Lever bullets in a bolt action

[flashman]

Hi all hope you are all doing well , Ok i have been given a full box of Hornady FTX 160gr 30cal these are used in Lever actions , short and stumpy ,question is are there ok in my 308 HOWA , seems a wast not to use them............

[Larry]

Um probably but not a good idea. The case needs to be fully supported by the chamber and the bullet needs to release into the neck of the chamber. if the bullet has to half a case length to find the way out chances are it may not. It may get lodged in the neck sideways and then all that pressure has no where to go other than back out at you through the bolt if not breaking the bolt lugs and sending the bolt flying backwards through your head.

[Blr243]

I don’t understand Larry’s response I would of thought it would have been fine

[flashman]

Me too 30cal its just the bullet shape.......

[madang55]

350 Legend is ok to use jacketed pistol projectiles. I'm guessing seat them out as far safety permits???

[Jorlcrin]

Suspect Larry thinks flashman is going to try to fire off loaded 30/30 rounds in a .308, which would be interesting to get the bolt to close!

.308 pills are .308 pills.

I have a few boxes of the 160gn FTX pills, and have plans to do exactly what flashman is describing.
I've also ended up with 100 of the 140gn Monoflex projectiles, but the ones for a .308 Marlin(mistake when ordering; back when projectiles were aplenty).
They should fire off just fine in my .308.
The cannelure mightnt be in the right spot, but I wont be using it anyway.

[bladeracer]

Hi all hope you are all doing well , Ok i have been given a full box of Hornady FTX 160gr 30cal these are used in Lever actions , short and stumpy ,question is are there ok in my 308 HOWA , seems a wast not to use them............

It's possible you might have feed issues with the big meplats but as long as they feed they'll be fine. I expected issues running 100gn XTP pistol bullets in .303 but they feed just fine.

[Jorlcrin]

Sorry; Might have mis-read what Larry wrote.
Not 100% sure, but thinking he might be suggesting the FTX is a bit short to seat into a .308 case?
Is that right??
Either way I read it, I dont think larry is right, and I'd be happy to use 160gn FTX pills in my .308 bolt guns.

For reference, I measured the following:-
Hornady 160Gn FTX projectile is 1.1265" long, with approx 0.645" to the start of the ogive.
Hornady 150Gn SST projectile is 1.202" long, with approx 0.490" to the start of the ogive.
Sierra 135gn HP(Crinkly Mouth) projectile is 0.900" long, with approx. 0.575" to the start of the ogive.
Speer 130gn HP projectile is 0.884" long, with approx 0.455" to the start of the ogive.
Hornady 125gn SST projectile is 1.052" long, with approx 0.424" to the start of the ogive.

When I say 'start of the ogive', I mean measured from the base of the projectile, to the point where the projectile would no longer be gripped by the case mouth.
Looking at the length available to adjust seating depth, the FTX offers you about 0.1" more seating-depth adjustment option than the others(assuming you dont use the cannelure).
Excepting the 160gn FTX, I've loaded all 4 of the other projectiles in my .308, so I have no idea why the 160gn FTX would be a problem in a bolt .308.

In a bolt-gun, the cannelure isnt critical for seating, though some people use it.
[Different story for a gas gun like an AR; then I'd consider loading to the cannelure, and finding projectiles to suit doing that..]

[bigpete]

They will work fine. I've been shooting bullets for lever actions put of my bolt actions for years.

[deye243]

Hi all hope you are all doing well , Ok i have been given a full box of Hornady FTX 160gr 30cal these are used in Lever actions , short and stumpy ,question is are there ok in my 308 HOWA , seems a wast not to use them............

It's not a problem I have used hundreds of 3030 pills in a 3006 just be Aware that because of the longer bearing surface, you may have to seat these deeper, which takes up powder space and can jack pressure.
And another thing is they are softer and jackets are thiner for a slower chambering .

[deye243]

I think larry means loaded cartridges not just a box of projectiles

[Larry]

Yes I thought you were referring to any old box of loaded cartridges with a 30 cal bullet. Like a 30/30 or even say a 300 bo but that would have a real issue with a different bolt head diameter.

