Tell me about the 30-30 cartridge.

[Nom de Forum]

It has an alliterative name. So does the 44-40.

 

[d2wing]

Even if I never shoot mine again, I will not part with it.

 

[Roadkill]

Its my mountain/stalk rifle. Still does very well.

 

[Nom de Forum]

It has been said many times in the gun press that more deer have be taken with a .30-30 than any other cartridge. Of course the same used to be said about the .44-40. I think the .30-06 would certainly be a contender for that title.

 

[Nom de Forum]

The 30-30 is a huge success in the USA but what about elsewhere? Is it a worldwide chambering, or is it strictly a USA thing?

It is famous south of the border, not so much elsewhere.

 

[Hangingrock]

I use to attend sight in days at a sportsman's club that had a 1200 membership limit. The traditional lever action rifle and 30-30 were seen less and less each year. This combination was more relevant in my youth than adulthood. I have a Winchester M94 that's just as good as its ever been but then we hunted in the hardwoods as opposed to the crop fields.

 

[Fred Fuller]

The .30-30 was THE 'big rifle' when I was growing up (1950s/60s in central AL). My grandfather had one, and having cut my teeth on a variety of .22LRs, that was the biggest cartridge I'd ever seen. It was a huge event in my young life when I was finally deemed big enough to actually shoot it myself.

That rifle, a 1929 Winchester Model 94, now resides in my gun safe, and is due to be passed down to one of my cousin's sons when he is old enough to appreciate it.

There are a couple of .30-30s of my own in there too, but my preference is for the Marlin 336 rather than the iconic Winchester 94. The latest addition was a 336T which I bought used at my LGS in spite of its not being chambered for the .35 Rem I was hoping for, now that I live in the NC mountains and would prefer the bigger caliber here. But you can't have everything, sometimes.

You won't go wrong with a .30-30 if you need or want a good mid range woods rifle that's easy to feed - ammo is widely available in lots of places, and it's an easy caliber to reload, with simple gear like a Lee Loader. It works best IMHO with a good aftermarket aperture sight to preserve its quick handling and snap shooting abilities. Its main claim to fame is as a whitetail deer rifle, but it has been used for lots of things in lots of places.

People tend to forget what a barn burner it was when it first showed up, in the ranks of the big bore black powder cartridges which the new smokeless powder wonders would eventually replace for most shooters. It had an incredibly flat trajectory (by comparison) and dispensed with the problem of a target obscuring (and position disclosing) cloud of smoke with every shot.

Dig up a copy of Jack O'Connor's The Hunting Rifle and have some fun ... - http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-740057.html&&

 

[303load]

The .30-30 was THE 'big rifle' when I was growing up (1950s/60s in central AL). My grandfather had one, and having cut my teeth on a variety of .22LRs, that was the biggest cartridge I'd ever seen. It was a huge event in my young life when I was finally deemed big enough to actually shoot it myself.

That rifle, a 1929 Winchester Model 94, now resides in my gun safe, and is due to be passed down to one of my cousin's sons when he is old enough to appreciate it.

There are a couple of .30-30s of my own in there too, but my preference is for the Marlin 336 rather than the iconic Winchester 94. The latest addition was a 336T which I bought used at my LGS in spite of its not being chambered for the .35 Rem I was hoping for, now that I live in the NC mountains and would prefer the bigger caliber here. But you can't have everything, sometimes.

You won't go wrong with a .30-30 if you need or want a good mid range woods rifle that's easy to feed - ammo is widely available in lots of places, and it's an easy caliber to reload, with simple gear like a Lee Loader. It works best IMHO with a good aftermarket aperture sight to preserve its quick handling and snap shooting abilities. Its main claim to fame is as a whitetail deer rifle, but it has been used for lots of things in lots of places.

People tend to forget what a barn burner it was when it first showed up, in the ranks of the big bore black powder cartridges which the new smokeless powder wonders would eventually replace for most shooters. It had an incredibly flat trajectory (by comparison) and dispensed with the problem of a target obscuring (and position disclosing) cloud of smoke with every shot.

Dig up a copy of Jack O'Connor's The Hunting Rifle and have some fun ... - http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-740057.html&&

Nice post. I will hand mine down one day.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

ideal round at 100 yards or less....its been around for a reason...after that...look for other choices

 

[olafhardtB]

It has an alliterative name. So does the 44-40.

Nom de plume: I got hung up on the alliterative properties of the 30/30 so I got some Hornady 150 grain Interlocks (Hornady catalog number 3031). I got a can of IMR 3031 powder and proceeded to reload some cases with 31 grains of 3031which by tradition created a 30/31 cartridge. The 3031 bullet is pointed so I went to a gun show and bought a Stevens 325 with a box magazine. The round was too long for the magazine. So I bought a 30/30, or maybe a 30/31 barrel for my Handirifle. I took it to the range and didn't really get any unusual results. But I was satisfied. CAUTION: 31 grains exceeds all the modern published load I have found. The Handirifle is built for several high intensity calibers .

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Here in NEPA there are a lot of woods and not many open fields. Even though I really like my Howa 1500 in 30-06 the 30-30 levergun is the perfect tool for White Tail here.

I shoot 150gr and 170gr jacketed bullets and a 165gr Cast bullet too in my 30-30. When my eyes got too old for the open sights I mounted a 4X32 scope...

 

[T.R.]

This South Dakota muley was felled with one shot at a distance of approx. 125 yards using my older Glenfield 30-30 carbine. At the shot this buck bounded away but toppled after just a few jumps, an efficient kill shot through the chest organs. I've replicated this experience many times and in many places with the old 30-30 cartridge.

