7-30 waters

[big kev morgan]

just joined this forum would like to know if any one has taken deer sized game we're limited here in indiana with the handguns
have several barrels for t/c contender have recently takena nice
hog in mo. with a 375jdj handloaded down quiet a bit what a hand cannon any comments on loads on the 7-30 waters would greatly appreciated..

[LoneWolf]

Welcome aboard Big Kev!
I thought I'd move your post over to the handgun forum. I think you'll get a lot more response over there.

As for handguns, I have never tried a 7-30, but have heard it bandied around here a bit. I'm sure Rocky Rhaab can answer this one for you easily, as well as others. I use my 44 mag for deer and its a blast!
Again, welcome to HuntChat

[bigkevmorgan]

hey lone wolf thanks for the move finally got accountstraightened
out hope to hear more replies on the 7-30 waters....

[shootin steel]

I have shot a few with my 7-30 waters using 139 hornady and reloader 15. I have very good luck with it and very accurate out past 100 yards.The biggest problem is with field of view with a scope attached to it.

[BLUEDOT 72]

I have had great luck with both the 14" pistol and a 16" carbine in this caliber. Have collected several deer but last year I got 2 antelope-- out to 300 yards with the 16 " carbine. I use 140 gr. Nosler Partitions exclusively. They perform great, even at around 2100 FPS. I load 28.5 grains of 2230S powder. in both guns. (2230S is a surplus powder just a bit faster that AA-2230)

Good hunting! You have chosen a great caliber! I kinda wish that I had bought a 7-30 Lever Action when they wwere available! But--wishes last a long time!

[bigkevmorgan]

hey bluedot 72 do you reloade the 7-30waters i'm haveing some issues with it buldged necks i think i need a forming die thanks for your relpy!

[BLUEDOT 72]

I don't understand your question? What do you mean by "buldged necks "? What type of dies are you using now? Are you using "form fired 30-30 cases or actual 7-30 Waters cases? WHich gun are you shooting this thru?

[bigkevmorgan]

hey blue dot i'm using 30-30cases i already had using rcbs fl dies ,when i run them up into the die to size the neck then i get a bulge between the case throat and the shoulder .i've never worked with cases where you had toform them otherthan my 7mmtcu... just didn't want ot ruin a bunch of cases! anyones help on this matter is greatly appreciated ..thanks

[bigkevmorgan]

i forgot blue dot some info i 'm shooting these in a super 16 stainless t/c contender fire forming the case isn't it where you load up the cases low pwdr chrg the shoot it to form the cases
because even with the buldge they chamber easily with no problems?

[BLUEDOT 72]

Rocky, What do you think?

[bigkevmorgan]

hey bluedot rocky raab gave me some info i was on the right track just wanted to make sure before i loaded up some rounds
my moto if your not sure ask ?'s you'll live longer !! especilly when your hobbie conains gun powder!!!! thanks again bluedot

[BH L3]

I got in to the 7-30 waters about 6 months ago. I've been reloading all my contender calibers since 1986.

The 7-30 waters so far has proven to be a very accurate round, especially in my 15" barrel.

I've tried several powders so far, and personally have found IMR 4895 to be the most accurate with 120 grain bullets. It has also done well with 140's but you can get higher velocities with other powders. Other powders I've tried are RL-15, and W-748. Many other 7-30 shooters claim 748 to be the most accurate, but that has not been the case with my barrel.

The most accurate load for me so far has been 35.5 gr. IMR 4895, with a sierra 120gr. spitzer, RP cases and primers.

I haven't chronographed it yet, but it should be somewhere between 2350 and 2400fps.

I will definitely be using it this year for dear along with my 300 savage barrel.

Good shooting, you will enjoy the 7-30.

BH L3

[MOOSE 4 GOD]

Hey Big Kev:

I have to agree with BH L3 on the IMR 4895 and the 120 gr. Sierra Pro-Hunter Spitzer. 35.4 gr. of powder in a fire formed 30-30 case and a Super 16 barrel this load is dead on at 100 yds off a bi-pod and sand bag. If I had listened to Rocky 12 months ago I would have saved a lot of money on other bullets, brands and weights. These Pistols love the 120 gr. bullets and they do a good job on deer. If you ask Rocky he will tell you a lot of 130 and 140 gr. bullets have went down the drain. One more note when I use 30-30 brass I trim it, deburr the flash hole and neck then run it through my full length die. It leaves a funny looking hump on the shoulder but then I load it with IMR 3031 32 gr. and shoot. It's kinda funny these will shoot just about as good as the fire formed ones. I have tried the 3031 powder in the fire formed cases and they just won't shoot like they do in the cases I am fire forming. Guns are funny that way. Any way good luck and I know you are going to love that caliber.

Benny Moses



ONE BIG .284 CALIBER FAN.

[SD Handgunner]

Several years back I used a 10" T/C Contender to harvest 3 Whitetails and my cousin's husband used the same gun to harvest a nice Whitetail Buck in Minnesota.

The load I use consisted of 120gr. Nosler Ballsitic Tips loaded with a heavy dose of Winchester W-748 Powder in Federal 7-30 Waters Brass with Winchester Large Rifle Primers. Average muzzle velocity out of the 10" Barrel was 2258 FPS, and 5 shot 100 yard groups ranged from 1" to 1 1/4" from the bench.

All 4 Whitetails taken with this Gun-n-Load Combo were one shot kills. Two of the Whitetails dropped in their tracks and the other two traveled about 30 yards after the shot. In all instances the 120gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips completely penetrated the animals )which all were shot through the chest behind the front shoulder except one).

The 4x4 Whitetail Buck I shot with this Gun-n-Loac combo was shot in the last couple minutes of legal shooting time. Yep it was getting DARK fast. I was hunting from a ground blind and had a rest that was almost as solid as a bench. The Buck was totally unaware of my presence and was feeding and undisturbed at the shot. Well let's just say that had I known how far away that Buck was I would have never taken the shot. Yep it was a long ways. The shot hit the top 1/4 of the near side shoulder, penetrated through the upper chest destroying the lungs and exited through the top 1/4 of the off side shoulder leaving an exit hole about the size of a 50 cent piece.

After I checked the distance the next day I realized that the impact velocity of the 120gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip was about 1800 FPS, and came to the conclusion that this is one tough bullet. Had I not hit BONE I may have had a tracking job on my hands but as it was the Buck dropped in his tracks.

The 7-30 Waters makes an excellent Handgun Cartridge for the taking of Whitetail Deer. It is easy to load for and a variety of powders seem to work quite well. In my experience though I am not sure bullets heavier than 120grs. can be driven fast enough to ensure expansion on broadside chest shots at longer ranges.

Good luck with the 7-30 Waters.

Larry

[BH L3]

Did not mean to take so long to get back on the 7-30 waters.

I was not able to use the 300 savage this season, but was able to take 4 deer this year with my 7-30.

As I stated above, I used the Sierra 120 grain spitzer with IMR 4895. Only one ran from a high lung shot, about 50 yards. The other dropped where they were.

I have no plans on trying other powders or bullets with this caliber. I found what seems to work well beyond my abilities and do not plan to fix what ain't broke.

This round has definitely become my favorite of the 8 barrels I have in the contender.

Hope you had fun this season, I did.

Now it's time to start planning the sausage making.

BH L3