38 Cal I would much prefer to use cast in the 30/30 however length of cartridge considered (rule is you have to feed from the magazine) it's hard to get 170 gr gas checked max length cast bullets to knock over the 56 lb ram at 200 meters. Now I could use jacketed at 2000 fps and cast for the other 3 targets but mixing cast and jacketed same gun same match with no time for cleaning between relays is not likely to be successful.

Right now two of us are working with 3 Marlins for the CLA match, 45/70 1895 new made gun with a 26 inch barrel and lead added to the buttstock 360 gr Flat nose plain base out of a Raphine mold. 22 grs of 4759. Same model in 38/55 using store bought 38 bullet and 4759. And the 30/30 it's a 36A 24 inch barrel full rifle 1947 vintage.  All the Marlins have had the front sights changed to post and Lyman 66 receiver sights.

If that's not enough we are using two M 1894's for the Pistol caliber match one old in 25/20 one new in 32/20.  Rimfire 3 39A 22's and a Model 39 22 Going to need a trailer to pull all this to Raton in July.

For the full size course Idea is to see what will hit the most critters and what the ram knockdown is gun to gun. Settle on one we will probably both shoot it trading off spotting and shooting relays.

Right now my money is on the 45/70 dowloaded it's easy to shoot and accurate. Have no doubts about it's ram knockdown.  None of this has anything to do with Single Shots except every bit of the load data has come from old manuals. New ones are mostly max velocity hunting loads.  Lessons learned from Single shot shooting have given us a leg up on the average lever gun shooter too.

Boats

David get all this testing and sorting out done I may well try some 30 cal cast bullets out of the 30/30 on Rams see how it does. 

It's a big job to haul 10 of the 56 lb rams from our 500 yard line to the 200 yard chicken line in order to test CLA knockdown's Right now the range is so muddy no way to even think about moving them.

When I do will have the 30/30 jackated 45/70 360 gr cast 38/55 265 gr and perhaps some of the 170 cast 30/30 loads. See what will fall what will not. Wack a few with my CPA 38/55 290 gr fixed loads same time.

Boats

Here is some basic data on Wesson cartridges that might help.
MIKE-T

I have a buddy that has a nice .44 Wesson.  He has worked up some pretty good loads for it too. Couple years ago at the Conestoga Gallery matches we used it to enter the over .40 cal class

Anything I say about the load could be wrong memory only but getting the right bullet was the problem.  He is a good tinkerer and will often make up swages cast bullets from other molds and turn bases down etc to get something shooting. I think he used the turn down trick on the Wesson

Boats

If you like I wll ask him what he came up with. He's not on emails take a week or so and his rifle is a 44 but the general idea may be of some help

Boats