What one powder for .30-30 and .35 Remington?

[66GTO]

I want to start reloading for both .30-30 and .35 Rem. I will use 150 gr. and 200 gr. Core-Lokts respectively.

I have a supply of CCI 200 LR primers already, but need to choose a powder that works well with both calibers. Or do I really need two different powders?

Any suggestions?

[Hobie]

I guess it depends on what you want from both but probably I'd suggest IMR-4895 or IMR-3031. I like 4895 best for the .35 and 3031 best for the .30 WCF.

[wm]

Funny you should bring this up as I was just doing some adjusting on my powder inventory and trying to figure out what I need to stock up on.....I have tackeled this very question this very morning and settled on IMR 3031 but I was also factoring in 38-55, 375 Win, 32 WS, and 30-40KRAG so my decision was probably tilted in the direction of 3031 by those extra considerations.

Wm

[2X22]

3031.

2x22

[Don McDowell]

rl 15 for the 30-30
H322 for the 35
Or take the middle of the road and while maybe getting good performance from both cartridges but not the greatest... H4895

[KirkD]

Now that is interesting, Don. I've been using RL-7 and IMR 3031 for my 30-30, but your RL-15 is way slower. Have you compared IMR 3031 and RL-15 side by side to see how they perform relative to each other. I guess what I'm asking is why you and some others are recommending powders slower than IMR 3031?

[castcat]

BL-C2 or H335 work for me

[Don McDowell]

Kirk I'm getting a twee bit more velocity and much better accuracy at what seems like probably lower pressures in the 30-30 with rl15,especially with the 170's. Plus it also works quite well in the ai and the 223, and the 308 and the.........

[66GTO]

rl 15 for the 30-30
H322 for the 35
Or take the middle of the road and while maybe getting good performance from both cartridges but not the greatest... H4895

I forgot (Old Timers disease strikes again!) that I already have a pound of H322 that I bought for the .35 Rem., but i haven't seen any loads for .30-30 using H322. Since 3031 has been mentioned more than once for the .30-30, I might try that.

Keep the suggestions coming. If you have a favorite load, mention that also.

[cnjarvis]

My Speer #13 shows 27.0 to 31.0 grains of H322 with their 150gr. FP and 25.0 to 29.0 grains with their 170gr. FP.

My Hornady #7 shows loads for H322 (for 35 Rem only) as well.

HTH

[Kansas Ed]

I have two go-two powders for those case sizes and larger..including up to .405 case capacity. IMR-3031 and IMR-4064. The 4064 gives me slightly more case fill than the 3031 so sometimes works a little better, yet it is close enough to the 3031 burn rate that it acts much the same just enough though to tweak a load out. Funny what different cartridges like. You would think with the smaller case capacity the 25-35 would like the 3031 but it prefers the 4064. Yet some of my larger cases prefer the 3031 over the 4064.

'06 based cases and mag cases get 4350 or 4320 btw.

Ed

[AJMD429]

This link is good (I think you have to be a member to get the full frills) for figuring out 'what if I wanted to just use this or that powder - what could I reasonably reload with it' type questions - i.e. for helping to plan 'stock-up' selections...

http://ammoguide.com/cgi-bin/aipowders. ... VWtanOSupK

(you may have to log in "Demo" mode)

It doesn't comment on 'the best' powders for given cartridges, but it WILL show what cartridges have loads listed for a given powder, or powders, and you can judge by the NUMBER of different loads how relatively useful a powder is in a given cartridge.

Combined with actual experienced reloaders as on this forum (...thanks, guys!... ), the two resources have helped me a bunch.

[Lefty Dude]

I use RL7 for 30-30, both jacketed & lead loadings. I just checked my Alliant book and it lists RL7 for the .35 Remington also.

I have used RL7 for many years for various calibers, works for me.

[El Chivo]

I noticed a lot of people like H4198 and H4895 for either, so I'm in the process of trying both. I think it will be H4895 for high velocity loads. If you want to shoot cast maybe go for H4198. I haven't come to any final conclusions yet.

[RKrodle]

I'm another who likes H4895. You can find load data for a lot of different cartridges using 4895.

[Bill in Oregon]

I like 3031 and 748 for the .30-30, but have a .35 Rem. on the way and have heard that AA 2520 is tough to beat.

[jlchucker]

I've shot both calibers and handloaded for both for years. I've used 3031, 748, RL7, and AA5744. Mostly I prefer 3031 and/or 748. If I'm using cast bullets, RL7 is very hard to beat.

[Old Time Hunter]

I prefer H4895 over IMR 4895....but primarily because of the variation of temperature at my base domicile. The velocity on the H4895 doesn't change a heck of alot between -20F and +105F, maybe 20fps or so, but the IMR I've seen over 100fps difference in the 30-30. In larger cases like 8mm Mauser, it varies by almost 200 fps.

[Sarge]

A relative (a serious reloader himself) once blessed me with a 5-gallon bucket of various late-issue rifle and pistol powders. The majority were rifle powders and needless to say, I didn't buy a can of rifle powder for nearly ten years. Winchester, IMR and Hodgdon rifle powders were well-represented in this windfall and I tried them all in various medium-capacity bottleneck cartridges from the .223 through the 30-06. I owned a 30-30 almost continuously throughout that time and of course tried several of my menagerie of powders, looking for that 'perfect load'.

After all that experimentation I settled on a single rifle powder, for all the calibers mentioned, which metered well, consistently produced the best accuracy and at minimum, 'factory duplication' velocities in all of them. The beauty of it is that this was usually accomplished in the first or second load tried. That powder is H4895.

I'm glad I got to try all those powders but my life is much simpler now that I use a single rifle powder for everything. While I never used H4895 in the .35 Remington, it is a medium-capacity bottle-neck round and have no doubt that I could build an excellent load for it with this powder, on the first or second try.

[pokey]

imr 4895

[66GTO]

Lot's of good information. I'll add 4895 to my list. My gunshop for reloading supplies has limited stock so I'll probably first try whatever powder from the one's recommended that they happen to have in stock. Knowing me, I'll end up trying them all looking for the perfect load before I stop.

[El Chivo]

I prefer H4895 over IMR 4895....

hate to tell some of you guys, IMR 4895 is discontinued. I called Hojjjjdon last spring with some questions and that's what they told me.

[CEMENTHEAD]

Not ideal for both, however for me.....3031 is it for both. Thanks, Tom


-----30 grains of 3031 with a 170 Corelokt bullet in the 30-30

-----37.5 grains of 3031 with a 200 Corelokt bullet in the 35 Remington

[Dave]

Varget is all I use any more for rifles. It is a wonderful powder.