In my opinion, the 30-30 does a superb job of transferring bullet energy at typical forest and foothill distances. It packs a lethal punch but with moderate recoil. That's why it continues to be popular after all these decades of use by North American hunters.

30-30 is a keeper!

TR

 

[Nom de Forum]

Nom de plume: I got hung up on the alliterative properties of the 30/30 so I got some Hornady 150 grain Interlocks (Hornady catalog number 3031). I got a can of IMR 3031 powder and proceeded to reload some cases with 31 grains of 3031which by tradition created a 30/31 cartridge. The 3031 bullet is pointed so I went to a gun show and bought a Stevens 325 with a box magazine. The round was too long for the magazine. So I bought a 30/30, or maybe a 30/31 barrel for my Handirifle. I took it to the range and didn't really get any unusual results. But I was satisfied. CAUTION: 31 grains exceeds all the modern published load I have found. The Handirifle is built for several high intensity calibers .

That's funny!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

It is famous south of the border, not so much elsewhere.

I thought it was fairly popular in other parts of the world where it's called the 7.62X51mmR, no?

 

[FROGO207]

I own several different varieties of the 30-30. I like it as a light and able brush gun. Seldom do I get more than a 100 YD shot usually more like 40-50 YD and in heavy brush. That 170 grain RN bullet snaps small branches and stays on course then hits like a freight train. Usually a bang flop and it is over. I was going to try my 45-70 Handi Rifle on a deer hunt sometime but the 30-30 lever is ever so dependable that I may never try it. Everyone should own a 30-30 and a center fire revolver IMHO they are both iconic firearms here in America.

 

[Nom de Forum]

I thought it was fairly popular in other parts of the world where it's called the 7.62X51mmR, no?

Not to my knowledge, but you may very well be right. I suspect how we define popular may be different or I am just ignorant of it's popularity outside the western hemisphere. The .30-30 became really popular in Mexico during the revolutionary days of the early 20th century.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

In reality there is probably nothing you can't do in North America with a 30-30 and 35 Rem levergun. Of course the same can be said of the 30-06 but it's not as handy in the thick brush although a much better choice for those long open field shots on goats in the center of the country.

OK them, a levergun in .22LR, 30-30 and 45-70 along with a good .223 and 30-06 bolt action rifle is a great battery of rifles for North America! lol (yes, I have and carry them all)

 

[razorback2003]

You can get good quality used Marlin or Winchester 30-30 rifles for under 400 dollars. They are pretty light weight, light recoil, and most Marlins and some Winchesters can be scoped. The Winchester is lighter than the Marlin, but the Marlin can be disassembled easier/cleaned from rear and probably has a better action.

The cartridge will work well out to 150 yards on deer. For most people, it is really all that is necessary for deer hunting because most people can't shoot well enough to take advantage of longer range rifle cartridges. Most deer are probably killed within 100 yards.

30-06 or 270 are probably better all around cartridges if you are a good shot and the range would come in handy if you hunt in more open locations.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

dont overlook the old savage 340 and its dept store derivatives. just as handy as the levers and very accurate and reliable. very accurate as well. i purchased one a while back from a unknowing soul for 110 buks. very nice handy bolt rifle.

 

[denton]

dont overlook the old savage 340 and its dept store derivatives

+1

Often meant to retail for $99.95, they were the low cost alternative to a lever action. And even though they are inexpensive, they are sweet, handy shooters. The chamber is a little tighter than most lever actions, which helps with accuracy.

With cast gas check bullets, I rock along at about 1900 FPS with 170 grain bullets. The recoil is mild, the accuracy is better than decent, and the ammo is cheap.

Flat points have a reputation for dropping game better than you would expect, at appropriate ranges.

The new 30-30 powders and bullets have extended the useful range to 200 yards, and that takes in practically all of the big game shots you're going to get.

The lever action Winchester was designed to provide a better than average volume of fire at moderate ranges with enough oomph to protect livestock from predators and put on occasional deer in the pot. It does that very well.

You'll take 50 reloads to the range, and feel disappointed when you shoot the last of them, because you'd like to continue shooting but are out of ammo.

 

[Bezoar]

if the 30-30 was as useless as some on here seem to think, no one would be loading low recoil ammo for 30-06 that duplicated the ballistics... of the 30-30. with the same bullets.

the 30-30 is not for the magnum conscious person. Sure it is the first magnum, smokeless rifle cartridge of the usa. but thats because at the time, your options were all military cartridges imported from over seas.

if you want a bullet with 1900 fpe at the muzzle, that weighs 150 grains. but with 80 percent less noise and felt recoil then a 30-06 or .308 then the 30-30 is your best friend.

 

[Swampman]

Originally posted by:Bezoar

if the 30-30 was as useless as some on here seem to think, no one would be loading low recoil ammo for 30-06 that duplicated the ballistics... of the 30-30. with the same bullets.

Would you be so kind as to identify those posters that quantified the 30-30 as "useless"?
None of the posts that I read seemed to express that belief.

 

[midland man]

I own 3 lever 30-30's now and are lookin at the marlin 336bl. so anyone own the 336bl and how you like it?

 

[Bezoar]

check for the posts saying its a 100 yard gun at best. thats derogatory.

 

[loose noose]

Remember back in 1974 when I got drawn to hunt Mule deer with the Yavapai County Sheriff's hunt. I good buddy of mine convinced me that I needed a new .270 because of the long distance I would be required to shoot. So low and behold I left my Marlin 30-30 behind and shot a huge 5X5, less that 75 yards away with the .270, could have just as likely got him just as dead with my trusty old 30-30.

Incidentally I took a lot of deer with that Marlin up in N/E Wisconsin, and upper peninsula Michigan.