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Winchester 94
driving to retire
Member Posts: 3 ✭
I've got a 1972 Winchester 30-30in good condition that I was wondering if there was a shorter round than the traditional Winchester 30-30 that I could safely fire in that weapon.
Thanks
Comments
It would help if you explained what your idea is a little more completely.
Best.
NO!! Don't put any thing in the gun that it was not designed for!!!!
You risk destroying the gun and injuring or killing yourself.
If you need less recoil there are 'reduced recoil' 30-30 rounds available or you can learn to reload.
If you are trying for more capacity then buy an AR.
How much experience do you have with firearms?
WHATEVER the caliber is marked on the barrel, that's the round you use! No there is no substitutes of caliber and "driving to retire" will get you hurt very badly if you don't follow basic firearm rules where you won't be able or alive to retire. imo
There are pistol caliber Adapters available. They are shaped like the 30-30 cartridge but take the .32 caliber pistol cartridge. They must be single loaded for each shot. Other than the Adapter / Insert, all of the above info is correct.
Short cartridges work in longer chambers only if the cartridge is rimmed, essentially straight with little if any taper, and certainly no bottle-neck. The 30-30 cartridge is rimmed, but it is also bottle-necked. If a shorter cartridge was fired, the bullet would exit the case unsupported in a part of the chamber far too wide.
If what you want is a lower power cartridge and less recoil, here are a couple of suggestions:
(1) Lookup a custom ammunition loader or two online and see if they are interested in putting together some low power 30-30 loads for you. It seems this could be easily done using the proper powder, some filler, and pure lead bullets.
(2)Or, you might want to reconsider your choice of calibers. For instance, if you had a .375 magnum rifle, there are not only a wide range of .375 loads on the market, but the gun would also handle .38 Specials which are a shorter case and lower power. Soft .38 Specials fired in a rifle have almost no recoil. If it was me, I'd trade the Winchester model 94 30-30 in on a Marlin model 94 in .375 magnum.
truthful: I HOPE you meant .357 magnum NOT .375 magnum!!!
I experimented with a cartridge adaptor using 32 ACP in a 30-30 and soon experienced extraction problems. If one wishes to try lower powered loads, an article in the October 1987 issue of American Rifleman by master gunsmith Roy Dunlap titled SHOOT CHEAP points out an interesting way. He loaded neck-sized 30-30 brass using Hornady .310" 45 gr. round balls with 3-5 gr. of pistol powder, lightly tapping the round ball in with a wood block. Result was a plinking round good for 25-50 yds.
Thanks for the info!
BTW, the round ball handloads I referenced are to be fired single shot only, to avoid pushing the bullets in farther.