Just had to post these picks of groups shot this afternoon while doing some load development with my Marlin 357mag and 30/30.
I know one group doesn't make a rifle but they both shoot a hell of a lot better than people would have you belive a lever action possably could.
5 shots @ 100y into as good as I can measure it .408" on centres
Load was 17gr 296 with federal gold medal match small rifle primer only used a small rifle primer because I had no magnum small pistol primers and 296 usally needs them projectile was 140gr Hornady Flextips.
30/30, 3 shot groups, right hand group was 30.5gr AR2208 went 1.48" 6 clicks to the left and shot the centre group with 31.5gr AR2208 and once again Hornady Flextip projectiles this time 160gr went .524" on centres.
Anyone want to work out what class they are eligable for in the AusVarmint bunny match
Seeing as I can't get any more powder in the 357mag case have had to settle on the above load.
Loaded a few more up and 5 shot group went 1.5" not Moa but still not bad for a lever action.
Old 30/30 looks like it might be a genuine Moa rifle with these projectiles. Continued with my load developement from the previou day. To prove the first group wasn't a fluke same load put 3 shots into 0.51" next load went 1.28" and final load tested 0.57"
This is an old one but Ill give a update 5 years on
Havent stuck with the 140FTX in 357, the load was a bit of a fluke, they still shot well but averaged closer to 2moa.
The length of the projectile is such that to get OAL to feed through a lever they eat into case capacity, I can safely get the same velocity from a conventional 158gr with similar accuracy. In 357 they are a very soft bullet, so soft that without the custom seating stem for FTX you will deform projectiles trying to seat them. Despite the showy tip the BC is worse than a regular 158 HP or SP.
In all honesty in 357 they offer no advantage at all
30/30 is a different story they continue to average under moa, at 100 and 200 and bloody close to it at 300.
Have performed well on game, so well that I sold my 7mmRM after taking a couple of deer at close to 200 with them.
Having shot them at paper out to 300 and steel as far as 800, under the right conditions I wouldn't hesitate to take a 300 shot a game.
220 wrote:30/30 is a different story they continue to average under moa, at 100 and 200 and bloody close to it at 300.
Have performed well on game, so well that I sold my 7mmRM after taking a couple of deer at close to 200 with them.
Having shot them at paper out to 300 and steel as far as 800, under the right conditions I wouldn't hesitate to take a 300 shot a game.
Accuracy always trumps brute horsepower.
Cheers...
Con
MISSED wrote:Impossible that was a $200 rifle I reckon Paul is still kicking himself.
and everyone else that missed it, he did have it advertised for months at $400 on here before the price drop.
He knew how it shot, when I saw it at $200 I said I would take it as long as it would shoot a 6" group at 100, he assured me it would do better than 2" with Fed factory ammo, still haven't tried fed factories on paper but shoots at least as well as he claimed with everything else tried
MISSED wrote:Impossible that was a $200 rifle I reckon Paul is still kicking himself.
and everyone else that missed it, he did have it advertised for months at $400 on here before the price drop.
He knew how it shot, when I saw it at $200 I said I would take it as long as it would shoot a 6" group at 100, he assured me it would do better than 2" with Fed factory ammo, still haven't tried fed factories on paper but shoots at least as well as he claimed with everything else tried
Can you find me one Sean?..
Happy to pay the same amount.
Cheers Gregore
17hmr wrote:Not kicking myself Andrew. Just good to see the rifle getting used! unlike the other half dozen rifles in the safe.
Getting plenty of use mate, taken everything from rabbits to sambar since we got it off you. The young bloke took his first few deer with it. Seen a bit of target work too and won a few trophies as well, its been to the lever action silhouette nationals, most of the Ausvarmint get togethers and about 4 AHN woodonga shoots. I even used it to shoot the 200m varmint match one year
TYB had a crowd watching on last year at WBB as he rang 4" & 6" gongs shot after shot at 300m, the old thing certainly changed my opinion on what a lever action can do and quite a few others that have seen it shot.
Still wasn't as cheap as the SMLE 410 I got of Andrew I think if I hadn't taken it it would have been paying someone to get it off his hands
I think if I hadn't taken it it would have been paying someone to get it off his hands 
