Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles The .30-30 Winchester. Love it or hate it?

A gunwriter (Hagel?) once wrote about two Cowboys sitting around a campfire after a hard days hunt. The first cowboy commented "the thutty thutty has killed more game than all other cartridges combined". To which the second replied "Yep. Wounded more too".

That pretty much sums up the two camps on the .30-30. Now hunters were much more passionate about this issue when I began hunting.You either loved it or hated it. And the hate ran deep. Opinions do not seem nearly as strong today in favor of or against the .30-30, but we'll see.

It's a damned good deer cartridge in the hands of a hunter that can shoot worth a schit. In the hands of someone who can't shoot worth schit, the .30-30 (and most others) isn't worth a damn.

It could be said that any cartridge wounds as well as it kills. Used within the parameters of it's design and purpose and used intelligently it does its job just fine.

Love it. If I were relegated to but on caliber from here on out I wouldn't mind it being the .30-30. (Mind you most of my shooting is plinking and target work with cast bullets, and the occasional hunting foray, so my needs are modest.) My main deer hunting companion this past year was a Winchester .30-30 M54 bolt gun, receiver sights and 190 grain soft flat nosed cast bullets at 1900fps. For me a wonderful three gun battery would be a single shot target rifle (preferably a Winchester HiWall) , lever action hunting rifle (make it a M1899 Savage, please), and a bolt gun (Winchester 54 of course just for the heckuvit)- all in .30-30.

I don't see myself ever again scurrying around the plains, crawling over mountains, or diving into the Alaskan/African bush after dangerous game, so the .30-30 suits me to a Tee.

The furthest I have ever shot a Whitetail is 250 yards, with a .243, and the second furthest is 236 yards, with a .30-30. Given the terrain I hunt, I could get by with just a .30-30.

Not sure (grin).

gnoahhh

I have your 3 gun battery.

My fathers Savage 340 with peep sights is the bolt gun . Though it may go return to wearing an older 4x Leupold.

Marlin 336A waffle top with a lyman steel receiver site is the lever .

Ruger 1A is the falling block with a 3x9 Leupold.

Have shot the first two a lot, especially the 336A .

At one of the clubs I was a member of we used to shoot IMHSA handgun silhouette targets with lever actions rifles.

Rifles had to be tube fed, metallic sights, cast bullets only and all shots were standing off hand. At the time I would not have hesitated to take a shot at a deer at 200 yds.

Flyer

Old Jack said that the reason the .30/30 wounded so many animals is that so many people used it; a simple matter of more shots fired equals more wounded. He also said that many .30/30 users were indifferent rifleman that only used their rifles for hunting and seldom practiced.

I've only taken one deer with a .30/30, a Savage 24, but the Core lokt passed through and trashed the innards. What more can be asked?

One of my pipedream rifles is a lightweight .30/30 built on a low wall action of some sort. Seems like it would make a fine woods gun for an old fat man. A Contender carbine would be an economical alternative.

The 30-30 had been obsolete 3 years before it was introduced. But even though it was a step backwards in cartridge development it works very well if used within it's limitations. But I've never understood why I'd want to limit myself.

It may be a 200 yard cartridge, but a 308 will have 2X-3X more energy at 500 yards than a 30-30 at 200. My bolt guns are lighter, more compact and far more accurate with about the same recoil.

I do not usually hunt with a 30-30. But... When I have to chase down a wounded deer, that's what I grab. Like my father, I only consider it a 100 yard gun, but realize that with the right loads I can double that. I've never shot a deer at even 100, and don't remember one that was just standing when I shot it. I think they've all been moving. Been a real long time since I shot one with it that was not already hit, gotta be at least forty years.

Put me in the love 'em category, for what I do and have done with them a Marlin 336 is hard to beat.

Bullet failure does not seem to be a problem for the 30-30.
Seems everyone can make a bullet that works at that velocity.

I have no use for the 30-30. Literally.

For many many years I have been hunting in areas where shots can/could be up to 500 + yds. That has not all been in the same area.

If I only hunted woods and/or shorter ranges, the 30-30 would do fine. But I refuse to limit myself to a cartridge that can't handle those longer shots.

***Some know how and use the 30-30 at extended ranges BUT IMO those are few hunters.***


Jerry

Love it.

My buddy wounded 3 bucks in 3 years with his M94. Pissed him off so he went and bought a 30-06. Guess what, he wounded 3 more deer, including one this year. Isn't the tool.

I'm a fan. Never have had a failure with the cartridge. I feel like I'm living good when I can take a walkabout through forestland with one of my Winchesters or Marlins.

Growing up in the '40's and '50's, I watched my dad bring a deer home most years. His only centerfire rifle was a Winchester Model '94. So there was better than a .30-30 chance that I would wind up with one. Owned a pair of '94's built in '43 (my birth year). But now have the 1971 Marlin 336C and a pre-'64 Model 70 FWT in .30-06.

