Questions about 30 BR

[Kenneth66]

I am getting a 30 BR . After looking into it a little it seems my brass will have to be either 6BR or 7BR , would it be better to neck up from the 7BR so as to not stretch the brass as much or am I worrying about nothing ?
Is there new 30BR brass available ?
Who are some of the top bullet makers ?
Resizing dies ?
Seating dies , Wilson ?
I think that about covers my questions for now .
Thank you , Kenneth

 

[dkhunt14]

I am getting a 30 BR . After looking into it a little it seems my brass will have to be either 6BR or 7BR , would it be better to neck up from the 7BR so as to not stretch the brass as much or am I worrying about nothing ?
Is there new 30BR brass available ?
Who are some of the top bullet makers ?
Resizing dies ?
Seating dies , Wilson ?
I think that about covers my questions for now .
Thank you , Kenneth

I would only use Lapua brass. I believe it is only available in 6BR.
Bullet makers-Bibb, EPS,
Dies- Redding Full length Type S or Custom Whidden
Seater- Wilson

Matt

 

[ShootDots]

I am getting a 30 BR . After looking into it a little it seems my brass will have to be either 6BR or 7BR , would it be better to neck up from the 7BR so as to not stretch the brass as much or am I worrying about nothing ?
Is there new 30BR brass available ?
Who are some of the top bullet makers ?
Resizing dies ?
Seating dies , Wilson ?
I think that about covers my questions for now .
Thank you , Kenneth

If memory serves me correctly, both "P1Zombiekiller" and "Laveritt" (both on this forum) make and sell preformed 30BR brass. Additionally, DJ's Brass Service may make them too, however, I am NOT certain of that. If DJ does this service, it will be excellent! Trust me on that!! It would be worth looking into those options..

 

[Buzz]

I use Whidden's bushing sizing die and it comes with the right expander mandrel to go from 6mm to 30 in a single step. I do a partial pass, turn the case 90*, and then finish the pass. They come out surprisingly uniform considering the amount of change the brass goes through, and I haven't lost a case yet.

I like the Wilson dies for seating because, well, that's what I'm used to. It seems like others use the sleeve/micro seating dies for other cartridges with great success, so I can only assume it would work for the 30br.

I have a bunch of Norma brass that I've been using without an issue. I would've stuck with Lapua like I use for my 6br, but I came across the Norma brass for a bargain and took a chance with it. As far as bullets go, I like the Speer 125's and Hornady 110 vmax because I feel like my own limitations are greater than the bullet limitations at this point.

I'm just an average joe and I'm sure others that are much more accomplished could give better advice, but that's what works for me.

 

[LCazador]

Redding's full length bushing die with two different expanders have worked well for me. I expand to 7mm first, then to 30 cal. using Lapua 6BR Norma brass. I split a couple of necks trying to go from 6mm to 30 in one step so I backed off and went the two step method instead. If you're going to use Remington BR brass, I would anneal then expand. I use a Wilson seater. For bullets, Knight, BIB, Berger, all work well.

 

[M-61]

Quote from Shootdots "..If memory serves me correctly, both "P1Zombiekiller".."

Ben's memory is correct. I can say 'P1Zombiekiller' work is first class matched by his service. Also a site member. I would not hesitate to use him.

 

[Kenneth66]

Thank you for all the replies , seems you all have left me with nothing else to do , but get it done , thank you , Kenneth

 

[Kenneth66]

Ok , another question , is Lapua 6BR and Lapua 6BR Norma the same ?
Thanks again , Kenneth

 

[ShootDots]

Ok , another question , is Lapua 6BR and Lapua 6BR Norma the same ?
Thanks again , Kenneth

Yes Sir it is!! Have no fear>>>>just buy some and do it yourself or get one of the aforementioned retailers to do some for you..

 

[Dusty Stevens]

K&m makes a special expandiron for 6to 30cal. One pass with it and it fits their turning mandrel perfect.

 

[Dave Berg]

Just some other options based on my experience.

30 BR Brass - I get mine from Ron Hoehn. He's been doing it for a very long time and they're perfect. $2 each and they will last at least 75 firings.

Bullets - Robinette 118/10 if you can find them. Eazor Precision 118's aren't as pretty but they shoot great.

Dies - Wilson seater cut with the chamber reamer. Harrell's semi-custom FL sizer - talk to them first as one size does not fit all.

