Making the most of the .30-30

[samwe]

I have a Marlin 336 .30-30 that I inherited from my father.

I will be hunting moose, caribou, or bear. I don't have money for a new rifle now, so I have the best of what I have.

I am looking for some info regarding hotter loads to get some more power out of it. Somewhere I heard that most factory loads are intended to be safe in old rifles and that the Marlin 336 could take more.

Next spring I plan on going for black or brown bear at my father in laws gold mine. If needed I could borrow a "bigger" gun, but these aren't big bears and to successfully hunt with my Dads gun once would be nice.

 

[ojibweindian]

A friend of mine told me a story about his taking a moose in Alaska with a .30-30. It happened many years ago, and the .30-30 was the only thing available to him from MWR at the base he was at.

He said he killed the moose from 30 yards. He also said he wished he had a bigger rifle when he pulled the trigger.

 

[Sarge111]

Hit this link...

www.leverguns.com

for some ideas.

 

[Lone Star]

I understand that Eskimo/Innuit hunters often use the .30/30 and even .22 centerfires for hunting all sorts of Alaskan game.

Get close, place your shot well, and be prepared to track the moose, as they have a reputation for taking awhile to die, no matter what they're hit with. (The writer who said that was Jack O'Connor, and he usually took lung shots.)

Lone Star

 

[Shooter973]

Making the most of the 30-30

About the only thing you can do to make a 30-30 more effective is to reload or buy better bullets. Bullets that are made for deeper penitration such as the Noslers, etc. I'm of the opinion that the 30-30 is a most under-rated round. It is a lot more capable than most people give it credit. It might be nice to have more"power" but a 30-30 can take any thing in the USA.

 

[Mannlicher]

or you can have your gunsmith chamber it for the Ackley Improved version. You can still fire factory ammo, in fact thats how you fire form the cases for the AI version.

My 1954 Marlin was plenty strong enough for the conversion. I get 2650 fps with a 150 grain Nosler.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

Shot placement is KEY.

Anything will drop with a 30-30 to the vitals.

Practice and be proficient.

An don't worry. The 30-30 has been good for a whole bunch of people. I would worry more about the ultrasuperubershortlongmediummastermagnum.

 

[treeprof]

Federal loads 170 gr Nosler Partitions in its Premium line. The .30-30 doesn't generate enough velocity to really NEED a partition-construction bullet, but at close range it might offer some advantage on bigger game. I

 

[Dr.Rob]

I like the 170gr Federal loads, that's another for reloading: a Sierra 170 gr jsp bullet with a big olgive that mushrooms pretty well without wiping off.

 

[cheygriz]

My son shot a VERY large elk with a .30-30 (his first) quite a few years ago. The load was the 170 GR Hornady bullet over IMR 4064 powder. (max charge worked up carefully)

There being no obvious reaction, he shot two more times. Range was about 35 yards. After about ten seconds, the elk just fell over right where it stood. all three bullets were found under the hide on the opposite side, perfectly mushroomed to about 60 caliber.

All three bullets penetrated completely through the lungs to the opposite side and stopped under the hide.

Is the .30-30 ideal for large game? Probably not. Would I use it, if I had nothing else? Absolutely!

 

[Byron]

Some years ago Sam Fadala wrote a book "The 30-30 Winchester and the Model 94". It covers all aspect of what the 30-3- can do. Byron

 

[samwe]

Thanks for all the info.
I will have to look into handloading. I have a few friends who are experienced and load all of their own ammo.

 

[roscoe]

Some folks load spire-point bullets; I hear they extend the range a fair bit. Just make sure they are not behind other rounds in the tube magazine when firing.