One of the best setups I ever had was a TC Contender carbine with a custom shop 20 inch .357 Maxi barrel. I don't remember why I got rid of it. Another good one is a Winchester 94 trapper, .30-30 or .44 magnum.
With "book" loads, the .30-40 doesn't offer much over a .30-30. Most .30 cal bullets meant for .308, '06, and the magnums won't open up at .30-40 speeds even from a long barrel. My father is a big .30-40 fan. I've seen it in action A LOT and with pointed 180s, expansion is the exception, not the rule. Probably the best .30-40 bullet out there, especially for the shorter barrels, is the Nosler 170 grain round nose partition. Speer 170 grain flat points would be my 2nd choice.
Tom
