Quote:
Originally Posted by RPKESQ
Jeff,
You are correct about these hot-rod handloads, but he stated he did not want to handload. Consider the Federal premium .30-30 Nosler partition bullet load. It has 2200 fps at the muzzle with 1827 ft. lbs. of energy. The better terminal ballistics, sentional density and bullet construction combination is better than any factory .45-70 load. Eskimos still routinely kill Polar Bear, Walrus, Seals, Musk Ox and Caribou with the .30-30 without a problem. Of course shot placement is key, but that is true of the .45-70 too. Don't count the "little" .30-30 out yet, she has lots of life still in her.
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Oh, I absolutely agree. The poor little .30-30 doesn't get a fair shake at all in today's world of ultra magnumitis. I would quite happily hunt for the rest of my days with one and not feel at any great dissadvantage whatsoever. The key here is "hunt". Like those Eskimos do. Hell, many of them even use the little .223 for all of their hunting. They think nothing of it. They are more patient than most of us.
Garret and Buffalo bore provide the hot rod loads for anyone who does not want to handload. I've never used them, so I can't say one way or another how accurate they might be. They are loaded with cast bullets, which in my experience has always been a problem from commercial loaders.
I shoot primarily cast bullets from all hand guns, and most rifles over .40 caliber. I think I have reached a good understanding of what it takes to make them shoot well. I believe it is well neigh impossible to develop a generic load that will shoot well in all guns chambered in a particular caliber. Bullet fit to a particular gun, and the used alloy are critical. Every commercially cast bullet I have ever tried to use (when too lazy to cast my own) have been too hard and of dubious quality. It really is a handloader's game.
I dunno, maybe these guys have hit on a compromise that works in most guns, at least well enough to hunt with. If so (as you quite rightly observe) the performance advantage over factory standard velocity soft points is definitely worthwhile. They better than double, or even come close to tripling, the energy of the factory loads. That's nothing to sneeze at.