I'll take that bet. You're sub MOA with a 5# rifle, is that what you're saying?



You're crackin' me up fella.

One of the other barrels is a .30-30. It shoots 150 spitzers just dandy and I'll spot you a few hundred FPS at the muzzle but that's about it.




As noted above, it isn't the tool that makes things work, it's the jerk behind the trigger.

Up here a huge majority of kids start with it so I think the numbers are horribly skewed because of it. Until a decade or two ago there weren't many low recoil choices for kids and in a cheap package.

W

I have 4 .30-30 rifles currently, '68/336 RC, Savage 340, TC 23" carbine and the latest an Uberti 1871 rolling block.

For the hills of East Ky. or the East Tx. Piney woods I love the thutty-thutty or .357/.44 mag carbines.

Since the first shot till now I've never had a bullet fail or needed more than one shot on deer or hogs. I've taken deer from 15' to 200 yds. with that old Marlin.

If I can limit myself to 35 yds. with a long bow or 50 with a compound why can't I hunt within the limit of a cartridge.

Oh! Oh! me too Dan...... my latest .30-30........................

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I love it. It becomes way more 'ideal' in small, short, light packages, where it'll do any 308 work, with the recoil of a 243, and less blast than Either in short tubes.

I believe that most of the wounding of deer with the .30-30 over time has been due to the fact that the rifles themselves came with crappy open sights, which people attempted to use out to 200 yards. Such a distance is in fact within the cartridges effective range, but not within the skill of 99% of hunters.

Seeing a deer out there, they just couldn't resist taking free-hand shots, using their butt heavy carbines, and launching poorly aimed bullets. After the first miss, the deer probably ran, and they probably kept levering and firing the remaining 6 to 10 rounds, crippling and maiming.

A good set of open peep sights, or a good 4x scope, turns the average 30-30 into a consistent killer out to 200.

One poster asked why limit yourself to the range and power of a .30-30 when you could use a 30-06 or .308 which is good out to 500.

Here's why, especially if you hunt east of the Mississippi.

At short ranges, being 75 yard and under, I have seen in my 55 years of deer hunting far more deer lost to high powered rifles than to the .30-30. I have personally seen 150 grain corelokts fired from the .30-06 and .308, and 140 grain corelokts from a 7 Mag, pass straight through deer at that range, with little or no expansion, even on great shots. The deer then run, and run hard, for a long time. Sometimes you can find them, and sometimes you can't. Depends on terrain, brush, time of day. That little .30 hole generally provides little or no blood trail, and if they run just 300 yards or so at sunset, you probably have a lost deer. The coyotes have it by morning.

In contrast, at point blank and up to 75 yards, where the vast majority of whitetails are shot, a solid hit with a .30-30 is a dead deer. Yes, they will prance along for 100 feet or so, but then they drop stone dead. Here is where the lower velocity .30-30 really really shines. (Same is true for the .35 Remington). Perfect bullet performance at those distances, and generally beyond.

Just my experience.

Mannyrock

I was raised to dislike rimmed cartridges, so it has taken awhile for me to embrace the 30-30. If used within it performance envelope and with good sights, an accurate rifle, and a guy behind the trigger who can shoot, it is a very capable medium game cartridge. I particularly like it in the Marlin 336 series and the Savage 170s.

Hard to beat an iron sighted 30/30 for a walking rifle in the woods. Mine is a 1923 vintage savage 99 featherweight takedown, redfield receiver sight. Light, accurate, very easy to carry in hand all day with that flat-sided round bottom profile and no scope in the way. Sure, I hunt with a scoped .308 bolt action too, have taken deer with both (and other rifles), but most deer taken with the .308 would have been just as dead with my 30/30. Not all, my buck this year would have been a tough shot with open sights, but hey, that's why I have more than one rifle!! And it's the sights that would have been the issue not the cartridge.
And I'm old-school enough that I think newbies aught to learn to HUNT with a rifle with a moderate cartridge and iron sights before moving on to shooting with scoped 300 yd plus rifles.
Just my opinion, of course, but I'd start a new hunter of any age out on a 30/30 before any cartridge starting with a 2.

I wouldn't. Recoil from a .30-30, especially something like a 94, can be an issue for a small-framed kid. A .243, or a .223 where legal, gets around those problems quite well. Hell, on an AR platform with an adjustable stock the 5.56, 6x45, or 6.5Grendel make HUGE sense as a starter rifle for a kid, especially over a .30-30 lever gun.

JMHO, of course.

I like the .30-30, quite a bit, but there are things that is and things that it ain't, and some things are done better by other cartridges.

