Handi Rifle, 30-30 Win.

[Ben]

I bought a used 30-30, Handi Rifle recently.
No throat in the barrel.
I could not get 95% of my many .30 cal. cast bullets to chamber in the barrel.
I sent the barrel ( after communications with John ) to John Taylor , Taylor Machine , in Washington State.

John asked me to make him several " dummies " with no propellant or primer with my different cast bullets that I planned to use in the rifle and ship them with the barrel.

John cut a 1.5 degree taper leade for me. He kept the barrel less than 48 hours.
I can't say enough about the quality of his work.

I may now be getting just about everything
out of my Handi Rifle ( 30-30 ) that it can do ?

I'm very pleased with the 1.5 degree throating that John did for me on the rifle. I still have many cast bullet designs that I have not tried for the few that I have tried are " nail drivers".

The is an 8 groove barrel.


Ben

I had 4 rounds in a ragged hole ( see target below ) and then I shot that crazy 5th round. I don't guess you've ever done anything like that have you ?

 

[Ian]

Yeah, have fun finding a bullet that WON'T shoot bugholes with that rifle. I have two Savage 219s and absolutely love them both. Wish I had a .30-30 Handi barrel, though, so I could have it cut to 16.5" and threaded.....

That reminds me, now that I have my form 1 .45 suppressor approved and made, I really need to get my .45 Colt Handi barrel threaded. That will be FUN!

 

[Ben]

Then when you pull the trigger, you'll hear a dull " thunk...... ".

Sounds like fun Ian ! !

 

[Ben]

The loaded rounds in the photos above wouldn't even come close to chambering in the barrel prior to sending the barrel to John for his throating work.

Even John thought that it was a bit odd that the barrel was an 8 groove barrel ?
I won't grumble , it certainly seems to be a shooter !

Ben

 

[Josh]

My 30 Badger has a Green Mountain 8 groove barrel, it shoots like a house a fire. Don't knock it if it works!!!

 

[Ben]

Don't knock it if it works!!!

Yes, my exact thoughts Josh ! !

 

[Ian]

Now there's another Unicorn I'd like to have, a Marlin 1894 in .30 Badger. Make it a Mare's Leg SBR with a 12" barrel and a nice can on the end, throat it so it will shoot bullets that can be loaded so it's the same length as a .357 Magnum to minimize action mods, ooh here we go again! I still want a FUNCTIONING 24" Colt Lightning copy in .45 ACP, talk about "Load on Sunday and shoot it all week"!

 

[Josh]

Now there's another Unicorn I'd like to have, a Marlin 1894 in .30 Badger. Make it a Mare's Leg SBR with a 12" barrel and a nice can on the end, throat it so it will shoot bullets that can be loaded so it's the same length as a .357 Magnum to minimize action mods, ooh here we go again! I still want a FUNCTIONING 24" Colt Lightning copy in .45 ACP, talk about "Load on Sunday and shoot it all week"!

With most of the 150ish gr bullets the 30 badger will be at 357 Mag length with the standard throat, me and Ed have discussed this in some depth. I just wish he would build the rifle for me...

 

[Rick]

No throat. Not to sure how that happens but it sure does. Here is my 1960's Winchester 94 in 30-30 as I bought it in the late 90's. Don't know how many owners it may have had but none of them could figure out why it wouldn't shoot and bullets had to be seated really deep. Photo through my bore scope at 25X.

 

[fiver]

might could get one done in 45 cowboy or 45 auto rimmed.
the rim on the AR rounds are too thick for a normal bolt face extractor combinations unless you modify them so the 'cowboy' round was invented.
I dunno if the brass is still available or not I think the original dude passed on 5-6 years back and he only had so much brass made up.

Ben:
I think I'd just stay with that saeco- 315 mold and run it up and down the ladder, I doubt you'll go wrong at any speed or range with it.
although I shoot the 467 [as cut by Walt] in my 30-30 bolt guns and haven't found any fault with it either but in a single shot and with that throat angle I dunno if your gonna do any better than that 315.

 

[Ben]

No throat. Not to sure how that happens but it sure does. Here is my 1960's Winchester 94 in 30-30 as I bought it in the late 90's. Don't know how many owners it may have had but none of them could figure out why it wouldn't shoot and bullets had to be seated really deep. Photo through my bore scope at 25X.

View attachment 1590

That " give or take " is just about what I had Rick.

Ben

 

[Creeker]

I'm playing with a Handi now which has no throat to speak of.

 

[Ben]

might could get one done in 45 cowboy or 45 auto rimmed.
the rim on the AR rounds are too thick for a normal bolt face extractor combinations unless you modify them so the 'cowboy' round was invented.
I dunno if the brass is still available or not I think the original dude passed on 5-6 years back and he only had so much brass made up.

Ben:
I think I'd just stay with that saeco- 315 mold and run it up and down the ladder, I doubt you'll go wrong at any speed or range with it.
although I shoot the 467 [as cut by Walt] in my 30-30 bolt guns and haven't found any fault with it either but in a single shot and with that throat angle I dunno if your gonna do any better than that 315.

I have no reason to doubt a single word that you've said.
The SAECO 315 in this rifle is a nail driver with a pretty wide variety of powders.
Some of my other ( 25 - 30 ) .30 cal. cast bullet designs will have to really show me something to push the # 315 out of the spot that it holds with me right now.

Ben

 

[Ben]

I'm playing with a Handi now which has no throat to speak of.

John Taylor can take care of your problem for you !

Here is his Web Site Creeker :

http://www.johntaylormachine.com/

 

[RicinYakima]

SAMMI spec's do not allow any throat in the 30/30 chamber. That is the way Winchester designed the cartridge. However, the 30/30 Remington Model 788 had a throat, and was the "winingest" production gun from the beginning of the CBA until the new Savages came out in the late '90's. Enjoy your rifle Ben! I have a Savage 99 that I throated and it too shoots really well. Ric

 

[Ben]

I guess the morale to the story is " A company like Win., may have done it a certain way for a very long time, but that doesn't necessarily make it right."

Yes, the 788 Rem. in 30-30 was a cast bullet shooter's dream rifle.

Thanks Rick.

Ben

 

[Creeker]

Thanks Ben.

 

[RicinYakima]

That is right, Ben. The story I have heard is that the original 160 grain load at 1800 f/s (actual) was really hot with powders available in 1893-1894. To reduce that, the bullets were two diameter (like the .264 Winchester Magnums of the 1950s). The cupric/nickel jackets were bore size just ahead of the case, so their spec's worked. They never changed when they went to the 150/170 bullets in guilding metal. "We've always done it that way!" is the way of New England gun and tool makers.

 

[Ben]

Rick,

I just sent a T/C Contender , Super 14, 30-30 barrel to my gunsmith to remedy the same identical problem that I had with my Handi. ( The lack of throat in both were virtually identical ) This is getting expensive !

Ben

 

[35 shooter]

Wow, that 315 load is a nail driver. Did you use BLL as a stand alone lube with these loads? You've got one accurate 30/30 there for sure!