 

[SmokinJoe]

Have you read the 30BR articles on this site? If not, digest them thoroughly, things have not changed much. All the suggestions above are good info IMO. Do you know what reamer will be used to chamber your barrel? If not, you need to find out what it is. If chamber OAL is around 1.530 then you will want to use brass that is expanded with a mandrel & trimmed to 1.515 - 1.520. If the chamber is the newer longer version with chamber OAL at 1.560 or so, you will need to blow the brass out from 6mm to 30 cal instead of using a mandrel to expand, and you would have to do that yourself I think. Don't know of anybody doing it commercially that way. I've written this method up on this site a couple times and it would be my preferred setup if I was starting out into 30BR today. The advantages are that you end up with very straight brass from the start (pre turning of necks) and the necks are about .040 longer. FWIW - Wish you the best, Joe

 

[Kenneth66]

Thanks again everyone , and yes DJs brass service does 30BR .
Kenneth

 

[Kenneth66]

Just read through the accurate shooter 30 BR article and don't recall reading what determines the ogive I should use .
First let's make sure I understand what ogive is , it is the point where the curve of the bullet contacts the lands , is that correct ?
Is ogive determined by characters of the chamber , barrel , or personal preference ? Thank you , Kenneth

 

[SmokinJoe]

Your Barrel will tell you what it likes best, but for a novice 30BR shooter, it may not make any difference. I always shot BIB 118-10's, but the rifles would shoot other bullets very well, too, so until you are ready to split hairs just use whatever good match bullets you can get, but don't buy too many until you are satisfied that they perform acceptably in your rifle. Bergers do quite well, as do a number of other brands. You are going to go through a learning curve with what "Humble Henry" Rivers refers to as "table manners". The 30BR does not handle like a PPC, unless you are extremely lucky with your rifle & rest setup. Gotta go. Later, Joe

 

[Dave Berg]

Since others seem to have lost interest...

"First let's make sure I understand what ogive is , it is the point where the curve of the bullet contacts the lands , is that correct ?"

Unfortunately no.

The following is an over simplification and doesn't consider secant or tangent or elliptical ogives but the principle is the same.

The ogive is the curved portion of the bullet - all of the curved portion, not a specific point on it as you will frequently hear around here.

The number assigned to it (6,7,10 etc.) is the ratio of the ogive radius to the diameter of the bullet. For example if you drew a circle with the same curve as the bullet's ogive, found the radius of that circle to be 1/2 of the diameter of the bullet it would be a 0.5 ogive. The end of that bullet would be a semi-circle. The more gradual the curve the larger the circle becomes and the higher the ogive. Most target bullets are in the seven to ten or so range. The more pointy the bullet the greater the ogive.

 

[Kenneth66]

Ok , thank you both . Seems I will not concern myself with that end of the equation as of yet . But thank you for the explaination . As for table manners , I assume you are speaking of managing recoil and learning to set up differently ?
Kenneth

 

[Dave Berg]

If your 30 BR is an IBS legal light or heavy varmint then dealing with the recoil is something that needs to be managed. There are other aspects to "table manners" however. One of the famous benchrest shooters is often quoted as saying that "one could set a new world record falling off his stool as long as he fell off the stool exactly the same way every time". Watch some of the shooters at a match and they kind'a look like a gator flopping in the mud.

My 30 BR's are shot in "groundhog matches", roughly equivalent to IBS varmint for score but different rules at each venue. Rather than 10.5 or 12.5 weight limits they vary from 17 to 20 pounds. With a rifle that heavy recoil pretty much becomes a non-issue but table manners are still every bit as important. Exactly the same thing for every shot.

Back to bullets, it's unusual for a 30 BR to not shoot accurately. However, just as some rifles really like a particular bullet there are also some that just won't shoot with one or more brands/weights/shapes. Get a small quantity, a hundred or so, of a few that are readily available and give them a try. You're most likely never gonna' wear out the barrel so have at it. I've seen guys shoot Speer 125 TNT's in a match and do pretty well. Jamie Eazor will sell you 100 of his 118/9 ogive for $50 delivered and they are hard to beat in my experience. There's also the Berger 115 grain. There are also small lots of match bullets available on here from time to time. One of Joe's points, I believe, is to not buy 10,000 of something and try to make it shoot.

The 30BR is a great cartridge. There's a bit of a learning curve but don't worry, be happy.

 

[Kenneth66]

Thank you , I am happy , just excited about seeing how the gun and myself performs . Kenneth

 

[SmokinJoe]

I can see that you are excited, Kenneth, and by some of your questions maybe fairly new to the game? Just to share, when Ronnie Long chambered those 1st few 30BR barrels, he asked me if I had any interest in doing one also. I enjoy playing with new toys & could see the potential for that cartridge, so I agreed to buy a barrel & have him chamber it, then on into all the things I had to get in order to shoot it. I started shooting the 30BR in the late 90's, but it took quite awhile before I felt really consistent with it. Originally, we used N-130 powder which shot well most of the time, but would sometimes do unexplainable things. I took my 30BR to the Supershoot one year & didn't do very well with it, but came home with an 8# jug of H4198 because of some discussions I had had with Randy Robinett & others. After that the consistency seemed to really get better, and I was able to ride that to 2nd at the IBS Nationals in Augusta, Maine the following fall, then on into the other future accomplishments with the 30BR. By the time I had it all working well I had been shooting it for at least 3 years. When Henry moved from the 6PPC to the 30BR, it took him almost a year to get everything worked out. So what I'm saying is for you to be methodical & patient as you work through this. It would help to keep notes & records of each thing you try and try not to address but one variable at a time so you know what makes a difference. This advice applies to all competitive venues, of course, not just the 30BR. Hope this helps a bit.