At one time IMR 3031 was one of the “go-to” powders for the 30-30. In our 20” barrel Marlin 336 36.0 grains of IMR 3031 will deliver 2,480 fps for the 130-grain Speer bullet with good accuracy. This is within 150-fps of top velocity and it is a pretty good load.

31.0 grains of IMR 3031 will push the bulk 150-grain JRN Remington bullets to 2,170 fps and this is a very good load in our Winchester.

Quite a bit of the older data for IMR 3031 has been reduced by several grains due to new pressure testing methods. I wont go into how high the listed loads used to be with the 170-grain bullets but for many years 30.0 grains of IMR 3031 was the “go-to” load for any 170-grain bullet. This is still a pretty good load but it is over current listed maximum in most modern load manuals.
30.0 grains of IMR 3031 will top 2,000 fps in most 20” barrel 30-30’s with accuracy as good as it gets - 1 ½” to just under 2” in most rifles with a scope. Depending on the sights and the light, iron sight groups could actualy beat these groups from certain rifles.

I don’t shoot the big Russian round but IMR 3031 works very well in the 308 Winchester. IMR 3031 is eclipsed by many newer powders for velocity and accuracy but it is still quite satisfactory for most target and hunting situations.

[EDIT] There are several threads on IMR 3031 in the 30-30 rifles and a good search engine.

 

ep I bought a pound of 3031, the most worthless powder you can buy, but at the time powder shelves was empty ....

 

I still use in my .458 Winny. Great accuracy and good enough velocity. Re #7 seems to be the current POC in the Winny but I have no complaints with 3031, it's not broken so I see no need to fix it. I also use it in my .470 Rhino with outstanding accuracy.

 

IMR 3031 is a good powder for the 45-70 and the top producer for the 405 Win.
If I remember correctly 3031 is one of the earliest powders for the 30-06.
I've never been one to aim for the top velocity, putting all of my bullets thru the same hole gives me more satisfaction.

Jim

 

Should work fine in your .30-30 or .308 (light bullets).

I would use it more often but I hate using powders that don't throw a consistent charge out of my powder measure.

I use H322 where I would use 3031 because it's short cut.

 

IMR3031 and the .30-30 were made for each other. It was the only powder I ever used in mine. 30 grains with the 170 grain bullet and never looked back.

 

IMR-3031 is also quite useful with mid-weight bullets in the 300 Savage, 7-30 Waters, 32 Special and 303 British. In other words, older, medium capacity cases with modest pressure thresholds.

It is also a pretty good choice in some larger capacity cases, such as the 7.62x54R, 338-06 and 8x57 Mauser (CIP pressures).

It's not an extremely versatile powder, like 4895, but it's still capable of good performance when you find the right combination of case capacity, working pressure and expansion ratio.

 

I use IMR-3031 in my .17-222 Rem Mag .23.5 gr with a 20 gr V-Max gives me 3980 fps out of a 20 in barrel.I have used it with good results in my 30-30 and 150 gr bullets also

 

And it does wonders in my 30/06 and cast bullets.

 

And, if you ever find yourself with an old classic 38-55 reach for your 3031 when loading that cartridge too.

 

IMR 3031 works best in my 308 Win with 150 grn bullets. (Ruger 77 RSI and Tikka T-3) I scale all my loads and the accuracy is best over at least 10 powders tried.

 

I've used IMR-3031 in my .458X2" American, .222 Rem., .30-30, & .308's with good results especially with heavier bullets. Got a friend that even uses it in his .270 but I think IMR-3031 is a bit fast burning for a .270 except for moderate "Pratice" loads.

 

I've done decent with it in both the 35 Rem and 358 Win.

 

"My favorite load (in the 308 Win) with a 150-grain bullet is 43 grains of 3031 for a velocity of 2800 fps. ... If you want to see how accurate your .308 rifle is, try 39 or 40 grains of 3031 behind a 168-grain target bullet. High-grade target or varmint rifles will group this load close to the quarter-inch for five shots at 100 yards, provided it can be held steady enough." Jim Carmichel

 

Rocky- 43.5 grn of IMR 3031 w/150 Hornady SST, .308 Win,Tikka T-3. Produces .45" 10 shot group @100yds. Great on whitetail.

