Practical and accurate range for a 30-30 Winchester

Minute of deer, 2-3 moa will be just fine, I would keep it inside 200 yards. The my dad has a story of a deer he shot as a kid in front on a game Wardens house that was a pop shot at over 400 yards.

I like the 170s but each gun will have its favorite wt and load. I had a first year marlin 336 that someone Unfortunately drilled and tapped, so I put a 3-9 on it one day for the range. To my amazement it was laying down some 1/2 moa groups with cheap sliver box 150 gr Winchester ammo. I knew it shot good with the peep but never really put it on paper until then.

Don't over scope of use the 2-7 or less, try a peep sight.

I have shot a lot of deer with both a Winchester 94 and the Marlin 336. I was living in TX at the time and we had an over abundance of deer. During the middle of the day, when the older guys would nap, I would grab a levergun and head out into a brushy part of the lease. I would just go slow and stop a lot. I was able to take a lot of deer and pigs by surprise and get pretty close as well. I really did not shoot over 100 yards max. Most of my shots were about 50 to 75 yards. Inside 100 yards the deer and pigs pretty much dropped on the spot.

At the time, I bought whatever ammo was cheapest at the gas station near the lease. I shot a lot of red box Federal 170's and Winchester Silver Tip 150's. As I got better with the .30/30 and learned to reload, I came to like the Speer 130 grn SP over a full dose of Varget. This load gives some legs to the .30/30 and also produces DRT hits inside 100 yards. It might be something to look at for antelope.

If you are realistic about what the .30/30 is, then you will be pleased by the performance. I agree with TF and would not try put a huge scope on the gun. If it is a true JM SS 336, then I would buy it right away; they are getting hard to find.

Good luck and keep us posted.

troy fairweather said:

Minute of deer, 2-3 moa will be just fine, I would keep it inside 200 yards. The my dad has a story of a deer he shot as a kid in front on a game Wardens house that was a pop shot at over 400 yards.

I like the 170s but each gun will have its favorite wt and load. I had a first year marlin 336 that someone Unfortunately drilled and tapped, so I put a 3-9 on it one day for the range. To my amazement it was laying down some 1/2 moa groups with cheap sliver box 150 gr Winchester ammo. I knew it shot good with the peep but never really put it on paper until then.

Don't over scope of use the 2-7 or less, try a peep sight.

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This is all good advice.

I really like the 160 grs Hornady FTX and 35 grs of Leverevolution. I have killed a number of deer and a few black bears, albeit all at under 100 yards, with various basic 170 cup and cores over 3031 as well.

troy fairweather said:

Minute of deer, 2-3 moa will be just fine, I would keep it inside 200 yards. . . .

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^ ^ ^ ^ THIS ^ ^ ^ ^

We've put plenty of deer in freezer bags
with various 30/30's at spit range on
out to just past 200
They DON'T turn down and plow into the
dirt after a hundred yards despite what the
gun magazines and internet experts say.
And you don't need any special ammunition
to do the job either.

Whatever wally world has that your gun
will shoot accurately will do just fine

One of my favorite cartridges to load and shoot. I load 170gn cast Bullets over Alliant 2400 for most of my shooting and have worked up a nice load with the 160gn Hornady FTX over H335 but have yet to test them in game yet. Hoping to change that this year

With practice, that load is a 200+ yard cartridge. But once you get over about 100 yards, you really need to know your distances. Don’t plan on shooting that load either. Your gun may not like it. Hopefully it does. But there’s no guarantee.

You asked out our preferred bullets. Well, I prefer the Sierra 170gr FP. But I’m really thinking about the 125gr HP/FP. I think it would be a devastating deer round provided it’s accurate.

I don’t own a Marlin 336, but I do own a Winchester model 94 in 30-30.
I hand load Hornady ftx 160 over 36 grains of Leverevolution.
That has given me the smallest groups.

What Troy said.
Minute of deer.
I killed a bunch of deer back in the day with my 336 and factory Remington ammo. 170's and 150's both worked but my rifle seemed to like 150's more. These were all shot in the Northern Michigan woods where I could rarely see 100 yards let alone shoot that far.
A few years ago I dusted off that 336 and worked up a very accurate handload with Hornady 150's and Varget.

