Tell me about the 30-30 cartridge.

Status
Not open for further replies.
F

FireInCairo

member
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Messages
710
What are it's typical uses, it's range, what it does well, what it doesn't do well. I'm still learning about rifle cartridges, so any experience and wisdom would be appreciated. I'm considering getting a rifle chambered in 30-30.
 
Uses are usually deer hunting, but you could use it for black bear and coyote and defense too.

It isn't very fast to begin with and with a bad ballistic coefficient slows down fast, so in my opinion reallistically the max range is about 200-250 yards
 
Close to medium range deer weapon....it's taken a LOT of deer since it first came on market.
It was developed in 1895 for the Winchester 1894 lever-action rifle. The first American sporting cartridge to use the then modern "smokeless" powder, it retained the antique nomenclature when named, since rounds espressed as .XX-XX were generally blackpowder. The old .44-40 round Winchester had used in the earlier 1873 lever action was a .44 caliber round propelled by 40 grains of blackpowder. The .30-30 used 30 grains of modern powder.
The cartridge is as good for deer and other similar game as it was a century ago.
It is not as flat shooting as modern ammo and most people think it is a better woods gun/ammo selection than open plains type of a weapon, and I'd have to agree.
 
well I've had a 30-30 since I was 12 years old and i'm 38 years old now and I have used it on everything in Oklahoma! and I had excellent results on deer, hogs etc! I love neck shots with it as they will just fall and never get up! this old gun has never let me down and I still have it today and its in use every year! I handload now and I load 170gr softpoint bullets and before I started loading I used 170gr bullet loads then, because it digs in with very good penetration! my gun is the Winchester model 94 ranger and I just love it! :) my daddy gave this gun brand new to me xmas when I was 12 and told me then it would do everything i'll ever need! and he was right! :) so if your pondering on a 30-30 well you can't go wrong! and I keep my shots no more than 200yrds and it works fine! :)
 
The 30-30 is no flat shooting magnum, but it has been doing its job well for for over a century. Out to 200 yards, it will kill a deer sized animal just as fast as the next cartridge. Lots of them were used on elk, moose, and even big bears. The ballistics aren't anything to write home about, but a fast handling lever action rifle is great for hunting the thick woods. They also don't have much recoil, and ammo is available pretty much anywhere in North America.
 
I agree with everything said so far. Your typical 30-30 will be a lever action with a tubular magazine under the barrel. Because the ammo goes in bullet to primer a solid hit will set off a chain fire under the barrel and blow the gun up. To eliminate this the only factory loads are going to be a jacketed soft point of some variety so that the round deform again the next rather than setting each other off. When hand loaded the 30-30 shines. It's still no long range plains gun but it picks up speed quickly as bullets get lighter, better, and more aerodynamic. 2500 is no slouch in velocity and I feel like there's plenty room to improve upon that even.

30-30 was the parent cartridge to several wildcats as well. I have a 7-30 waters which is a 30-30 case necked down to accept a .284 bullet, and when fire formed the shoulder moves forward a bit. It is supposedly better than 30-30 at everything but it never caught on. There is also some 22,25,30,32, and 35 caliber wildcats which I have heard of from the 30-30 case as well as 6mm, 6.5mm, and other 7mm wildcats.

For home defense the gun is wonderful. Compact, handy, and quick. Not lightning fast but fast enough to have the gun back on target and firing before the first round is answered by any reaction. More than enough gun to serve that purpose.

A very select few handguns have been chambered in the 30-30. They are all large framed and relatively heavy. Suprisingly the handguns are not that bad on recoil.
 
A very old caliber, that has proved it's worth for over a hundred years. Modern powders and the new Hornaday bullets are keeping it a favorite, especially in lever guns. Lots of different loadings are available for 30-30 from the ammo makers and reloading can allow you to tailor the round to your uses.

http://www.hornady.com/store/30-30-Win-160-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/
 
Last edited:
I believe it is the West Virginia State Cartridge. :)

Figure it this way, the 30-30 or 30 WCF cartridge had a 100th birthday back in 1995. I figure when a cartridge has been alive and doing well for over 100 years it can't be all that bad. While we love to make it a lever gun cartridge there have also been a number of bolt guns chambered for the 30-30.

Hornady's Leverevolution line of new 30-30 loadings have been a heck of a boost for an old cartridge too. While not exactly a high velocity flat shooting cartridge the 30-30 is an excellent 200 yard deer and black bear cartridge as well as other small game. God knows in the past almost 110 years how many whitetail deer the 30-30 has taken.

There is just something about the lure of the 30-30 Winchester that makes people want to own one. :)

Ron
 
GREAT cast bullet caliber if you want to go that route. Works very well in break action guns, especially the Encore and handi rifle. One of my favorite calibers for that kind of rifle/carbine.

A bolt action 30-30 set up for cast bullets would be a fun rifle to play with. My Encore is doing a good job though, so I cannot really see talking myself into buying one of those... not yet at least lol.

If you are not using a lever action (try the FTX bullets if you are) the cartridge gets a big boost by using match bullets or at least pointed bullets. Think Nosler 125s for deer season out of a break action or bolt rifle. It is a fantastic close and medium range deer killer.

