30-30 win.150GR vs 170GR

[Gun lover]

Whats the difference between the two other then the weight?Do the 170's hit harder then the 150GR or is there no real diffrence?

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

The 150 with it's higher velocity should expand quicker while the 170 will penetrate more. Your mileage may vary depending on the range of your quarry.

 

[Gun lover]

Firearm deer opener is this weekend and I was just trying to figure out what I should go with.I use 150Gr soft points for my 30-30 every year but I bought a few boxes of 170Gr last summer that I just found in the trunk of my car.My shots will mostly be from 30-80 yards.I also have a box of those new Hornady Leverevolutions,but I don't know how the will do at closer ranges and I also heard that blunt nosed bullets hit harder at closer ranges compared to spitzers.

 

[sixgunner455]

At that range, I don't think you'll note a real difference. Go with what shoots better out of your barrel.

 

[rangerruck]

with the short range of the rifle anyway, (under 200 yds or a brush gun) I would take the 170's. 20 grains is almost a 15% weight increase over the 150's.

 

[Z_Infidel]

351 WINCHESTER has it right. A 170 gr bullet will be better for breaking the shoulder and continuing on into the vitals, but a 150 gr will expand more quickly and cause lots of damage if you hit the lung area behind the shoulder. But for deer either will do the job and you might want to use whichever bullet weight your rifle shoots better.

And by the way, Hornady's test results and reports from the field suggest the LeverEvolution bullets perform just fine on game at close distances. In fact they claim penetration like the 170s along with good expansion because of the increased velocity. Take that for what it's worth...

 

[foghornl]

I haven't tried the new Hornady Leverevolution ammo, so I don't know about them. In MY Marlin Mdl 30AW, the Rem 170-Gr 'Core-Lokt' rounds are the most accurate. Your Mileage Will Vary, so try some of all the ammo that you can find...sorta like finding the best .22LR ammo for YOUR gun.

 

[Shawnee]

Hi GL...

Best to use whichever is most accurate in your gun. My money would be on the 150-grainer, though, and it will produce marginally less recoil. That could be important, though, as recoil often affects shooter performance, especially in a lighter gun.

Best regards

 

[Adam Selene]

150 gr LeveRevolution looks nice for me.

 

[Z_Infidel]

LeverEvolution = 160 gr

 

[SwampWolf]

Which seems like a great compromise.

 

[Gordon]

In my 16" Wrangler I find the 150s to give reliable expansion at 150 yards.

 

[T.R.]

My scoped Glenfield carbine by Marlin shoots honest 3.5 inch groups at 150 yards with 150 grain ammo by Remington. Although wound channel appears narrower than faster cartridges, the tissue destruction is quite impressive and always deadly when both lungs are hit.

170 grain Winchester Power Point makes the widest wound channel by far and it hits much harder than charts would suggest. My carbine shoots almost as well with this great hunting ammo.

Both bullet weights are deadly. But best accuracy in your carbine is difficult to predict.

Good hunting to you.
TR

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I've been using w/w 150 hp for years as it performs better than the corelock. I've been debating for some time now to try the new Hornandy leverloution. Am I being stubburn/old fashion? The w/w hp really expands quick and I have a world of confidence in it. Is the new hornandy round that much better. Most shots are under 100 yds. In all my years of hunting I can cound on my hand how many deer were over 100 yds.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I would say both the 150gr and 170gr bullets will do the job equally well at the ranges you are talking about. (as said above) Once you use up what you have I would suggest only the LEVERevolution ammo for hunting.

 

[chieftain]

I like the Winchester 150gr Hollow points in my Winny 94.

Fred

 

[Dr.Rob]

200 yards is a long shot with either one, but at that range the 170 has a much greater drop but hits harder. I used 170gr for my early years hunting exclusively, but I was hunting elk and deer. I'd sight in 2 inches high at 100 yards, check the mfg's rating for 200 yard drop and pratice on bowling pins at 100, 150 and 200 yards. It wasn't the best antelope rifle, but I switched to 150's for that to get a flatter long range trajectory.

 

[Gun lover]

Thanks to everyone that has responded!!II have a Winchester 94AE that shoots most everything on the gun store shelf accurately.Am I the only one on here that has a 30-30 Win 94 ae that can shoot most ammo on the shelf accurately?I did check the accuracy on my rifle with the Federal 170 round nose soft points that I bought at L and M fleet supply at $7.50 a box and found the accuracy very good compared to the 160GR Hornady Leverevolutions..Last deer season a quit a few people took deer with my Winchester 94AE..

 

[jcord]

My particular model 94 trapper, shoots all over the place with 150 grain bullets. Find what your gun likes and stick with it.

My load is the speer 170 grain flat point and 4064 powder, loaded to 2150 fps.

It is the most accurate load in my gun and has killed most of the deer I have taken in the last 20 years.

 

[Gun lover]

^^You own a Winchester 94 that is 20 years old..I bought my Winchester 4 years ago from a man that won it at a Ducks unlimited banquet.He was a city type that didn't hunt.I paid $150 cash new in box..I was 18 when I bought it so I'm kind of new at buying my own Firearms.I hunt in very thick woods and the last few years I have put this Winchester through quit a bit.Its a been through rain,snow,swamps,been dropped more than I would like to admit.But it is a very tough gun.It's also very scratched up to but it gives it character I guess.

 

[batmann]

I also have a Winchester 94 AE and it will shoot anything I put in it. I realize it is not a target rifle, but I have it as a hunting/grab and go rifle.
I have fired both 150gr and 170gr and not not had a Deer tell me which one he liked, or disliked, best. I have not used the Leverevolution yet but I really fond of Fusion.
The .30-30 is a great round and the Mdl 94 is a great rifle. NO disrespect ment to Marlin owners, jusy my thoughts.

 

[mondocomputerman]

I've always used Winchester 150 gr powerpoints for deer. They are pretty effective. The last one I got was at 265 yards, which is stretching it for that round. The deer was drt.

What is the expansion difference between 150 gr powerpoints and hp's? I've always wondered.

 

[Gun lover]

I took two nice size doe's with the Hornady LR yesterday.Me and and the hunting crew decided to do a few drives instead of sit in the stands all day.The first one I shot was through the spin and feel where she was shot, the other one was hit in the lungs and only went 10-15 yards.I was planning on trying to take Bucks but when 20+ deer come directly at you and your fully loaded with 6 in the gun it's kind of hard not to shoot.At close range the Hornady's did alright but so do flat point's.

 

[Z71]

My currant .30-30 is a well abused early 80's model Winchester 94. An excellent shooter, this rifle seems to favor the 170gr. bullet. Not that much difference in power between the 150gr and 170gr. bullets. The 150's have a bit more velocity, the 170's are a bit heavier but slower. I've used 130gr. bullets too, but prefer either Remington 170gr or Winchester 170 silvertips. They shoot better in my particular Winchester.

I don't think there's much difference killing power-wise with standard factory ammunition.

 

[.45Guy]

This year we're hunting with two 94's. One made in 1940, and the other 1952. Odd thing is the 1940 only likes 170's and the 52 only likes 150's. The 150 grain silver tips certainly got the job done during the early season up here. One round clear through the boiler room, and he walked about 20 yards before laying down on the fenceline. I'll probably take out the 40 with 170's for opening day of the regular season though.

What is the expansion difference between 150 gr powerpoints and hp's? I've always wondered.

With the silver tips, it didn't look like it opened up much. There were a few shards of aluminum in the left shank, but the exit wound on the opposite side looked like an intact but keyholed round.