30-30 case life in Handi Rifles

[xhare]

For those who reload for the 30-30 in the Handi-rifle, what kind of case life do you get?  Do you full length resize?

[Rustyinfla]

  I only neck size but I can't really say how long they'll last. Most of my brass has 5 or 6 reloads on it, but then I don't try to turn it into a magnum either.

        Rusty <><

[carbineman]

I F/L resize and my loads are a bit speedy but I use lighter per cailber bullets.(130 grain) I have thrown a few away that had splits in the case neck, but they worked fine until that time. I found that staying away from Federals was the key to long case life as the Remington and WW's are lighter in weight and can take a little more powder without showing signs of high pressure.

With 30-30 brass being cheap and readily available, I don't even worry about how long it lasts. Just examine the cases and discard as needed.

[kennyd]

A handi has less give in the action than a traditional lever 30-30.  This means less stretching on the case.  I don't have the Handi in 30-30, but have a Savage 24 in 30-30 over 20, and a 94.  The cases seem to stretch more in the 94.  Since there are two guns, I full length size, and use a Lee factory crimp.  Working the brass makes it brittle, hence the split necks eventually.  Be careful if you anneal, you can weaken the case if done wrong.  I do have to trim length more with this than other calibers.  I favor 170 gr. for the lever, and a mix in the Savage, 130 SSSP, 125 flat point (not my favorite), and 150 gr. spires.  I have found that I find one bullet I like and stick with it in any caliber, most often leaning to heavy.  Also tried some of the .22 sabot rounds, haven't found a need for them in my shooting.

[Paul5388]

Once fired is pretty easy to find, since most people don't reload .30-30 around here.  I FL size it for the first load and then neck size after that.  I shoot more cast bullets than jacketed, so the brass doesn't wear out too fast in those applications.  The 311291 Lyman 173 gr is shooting real good, but I have a few Rem 150 gr bronze points loaded to try some time!  A 150 gr Nosler BT might be a pretty decent bullet too. 

[xhare]

Thanks for the posts.  I figured that the handi action is stiffer than a lever action.  It sounds like 30-30 cases ought to last as long as I would keep any case.

[mt3030]

....It sounds like 30-30 cases ought to last as long as I would keep any case.

They will. Neck splits will most likely be their failure due to thin brass.

[mstake]

Just like all other brass. It depends on how much you end up working the bass and what make of brass you are using. If you full length or neck size. if it a hot load.

[Dillohide]

Like a lot of people when I first got a NEF 30-30 I wanted to try the hotter loads that I couldn't in my Marlins. Started noticing stretching in the brass near the rim when I ran my finger nail down the shank. Never had one crack above the rim but I've seen it and they are a pain to get out of the barrel. Best to stay with standard 30-30 loads for accuracy, making the brass last and safety.