Between my two gramdfathers one was a .30-06 guy and he said the .30-30 was a hundred yard gun max and he heavily disliked them. My other grandfather was a .30-30 guy and he would say if you use a .30-06 you'll just hit a tree. That was his way of saying you couldn't take advantage of the Aught Sixes extra range in the woods. These were the two camps I remember from growing up in PA. The .30-30 camp and the .30-06 camp.
Me? I've killed around 10 deer with the .30-30 including a buck at 200 yards. But I've killed most of my game with the .30-06. I've nothing but respect for the .30-30 but I've moved on.

Hate it...it doesn't pack much punch but at least it doesn't have a great trajectory.

Fan

Sam Fadala's book on the 30-30 is a good read and JOC wrote a nice chapter on the 30-30 in The Hunting Rifle.

Winchester's 30-30 Model 94 - Sam Fadala, 1986

The Hunting Rifle - JOC, 1970

I have only shot a couple of deer with a 30.30, but it did fine on those. While like many guys I have moved on to bolt guns in higher pressure cases, I probably could have shot 90 or maybe 95% of everything I have ever shot with a decent 30.30 with little practical disadvantage and that includes my elk and moose too.

I have bolt guns that are as light as a 94 in 30.30 but none that carry like a 94. Maybe the decline in levers the last 20 years has as much to do with folks hunting more from a stand and less on their feet than anything else.

30-30 is a fine short range cartridge here`s my problem with this cartridge getting a bad rap.any 30-30 lever that does not have a safety its just not that safe of gun to use for many people and all youths,unloading them its just kinda dangerous with hammer always cock with no safety.i used them when I was kid and my brother`s went off once. I would never let any of my family ever use any of those levers without a safety when I was adult, ya I still have them but they are just stay`n in the safe if that lever has no safety. when it comes to cartridges for rifles they all kill game ,heck I do just fine with a bow and arrow.

The "safety" that works is the one between the ears. Amazing how many people managed to shuck rounds out of ADL style bolt guns (hint; safety off then, too) without shooting themselves. It doesn't have to be done that way, but a lot do.

The proper use of a firearms is about training, not design.

Have a Marlin and a 94.. Used them on antelope, mulies, whitetails and mt. lion.. Would love a 54 in .30-30.

Love it. A little carbine is perfect for my hunts in thickets and woodlots where I grew up and still hunt occasionally. Plus, that handy little carbine is perfect when hunting in the confines of a blind. One 30-30 carbine will always be in my inventory.

The 30-30 is a wounder? Can't kill? Holy non-shooting dumbchits... Nothing like someone inadvertently commenting on their shooting ability (or lack thereof). It's not the gun or cartridge...hint.

Er, when you unload a .30-30 lever with just a half-notch safety, you are not suppose to have your trigger finger up inside the trigger guard portion of the lever. Of course it could go off.

Your are suppose to just put your thumb inside the lever loop, squeeze your hand tight, and work the lever briskly, with the rifle pointed down into the ground in front of you

Or, you can just put your last three fingers in the lever loop, and leave your trigger finger totally outside of the lever and pointing down to the ground. Very safe.

I load for and hunt with a bunch of calibers. .30/30s are some of my favorites. Got 4 rifles right now and a Contender 10" barrel that I've killed a big pile of deer with. Would buy another in a heartbeat..

I love the 30 WCF. I enjoy loading it, as it doesn't take two hats full of powder to make it go. I like that it is a low pressure cartridge that is easy on the ears, and the shooter's shoulder.

I especially like that it is a deadly cartridge on game the size of deer and hogs. I have no reason to believe that it wouldn't work as good on Black Bears too.

I really do wish that Ruger would make another run of their 1A and maybe a No.1, RSI in it too.

Love it. When used within it's capabilities, it's hard to beat. I have used several and never had a failure of any sort. Wish someone made a new bolt rifle in 30-30.

I know how to unload a Winchester 30-30 very well what I am saying is for a lot of people, these people young and old do have trouble with these levers with no safety ! its a safety issue us as hunters,reloaders,gun collecters and just people who like to shoot need to help make things safer, so we as gun people don`t cause any more harm to owning guns and when someone criticizes some of us for bringing these things to attention with a post you are the problem with negative comments. VERY FOOLISH !

Put me in the fan camp. I have had 30-30s for years. I will say that while they are not necessairly ideal for long range hunting but frankly I'd rather have to connect on a 250 yd shot with a receiver sighted 30-30 than at 500 yds with a scoped 30-06.
My long time buddy and I had a couple of 94 rifles with 24" octagon bbls and we spent a lot of afternoons shooting at rocks at a high wall at a old strip mine. Both were fitted with williams receiver sights and with a little practice hits to 300 yds were pretty easy. I do agree with the poster above that the commonly maligned carbine is a victim of the poor quality open sights. I challenge some of the 30-06 and 270 fans to shoot at a pie plate with open sights at 300 yds. Most will find that flat shooting laser to be quite a challenge.

