TR on pronghorns and the 30-30

Well yeah. If a bullet isn't moving fast enough to shred the very fabric of spacetime, it's inadequate for even light game at anything more than 50 yards.

I've put those .30-30 pills farther out there than most folks would ever believe, I used to have an old Winchester octagon long barrel of grandpa's(stolen years ago) with an adjustable tang peep sight and there were quite a few times that old Augustus McCray would shut the locals up with how useless the old .30-30 is at longer distances. I've still got the rack of the first buck I ever took thanks to that old gun. It may not be the ideal long range weapon, but that muley didn't appear to notice that it wasn't a .270/06/winmag when it punched a hole from one side to the other through his lungs. No I didn't liquefy the chest cavity, but I sure was proud when he went down.

RPRNY said:

For the 30-30. . . the trajectory is very flat with these small-bore smokeless-powder weapons. . .

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And compared to the rainbow trajectory of a BP 45-70 round, I guess that's true.

It's the Indian not the arrow

The .30-30 was my first love.

Geno

"I saw him sink backward, the ball having broken his hip"

Excellent shot?

Excellent shot?

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I don't think I ever read that TR was an excellent shot. At least in this instance they recovered the animal for the food pot.

My .30-30 PISTOL will reach 200 yards with a 150 Nosler BT to kill medium game. A 20" barrel couldn't hurt. I had a .30-30 Savage M340 bolt gun when I was younger, much younger. I handloaded 150 Game Kings for it. I had no chronograph back then, no exterior ballistics software, but according to the books, I shoulda been in the 2300 fps range. Good ballistic coefficient bullets do help. Now, a tube magazine lever gun will only hold one in the magazine at a time. With one in the barrel, you got two shots to get it done. If you can't get it done in two shots, a .30-06 ain't gonna help ya.

On paper with ballistics software, my current .30-30 load is good for 300 yards from a rifle. I no longer HAVE a .30-30 rifle, just sayin'. I kinda think of my .308 as an improved .30-30, so why bother buying another .30-30? Sure is a GREAT pistol round, though.

a remington 788 in 30-30 with a weaver 8x showed me what the 30-30 could do with a 150gr sp at 2450-2500 fps, 3"+ at 100 yrds, dead on at 200yrds with 1927fps-1236 me and a foot low at 300yrds with 1714fps-978 me

eastbank:

I'm envious about that 788.

Geno

I read about how fantastic the 30.30 is in magazines and the internet all the time. So I should swap my .300 WBY for a open sight 30.30? Grampa killed deer with it by the truck load right? I just wonder, why is the 38-55 not the new wonder cartridge? Or the 44-77?

A very poor example for someone trying to extol the "greatness" of the marginal .30-30 cartridge.

My BIL killed several deer at over 80 yards with an open-sighted .22 LR (he had a depredation permit). Does that make a .22 LR a great deer cartridge?

i own and shoot a marlin cowboy in 38-55 and it kills deer as well as the 30-30, but it is not as flat shooting as the 30-30.i owned a 44-77 years ago in a remington rolling block mid range creedmore, but i never shot it. i think the marlin 444 is very close to the 44-77 if you use heavier bullets in the 444. if you are hunting deer in the woods-woodlots at ranges out to 250 yards and take clean standing shots with a 30-30 rifle that can use pointed bullets you will kill deer. 3+ high at 100 yrds you will be dead on at 200 yrds and -12 " at three. if you use a 30-30 instead of a 300 wby to shoot whitetail at wood ranges you may have more meat to eat. eastbank.

On my above statement I'm not knocking the 30-30. I've shot some good groups when focusing very hard from the bench with the Williams peep but they are too light/short for me past 100.

It's more of the rifle's issue than cartridge. Never shot at bolt gun but bet it would be good to 250.

eastbank said:

i own and shoot a marlin cowboy in 38-55 and it kills deer as well as the 30-30, but it is not as flat shooting as the 30-30.i owned a 44-77 years ago in a remington rolling block mid range creedmore, but i never shot it. i think the marlin 444 is very close to the 44-77 if you use heavier bullets in the 444. if you are hunting deer in the woods-woodlots at ranges out to 250 yards and take clean standing shots with a 30-30 rifle that can use pointed bullets you will kill deer. 3+ high at 100 yrds you will be dead on at 200 yrds and -12 " at three. if you use a 30-30 instead of a 300 wby to shoot whitetail at wood ranges you may have more meat to eat. eastbank.

