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Can 30-30 dies be used to reload 30 Remington cases??????????
Jim C

30-30 dies can be used to neck size 30 Remington cases. Not sure about full length resizing. Shoulder angles are different between 30-30 and 30 Remington. I have Redding dies for the 30 Remington so have never tried 30-30 dies for 30 Remington. You would need the 30 Remington shell holder.

This question about 30-30 dies for 30 Remington has showed up on this web site before. Decided it was time do a little experimenting. I full length sized a once fired 30 Remington case in my 30-30 dies which are RCBS not Redding like I wrote in my previous post. I colored the shoulder area with a felt tipped marker and then full length sized the case with the die screwed down so the shell holder contacted the bottom of the die.The shoulder of the case definitely does does make some contact with the shoulder in the die. Shoulder diameter was reduced from.402 to .397. I don't have a case gauge for the 30 Remington so I can't measure how much excess head clearance there would be. A lot of people would call it excess headspace but in very technical terms head space is a dimension in the gun chamber and is checked with gauges. Head clearance is a measurement of the case itself and is checked with a case gauge. Common usage calls it head space and it does have the same affect. I can't really recomend using 30-30 dies to full length resize 30 Remington cases. When dealing with 30,000 psi or more a small mismatch is potentially disastrous. To put that level of pressure in perspective air brake systems in highway trucks operate at 110-120 psi and farm equipment hydraulic systems I have worked on go as high as 3000 psi. 30 Remington dies are higher priced than dies for more common calibers like the 30-30 or 30-06. Pays to check price lists from different manufacturers because there can be a difference in prices which is why I have Redding dies for my 25 and 32 Remington. At gun shows look for one of those older Ideal shell resizing dies. Just a round piece of steel with the resizing chamber bored in it. They are a true full length resizing die. Case goes in the die till the head is flush with the base of the die. In a press the case only goes in till the shell holder contacts the bottom of the die. Use a fairly stout arbor press to push the lubricated case into to the die. Or use a vise or you can use a soft face hammer to pound the case in which gets real tedious. I built my own arbor press just for that purpose. Ideal-Lyman made these for almost every caliber and some wildcats. I have one for the 22-3000 and once had one for the 6.5 Roberts which I gave to a friend who had a rechambered Arisaka. Usualy they are priced from $5.00 to $10.00.

I second the price shopping on dies. I purchased RCBS dies for my 30 Rem years ago for about$50. So, when I got my Remington 141 pump in 32 Rem last year, I was just gonna go RCBS again. Not for $150!!! I bought Redding's also. In fact, Graf's in Mexico, Mobeat Midway USA by $20 on the same Redding dies. Paid $79. Top quality dies. And I experimented with the 30/30 die thing too. No go for me too. Proper dies for the proper caliber.

Thanks for all the comments.
It goes without saying that the ideal solution is to buy a set of 30 Rem dies.
I my case I don't own a rifle in 30 Rem caliber. I have a friend who does own such a caliber.
I don't want to spend $80.00 just to load a box or two a year for my friend.
I was hoping for a cheap solution.
Thanks again,
Jim C

I just got my RCBS 30 Rem dies from Midway last week for $61 and I believe Grafs had them for $70. I really like Hornady dies due to the bullet alignment tube in the seating die but they were $200 for custom made even though the still make 25 Rem. So I might get a set of Hornady 30-30 dies and use the seater on both.

KRCHNC wrote:I just got my RCBS 30 Rem dies from Midway last week for $61 and I believe Grafs had them for $70. I really like Hornady dies due to the bullet alignment tube in the seating die but they were $200 for custom made even though the still make 25 Rem. So I might get a set of Hornady 30-30 dies and use the seater on both.

You have a really interesting idea here. It has been my experience with the RCBS 30 Rem die set that seating bullets can be a bit tricky. Too much neck tension or a poorly aligned bullet can result in a buckled shoulder and if bad enough a ruined case. The long neck on these cases makes it more of an issue, at least for me. I have always used a bit of case wax in the neck along with a good inside bevel on the case mouth and very careful starting of the bullet to keep this from happening. So, the bullet guide tube on the Hornady dies would be a real help. A quick search on the Hornady site shows that it looks like they don't offer the 30-30 seater die except for in a two die set. So if one doesn't have a set on hand you would have to buy the set. They are listed most places around $36. If you give this a try let us know how it works. I just may do it too. Or keep an eye out at the gun shows for a used set.

I do use my seating die, Lee brand, for the 30/30 instead of the RCBS seater because the Lee die is a no tool adjustment for seating depth, I really dislike the wrench/screwdriver for adjusting the RCBS. Works good.