30-30 Iron Sights

[GooseGestapo]

So, a .30/30 IS only good to 100yds …????
And who said anything about self defense????? (Reaching out and touching someone?)
REALLY?

WOW!
I’m glad that the 50 or so deer I’ve shot with a .30/30 between 110 and 170yds never got the memo….

 

[.45Coltguy]

Goose, I'm in your camp. 30-30 only good to 100 yards at best? Not hardly. My Ca hog never got the memo either. 130+ yards. Some squealing/kicking, expired.

 

[Chief TC]

So, a .30/30 IS only good to 100yds …????
And who said anything about self defense????? (Reaching out and touching someone?)
REALLY?

WOW!
I’m glad that the 50 or so deer I’ve shot with a .30/30 between 110 and 170yds never got the memo….

Talk to me Goose........Sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously, I think most people think of 30WCF as a 100yd cartridge and in general, I would agree based on history and utility. But I think people fail to take into account, it can be a good cartridge out to 200yds. But do they set it up to be a 200yd rifle?? Most do not.

 

[MacAR]

Regarding the range of the 30-30:

I'll bet anyone in this thread five hundred dollars that not a single man of you will stand at 300 yards and let me shoot at you with my 30-30, let alone 200. Anyone who thinks a 30-30 suddenly stops being deadly at 101 yards is, quite frankly, an idiot and has either never hunted with one, or isn't a very good rifle shot. The 45-70 has the trajectory of a rainbow and the all the aerodynamics of a Mack truck, and yet people somehow manage to shoot (and win!) thousand yard matches with them. Nobody puts that cartridge down, and yet the poor old 30WCF takes a beating when it is (dare I day it?) ballistically superior to the 45-70.

My apologies to the OP for derailing the thread, I now return you to your regularly scheduled programing.

Mac

 

[BJung]

I like shooting iron sights but to me, you only shoot as good as the amount of time you practice. If you're not going to practice much, maybe a scope with a detachable base would work so you can fall back on the iron sights. I once hunted with friends who had scopes and I had iron sights. Their scopes fogged up and I was the only one with a useable rifle.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

I have a circa 1947 Model 94 Winchester flat band carbine in 32 Special.
I think I'll try that Marble's Bullseye version on it since it's not drilled for a side mount receiver sight.

 

[WisBorn]

I like open sights on lever action rifles like the 30-30. I'm not going to stretch out shots past 100-150 yards with a model 94 anyway.

 

[gwpercle]

Pull the scope and mount a peep / reciever sight .
The holes are there , I had a Williams 5D 94/36 series , screwed it on and my older eyes love it .
You look through the hole and center the front sight on target ...SWEET !
Williams also makes a FP-94-36TK series that has target knobs ...
the 5D-94-36 is screwdriver adjustable (no knobs) but is less bulky .

I really like the Williams on the model 94 ... try one !
Gary

 

[BJung]

What do you think of using a vernier sight compared to a peep sight close to the receiver. Are there vernier sights that adjust for windage.?

 

[Jerry M]

Just consider you are giving up at least the first half hour and the last half hour of legal hunting time or more if you hunt in heavy woods, by using iron sights over a low power scope.
That being said I have a buddy with a marlin 30-30 with a peep sight who hits gallon milk jugs regularly at 200 yards.

 

[W.E.G.]

Small brown target in the woods in poor light conditions.

You have a choice between scope or iron sights (we'll assume for the sake of discussion best "peep" sight money can buy).

Which do you choose and why?

 

[W.E.G.]

As for the "effective range" of 30-30, I propose that the answer turns on "maximum point blank range."

Link for various calibers MPBR
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

Rifle Trajectory Table

Maximum Point Blank Range is the distance at which the bullet falls 3 inches below the line of sight. Thus between the muzzle and the MPBR distance, the bullet never strays more than 3 inches above or below the line of sight.

For 30-30 MPBR is about 225 yards.
Zero your 30-30 to strike about 3" high at 100 yards to take advantage of MPBR technique.
Beyond 225 yards, you need to think about hold-over.

And there is the matter of shot EXECUTION.
Most shooters will "pull" a shot low if the shot is poorly executed.
Rarely will a shooter pull a shot high.
So if you are in a hurry, and its a long shot, make it a point to aim at the top of the animal as insurance that you won't "pull" the shot low.

Be realistic about your ability to hold in the field.
You might be Mr. Microscopic shooting out of a Lead Sled off the bench.
But how do you REALLY do in the field? We'll say braced against a tree branch. 4 MOA on a good day. Other times double that?
I've attempted longer shots than I should have in the field. Usually felt foolish over the result.
If the animal is moving, and you can't see the whole animal, and the only rest you can muster is your kneecap, ask yourself....

 

[film495]

a scope is one more thing to get hung up on brush or a branch. if you don't really need it, it is just in the way.

 

[King Medallion]

I've begun replacing my open sights on my leverguns to Marbles Bullseye sights. I have a couple Skinner peeps but have found them to shoot high at it's lowest setting. I know, taller front sight. But I'm finding these Bullseye sights easier to use.

 

[gspn]

In thick timber, the light can be so low in the last 30 minutes (or first 30 minutes) of legal light that you won't be able to see your front sight post. Add an overcast day to that mix and you could be robbed of even more time. Low light, dark vegetation, dark animal, bad combo. With a scope you won't have that problem. Fiber optic might help, but I read this as traditional iron sights.

It sucked watching a deer walk off during legal light simply because I couldn't find the sight in dim light.