I own a brand new Winchester 94 30-30 in the Sporter version 24 inch barrel. Before I bought it I tried my friend's that was the new rifle same as bought. He had a scope on it? I only fired it on my range but it was very accurate out to 200 yards. I still have not fired the one I did buy myself as found myself able to finally get a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight Compact in .243 and to make the purchase easier I might trade the new 30-30 in. I regret it might come to that. My son who really knows rifles was impressed with this new 94 30-30 and both of us think it would not only be an ideal woods rifle but if I chose to scope it it could be used to over 200 yards I am sure. However I bought it to,use with iron sights and I already know it is a keeper used that way. The workmanship on the Miroku 94 30-30 is superb!

As a cartridge with a history, the 30-30 is a superb addition to a rifle collection. I own many western movies and as a cowboy for,years, and still own a ranch with my brother, I should keep the 30-30! Besides I will take a $400 loss on the new unfired 94. But just owning it and having some nice photos of me holding it in splendid autumn settings was worth the investment. If one considers himself a collector, it is I think a must!
Apparently my farming and ranching career did not bring in such a windfall of dollars to keep a rifle although there are bolt actions and even a 94 Winchester .22 LR from 1973 that I will keep in this lifetime.

This Winchester Model 70 .243 Featherweight Compact may well be the last new rifle I buy. Unless I get some farm income and then I'd be inclined to get a 94 30-30! Guess that says I rate the 30-30 as a marvelous round.
It has done very well for many years. I also am positive that the 30-30 could kill about anything on Planet Earth with a properly placed shot!
One of the most ardent hunters and owners, even down to having a FFL,
Used the 30-06 as his only deer rifle! He also killed very few deer in his life.
I could shoot deer just about any day I am out working. I have seen deer killed pretty quickly with .22 LR. But if I were to chose a deer cartridge, .243, 257 Roberts, or 30-30 would seem about right.

Love it.

Nothing unsafe with the design, I've been running one since I was 12 but Dad taught me how to do it. Proper instruction is the key.

pete, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, I certainly don't mean for it to be spiteful or belittling. The contention that the safety (crossbolt or otherwise) on a lever action rifle is superfluous, is correct, in my opinion.

As you know, the only thing required for unloading a lever action, Is the manipulation of the lever, WITHOUT pulling the trigger.

Those who have trouble with the manual of arms, would be well served to seek out training or instruction that would give them the skills and confidence they need to operate the firearm, as intended by the original manufacturer.

The incorporation of additional safety devices are seen by some as further encroachment by a government that is overly protective of its' citizens.

In short, reliance on a mechanical safety rather than proper training and instruction, along with safe gun handling skills, is a manifestation of the "dumbing down" of America. It is akin to a warning label on a cup of coffee telling me that the contents of the cup may be extremely hot. Or, more closely, it reminds me of the ridiculous gimmicky nozzles on simple plastic gas cans that have been mandated by the government.

Tired of it. A great many Americans are tired of it.

+ 2 here.

I <<<HATE>>> the new gas cans TOO.


Jerry

I am a fan of the old 30/30. I carry an older pre-safety marlin when I feel like 30/30'ing one to death. I tend to mash down on the loading gate and feed the rounds out of the tube backwards when unloading, then just rack the lever and it's empty. It's easier with the 45/70 but doable with the 30/30.


Of course sometimes I run the lever to empty mine and I just keep my booger hook of the bang bang activation device.

Love or hate it...neither, I like it. Only one season so need to hunt with it more.

I have a soft spot for it, but will admit I don't use it much any more. I would if I lived back east.

M M -

Having had some time to think about this thread, I prefer a ....

lever 308 to the 30-30. A 99 or a BLR.


Jerry

I am a fan. First deer rifle that was "mine" is a 1980 Vintage Marlin 336, still have it and shot my first deer. I also have a soft spot for Marlin lever guns though about 12 years ago I switched to lightweight bolt guns. I still take a walk on occasion with one.

I've been thinking a lot lately, where I hunt the 30-30 would cover me about 90% of the time and make life very simple. I used to load for it too but when you can find Rem Core lokts or Federals for $15-$17 box, it really simplifies life

... responsive to big $ insurance company lobbyists.

I was taught to unload a lever removing your pinkie finger from the rear of the lever and inserting your trigger finger in the front of the lever that way you wont accidently hit the trigger.

