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My new, custom 30-378 Weatherby arrived today.
How many times can you load your 30-378 brass?
How many times can you load your 30-378 brass?
30-378 case life
- Thread starter Len Backus
- Start date
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Brent
Well-Known Member
Hi Len.
I'd hope they'd last just as long as the 416Wby would. Interested here too, I have a friend with a 28" Pacnor barrel in 30-378 I'm still thinking of buying.
Chris has never said anything about short case life. I'll ask him what he gets on average.
I'd hope they'd last just as long as the 416Wby would. Interested here too, I have a friend with a 28" Pacnor barrel in 30-378 I'm still thinking of buying.
Chris has never said anything about short case life. I'll ask him what he gets on average.
LDHunter
Well-Known Member
5-6 if you push it at all and then you need to anneal.... I've not been beyond that but primer pockets are starting to get loose so you won't go much farther anyway.
But then you could "baby it" but then it wouldn't really be a 30-378, would it?
Of course you're throat will be toast after about 500-700 rounds anyway.....
Certainly not a high volume cartridge....
$bob$
But then you could "baby it" but then it wouldn't really be a 30-378, would it?
Of course you're throat will be toast after about 500-700 rounds anyway.....
Certainly not a high volume cartridge....
$bob$
Darryl Cassel
Well-Known Member
Hello Len
Bob is correct. I have seen 30/378 rifles shot out in 600 rounds and LESS. Stay away from 5010 powder in it as the large sticks are real barrel eaters.
I always loaded hot in my ultra longrange guns for PA or Colorado. I didn't care if I had primer pocket expansion as I was on a elk or deer hunt. If I only fired them one or two times it was a hunt and it was part of the cost. 20, 30, or 40 cases really don't mean much during a successful deer or elk hunt in two or three States.
I presume your going after elk or deer with this rifle? If you load them down you will get 5 or 6 loadings. Load them hot and probably 2 or 3 times, if that.
As Bob said, it wouldn't be a 30/378 if you don't load them hot. You can match the 30/378 velocity in any improved 300 Weatherby case (barrel lengths being the same) if the 30/378 is loaded near max but, NOT max. The 308 Baer, 30 Goodling, 300 Ackley IMP, 308 DC Super IMP are prime examples.
Later and good shooting.
DC
Bob is correct. I have seen 30/378 rifles shot out in 600 rounds and LESS. Stay away from 5010 powder in it as the large sticks are real barrel eaters.
I always loaded hot in my ultra longrange guns for PA or Colorado. I didn't care if I had primer pocket expansion as I was on a elk or deer hunt. If I only fired them one or two times it was a hunt and it was part of the cost. 20, 30, or 40 cases really don't mean much during a successful deer or elk hunt in two or three States.
I presume your going after elk or deer with this rifle? If you load them down you will get 5 or 6 loadings. Load them hot and probably 2 or 3 times, if that.
As Bob said, it wouldn't be a 30/378 if you don't load them hot. You can match the 30/378 velocity in any improved 300 Weatherby case (barrel lengths being the same) if the 30/378 is loaded near max but, NOT max. The 308 Baer, 30 Goodling, 300 Ackley IMP, 308 DC Super IMP are prime examples.
Later and good shooting.
DC
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Preliminary results are about 3150 for the 240 grain MK in my 30 inch barrel. Very slight ejector marks. 114 grains of H50BMG. I may back off about 50 fps. We'll see.
speedbump
Well-Known Member
Darryl,
How bad is the 5010 burning throats compared to say H50BMG or similar? I'm finding it to be one that my 7RUM really likes. Plus, at $4 per pound from Jeff Bartlett, it's tough to beat price-wise.....
[ 06-23-2002: Message edited by: speedbump ]
How bad is the 5010 burning throats compared to say H50BMG or similar? I'm finding it to be one that my 7RUM really likes. Plus, at $4 per pound from Jeff Bartlett, it's tough to beat price-wise.....
[ 06-23-2002: Message edited by: speedbump ]
Darryl Cassel
Well-Known Member
Hello
5010 and 50BMG are the same family of powder.
I don't use it any longer because of what I saw it do to throats in large overbore cartridges such as 30/378. The 7mmRUM, 7/300 Weatherby, 7STW or any large 7mm would also fall into that catagory because of the smaller bore diameter.
The price is such possibly for that reason?
DC
5010 and 50BMG are the same family of powder.
I don't use it any longer because of what I saw it do to throats in large overbore cartridges such as 30/378. The 7mmRUM, 7/300 Weatherby, 7STW or any large 7mm would also fall into that catagory because of the smaller bore diameter.
The price is such possibly for that reason?
DC
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How about H870? Are ball powders in general better?
Darryl Cassel
Well-Known Member
Len
For cold weather shooting, ball powders are much better especially H870 which is highly graphited.
It will give you MUCH better barrel life (up to 5X) and is a very accurate powder for the longrange hunter.
I use a comparable powder (WC872) in ALL my LR hunting guns. For HOT weather, it will give you an occasional flyer because it is a heat sinsitive powder.
