Warning! This is not a Colt report

[Kid Sopris]

Took the Winny 94 out today worked up some loads and I wanted to see if they hit paper:

Here are the conditions: (Don't try this at home with winds at NNW @ 13 mph.) Rifle rested on sand bag, Open Stock Sights.

Clear, 1030 hrs to 1130 hrs.. Elev. 2,550 ft. 57 degrees, Barometer 30.09 falling, Dew Pt. 38 deg.

IMR 3031, Winchester Large rifle Primers, Mixed head Stamped Cases, Oregon Trail/Laser Cast 170 Gr. RNFPGC True Shot Lead Bullets, 24 BNL Hardness.
Draw your own Conclusions, but I feel I am with 10 Mph and .1 grains of a perfect load.



Test Group 5: 26.4 grains


Test Group 6: 26.8 grains.

[capstan]

Kid Yes id say thats a perfect load fanatastic group with open sights

The only thing you left off was how far away? 100 yards, 50 yards, 25 yards?????

[Kid Sopris]

Kid Yes id say thats a perfect load fanatastic group with open sights

The only thing you left off was how far away? 100 yards, 50 yards, 25 yards?????

Oh Yeah the important stuff...LOL Well when working up loads I start at 25 yards like I did today. Then I move to 50 and then to 100 yards. It's a long way to walk for an old man!

[PonyLover]

It wouldn't be so far to walk if you'd take off that pair of Colt's you're wearing

[Gatofeo]

Velocity?
If rather low, this would be an excellent small game load to take the heads off grouse and rabbit.
I noticed that you measure your groups from the outside of the hole, rather than the long-established practice of measuring from the center. Why?
Very nice beginning on a load, though.
Long range shooting will be the acid test, though.
I've always believed, as did the late Elmer Keith, that long range shooting brought out any disparities in a load. If the bullet yawed a tiny bit at 25 or 50 yards, then it became very obvious at 200 or 300 yards.
Of course, with your .30-30, such long range is not intended. But long range shooting might indicate at what range the bullet begins to destabilize.
I have a Colt 2nd generation 1851 Navy in .36 caliber that will consistently group its lead balls into an 8-foot square or less at 300 yards. That tell me that the load I assemble for it is accurate at much shorter ranges as well.
But in order to get near anything at 300 yards with that revolver, I have to rest the top of the hammer nose at the juncture of the barrel and cylinder, then have the target on the top of the brass bead (which has been blackened by Birchwood Casey Sight Black).
Now, I'm not claiming I could hit a guy at 300 yards but I could make life interesting for him.
I figure at that range, the Colt 1851 Navy is shooting "minute of horse and rider" or "minute of wagon."

[Kid Sopris]

Those gas checks according to ballistic tables are approaching 2,000 ft per sec. I don't have a chronograph any more and am using my old data from years of saved records. This project is still in development and I want to get a good load that will work both in Marlin 36 and Winchester 1894. If it ever stops raining here I may get back out this week. Saturday I have a scouting for hunting season and to knock on doors for Private Property hunts this fall. As soon as I get the rounds worked out for both rifles I will post results.

I measure from outside to outside because it's constant to the widest point. Figure I have to hit something with the FULL bullet, not half a bullet..LOL
Center could be objective based on where one might think center is, and that would not be good for me if the bullet tumbled at all.

[Frank V]

those are great groups Kid, you may tweak it a bit & get better groups, but those are what I'd call more than acceptable.
Frank