Just like a ADL style bolt there is no need to run the cartridges into the chamber to unload the gun. Pop em out of the mag and into the action and either roll it over to roll the cartridge out or pluck it out with your fingers no big deal and not unsafe at all.

if you hate the 30/30 you must be a muslim

Mine is an heirloom so of course I love it. I hunt with it too. It is darn near perfect for 90+ % of the hunting that I do. My kids will likely take their first deer with it as well. I am becoming a fan of the .35 Remington as well. Maybe I will get lucky and find a .32 Special one of these days.

savage 99 is probably the most unrated lever ever made and is very accurate too. the browning BLR`s seem to be another good lever rifle I just purchased two of them, they seem accurate and I do like the clip system and how they handle very smooth lever rifle.i personally like bigger calibers like magnums that`s why I got a 300 win.mag in a lever,as my old friend says : they call them no tack`em guns ! so if your sold on a 30-30 use it, I am not nor will my adult children or grandkids going to hunt with any 30-30 lever without a safety.yes I started with an old 30-30 Winchester back in 1968 I killed deer with one and I do like that caliber the 30-30.i sell plenty guns in my store but very few levers in 30-30 . I would like to find a good 99 savage 30-30 some day too. MERRY CHRISTMAS

Love it.... and if you use it correctly you will do great.

So if I get a new lever action with a safety does that mean I can carry cocked and locked?

Love it. Wish there was a solid bolt action in 30-30.

Remington 788 and Savage 340.

The Savage 340s suck... I've owned a batch of them....

but I LOVE the 30/30 cartridge...

my small list of Holy Grail desires in the rifle world, has a Model 54 in 30/30 at the top...followed by a Remington 30S in 30 Remington...

Hunting in environments that it is usually "WOODs Ranges" a lot of my hunting ammo, regardless of caliber is loaded to 30/30 velocities....or maybe up to 300 Savage velocities at times...

but at those distances, they are more than adequate...

so for Christmas Santa I want a pristine Model 54 in 30/30...

I like them.

Don't understand why people think they are only a 100 yard cartridge.

They are an excellent hog cartridge.

Had a Pachmayr 1" grind to fit pad put on my 336, installed a Happy Trigger myself, loosened the forend a bit - shoots MOA with 150 grain Corelokts, sometimes a little better. Until a year ago.

Last fall I put a Beartooth comb riser on it and upgraded from a Fullfield II 2-7x35 to a VX-3 1.75-6x32. It now shoots Sub MOA consistently with less felt recoil than my Vanguard S2 Sporter .243. I think it was the comb riser that improved my accuracy not necessarily the scope.

What's not to like about it?

Bullschit. It's a TRAINING issue, not a design flaw.

Hell, even your own "young people/old people" line is faulty. Why? Because of the mechanics of a lever in the first place. If a person has smaller hands and/or less hand/arm strength, it's EASIER for them to manipulate the lever action with the fingers out of the trigger guard completely (i.e., in the rear loop of the lever) than otherwise. If you understand the concept of a lever, or actually use one, this makes sense.

Oh, and not to mention that both the 94 and 336 have that little mechanism under the lever that requires you to actually have the lever all the way closed and "squeezed" up against the stock before the sear can be engaged. You have to do that in order to fire the rifle, but... guess what... you DON'T have to do that in order to cycle the action and eject shells. So, you can run the action, even with your finger where it ought not be, and still not trip the trigger unless you slam the lever all the way home and depress that mechanism, which you don't have to do. Again, training is the issue (as well as using at least a modicum of sense).

The way to make things safer is to better train and educate shooters and hunters, not to put superfluous crap on/in firearms. To do otherwise (put unneeded crap in firearms and not focus on training and education) is very foolish.

I hate knocking the 30-30 WIN. It has such a loyal following, I feel like I'm kicking Santa Claus or something. I know a lot of my problems with it were flukes. However, 30 WCF is just not my first choice for whitetails.

I own a Marlin 336. I happen to like the extra safety, but I only engage it when I'm unloading the magazine. The rest of the time, I either have a cold chamber or rely on the half-cock. Functionally, it was perfect for bringing my sons online. The Marlin 336 was easy for me to look down and see the condition of the rifle. It was easy to teach good form to the kids.

Performance? Look, I'm not going to kid you. After one year of hunting with the 30-30 myself, I went out and bought a Savage 99 in .308 WIN. I have never regretted it. After a couple of years on the 30-30, my sons all switched out to 30-06, and never had problems. Could we all have stuck with the Marlin? Yes. Did we have better luck with bigger 30's? Yes.

Around our ridge, you often hear someone emptying a 30-30 lever magazine at deer on the Opener. You can tell the shooter ain't bringing home any venison. Is it the rifle? No. You can just listen to the stories and you can see what's going on.

1) Everyone thinks they can take a hand-held shot at 100 yards without practice.
2) Everyone thinks a 300 yard shot is duck soup.
3) Everyone thinks they can sight in dead-on at 50 and be good out to. . . nobody knows how to really judge distance around here, so it really does not matter.

I'd be the first to say it is the Indian and not the bow that is at fault. On the other hand, when I'm up in a tree on the Opener, I have had much better luck and greater confidence at 80 yards with a slightly downloaded 308 WIN than I ever had with a hot 30-30. At the other end of the spectrum, when I'm trying to fill the freezer at the end of season, I can put a 30-06 on a doe out all the way to the back of the pasture without trying to judge range. It can be 75 yards or 220 yards, and I can put the crosshairs on the chest and be sure I'll have a dead deer.