The first thing I would do is determine the amount of bullet jump it takes for the bullet to touch the rifling in the throat. The maximum I can seat the bullet out in my JM Marlin is 2.550"





Any longer and you cannot eject a loaded cartridge, without removing the lever and breech block. After shooting over 500 rounds in mine, trying to determine the best loads, and never really getting the accuracy I wanted, I measured the bullet jump to the rifling and found that Marlin had reamed the chamber such that it takes 1/2" of travel before the bullet reaches rifling! Because of the length limitations of the port, there is nothing I can do to remedy this. Maybe your rifle is chambered differently. I wish Marlin New Haven was still around because they would at least hear some angry noises from me.

That bullet jump is why my Marlin will never shoot cast bullets worth a hoot





My testing revealed that my rifle is very sensitive to velocity extreme spreads. These lever actions are extremely flexible and vibrate so much that they will fling shots with high and low velocities.



Varget was very bad, a flung shot on every target.







Let me recommend, if you reload, to first of all, stay within factory velocities and don't try to push the bullet faster than factory velocity. I got blown groups and the action would unlock. These lever actions are not rigid, they are appropriate for factory pressures, but not more. I used exclusively 170 grain bullets. These bullets are fine within 30-30 velocities, everything I have read is that they will expand nicely at the slower velocities of the 30-30. I determined things were best when I pushed my bullets around 2150 fps. I did shoot 150's, and they came out around 2250 fps.



I can recommend as a starting point, IMR 3031, IMR 4064 and AA4064. My rifle is a 2 to 3 MOA thing at best. I never shot a ten shot group under 2 inches at 100 yards, and the group increases with distance.

My loads are way above manual, because my chamber is huge. The only real data of value are the velocities and group size.

Do note, what is in the popular, monthly, in print magazines is largely farcical. I have read any number of articles where the gun writer is shooting three shot groups and claiming sub MOA accuracy with lever actions. Until I see some 20 shot groups at distance, like this one



(this shooter is still active, now he is 73 years old, and shooting Master Class scores in Smallbore Prone)

I will consider claims of MOA, sub MOA lever action accuracy to be unsubstantiated, wishful thinking.

I did this with a match Garand, prone with a sling, with irons! Those high shots are due to me having to break position. My 30-06 rounds were in the ammunition box, bullet up. And I got so hot, and sweated so profusely during the string, that the rounds were slipping out between my thumb and forefinger. High power is a physically stressing sport! I had to break position, rearrange all slow fire shots base up, so I could get a fingernail in the extractor groove and lift the cartridge. That high shot was due to the change in position on the rifle, and so was the other high shot, until I figured out, make an elevation change on the rifle.



Now in terms of range, I consider the 30-30 fine out to 200 yards.



but look how much the bullets drift at 300 yards.



same with AA4064





someone could run a ballistic calculator, and I will bet, at 300 yards those round nose bullets are going so slow, that they have all the wind drift of spit wads. I don't know the actual distance they start to float in the wind, because Talladega does not have 225, 250 nor 275 yard targets. But somewhere past 200 yards, the bullet drop and bullet drift is excessive.



These lever actions are not for the Western, over the horizon, 700 yard game shot types. You plan to shoot from mountain top to mountain top, get something else.



In the eastern part of the US, where the woods be thick and deep, a 30-30 will do just fine.

As much as I like the .30/30, I don’t think it’s for you. (I’ve got 3!)

A .308, .243, .270, .30/06, etc will suit you better.
A good used bolt action with the scopes you mentioned will give you much greater flexibility.

My younger brother hunts in the western states. Hunts deer, antelope, elk, and even drew a sheep tag! Ranges can be LONG, but most of his kills have been 250yds or under. He’s a HUNTER, not a shooter. A single box of 50 Nosler partitions has lasted him 30years!

He uses a 1956 vintage Winchester M70 with a Leupold 3-9 in .308.
It just works!
My favorite is a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08. In 2006, my best friend used it to take a 6x6 elk in Colorado. You don’t necessarily need a Uber Magnum...

troy fairweather said:

I like the 170s but each gun will have its favorite wt and load.

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True that. I bought my brother a 336 some years ago, it definitely favors the 170's. It was also kind of picky about bullets... I used to load the Speer HotCor 170, but switched to Winchester's SilverTip 170's... and my accuracy doubled, all else being equal. You may have to work with your rifle a bit to find something it likes if you are shooting beyond 100yds, and that includes factory ammos. Personally, I would keep your game shots inside 200yds, even with a scope.