It should be noted that it is economical and easy to load for, in cast or jacketed form. MANY powders will do a good job. The case is small enough that pistol powders like Unique etc can do well with cast bullets and slower powders like w748 work well for faster loads. You have a huge selection of 30 caliber bullets to choose from as well, so it is not another component to hunt for or stock. Brass is cheap, hardly ever sold out, and it can last a long time with moderate loads.
 
I have killed a passel of deer with a .30-30 -- when I was back on the ranch I carried a Winchester Model 94 in my saddle boot and jumped up many a deer while working cattle.

Anywhere east of the Great Plains, the .30-30 is close to the ideal deer and bear rifle, and back in the 20s and 30s was considered adequate for any game, anywhere in the country.
 
The old 30/30 is synonymous with a lever action carbine. They are a perfect match and have been for 119 years so far. Seven in the tube and one in the barrel. Eight rounds of firepower, no detachable magazine. They are almost the perfect carry gun in thick woods country for deer and bear. They work well with factory loads as well as lead bullets with reduced charges. It used to be said that more deer have been killed with a 30/30 than any other centerfire cartridge. I bet that it is still close to truth. Out here on the west, more people lean toward a bolt action magnum or flat shooting cartridge, but they still have a place where the shoots are closer. One of my all time favorite guns is a 1950's model 94 in 30/30.
 
I bought a Marlin 336 about 7 years ago. Since then, it has killed everything I have shot at with it. That's about 9 deer, 5 or hogs, and 1 coon. All where thru and thru. Ammo is cheap and Rem Corlocks seem to work just fine.

Defending my home against anything less than a platoon would be doable with the 30-30. It'll pass thru a ballistic vest and get the job done, at lease on the you tube video I saw. I suspect it'd tap a jihadi with no problem
 
Awesome, thanks for all the replies. I think I've got a 30-30 lever-action in my future.
 
My very first high powered rifle was an M94 30-30, 1970 when I bought that one, great little rifle.

As for the 30-30 cartridge, it's a pretty darn good deer slayer and has a practical range out to about 200 yds.. With glass on it, and if a person knows the ballistic characteristics well, it could actually be used out to 300 yds., accuracy and shooter skill considered of course.

Best deer hunting performance can be attained with a 150 gr. projectile weight, but 165's will be ok, as long as shots are kept to within 150 yds.. It's not a particularly high velocity round, but rolling your own can have a positive effect. With the right combination of projectile and powder, one can attain velocities with a 150 gr. jacketed round nose of between 2400 - 2500 fps. with little effort.

GS
 
Ive had a pump action 30-30 for 35+ yrs. excellent gun. Shoots anything I put in it accurately under 150.
 
It's a classic, even timeless deer cartridge that has taken more deer than any other. Very effective for hunting whitetails and other smaller deers at 150 yards an in, maybe a little farther with the right bullet. A famous lever gun round, a .30-30 lever action rifle is in many parts of the U.S. the default "deer rifle" as it were. It also works real well on predators... of the two legged variety. Look up "Brooklyn assault rifle", a term coined by Jeff Cooper. They can be very effective in this role to, when other guns like AR-15s are banned for ownership in certain locals.

Whether you call it "thuddy-thuddy", or "trienta-trienta", the .30-30 is just really, really sweet.
 
I keep mine in the truck for those quick shots on targets of opportunity when I'm hunting on the various ranches I've been given access. This one was hit on the dead ass run from about 150 yards. Love the firesite front site along with the rear peep.

coyote_zps74e1aebe.jpg

30-30 is a nice, easy to hand load, mild recoil, all around close up round.
 
I really can't add much other than to say that it is one of my Favorites! It works as advertised, has a mild recoil, and fits in dandy sized rifles. It is just good all around.
 
To the OP


Great cartridge capable of punching way above the waistline of what its ballistic numbers on paper may suggest.

You will never have to worry about exploding bullets at too close range...velocity is high enough to allow nice expansion and penetration but not too high to risk structural failure...if you look at your typical mushroomed 30-30 bullets it looks like textbook picture explanation of softpoint bullet behavior.

The new Hornady leverevolution ammo line, with its soft tips spitzer bullets to allow safe operation in tubular magazines, has dramatically increased useful range....the 30-30 can now be an effective 300 yards deer round.

Some boutique ammo manufacturers like Grizzly and Buffalo Bore now offer specialized heavy bullets hot loads which allows the 30-30 to serve as a very effective woods defense round even against the largest critters North America has to offer.

I think a lever action thirty-thirty is a must in ever firearm collector stable.
 
Last edited:
I gotta argue that point Saturno V. I had a one blow up on a buck right under my tree. Killed a lot of deer with my Marlin, but I did have the one fail.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

midland man
  • Locked
tell me about the 243 cartridge
Replies
20
Views
2K
tubeshooter
T
J
  • Locked
  • Poll
30-30 Winchester or 300 AAC Blackout
2
Replies
41
Views
16K
R.W.Dale
R
O
  • Locked
Okay guys. 30-06 or 7.62NATO in a sniper rifle?
Replies
19
Views
1K
Jim Watson
J
Armored farmer
  • Locked
.38wcf?
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
Don McDowell
Don McDowell
D
  • Locked
The perfect rifle: The 30-30
2 3 4 5 6 7
Replies
161
Views
6K
M65Man
M
Back
Top