My first rifle was a Marlin 336 I think I was 10 yrs old. I'v taken several whitetails with it, also wounded my share. I think it goes back to what someone else said earlier I didn't do enough shooting to be proficient with it, nothing wrong with the cal.

Back in the 80's, 788's in .30-30 were the hot ticket for many cast bullet bench rest shooters in Production Class, Cast Bullet Association. 'Nuff said.

I would blush to tell you how small the groups sometimes are with my 54 Winchester shooting certain cast bullet loads, when I have my 10X Fecker target scope clamped to it. When using the Lyman receiver sight it'll still often do ten cast bullets in 1½-1¾ @ 100. (Off the bench, not the hind legs- but clay birds aren't safe at 100 off the hind legs.)

The problem I have seen hunters have with 94s isnt in unloading them, it is getting them loaded to hunt with a round in the chamber, and lowering the hammer to half cock. There is no way to lower the hammer without pulling the trigger, safety or no safety. Pair this with a youthful hunter, or a one weekend a year hunter and bad things can happen.

Our state tracked deer season injuries by action type a few years ago and a disproportionatly high number were lever actions.

A fella can unload the magazine in a Model 94 by depressing the load gate fully and catching the round when the spring pushes it out. One at a time of course, but it alleviates the need to ratch'n klatchit. Quieter as well. Leaves you with one stroke of the lever to clear the chamber.

Thought everyone knew that, apparently not?

What are these hammers and loading gates of which y'all speak? I thought God and Arthur Savage ordained .30-30 lever guns to be hammerless with rotary magazines!

yep the savage 99 is by far a much better and safer lever gun and more accurate too. wished I would have met Arthur savage and somehow owned every caliber in a savage 99. that is one heck of a lever gun ! and I am still looking for a 30-30 in a savage 99 ?

Okay, riddle us as to how the 99 (great rifle, btw) is "safer" than the 94 or 336. The 99 lacks the transfer bar safety on all pre-mil versions and unloading is quite often done by racking rounds through the action. Fingers can still quite easily be in the trigger guard and hit the trigger.

Indeed, but as stated earlier, only a dweeb would fully chamber a round in any lever action when cycling them while unloading. Just lever the bolt far enough forward so the extractor engages the cartridge fully and then reverse. By doing so with the Savage, if you look at the sear engagement as it's happening you'll notice that said engagement is a healthy ½" or so making it impossible for things to slip and discharge a cartridge halfway into the chamber. The sear engagement doesn't drop down to a RCH until the bolt is fully seated forward. Of course if one "slip closes" a pre-mil 99 on a live cartridge then the firing pin is resting in the fired position squarely up against the primer, but with nothing inside the action that could whack the pin and cause a discharge (the 99 pin and hammer are one piece, driven by a heavy spring inside the bolt). I would definitely rate the 99 (pre-mil) as being safer than the average vintage hammer gun in the hands of a newbie. It still boils down to being totally familiar with one's gun to ensure safe handling.

I like it, but it is all about the package it comes in. Nothing against Savage 340s (although I think this makes a great youth gun in .30-30, especially if you reload), Remington 788s or Winchester 54s, but I have no interest in a bolt action .30-30. My Winchester 70 .308 is my go to hunting rifle, and I think the .30-30 is a big enough step backwards in the same package as to make it not worthwhile. Of course many .30-06 or magnum shooters would say the same about my .308.

However, my 94 Trapper makes the .30-30 worthwhile to me. It is light, slick and handy. It fits in my daypack for hiking, and carries nicely in a scabbard in my Jeep. The handy factor means it's a rifle I nearly always have at hand. That makes the .30-30 a very good cartridge in my eyes. The ballistics match the rifle, which is plenty good for me. If I lived back east, it would probably see more serious hunting use, but where I hunt, I want 200 yards to be a chip shot, not an achievement. I also want 300 yards doable. I'm not a long range hunter by any means, just a bit farther than .30-30 territory.

I am a bow hunter and use to killing with sharp pointy sticks. Give me a M94 30-30 and it's like giving a cave man a Zippo lighter. I have killed so much game with my 30-30 that I really don't need another long gun. It makes you be a better hunter. If you can't get closer to kill than what a 30-30 was designed for, then you need to work on your hunting skills and not your shooting skills. Optimally, I want to set up for a shot under 150 yards with any rifle caliber. That's just how I hunt. It is what I grab when I want to run up on the Mountain. Low tech and just works.

