30-30 contender

[1tonpower]

I have a 14" 30-30 contender that I would like to start reloading for. Has anyone had good results with this. Right now the only 30 cal bullets I have are 180g accubonds. I'm thinking there a little heavy. Powders I have on hand are imr4350,h4350 and Imr4064

 

[Grumulkin]

I have a 14" 30-30 contender that I would like to start reloading for. Has anyone had good results with this. Right now the only 30 cal bullets I have are 180g accubonds. I'm thinking there a little heavy. Powders I have on hand are imr4350,h4350 and Imr4064

I would go with bullets weighing 150 grains or less.

If you have loading data, it wouldn't hurt to try the powders you have. For what it's worth, I've heard IMR 3031 is a good 30/30 powder but I've never tried it myself.

 

[RT2506]

Depends on what you want to do with your Contender. If it is deer size game hunting you don't need anything over a 150 gr bullet preferably one made for the 30-30 Win. Your powders are all way too slow burning for the pistol. Here is what works. Get you some IMR 4198 powder and some 125 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets. Start at 28 grs and work up toward 30 grs which is the suggested hunting load in the Sierra manual. This will put you in the 2200 to 2300 fps range and you will find real accuracy. The 125 ballistic tip is a great deer killing bullet at these speeds. I currently have a 14" 30-30AI barrel on one of my Contenders and I have used this bullet to kill 7 deer with in the previous 2 seasons and it hammered each one. I am getting 2670 fps from my 30-30AI. I had the barrel made by Match Grade Machines. If you want to varmint hunt go to the 125 Speer TNT bullet because it is much lighter constructed. If you ever want to go over to the WILD SIDE you can have your barrel rechambered to 30-30AI (Ackley Improved) easy. All that has to be done is just run the AI reamer in and turn it by hand. Many Gun Smiths will do it for around $100.00.

Oh by the way for your standard 30-30 if you want to use 150 gr bullets a MAX load of IMR 4198 is 28.1 grs and this will get you around 2100 fps. Use the bullets constructed for the 30-30 Win for hunting. Good luck and good shooting.

 

[g0rd0]

Hi
I have one of these also and it is an older model (1982) that in 1994 has been to the factory for a safty upgrade. And I can tell you that the older ones like mine are not as strong as the new ones, so if you have a older one stick with 130 gr pills with 25 to 28 grn of imr 3031, (work up with care), very acurate in my gun.
But every once and a while I do beef it up with 150 grn nosler partition point, std win primer and 30.0 grn imr 3031. Also very accurate, from a sitting sand bag 1/2" groups at 100 yrds. THIS LOAD IS HOT! and kicks like a mule so, be careful.
I only neck sise and seat the bullet so far out that I need to push it against the rifleing while loading.
If you want a fun jack rabbit / gopher round I have a 162 grn lee 309-160 lead with gas check that I use 14 grn of unique over a std primer. (start with 10 grn and work up). That bullet is listed as 160 grn but I use just wheel weights and after gc, lube and siseing it is 162

 

[1tonpower]

Thanks for the replays. This is a just for fun pistol mostly with deer hunting coming in 2nd. I'll pick up a box of those 125g NBTs next time I'm out. @2300 fps it should be good to 200 yards if I can hit what I'm Aiming at.