30-30 iron sight load test question.

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Muddydogs

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I'm headed out in the morning to test a couple load workups in the 30-30 which has iron sights. I have noticed that my eyes don't shoot irons that well these days. I can shoot them well enough to hit a paper plate at 150 yards but anything over 50 yards for accuracy is stretching it. Will I get any meaningful group data at say 25 or 50 yards or would it be best to do the best I can at 100 yards.
 
when i started loading 30-30s all i had was 50 yard range until i joined a club. I noticed i had a 2 inch drop from 50yd to 100yd, with 150gr bullet. Im not saying that, that will be for every 30-30, but i've seen that is around what most guys get. I would suggest sticking with 50 yards, with iron sights.

My 30-30s are Winchester 94's and i have side mount scopes on them all, but thought about modifying the scope base some how to let me put on the iron back sight back on so you can tactical it out. hahaha
 
Muddydogs said:
I'm headed out in the morning to test a couple load workups in the 30-30 which has iron sights. I have noticed that my eyes don't shoot irons that well these days. I can shoot them well enough to hit a paper plate at 150 yards but anything over 50 yards for accuracy is stretching it. Will I get any meaningful group data at say 25 or 50 yards or would it be best to do the best I can at 100 yards.
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The 30-30 was never meant to be a target rifle so "group data" is meaningless IMO. You already have all the information you need, you can hit a paper plate out at 150 yards which is usually considered the outer limits for a 30-30. The paper plate is the same size as the vitals of a deer so I would call that load good and go hunting with it.

For some reason these days everyone wants to shoot 1/2MOA @200 yards or they think that rifle isn't accurate. I have no idea how our ancestors fed themselves with those crappy rifles that would only group 4" @100 yards but they did. A good hunting rifle takes game but it doesn't need to shoot very small groups on paper. (all IMO of course)
 
ArchAngelCD said:
The 30-30 was never meant to be a target rifle so "group data" is meaningless IMO. You already have all the information you need, you can hit a paper plate out at 150 yards which is usually considered the outer limits for a 30-30. The paper plate is the same size as the vitals of a deer so I would call that load good and go hunting with it.

For some reason these days everyone wants to shoot 1/2MOA @200 yards or they think that rifle isn't accurate. I have no idea how our ancestors fed themselves with those crappy rifles that would only group 4" @100 yards but they did. A good hunting rifle takes game but it doesn't need to shoot very small groups on paper. (all IMO of course)
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Well I didn't mean I could hit a paper plate at 150 with this rifle as I have not shot it that far yet.

I went out today with 150 and 170 grain bullets loaded from 1 grain above minimum to just below max charge. Ended up with a 1 1/2 inch group for the 150's and a 1 inch group for the 170's at 50 yards. For what it is I now have a good load for each of the bullets.

I also finally got the 7mm and 243 to group. Been fighting with a load for both rifles for some time now. I found that both rifles like some room between the bullet and rifling. The 243 produced a 4 holes touching group at 100 yards and the 7mm came in at around an inch.

I realize that a hunting rifle doesn't need to be a 1/2 MOA gun but I would just as soon get the most I can out of my rifle and loads because a 1/2 MOA gun is going to be more accurate then a 2 MOA gun. When hunting everything is working against you so when it all comes down to pulling the trigger at least I know the rifle will shoot.
 
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