Leverevolution Powder Questions

[Mags]

Yowza!!!! Not certain, but I’d have to think you’d have to load to a fairly high pressure level to get 2400+ fps?

Looking back through my research notes, adding bullet lube to the Hornady #3035 might do it or switching to the Sierra 150gr FN. The Speer 150gr SPFN might be another option, load data goes up to 39.9gr for 2500fps out of a 20in barrel.

[Luv the lever]

I’ve been loading and shooting the barrel off my 357 and reading this just moved my 30-30 to the front. Been sticking with the same, 150’s and 3159 but now I’m considering a budget chrono and venturing into the LVR and trying 170’s and more.

How man6 rounds do you shoot groups of and how hot does your rifle get? This is the only rifle that I really need to work on to get the copper out also.

[Mags]

...
How man6 rounds do you shoot groups of and how hot does your rifle get? This is the only rifle that I really need to work on to get the copper out also.

5 shot groups. I use the Planet Optics target sheet with six 4 inch targets. My 30-30 has the octagon barrel. It gets uncomfortably hot when trying to hold onto the barrel, but doesn't cause a skin burn. The rifle holds 5 rounds in the mag tube so there a little barrel cooling happening while reloading between shot groups.

[Luv the lever]

...
How man6 rounds do you shoot groups of and how hot does your rifle get? This is the only rifle that I really need to work on to get the copper out also.

5 shot groups. I use the Planet Optics target sheet with six 4 inch targets. My 30-30 has the octagon barrel. It gets uncomfortably hot when trying to hold onto the barrel, but doesn't cause a skin burn. The rifle holds 5 rounds in the mag tube so there a little barrel cooling happening while reloading between shot groups.

Thanks, it seems to be hottest of my rifles in the shortest time. I too was shooting 5 round groups then leaving it to cool down but started shooting only 3 at a time. I have a standard round barrel steel with the side gate.

[Mr. Neutron]

Just took my brass framed .30-30 (20” octagonal barrel on this one) out to the range this afternoon. Also, after using one at my range a coupla weeks ago, I succumbed to something stupid and bought a cheap Caldwell Ballistic Precision chrono. It was $83 shipped from Amazon, so I don’t have a ton of $$$ into it.

Long story short, this 30-30 likes the Hornady #3035 150gr RN bullets over the 170 grainers I had hoped would group. Using 36.6 grains of LVR got me a decent group at 100 yds. a coupla months ago; somewhere around 1.70”. I could not duplicate that result again this afternoon with that charge, but managed to get very close with a 37 grain charge. Max charge for 150 grain bullets from Hodgdon is 38.5 grains, so I’m still at what I consider a safe charge level of LVR with 37 grains. And to me, getting a group under 2” @ 100 yds. with open sights is “okay to hunt with”. I’ve stepped out into the fall woods with worse in my younger days…..

FWIW, IF this chrono is somewhat accurate (it’s given me no reason to believe otherwise), my 4 shot group tonight netted 2400 fps average. Pretty good, but I try to chase accuracy first over speed. But the other info I got from it was encouraging to me.

The 4 shots were:
2403 fps
2403
2404
2390

The app you can download for this chrono gave it an average of 2400 fps. The extreme spread (fastest shot to slowest shot) was 14 fps. The “standard deviation” was 6.68. Now I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed here. And I know that one 4-shot group on a warm day isn’t always indicative of how things really are. Ya need more shots across the chrono to get gooder data. But I DO know that the lower the ES & SD values are, the better. It shows some uniformity/consistency with the loading. Which, if someone better was pulling the trigger and used a scope, might show that this load and rifle kinda has a bit of accuracy potential for a lever gun.

FWIW again, for those like me who are curious, Winchester factory loads (150 Power Points with the buck on the white box) advertise 2390 fps, probably out of a 24” barrel. It shot an average of 2275 fps from my rifle, with larger ES & SD values. And an inch+ larger group size over the hand loads. Haven’t shot any Hornady LEVERevolution 160 grainers or Federal blue boxes through the chrono, but have noted their points of impact is about where my hand loads are hittin ’.

[Vaquero]

Nice report Jimmie, I've always gotten good results with the Fed. blue box ammo,
in both 150 and 170 gr.
But I've also manged to get "slightly" better results with my own loads using IMR 3031.

RP

[Mr. Neutron]

Nice report Jimmie, I've always gotten good results with the Fed. blue box ammo,
in both 150 and 170 gr.
But I've also manged to get "slightly" better results with my own loads using IMR 3031.

RP

Thanks, Randy. Nothing is conclusive yet, as I haven't been able to fire what I consider enough rounds down range to get a true grasp of what's goin' on. But so far, the LVR is grouping slightly better than my Win. 748 powered loads, at least with the 150 grain Hornadys. Wish that more components (bullets, primers, & powders) were a bit cheaper and easier to come by, like they were in the 80s & 90s. The junk I have (again, primers, powders, & bullets) are just what I can drive 4-5 miles to, and buy off the shelf, mostly. I don't do much purchasing thru the mail, and just try to use what I can find locally. Really wish the local gun shop and local "sorta big box stores" could get more of a variety of bullets. I may have to call that law firm you posted about in the other thread, hee hee.....

And I've seen some pics of your groups with the IMR 3031 posted here. I envy them groups, Randy! "Slightly Better", huh? I'd hunt with those loads over most factory loads all season long! I also like the fact that your posts are WAAAY more concise than mine are.