Tubal 2000 in 30 Major

[GSPV]

Took my Grizzly action, Kreiger barrel, Borden stock 30 Major out this weekend. It's my best shooting rifle. I wanted to get a velocity baseline for some Tubal 2000 powder that I had laying around.

I scooped up a case full, then trickled it out till it was about halfway up/down the neck. Dropped it in the pan and it was 30.3 grains. So, I loaded a sample at 30.0 grains for the test.

Full data: Lapua 6.5 Grendel brass necked up to 30 and neck turned to 10.5 thou per side. Federal 205M primer. 3 thou neck tension. 30.0 grains Tubal 2000. 10X 115 grain bullet. Note: the bullets were HBN coated. Result: a bit over 2900 FPS. Very consistent. It was 96 degrees, though. Light recoil.

Five shots, 100 yards.

 

[JimPag]

I've had better results in my 30 Gorilla with N120 than with Tubal 2000. 30 Gorilla, 6.5 Grendel case necked up to 30, shoulder blown forward from 30 to 35 degrees.

 

[GSPV]

I used to like N120 quite a bit. I sold it off.

I've wanted to try LT-30, but I'm not shooting enough IBS score to justify buying anything new.

I like LT-32 quite a bit, but it's a pain to get enough in the case. Going to a design like yours and maybe running the reamer in deep are things that I've considered to make it easier.

It would break my heart, but I should sell off this rifle and build a 6 PPC on the Borden B that I have laying around.

 

[JimPag]

I used to like N120 quite a bit. I sold it off.

I've wanted to try LT-30, but I'm not shooting enough IBS score to justify buying anything new.

I like LT-32 quite a bit, but it's a pain to get enough in the case. Going to a design like yours and maybe running the reamer in deep are things that I've considered to make it easier.

It would break my heart, but I should sell off this rifle and build a 6 PPC on the Borden B that I have laying around.

I talk with Mike Ezell a lot. I believe he told me that he tried LT30. Mike's favorite load with the 30 Major is 30.8 of N120, mine 30.5. Larry Feusse from MI did the chambering job on my 30 Gorilla. It was his baby. I've tried H4198, T2000, and N120. I have had the best luck with the N120. It figures because that's the most expensive powder between the 3 of them. I bought 16 pounds of Norma200 that I have yet to try. I don't want to try something different at this point because the combo I am using works and with the new barrel that I screwed on a week before the IBS State shoot in NY, I took it there and won the 100 yard agg, and 2 weekends ago at the VT state shoot, I came in 2nd with it at 100 meters, both matches shooting a 250-21X. I see that your using Dick & Chad's 115's. I have about 20K of them and never have tried them. The only 2 that I've tried is Bib's 112's or Bart's 112's, both HBN coated. As far as case capacity goes, there isn't enough difference between the two to say the Gorilla is better. If I had a 30 Major I'd be perfectly happy with it.

 

[GSPV]

My only reason for going to more case capacity would be to use the LT/32 load because it shoots so well in my barrel.

Of course, everything seems to shoot good in my barrel. N120 was great in it. It was just close to the edge, pressure wise and my primer pockets were getting loose after 5 firings or so.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

My only reason for going to more case capacity would be to use the LT/32 load because it shoots so well in my barrel.

Of course, everything seems to shoot good in my barrel. N120 was great in it. It was just close to the edge, pressure wise and my primer pockets were getting loose after 5 firings or so.

Every barrel is different. I've got brass that has 50 firings with 30.8 grains of n120 and danzac coated 118's. Actually, that's about where I've found to be the expected life expectancy to come...with my dies and chamber. I've gone beyond that!! Accuracy fell off. New brass was like changing barrels!

 

[GSPV]

If I could have every barrel like this one, I'd be a happy man. It eats what I feed it and is always happy.

The trick with N120 for me was to back off to 30.4 or even to edge down below 30. Don't get me wrong, it always shot great. The more that I put in, the better that it shot. And, it was never 4227-ish, either.

 

[Gina1]

Great group

 

[IdahoSharpshooter]

Tubal-2000 is an interesting powder. I have a 20Kg keg of it. It seems close to 4198 in burn rate.

 

[JimPag]

Tubal-2000 is an interesting powder. I have a 20Kg keg of it. It seems close to 4198 in burn rate.

I know a handful of SR bench guy's who bought a ton of that stuff for 6 bucks a pound when it first came out. They still have a bunch of it in their basements.

 

[GSPV]

If I decide to keep the 30, I'll have to see if I can get into some of it. I got mine from Apple. It seems to shoot well...but it was 97'degrees.

I need to quit being a sissy and sell it. It's my best shooting rifle, but I don't shoot IBS any more and need a 30 like I need a hole in the head.