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I actually have no interest in 30-30s whatsoever, but a Remington rolling block mid range creedmore in 44-77 is a life long dream of mine. It would be the pride of my collection. And you never shot it?

Poke a hole in the right spot and stuff dies, bigger holes, faster usually make it easier and more reliable.

.30-30s pretty good at poking holes, modern ammo and or stronger actions make it even better at poking holes.

Personally i do consider a hip shot an option at times, not usually my first option.

the remington 44.77 i owned was in mint condition and was a investment and it was a very good one at that,being sold to a high end remington collector for several thousand dollar over what i paid for it. if i had it today i would load for it, even if only a box or two, one of my winchesters in 40-82 has been a real learning curve in reloading for odd calibers. eastbank.

I spent my youth reading all sorts of gun magazines, and dreaming of hunting. All the magazine articles talked down about the lowly .30-30.

Then I bought one. Wow. It was my only centerfire rifle for decades. I have built much respect for the shoot ability of this cartridge.
Imho, It is the perfect match for an iron sighted rifle.

Every tool has its uses. The .300 Wby is great in the mountains chasing elk, but a little out of place at sub 100 yard woods ranges on thin skinned game like deer and hogs. It's not that it CAN'T kill deer sized game at under 100 yards, it's just wretched excess.

I'll split the difference with my .308. I haven't used my 7 mag in years, either, since my last trip to the West Texas trans pecos. I really bought it for elk, but never got the chance to hunt elk. I've shot mulies in New Mexico's Guadalupe Mountains and whitetail in the desert with it.

When I bought my 7, I figured I could load it down to 280 Remington or 7-08 if I had no need for the power, but couldn't load a smaller gun to 7 mag level. Same goes for the .300, can load it down to .308 if need be. So, you're STILL good if it's all you have. Should you trade your .300 Weatherby for a .30-30? I wouldn't, but I might add a .30-30 if I hunted thick woods at short ranges as I do now. Danged good excuse for another rifle if nothing else. Since I have several other rifles, .257 Roberts, .308, even a 7.62x39, that are appropriate, I don't need a .30-30. Anyhow, I kinda think of my SKS rifle as a semi auto .30-30. I prefer my .308, though. It's even a little overkill in the woods, but not that much, and there's nothing wrong with a little overkill.

I killed my first deer with an old scoped 336 in 30-30,and my oldest boy killed his first with the same gun..Around here when I was a kid, about all the boys had a 30-30,and the FFA gave one away to the winner of the big buck contest every year..Nowdays it seems the youngens gravitate more to the 223,and 243.You seldom hear mention of a 30-30,but I guess they do still sell because I see the lever actions at Walmart..They would probably be more popular for kids,and adults alike if they built them in a cheap, stubby little iron sighted carbine bolt action budget rifle ..I know they kick a little,but I don't think most kids would mind.Kids nowdays are no different than kids from the last generation..A 30-30 is gonna be more forgiving on a less than perfect shot in the hand of a young nervous hunter than a 223 everytime..I'm not pumping them up to be a flat shooting high energy retaining rifle,but as long as you know it's limitations,and use it accordingly then they are pretty darn good...

I think 3/4 of the popularity of the .30-30, past or present, is the handy little lever guns they come in. My 7 mag is a big, heavy, rifle that's not particularly handy in a box blind and doen't come to the shoulder real fast. It's a heavy rifle and LONG. My little M7 in .308 is as handy as a .30-30, but long action rifles with 22-26" barrels, not so much.

What I like about my .308 is it's quite light (important in rough country spot and stalk hunting), short and handy, 3/4 MOA accurate and able to reach out 400 yards. It's as at home in the canyons as it is in the woods. I have a 2x10x40 Weaver optic on it that is also very versatile.

So, if I had a .30-30, I'd never carry it afield. My .308 has taken over as my hunting rifle. I won't sell my other rifles. I just don't use 'em anymore.

And, you know, if I wanted an iron sighted rifle, I have options too, from my .357 M92 to the new to me Yugo K98 Mauser I picked up recently. I don't plan on hunting with the K98, just like old mil surps with history. But, the Germans sure new how to build a quality rifle!


An iron sighted .30-30 is easy to wrap a hand around, light and handy. It's been a mainstay, I think, more for that reason than the cartridge.