Pointed bullets in a 30-30

[repete]

I know, I know. I'm not thinking of stacking the tube mag with them, I'm just wondering if anyone here has loaded up spire point boat tails and then fired them ONE AT A TIME in a lever action? When I'm deer hunting, I rarely fire multiple rounds so one in the chamber and one in the mag would be good. I've yet to look up any data and will soon but wonder if the overall length would be a problem? Anybody here every play around this field?

 

[dsdmmat]

I have done it in a 35 Remington. As long as you are not putting more than one in the tube you will be fine. Just don’t load it longer than the MAX COL. I would load a dummy and see if you can get it to cycle through the lever action.

 

[Deplorable Me]

I know, I know. I'm not thinking of stacking the tube mag with them, I'm just wondering if anyone here has loaded up spire point boat tails and then fired them ONE AT A TIME in a lever action? When I'm deer hunting, I rarely fire multiple rounds so one in the chamber and one in the mag would be good. I've yet to look up any data and will soon but wonder if the overall length would be a problem? Anybody here every play around this field?

There's Thompson Contender load data in some books for the single shot .30-30 owners.

 

[dsdmmat]

There's Thompson Contender load data in some books for the single shot .30-30 owners.

Very true, but those loads take into account the stronger frame. So please don’t load max loads from that data, work your way up. Don’t want to blow up your lever gun.

The MAX COL should feed through the tube any longer than that and you are pushing single rounds into the chamber. the Ogive of pointy bullets may or may not be farther back than the flat points. If you have a Hornady COL gauge you can find the lands of your barrel and load accordingly. The pointy bullets may give less accuracy if the jump to the lands is too great.

 

[Brawny71]

Ballistic tips work fine.

 

[repete]

There's Thompson Contender load data in some books for the single shot .30-30 owners.

DUH! I never thought of that, thanks!

 

[mullerjd]

I have and I load pointy ones for my TC pistol

 

[northny]

I only see one problem, and this comes from my experience with pointed bullets ( Hornady leverevolution ammo) in a 45-70.

The pointed bullets need a different magazine follower than the flat nose bullets. The original followers had a flat face, newer followers have an indented curve on follower face which keeps cartridges centered when feeding. Without this last round loaded from magazine jams action. Less than a $20 fix for new follower

now the 30-30 may not have the problem as a narrower cartridge, or you may have a newer rifle that came with new follower design. But It happens in 450 Marlin and 45-70 calibers

 

[northny]

One other thought. On 45-70 the brass length is shorter for pointed bullets than flat nose. Maybe COL issue and crimp groove