[bigrich]

Hi all hope you are all doing well , Ok i have been given a full box of Hornady FTX 160gr 30cal these are used in Lever actions , short and stumpy ,question is are there ok in my 308 HOWA , seems a wast not to use them............

i'm assuming you mean a box of projectiles your going to load in 308 cases for your rifle . make up dummy rounds to find the max COAL in your rifle, stay at least 100thou of the lands . and work up cautious handloads . be aware some projectile like these ftx are designed for the lower velocity of the 30-30 . pushing them at 308 velocity might give poor game performance . i've loaded 180 and 158gn 357 xtp pistol projectiles in my 358win and they performed well. they had a lot of jump but didn't seem to mind .
i've yet to follow bigpete's advice , but 170gn 30-30 projectiles at moderate speed out of my 308 would be good pig medicine

[Larry]

I doubt that the bullets made for the lower velocity cartridges couldn't handle the higher velocities of a normally packed 308. However even the high velocity bullets are often at their max even out of a 308 and will rip a jacket off due to rpm and explode mid air before getting to the target. So it is very possible.

[bigpete]

I doubt that the bullets made for the lower velocity cartridges couldn't handle the higher velocities of a normally packed 308. However even the high velocity bullets are often at their max even out of a 308 and will rip a jacket off due to rpm and explode mid air before getting to the target. So it is very possible.

I used to drive 170gn sierra pro hunters designed for the 3030 as fast as I could out of my 308 ~2600fps and they worked extremely well on fallow deer

[Jorlcrin]

I doubt that the bullets made for the lower velocity cartridges couldn't handle the higher velocities of a normally packed 308. However even the high velocity bullets are often at their max even out of a 308 and will rip a jacket off due to rpm and explode mid air before getting to the target. So it is very possible.

I dont understand this..

I've fired thousands of 125gn SST's through my .308, and the few times I've bothered to Chrono them, they are departing at ~3050fps.
From the ADI load data, it looks like my loads are within 80fps of what ADI consider to be Max, though I accept they are likely understating such for safety.
In all of those firings, I've never seen a shot that came apart mid-flight.
Rifle is a 20" Ruger Precision, with the standard 1:10" twist barrel, so I'd think these 125gn pills are departing with a pretty fast spin on them.

Further, before I went to the 125SST's, I ran about 800 Federal factory 130gn HP rounds through that same rifle, with their velocity also around the 3050fps.
Again; ZERO mid-flight failures of the projectiles.
Both these projectiles are varmint projectiles, and both are considered to be very lightly built.

Description from the Hornady Website on the FTX construction:-
Patented Flex Tip® Bullet Technology
Upon impact, the soft tip compresses into the bullet, initiating immediate expansion across a wide range of velocities.
Safe to shoot in tubular magazines as well as any other firearm.
InterLock® Ring
The one-piece, high antimony lead core of the FTX® is mechanically locked to the jacket with an InterLock ring.
This, along with a specially designed jacket, results in reliable performance and maximum weight retention for deep penetration on large or heavy-bodied game animals.
Ballistically Efficient Secant Ogive
Pioneered by Hornady,® the secant ogive profile delivers stability, flat trajectories and amazing accuracy.
Specially Engineered Jacket
The heavy jacket over the shank of the bullet combined with our proven InterLock® design controls expansion and enhances accuracy.


I CANNOT see the problem with giving them a go.
I know I'll be trying the same when I get around to it.
I'll also be trying some of the 135gn FTX pills I have here, as well as some of the 140Gn (all-copper) Monoflex projectiles as well.
And I expect they will all work just fine out of my .308 Bolt-Guns.

[bladeracer]

I doubt that the bullets made for the lower velocity cartridges couldn't handle the higher velocities of a normally packed 308. However even the high velocity bullets are often at their max even out of a 308 and will rip a jacket off due to rpm and explode mid air before getting to the target. So it is very possible.

In my experience, pistol bullets are fine in rifle cartridges up to whatever speed you can push them up to. I'm sure there must be some that can't handle the RPM, especially in tighter twist rates, but I would at least try them before ruling them out just because they're a pistol bullet. I don't know whether the 86gn .30-cal pistol bullet can hang together in a 7"-twist BLK, but as velocity is limited due to case capacity it should be fine. In the standard 10"-twist of most .30's I wouldn't expect it to be an issue. It's possible some of the new subsonic rifle bullets might be constructed to be fragile enough that they might not withstand full speeds in larger rifle chamberings but I have read of any issues so far. Rexem has just made a subsonic .224" bullet that might be worth trying at 3000fps+ in a .223 to see if it's an issue.

[flashman]

OK all thanks for the info ,l load a couple up and see how they go.............

[flashman]

OK all thanks for the info ,l load a couple up and see how they go.............