I like it as well but will use a 260, 270... first. I had a Savage 340 in 30-30 that I shot a buck with right behind the front right shoulder but the bullet must of clipped a bone somewhere. The bullet went in and then made a left hand turn at Albuquerque and went straight down the middle before coming out the bottom of the deer near the stomach. Did not hit the stomach but it did clip the heart and of course one lung. I shot it in a field and the buck took off into the woods and of course it was a half hour before dark. So, I went in after the buck and heard him get up and run so I backed out until the next day.

The next day I went in after him and found a large blood spot marking where the deer laid down before I pushed him. I then followed the trail out to another field owned by a huge insurance company and there laid my buck about a hundred yards from the tree line. Unfortunately, for me a dog or a coyote got part of one of the hams during the night.

My one unfortunate incident is just that, unfortunate. My brother in law and nephew have killed many deer with the 30-30 with one shot and the deer was DRT!

This describes me pretty much.

very well wrote and posted on this site,glad someone else knows how to use a savage 99 ! got any extra 99`s for sale ?

Love it, but both of mine, a 1951 vintage Marlin Carbine and a 1947 94 are in 32 Special. Can I play?

Lucky dog on the .32 Specials. I have .30-30 and a .35 a Remington, both Marlins of 1951 vintage. The .32 Special will complete the modest collection. Of course you can play.... Any of the three are a blast to hunt with.

Love my .30-30. And all my lever guns, for that matter.

Top to bottom, Marlins in .45-70, .375 Win, and .30-30, with a Browning B92 .44 Mag.

I love the 30-30. It's probably a sentimental thing. My folks bought me a Marlin 336 in 1977 (I think) when they realized I had caught the deer hunting bug. I've used it with the original sights, peep sights and a variety of scopes. I still take it out for a walk every season. It's also pleasant to shoot compared to most of my other deer rifles.

Jury is still out... I bought a marlin 336a 3030 with a 24 inch barrelvand Monte Carlo stock and put a leupold 1-4 shotgun scope on it. It makes little 1 inch groups with hornady le rounds at 100 yards.

I shot a buck at 220 yards that went a ways. Not a perfect shot so I can't blame the cartridge yet.., but I switched to my 3006 because shots were a little long for the 3030...and flattened two deer drt. Noticeable difference.

So I will practice more with it at longer ranges an learn to love it within its limits. The bad part is the cost of the hornady le ammo is worth it, but a lot more than basic 3006 ammo.

I have a 1971 M94 top eject that I bought for $100 with a broken firing pin. Got that fixed for about another $35, used it around the ranch for just about everything. Works great when you have larger livestock that needs to be put down. I left the ranch but the rifles still there and Dad still uses it and he buys a box of 150 or 170's when he needs one.

My current .30-30 is M788 Remington, but it doesn't think it's a .30-30. I believe it thinks it's a varmint rifle. It wears a 2-7X32 Nikon Monarch UCC scope and it prints some seriously tiny groups. I haven't killed anything with it yet, but I think it might have to make a trip to the deer blind one of these days on the annual OK deer hunt.

Oh, I guess I love it!

I have a Marlin 1893 in .30-30, which I inherited. It has always done the job and has killed quite a lot of critters in the roughly 115 years since it was made. AFAIK animals haven't become any harder to kill. It isn't my only rifle, and that, and deference to its age means it doesn't go out with me all that often, but for the general run of deer or pig hunting, at the ranges I usually shoot them from, it is still perfectly capable.

It still shoots accurately too - five shots into under an inch and a half at a hundred yards, and sometimes a little better - aided by a decent peep sight and a 26" barrel.

FWIW on the safety while unloading thing, it is worth noting that as far back as 1893 Marlin had that sorted: the way the firing pin is designed the hammer can't drive the firing pin into a primer unless the cartridge is fully chambered and the action locked. All you have to do is work the action without completely closing it, and in very short order you have an empty rifle and a handful of cartridges. Of course, you'll always have it pointed in a safe direction too, but that's the case with any firearm. If you can't manage that, you really shouldn't be trusted with a rifle at all.

In other words, you can't answer how or why the 99 is supposedly "more safe" than the 94 or 336.

BTW - it's "written", not "wrote".

Like the 30-30 but the .35 Rem is better

I saw a 99 .30-30 just the other day in a little hole in the wall antique shop. Didn't bother to ask the price.

One's opinions are easily swayed when the mag on the bolt rifle is run dry at minus something, and there are seven up and ready in the lever gun.





And the 30-30 lever gun is a great combo regardless the need to pop caps on an otter loping through deep drifts , or dispatch a year's supply of meat when firing pins get sluggish. Lotsa BTDTs involved in developing my positive options of the round (in my M94s.)

The 30-30's no different than any other rifle. It has a limit to it's capabilities and it takes a competent shooter to use it correctly. It's no different than a boob thinking he can shoot a deer at 500 yds with a 7mm Mag but who isn't capable of doing it. Any rifle is a wounder if not used right.

Well said.

