Serial Number vs Assembly Date, M81

[DWalt]

So you are saying that Remington probably kept an inventory of finished serial-numbered receivers. But final rifle assembly was not necessarily done in the same order as the receiver serial numbers, while the date code was always applied at the time of assembly. I wonder what the latest assembly date known is, as it appears that there are indeed documented M81 SNs above 56,000?

Incidentally, I did load 40 rounds in my empty .30R cases last night. I had no round-nosed 150s or 170s, and the only spitzers I had that could be loaded to the proper cartridge OAL without the nose ogive tangent being below the case mouth were some 125 grain Sierras. The older Lyman reloading manuals treat the .30-30 and .30R as being identical, as they recommend the same loading data for either one.

Now, I have three old rifles for three very similar calibers - the M81 in .30R, a 1920's vintage Savage 99 takedown in .303 Savage, and a 1930's vintage Winchester 94 in .30-30. I form .303 Savage from .30-30 brass and also use .30-30 loading data for it. The .303 could be loaded somewhat hotter than the .30-30 if desired, as the Savage 99 has a very strong action. But what's the point?

[Wildgoose]

Hello DWalt,
Thanks for sharing your activities with your new old Model 81. I have just started working on one I recently picked up in 30R too. Any information is welcome right now. I wanted to see how your loading with the 30-30 dies works out. I thought about doing this too but was a bit daunted by the diffrence in shoulder angle in the two cartridges as rimless rounds headspace on the shoulder unlike rimmed cases that do it off the rim. I just ordered 100 new cases from Grafs and would not mind not having too spend another $60+ on dies. If it works for you I am ready to go as I have 30-30 dies on hand.
As for your question on the hotter loads for the Savage 99 the only reason I could think of to do it would to try for a flatter shooting round for a bit more reach but thats pretty thin. Most people, me often included, are over guned for hunting white tail deer. Thats one of the reasons I have gone for a old vintage rig like the Model 81 in 30R. Kind of fun to get back to he basics of a simpler time.

[DWalt]

Hello DWalt,
Thanks for sharing your activities with your new old Model 81. I have just started working on one I recently picked up in 30R too.

Any information is welcome right now. I wanted to see how your loading with the 30-30 dies works out. I thought about doing this too but was a bit daunted by the diffrence in shoulder angle in the two cartridges as rimless rounds headspace on the shoulder unlike rimmed cases that do it off the rim.

I just ordered 100 new cases from Grafs and would not mind not having too spend another $60+ on dies. If it works for you I am ready to go as I have 30-30 dies on hand.
As for your question on the hotter loads for the Savage 99 the only reason I could think of to do it would to try for a flatter shooting round for a bit more reach but thats pretty thin. Most people, me often included, are over guned for hunting white tail deer. Thats one of the reasons I have gone for a old vintage rig like the Model 81 in 30R. Kind of fun to get back to he basics of a simpler time.

I've made up two .30R cases as a test, and they seem to fit the M81 chamber OK. But I've not loaded and fired them yet. The difference in shoulder angles should not be a problem, as firing will change that, about like firing a standard .30-'06 round in a .30-'06 Improved chamber, essentially a fire forming operation. Or, if you have a .30R full length sizing die (I don't), one pass with a .30-30 case should take care of any dimensional differences. It doesn't take long to modify the .30-30 rim and extraction groove after you've done the lathe setup. A tip on that is to chuck a .30-30 full length resizing die (without the decapping and inside neck expander rod) into the lathe and use it as a socket to hold the .30-30 case. Then put the tip of the live center into the empty primer pocket. You could grind a cutter to do both the rim reduction and extraction groove cutting simultaneously, but I did not do that. Turn the rim down to a diameter of .421"-.422". If you are still concerned, you could fire form the case using 4 or 5 grains of Bullseye, etc. topped by a wad of toilet paper and Cream of Wheat, followed by another paper wad, but that's a lot of unnecessary work. I've heard of people using a drill press and a file to reduce rim diameters, but that probably would be very inexact and time consuming. As I do have a lathe, it's a piece of cake to do.