Thinking of making a 30BR had a couple questions.

[ozzz169]

I was thinking of building a "budget" 30BR off a savage target action. I already have the action and am getting ready to order a barrel.

I know the tools i need and such but what I am not sure is the headspacing. I cant seem to find any information for the 30BR. do I use the 6BR go and no go gauges?

Also any input on barrel choices would be great. I was thinking of a pac-nor prefit barrel 1 in 17" 3 groove. I like the 3 groove theory as far as less fouling and no reduction in accuracy.

Also I shoot 100-300 yards and am just getting into benchrest shooting, if there are any other calibers that I should consider please dont hesitate to add input.

Thanks in advance,

Eli

 

[rayjay]

I wouldn't worry about the fouling issue. At our last 100 yd match I didn't clean my rifle and came in 2nd and the reason I got beat was the 2x on the first target, not the three 5x that I shot on the last 3 targets.

My rifle has a Rock Creek bbl.

If you are going to compete in score matches then the 30BR would be the way to go. It's only downside is more recoil and it is a bit more touchy about your bench manners.

 

[Spook]

oz, the 6BR and 6ppc "no turn" are, for all practical purposes, equally as accurate and require a lot less case work..and... the quality bullets for 30 cal aren't cheap. The price of dies comes to mind as well.
I just built a 30BR and the recoil difference is significant.
I'm shooting a Benchmark 1 in 17, 3 groove, and it shoots very well.
The last two Savages I've chambered were done with a shoulder as opposed to a jam nut ..... No more nuts for me. All my Savages will be castrated from here on out.....others mileage will likely vary.

 

[RGRobinett]

Yes, for the 30BR, you can use a standard 6mm BR go gauge. The PacNor 1:17" is an excellent option. Good shootin'! RG

 

[ozzz169]

Thanks RG that helps a lot

Spook - I agree about the bullets they are not cheep in the .30 cal. I did not think about the price of the dies, I was looking at .30 because or 2 big reasons I already have a .204 rug and a .243 win I love both and the 6mm bullets are not bad priced, but wanted to start shooting a heavier cal. second, the barrel life on the 308 and the 30BR is suppose to be fantastic. do you know how the barrels last in the 6pcc and 6br?

 

[AlNyhus]

Hi Eli.

Dies for the 30BR are pretty simple. Either a Redding 'S' type full length bushing die or a Harrel's die to resize the body, bump the shoulder, neck size and decap....and a Wilson seating die and you're in business. I like the standard Wilson 30BR seating die,not the micrometer adjustable stainless one).

Two dies, a couple of Redding non-TiN coated neck bushings, a dab of Imperial lube and you're set.

 

[ozzz169]

Thanks Al, that is encouraging...

I guess what I am most worried about is the necking up process, I have been reloading for a while but never have made any wildcat cases. I read your article on necking the 6br up and it does not seem too bad. so the only thing I need is the tapered expander button, I am not sure what type of redding die I would need for that. I have never used there die's and am not familiar with there system.

also do I need to turn the necks after necking to 30BR? also what bushings for the redding dies do you recommend...

Thanks again,

Eli

 

[AlNyhus]

Eli: The necking up deal is pretty straightfoward. Everyone has their own version of how they do it..lots of ways work just fine. I use a Redding die that I happened to have laying around to hold the tapered button since all it needed to do was basically hold the expander.

If you go with the Redding Type S f.l. bushing die, you can put the tapered expander on that stem ...that will get the necks expanded and keep the case body supported. Just don't use a bushing since there will be an external donut at the base of the new neck that is from the part of the case that used to be shoulder being forced outward. With the proper mandrel, turn the external donut off first, then turn the neck in a seperate step.

I highly recommend annealing the necks as a final step in case preparation. My recent work with the latest lots of Lapua 6BR brass has shown that it is considerably 'harder' that the earlier cases.

I'd suggest a neck diameter of .002 less than the chamber neck size. That's measured with the bullet seated and over the bullets pressure ring, of course.

The best neck size for a 30BR chamber is .330, in my opinion. This lets you turn all of the case neck but doesn't take off any more than needed. Randy Robinett had this all figured out very nicely when he pioneered this chamber.

Assuming .002 neck clearance,necks measuring .328 across the pressure ring), I'd suggest getting bushing sizes of .326, .325 and .324 to start with. These 30's love neck tension so don't be afraid to tighten it up as you work on the tuneup. You can start with the .325, set up the bullet to jam .025 and hit a good tuneup very quickly with H4198 starting about 32.5 and working up in .5 gr. increments to the 34.5 range. This assumes a 118-125 BR flat based bullet, of course.

Hope this helps. If you need any help with cases or if all this sounds like too much to hassle with, let me know. I will on occasion do cases for people. -Al