Love it, have three '94 Winchesters, the two carbines shoot 170 gr Hornadys around 2150 fps, the 26" octagon barreled rifle fires 170 gr Partitions at 2400 fps using a Lyman receiver peep, that rifle, so loaded, penetrates and kills better than most would believe.

Yeah, but is it scary and dangerous for women and children to operate, or were you able to find rifles with that extra handy cross bolt safety doo dad?

My Daughter's first deer hunt was with an M94 Winchester. Her choice.

We went over how to decock it several times, and she burned up quite a few rounds familiarizing herself with the rifle.

It's not my favorite but it will always have a special place in my heart. Dad gave me a M94 trapper (16" barrel) made in 1977 as my first hunting rifle. I still try to take it out at least once a year and pop a doe or two.

The ones in that day had iron receivers that were tough to get bluing to stick to. Dad had it nickel plated and IMO it looks really cool and unique.

It's a natural for treestand hunting





Seems like any deer that I get with it brings back a flood of feelings from hunting with dad from my childhood. Sadly, I lost dad in 1999 so his memories live on with me when I take the little trapper.

Adding some fuel to the fire.... not on the caliber, but the typical lever action rifle...

I volunteer for the MN dnr teaching youth firearms safety and found a statement where the MN dnr recommends not starting new hunters with a lever action because of the potential accidents. I dont think they would say that if they didnt have stats to support it.


I teach the "woods walk" section on field day where the students carry break action single shot shotguns and get graded on their handling and a lot of these students struggle with the hammer lowering and its warm when we do it.

The cheap bolt actions that flood market make selecting a new lever action a tough sell and I would recomend the marlin because of how they handle the cross bolt safety.

What's not to love...great for deer...bet it's taken its share of elk bear and moose...I don't use one much anymore but I should. 90 percent of the deer I have killed were well within 30-30 range..

There are 2 carteradges that just won't go away...22 hornet and the 30-30
They just seem to work.
Load up the 30-30 with 130 gr bullets and see how it does...

Pete53,

Where in the world in my post did I criticize you or anyone else for bringing up the safety issue as to older Winchester 94s? Answer: NOWHERE.

You raised the issue of a danger factor in unloading these rifles, and I explained 2 different methods for unloading that are 1000% safe.

And your comments have nothing to do with the .30-30 round anyway, since both Winchester and Marlin levers now come with a manual safety, which I personally like. I agree that youngsters and old folks are better off with the newer models with manual safeties.

Mannyrock

I would love to have a Savage 99 in .30-30. But they stopped making them in 1936 or so.

Try to find one in VG+ condition with a VG+ bore , and no cracks in the buttstock behind the receiver or in the wrist.

You are looking at $1,200 plus.

Too expensive for me.

Mannyrock

I have four .30-30s, three .32 Win. Spl. and a 35 Remington. I'll expose myself as a heretic now. While I like these cartridges and rifles and shoot them a lot, I don't hunt with them anymore. Now I stick to the 8x57, .30-'06, 350 Rem Mag., .308 Winchester, .300 Savage and the like. They are better.

Better than what?

Better for what?

I am not a "fan" of the .30-30.....nor am I a "hater". I am basically neutral about the chambering. The .30-30 is a sure killer and very effective out to 150 yards or so. It "can" be used at longer range but the open sighted lever rifles typically chambered in .30-30 are not up to the task in many cases.....and the shooters who can use open sights at longer ranges are even rarer.

It is the light, fast handling carbines that are chambered in .30-30 that make this round so useful. If you add a scoped sight to make the .30-30 useful at longer ranges, you lose much of the handling that make these carbines so great in the woods. True, you can use a .30-30 chambered rifle such as the Savage 99 or a bolt action that is better suited to longer range shooting, but why would you choose the .30-30 over something like the .308 in such rifles.

Changing land uses and timber cutting practices have made the likelihood of a 200 yard....or longer....shot more common than in years past. This makes it prudent to carry a rifle with more range than offered by the .30-30 in many cases. However, there are still some thickets and bottoms where you "know" the longest shots will be less than 150 yards....often MUCH less.

This is where the light, fast carbines chambered in .30-30 are at their best. These thick areas that limit ranges are also where you need a rifle that hits hard, kills quickly and leaves a great blood trail....and that, to me, means a larger bore rifle. The .30-30 works well....but other chamberings work better. I have tended to choose rifles such as the .35 Remington, .44 Magnum or .45-70 in those situations. Not that the .30-30 couldn't be used, but for me there are better chamberings available in the same light fast carbines that work even better.

That, to me, is the story of the .30-30......not a bad chambering, just not the "best" at anything. For longer range possibilities the .300 Savage, .308 or .30-06 are a much better choice.....and for close range work in the thickets I choose something bigger. The .30-30 gets left out. I'd certainly not feel unarmed or handicaped with a .30-30, but it's just never been a favorite.