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3,367 Posts
Juan,
Let me start out here telling everyone that I'm new to the .30-30 Ackley. Two years ago I rechambered a Savage M24 .30-30/20ga over under to .30-30 AI. It has totally changed the complexion of the rifle's capabilities!
I've been too busy to do any real hard, fast load workups with a variety of bullets/powders as of yet, but suffice it to say that with bullets in the 160-180 grain class that the results are very surprising!
I'm not ready to post data here until I do more testing.
Right now a load using our .30-170g LMNGC bullet sized to .310" to fit the throat loaded with what seems an insane quantity of H335 gives me 2580 fps out of that 24" barreled combination gun with near MOA performance!
I've found for load development, that a good place to start is using .300 Savage data for the bullet weight you are using! Yep, .300 Savage data, you heard me right! That is essentially what you have with the .30-30 Ackley Improved in case capacity!
I won't substantiate Mr. Ackley's 150g Load at 2700 fps however. Some of his top loads were very warm to say the least. Also both the powders we use today, even though they carry the same numerical designations as the ones he used, are very different in burning rate and energy than those used half a century ago! Consider too the differences in primers.
A friend of mine made up a .450 Barnes while we were in school together and immediately loaded up some of P.O. Ackley's suggested loads out of his Volume ! manual for the .450 Barnes. The very first load blew the primer, extruded brass into the extractor slot and locked up the bolt tight! And that was with a straight walled case! Ever since then, I've approached those published loads with caution, and never used them as a starting point, EVER!
I'll be doing some more load development on this in days to come and will post a few of those findings... the rest for the loading manual I'm putting together.
Hope it helps!
God Bless,
Marshall
Let me start out here telling everyone that I'm new to the .30-30 Ackley. Two years ago I rechambered a Savage M24 .30-30/20ga over under to .30-30 AI. It has totally changed the complexion of the rifle's capabilities!
I've been too busy to do any real hard, fast load workups with a variety of bullets/powders as of yet, but suffice it to say that with bullets in the 160-180 grain class that the results are very surprising!
I'm not ready to post data here until I do more testing.
Right now a load using our .30-170g LMNGC bullet sized to .310" to fit the throat loaded with what seems an insane quantity of H335 gives me 2580 fps out of that 24" barreled combination gun with near MOA performance!
I've found for load development, that a good place to start is using .300 Savage data for the bullet weight you are using! Yep, .300 Savage data, you heard me right! That is essentially what you have with the .30-30 Ackley Improved in case capacity!
I won't substantiate Mr. Ackley's 150g Load at 2700 fps however. Some of his top loads were very warm to say the least. Also both the powders we use today, even though they carry the same numerical designations as the ones he used, are very different in burning rate and energy than those used half a century ago! Consider too the differences in primers.
A friend of mine made up a .450 Barnes while we were in school together and immediately loaded up some of P.O. Ackley's suggested loads out of his Volume ! manual for the .450 Barnes. The very first load blew the primer, extruded brass into the extractor slot and locked up the bolt tight! And that was with a straight walled case! Ever since then, I've approached those published loads with caution, and never used them as a starting point, EVER!
I'll be doing some more load development on this in days to come and will post a few of those findings... the rest for the loading manual I'm putting together.
Hope it helps!
God Bless,
Marshall
