. Look under bullets, then overview to see factory suggestions for all bullets.

Or you can get yourself some SR4759 powder and load up a bunch of reduced velocity loads quite safely and have a blast with them. They should not go to waste!

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Originally Posted by bill2260

You only go around once, huh. I would much rather reload safely like Ihave been doing for the past 35 years and go around a few more times. Can't be too careful. Only go around once is suicide bomber mentality. Bill

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HAHAHAHAHA!

Now that is funny right there. Thanks for the humor.

::)

The problem with loading 30-30 intended bullets to 30-06 velocities isn't that they will "blow up" inside your barrel or do other damage. They are perfectly safe to shoot at full 30-06 velocity.

The warning was for using them as hunting bullets where their lighter construction may make them expand too fast ON GAME ANIMALS and not penetrate adequately.

Do a nice job on a coyote though.

The Hornady 170 grain flat point is designed rated up to 2600 fps for normal expansion, it makes a great deer hunting round fired from a 30-06 and I have hunted deer with them for over 35 years. It is accurate and is easy on your brass when down loaded to 2500 fps and shooting them is a no brainer. The Hornady bullets are "interlocked" and hold together just like a Nosler partition bullet and the lead core never seperates from the jacket.

Its called doing your reloading homework.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...1/IMGP7662.jpg

The old Silver Tips were deadly on deer here in Alabama. Only get them in factory ammo if they still make them. They call the ballistic tip silver because the plastic tip is made a silver color

Let me take those dangerous projectiles off your hands! I need them for my new .308 build!

On a more serious note, I've loaded plenty of 30-30 bullets in .30-06, using the starting loads listed for the appropriate bullet weight and they work just fine. My old Speer No. 8 book even has some .308 loads listed using 30-30 bullets. Never shot a deer with one of these, but they're great at the range.

:)

Sorta the same scenario. I just loaded up some Nosler 7mm waters bullets I picked up on clearance in my 7mm-08 with starting loads for a youngster to use this weekend during the Christmas hunt. Should be a nice light recoil round for the kid to use inside of 100 yards. My buddy and I are going to try and let him pop a nanny for Christmas!