Bullets for 7/30 Waters in tube mags

[ken n]

Hello fellow levergunners,

I am looking for advice in finding a suitable bullet for the 7/30 in a model 94. Last weekend my thirteen year old son experienced failure using the Federal premium factory load which uses the Sierra Game King 120 grain pill. It was a 90 yard shot on the point of the shoulder and broke the shoulder but didn't apparently penetrate the ribs. The deer fell but got back up and ran on three legs into a very brushy undergrowth. We let it sit for a couple hours and then tracked it to where it bed but it had gotten up and left without anymore blood to follow. We searched for hours and the next day also looking for crows and coyotes, etc but I believe it limped off hopefully recover. We found some good sized bone fragments that looks like the joint where the blade meets the leg bone. My boy is very upset both for the failure and for the suffering of the animal. I'm the one who told him to aim for the point of the shoulder to down it quickly but didn't expect a bullet failure from a moderate velocity round like the 7/30, especially with premium ammo. I didn't realise it was loaded using the Game Kings until later.

Anyway, I promised him that I'd load up some reloads using a better bullet but am having a hard time finding one. I have some Speer "Hot Core" 130 grain but have had bad luck with Speer bullets in the past even with the Grand Slam line when shooting under 100 yards with velocities over 2800 fps. I took my Leatherman and was able to easily peel the jacket off a sample bullet so the Hot Core process doesn't seem to actually bond the lead core to the jacket. Could I clip some noses off of a Nosler partition or similar bullet? Do any of you have any experience with the Beartooth bullet the Marshall produces using the nose anneal method?

Last year my son got a nice six point with a double lung shot in the open hardwoods usinf the regular federal load but now his confidence is shaken and I hope to remedy that.

Thanks in advance for any help you could give.

Ken

[Hobie]

Either the 120 gr. Nosler Solid Base or the Speer 130 gr. FP. IF you can find them the 139 gr. Hornady FP is good but they have been discontinued.

[ken n]

Thanks, Hobie. I'll see if I can locate some in the pipeline. --Ken

[copen]

Ken... check out Pacos experience in his article about the 7-30 Waters.

[ken n]

O.k. Will do. Thanks! --Ken

[Mike D.]

I use the 130 gr Speer FN pushed by 33.5 grs IMR 4895. No deer yet, but a few pigs rolled over.

[Jeeps]

I have no experience with the 7-30 Waters but I keep holding off on buying

a barrel for my contender cuz I keep hoping to see a levergun in the chambering.

My personal thoughts about if I ever loaded for it would be to use the pointy

bullets to get the best B.C. out of the bullet.

Just load one round, chamber it, then load a second back up.

Even with my 45 colt lever I only hunt with three rounds in it.

I figure if it ain't dead by then I'll give the deer mouth to mouth and then apologize
and send it on it's way

Jeeps

[Hobie]

I've got a Contender barrel BECAUSE I could never find a levergun I liked. I wanted the 24" and didn't like the CB. Maybe I should just build one?

[Jeeps]

Putting a new barrel on a 336 or 94 just may be the ticket.

But I still might have to get one for the Contender also.

Jeeps