I'm a big 30-30 fan; it's the perfect deer rifle for these hills to be honest. Mine is a Marlin 336, from 1974 that I put a Williams peep on it a few years ago. I really don't care to scope a lever gun. None the less, it's a fine rifle for easing through the woods where shots are close and as such I usually load it with 170's. However, my handloads are 150gr Sierra RN over 29.7gr of H322; they shoot about an inch at 50 yards and have dropped every deer I've pointed them at out to 150-175 yards. The 30-30 is a highly underestimated cartridge, and I have used it against varmints (with 110gr bullets) out to almost 300 yards and have no reason to complain. Only lost one wounded 'yote out of several dozen over the years with that load, and that was 100% my fault for incorrectly estimating the wind.

Now, having said all that, I will make this statement: Judging by your handle, you live on the plains. The plains and the old "thutty thutty" don't really mix well. Shots are long, and wind makes them that much more challenging. So I'd recommend, as @GooseGestapo did, a bit heavier caliber. Something like a 25-06 or 260 Remington, or 7mm-08. My favorite, the 30-06 would be well suited to your needs. That is, unless your heart is just set on the Marlin. That being the case, have at it! It'll make a hunter out of you, in that you'll have to get a bit closer than you might otherwise have to with a different caliber. Good luck, happy hunting!

Mac

My 30-30 is a T/C Contender with 10" barrel. I get sub 1" groups at 60 yards using the Hornady 130 grain sp @ 1960 FPS. I have shot deer out to 90 yards with this load and gun and have dropped every one within 10 yards of where they were standing. Don't sell the 30-30 short on accuracy. It may not shoot as tight out of a lever action or pump gun, but out of a single shot, or bolt action the accuracy can be minute of angle at 100 yards. Some of the new loadings and bullets for lever action guns have stretched the range of the 30-30, but accuracy depends on the gun and the user. Limit yourself to a range where you can keep all your shots in a 4" group, and you should be good.

My best shot with any gun of any caliber came about 40 years ago. My son and I were deer hunting in north central Missouri. I had an old Marlin waffle top in 30-30. I jumped a nice buck that ran at full speed quartering away to my left at a guessed 100 yards. I hit him right in the heart/lung area. He tumbled head over ass dead.

I’ve seen charts where guys will zero for about a 4” high at 100 yd impact to be dead on at 200 yds.

I have my .30-30’s and a .35 Rem set at 3” high so I am good to roughly 165-170 yds. with no elevation worries. For the .30-30 I also like the 160 gr Hornady FTX bullet, and load mine over 34.5 gr Leverevolution powder.

Stay safe.

Minute of deer, is getting 150-200gr of solid (or soft point) into a 6 to 8 inch circle--how far away you can do that tends to be "how far." Hitting a 4-6" circle is more better, obviously. And a number of out of the box loads will deliver.

Dirty-dirty still an elegant answer for along treelines, among haybales and the like, where ranges run from moderate to short.

Now, prairie goat is a different story. Some with just fall down, go boom! Others will light out for the next county imitating the roadrunner in the cartoons just to vex you. Which is why I'd prefer/recommend a .270 for prongs. But, that's me.

I tried several brands and weights in my 336 30-30. It was most accurate with factory loaded 150 grain Corelokts so that’s what I use. It was a legitimate 1.5 MOA rifle when I bought it NIB. I didn’t like the factory trigger so I installed a Wild West Happy Trigger. I now get 1”-1.25” groups at 100 yards. Getting a lever 30-30 that accurate was nothing but pure luck. It has a VX-3 1.75-6x32 scope on it. The reticle is a German #4 I had installed by the Leupold Custom Shop.

I haven’t shot any whitetail with it. I hunt hogs at night with it and have taken a number of Axis. For whatever reason I only see Axis at night. In 20+ years I have only seen one Axis during daylight.

I have not shot anything past about 100 yards with the rifle and doubt I ever will. I would feel comfortable out to 200 yards with it though.

You didn’t illuminate us as to the rest of your “arsenal”!
In that case, don’t let that SS Marlin escape you as your collection is inadequate without it!