Later
DC
For cold weather shooting, ball powders are much better especially H870 which is highly graphited.
It will give you MUCH better barrel life (up to 5X) and is a very accurate powder for the longrange hunter.
I use a comparable powder (WC872) in ALL my LR hunting guns. For HOT weather, it will give you an occasional flyer because it is a heat sinsitive powder.
Later
DC
speedbump
Well-Known Member
Darryl,
I've tried several powders in the 7mmRUM, but not H870 or WC872. I did try H1000 & WC860. IMR7828, BLC-2, RE22, RE25, etc. The 5010 & to a lesser degree, the H50BMG are the only two to come close.
The 5010 gives super velocity, but I haven't nailed down that 'sweet spot' yet. (It's military 'pulldown' powder, hence the $4/lb. pricetag) Yesterday's test was aggravating - great velocities, but so-so to poor groups.
156s were going out @ 3,547 with no pressure. BUT: ES of 82 & SD of 27
The 176s were too hot at 3,496 & flattened primers. ES was a little better - 52 - with SD at 16. Reduced, these might work out. Groups were better too.
To top it all off, I went out tonight to fireform/dryfire. I went through 25 rounds with iron sights, took a break, & started to clamp on the Nightforce in its Leopold QRW rings. Well, to make a long story shorter, I hadn't listened to what my instincts were telling me about the QRWs when I bought them. I sheared one of the levers OFF & will be buying a set of Badgers tomorrow!!!
$#!~~% week....
[ 06-24-2002: Message edited by: speedbump ]
I've tried several powders in the 7mmRUM, but not H870 or WC872. I did try H1000 & WC860. IMR7828, BLC-2, RE22, RE25, etc. The 5010 & to a lesser degree, the H50BMG are the only two to come close.
The 5010 gives super velocity, but I haven't nailed down that 'sweet spot' yet. (It's military 'pulldown' powder, hence the $4/lb. pricetag) Yesterday's test was aggravating - great velocities, but so-so to poor groups.
156s were going out @ 3,547 with no pressure. BUT: ES of 82 & SD of 27
The 176s were too hot at 3,496 & flattened primers. ES was a little better - 52 - with SD at 16. Reduced, these might work out. Groups were better too.
To top it all off, I went out tonight to fireform/dryfire. I went through 25 rounds with iron sights, took a break, & started to clamp on the Nightforce in its Leopold QRW rings. Well, to make a long story shorter, I hadn't listened to what my instincts were telling me about the QRWs when I bought them. I sheared one of the levers OFF & will be buying a set of Badgers tomorrow!!!
$#!~~% week....
[ 06-24-2002: Message edited by: speedbump ]
Darryl Cassel
Well-Known Member
Speed
Excessive velocity will most times always kill accuracy.
If you want good accuracy, they must be slowed down. This can be checked with your chronagraph at the 100, 200 and 300 and 500 yard range, on targets.
Many shooters try to get as much velocity out of a rifle and find that it don't really shoot that well.
The trick is to settle in on a load that gives a bit of BOTH but, not on the excessive velocity side. The high velocity will do you no good at all if you can't hit anything.
Sometimes you will find barrels that will shoot at higher velocities but, not too often.
For instance, I can shoot a 220 gr bullet in my 1000 yard 300 Weatherby Match gun at 3150 FPS but the accuracy range is 3000 to 3025 FPS.
It's more drastic as the cases get bigger and the bores smaller.
Later
DC
[ 06-25-2002: Message edited by: Darryl Cassel ]
Excessive velocity will most times always kill accuracy.
If you want good accuracy, they must be slowed down. This can be checked with your chronagraph at the 100, 200 and 300 and 500 yard range, on targets.
Many shooters try to get as much velocity out of a rifle and find that it don't really shoot that well.
The trick is to settle in on a load that gives a bit of BOTH but, not on the excessive velocity side. The high velocity will do you no good at all if you can't hit anything.
Sometimes you will find barrels that will shoot at higher velocities but, not too often.
For instance, I can shoot a 220 gr bullet in my 1000 yard 300 Weatherby Match gun at 3150 FPS but the accuracy range is 3000 to 3025 FPS.
It's more drastic as the cases get bigger and the bores smaller.
Later
DC
[ 06-25-2002: Message edited by: Darryl Cassel ]
speedbump
Well-Known Member
That's what I was shooting for - the HAPPY medium. Good velocity, but great accuracy & consistency. Not there yet.
Warren Barrett
Well-Known Member
Len, have the Cauterrucios arrived yet?
Warren.
Warren.
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Warren
Yes, just today. They look more sleek than the MK's but I don't have a MK here to actually compare with. It will be a couple weeks before I have time to try them as my new 30-378 is here now and needs load developlment work. Thanks much.
Yes, just today. They look more sleek than the MK's but I don't have a MK here to actually compare with. It will be a couple weeks before I have time to try them as my new 30-378 is here now and needs load developlment work. Thanks much.
