30 Apache, 30 TCU, 30/223

[Tony Z]

Over the last couple of years i have been using the Howa Mini in Ruskie for general daylight hunting when flushing hogs from thick overgrowth in creeks. Been good but the problem has been i hate losing cases, especially if they are Lapua. For a long time i have looked at the 30 Apache, 30 TCU, 30/223. All one in the same. Take a 223 case and neck it up to 30 cal and load it, shoot it and eject the case and keep on going. As of a few weeks ago i did one on a stainless Mini action using an old 14 twist barrel i had from my early days with the 30 BR for Hunterclass.
I pick up hundreds of cases from the range as many young blokes just buy factory ammo and dump the cases in our brass collection bin. So brass is virtually zero cost. One pass through a 300 BO die set for 223 length in the press and the case is formed ready to charge. I'm using 110 Vmax and 125 SSTs as well as 125 TNTs. 30 grains of CFE BLK gives a tick over 2650 fps with either of the 125s. No idea on the 110s. Overall performance is surprisingly better than the Ruskie.
Not a cartridge for everyone but for me i like 30 cal for pigs and that if i lose a case it doesn't mean the end of the world.

[mick_762]

Sound like the best of both worlds there Tony.
Free brass and flattening pigs!!

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[Camel]

Interesting little cartridges. Certainly no slouch with velocity from a small case.

[Tony Z]

Went this weekend to try to get a few hogs Mick but no luck either in the day or night. Too much rain about and they have moved away from the noise.

Mark I've read all the stuff i could find about the Apache over the last few years and i often thought some of the velocity claims where a bit optimistic. With 2207 it's a bit slower as you run into pressure before any real velocity is achieved. CFE BLK can compress a lot so you can get a bit of speed and the pressure is still way down. The are claims of 2450 fps (CFE BLK) with a 150 grainer but again I'm a bit sus on that. Anyway that length of pill will exceed my magazine OAL by a lot unless i cut back on powder volume which would then defeat the objective i suspect.

I will post up a few pics of the case and loaded rounds

[Camel]

Thanks Tony, yeah, lots of fellas looking to build up a stash of CFE BLK, hard to come by I hear. Pity, its seems to go well in a lot of small capacity cases.

[Tony Z]

110 Vmax on the left and 125 TNT on the right.
Mark i was fortunate knowing the owner of three gunshops well. I got enough CFE BLK and 223 to see my days out. It transformed my Hornet into a laser and both Ruskies picked up a couple of hundred fps for no pressure gain.

[macca]

It looks kinda wicked with the big pill in that case.
Sounds like a winner for close in pig work.
Happy hunting.

[Tony Z]

Data for the 300 HAM'R, using the Wilson Combat case as the parent, a case just a bit shorter than 222 at 40mm but with essentially the same front end as the Apache or Black Out. The HAM'R is M4 orientated with the idea of more horsepower than the 300 BO which is really a suppressor cartridge and useless outside of that.

[Camel]

As you said before, a good improvement on performance.