They are more accurate than you’ve been lead to believe. With cast bullets (.311” mind you!) they are a joy to shoot and load for.
My fondest hunting memories are with my Marlins, hunting pigs, deer; and squirrels with the M39M .22lr. The Marlin/Glenfield M30 .30/30 is MOA accurate for first three shots. Too many combinations to list! My longest running deer shot was about 175yds through open old growth pines on an opposite slope. I connected with two of three shots, though one only hit the foreleg. Load was a Remington 170gr Corlokt over 34.0gr of RL15. Shot through chest (3rd), rolled the deer.
One season, I took 9 deer and two pigs with one shot each with that .30/30.

When I was in high school, at one point you couldn’t have given me a .30/30. But having owned over a half dozen, I can’t imagine not having one... It’s not so much the cartridge, but the splendid hunting rifles it’s chambered in.

I've shot WT deer, axis deer, and javelina with 30-30 from ranges from 15 to 125 yards. Probably wouldn't shoot over 150 yards. I have a Vortex Viper 2-7x scope with a Versa plex reticle which is perfect for my 336.

My favorite load is the Hornady Leverevolution 160 gr and the Federal Premium 170 gr NP being a close second.

High Plains said:

I have a chance at a stainless steel Marlin 336 chambered in 30-30 Win. I would like to hear from the hunters who have used it on pronghorn, sheep and deer on what bullet has worked the best. I would also like to know what you consider the realistic range for such a cartridge.
I will have a 2-7 or 3-9 power scope and actually have a lot of components to make my own loads. Of course, one-shot kills are the best.

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I've had my 1959 Win 94 30-30 since 1984. Much of that time, it's been scoped - either with a side mount and 4x Weaver, or more recently a vintage Leupold scout mount and 2x scout scope. I don't hesitate to say my Win 94 is unique in that it has one of the best triggers you'll ever touch on a lever gun. Perhaps for that reason, it's extremely accurate - again, for a lever gun. Even with the 2x scout scope, it's not uncommon for me to shoot 1-1.5 MOA groups at 100 yards.

That gun has been responsible for dozens of deer and literally hundreds (about 300 by my count) feral pigs since 1984. I'm pretty confident of it's capabilities.

For whatever reason, the 30-30 kills well above it's weight class, so to speak. Things just fall over dead when I shoot them with that 30-30. I can't explain it. I don't use it often anymore, typically reaching for my 7mm-08 or the like these days, but I still don't lay animals down any faster than I did with that 30-30.

So, to answer your question - it really comes down to how accurate YOUR individual rifle is with A particular load. That will determine your effective range and killing power. Nothing else.

LeverEvolution was a game-changer in the 30-30. It really did extend the effective range of that old cartridge another 50 or even 100 yards. That said, 200 yards is my limit with my 30-30, even with LeverEvolution ammo (which happens to be extremely accurate in my rifle). With any factory flat or round-nosed bullets, I'd really stop and think about shooting a deer-sized critter beyond 150.

That's my .02 after just 37 years experience with my rifle. Give me another 37 and I might change my tune.

Here in the hills and hollers of the Missouri Ozarks 30-30 and deer rifle are terms used interchangeably to describe a tool for killing deer. I’m 81 years old. In the 60s and 70s most of the people I hunted with used lever action 30-30s, mostly Marlins but some Winchesters and mil-surp thrown in and an occasional 35 rem. Most of those ppl have passed but the memories remain of camp fires, early to bed and the fellowship. Nowadays during deer season I lean my old Marlin 336 on the porch railing in front of me pretending I’m a deer hunter remembering the old days and sometimes tear up.

I’m not a huge fan of the Dirty Thirty, but have found myself owning various for the last 25yrs. I’m relatively confident that with most of the Marlin/Glenfield 30A and 336’s I have owned, any whitetails within 250-300 yards are in deep trouble. Acknowledging, of course, that I put plenty of scope on top of all of my hunting rifles, and, equally, I do a lot of long range shooting, so short range shooting with a 30-30 isn’t really so complex, even despite its relatively steep trajectory. Definitely easier getting a 30-30 to 250-300 than a 45-70, BTDT with both.

Probably 200 yards with glass, maybe 150 with irons. I have a JM 336 and an 1950's vintage 94 and they're both hunting accurate at 100 yards and neither has a scope. I haven't hunted with them much or for a long time because the limited range is a significant drawback where I generally hunt. They're super fun guns, though, and the Winchester has a lot of sentimental value. I tend to gravitate toward 170 grain loads and I've never tried anything premium - mostly just the old Remington Core Lokt's.