 

I'll report that to Mr Carmichel if I ever see him again. But chances are he won't be surprised to hear it!

 

Better than Reloder 15? I gotta try a few.

 

Works well in my 45/70 Ruger #1. Holes are touching at 100yrds. Works pretty well in my 358win, but I am still refining that load some. I will echo another poster in that it is a bit of a pain when put through a powder measure. But I usually underthrow the weight and then trickle up to the desired weight with this powder.

 

Peder1979,

As you may have gathered from the above posts, there is more than pressure and velocity to consider in accuracy loads. The pressure curve, bulk of the powder, and ease (and therefore consistency) of ignition all affect the matter. A quick powder may not give you the best velocity for your peak pressure value, but for a given velocity it produces lower muzzle blast than a slower powder, which affects initial bullet yaw sometimes enough to be seen in group size. For a given velocity, fast powder will have shorter barrel time than a slow one because it does more of its acceleration is earlier in the bullet position in the bore, so it may be better in synch with the barrel deflection timing of a particular gun, and so produce smaller groups than some slower powder does.

The bottom line is, each powder is another tuning tool in your kit. If you're developing Lever Evolution loads with the new Hodgdon powder for the purpose, at some point in the process clean the bore (bores can take a dozen rounds to settle if you change powders without cleaning) and break out the 3031 and see what it does for you.

 

I still think that IMR-3031 works well in the .243 Win. , with light bullets . At least my Model 70 thinks so , more than a few Chucks and Coyotes have met thier end that way !

 

When looking at load data and trying to decide where to start, the first thing I look at is the barrel length of the test firearm. Is my firearms barrel longer or shorter than the test firearm? If shorter I lean to the faster powders, If longer I go with the slower, if the same I usually go with the manuals recommedation for best accuracy. Most of my rifles fit in the shorter class, so I tend to use the faster powders. 3031 is usually my goto powder for best accuracy in the short barrels(with some exceptions), and even some in the sporter and longer barrels. I've also found that velocity loss from the shorter barrels is less (meaning my velocities in a short barrel are closer to published velocities using 3031).
Hope this helps, Ron.

 

all I can say is that this is one very informative thread and I appreciate the collective experience it represents. I'm saving it all. Thanks shooters.

 

I use IMR 3031 to load my 223 55 grain bullets and they work great and group well and I've never had any problems with it.

 

Works well for hot loads in the 405 Winchester using 350 grain bullets, 45-70 445 grain cast bullets, 208 grain cast bullets in 30-06.

Jim

 

In my Ruger M77 .250sav, 32 grains of 3031 gives excellent velocity with 100 grain bullets and groups of 1/2" to 5/8".

In my 30/30 Trapper 30 grains and a 170 grain bullet gives around 2000 fps and very good accuracy.

3031 also works well in my .308.

In my Rem 700 .350 mag 55 grains gives just over 2700 fps with the Hornady 200 grain bullet. It will also average under 3/4" with that load.

IN my 1895 Marlin .45/70 a 53 grain dose of 3031 gives the Speer 400 grain jsp 1800 fps and has shot into 1" at 100 yards.

3031 is still fine powder for these fine cartridges.

 

It is one of those powders that no serious reloader should be without.

I have used it in my 358 Model 99 savage.

I use it in my model 700 classic 35whelen. Get over 2500fps with 250gr bullets and an even 2700fps with 200gr Hornady RN.

I use it in my Remington 750 carbine in 308 with 150gr Hornady RN and with a "mild" load of 40grs get nearly 2700fps

I've used it in 30-30 with 170gr bullets.

As can be seen from the postings on this thread, it is very usefull. It also has the advange to being available when other "newer and better" powders tend to disappear during the recent shortages.