Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Questions for the 30/30 crowd

Nostalgia and about 99% of deer taken could have been taken at 30/30 ranges all over North America....

My holy grail on a rifle is a Model 54 Winchester chambered in 30/30....

Model 94's just feel SO good to carry, and 30-30's get the job done.

Took one home to Texas last year and killed a pig with it.

Brazos, you are correct, I don't think I have a rifle that carries any better than my 94 Winchester.

It may have some shortcomings, but it's easy to carry those shortcomings around!

Points good, too.

Plus the Savage Models 40 & 45 Super Sporters from 1928 to 1942.

I think that the Springfield version of the Savage 340 was the 840. Over the years, the Savage 340 series of economy grade bolt action rifles has been sold under multiple brand names, Savage, Stevens, and Springfield, plus the various house-brands, and as multiple model numbers.

My Father had a Winchester 54 that had been rechambered from 30-30 to 30-40 Krag for a long while. I shot it a few times back in the mid-1980's when I was playing with the 30-40 in a Wilbur Hauck 1898 Springfield custom mannlicher and a Ruger #3.

Yup, Springfield 840. That's the one.

I gotta say that IMO the M54 .30-30 is the ultimate .30-30. Mine will group 10 190 grain FN cast bullets into 1½"/100yds. all day long- with its receiver sight. When I bolt the 12x Fecker onto it, knock ½" off that. In hunting trim, sans scope, it is a beautifully balanced hunting machine. I carried it over half the time deer hunting last year and consider it my go-to rifle anymore.

Funny story: When unloading the M54 at lunch time back at the truck last year, I had the misfortune of having the bullet (190 grain cast bullet) stay behind jammed into the leade of the rifling. (30+ years of using that bullet and never that problem.) Bullet creep or whatever the reason, there it was and me with no cleaning rod. (I know, I know...) After saying a lot of very bad words, I packed it away and started withdrawing the backup Savage lever gun with which to spend the rest of the day hunting. Then I spied the aerial, which I unscrewed from the fender. Perfect ram rod! Bullet knocked out, and back into the woods with the M54. (And no, subsequent bullets haven't gotten stuck in the leade.)

That sounds like a WV story.

'Course a real man would have just blown hard on the muzzle end and popped that pesky bullet out!

I can see a pic of me doing that as a Facebook meme, with lot of different captions!

My first hunting rifle was a 30/30, bought back in 1984 I believe, a first year Angle Eject. At present I think I have five 30/30's, and have used them on deer more than any other rifle I own. I also love the flat shooters, but really have little need of them where I hunt, as its mostly woods with a few fields here and there.

My opinion is that its perfect for deer. Whether 150 or 170 grain bullets are used, pass throughs are the norm, and blood trails are good and not usually very long. Most of mine wear peep sights, with an XS post front.

Honestly, I really have no need for any other rifle or cartridge, but that'd take a lot of fun out of things.

All of that is easily accomplished, with the exception of the iron sights, with one of the many .308s out there using special light factory loads or handloads. When Johnny and Sally grow up, they've already got a grown up rifle that they're familiar with. I've also come to the conclusion that the best sights for beginners are red dots. They have unlimited eye relief and are simple and easy to line up on the target. There's also no chance of them getting whacked in the eye from getting too close to a scope. Red dots are easily mounted on Weaver-type bases with square cuts.

Hell, I was almost afraid to post it, considering the possible repercussions!

The Savage M-99 H Carbine, take-down version, in 30-30 that my young friend that I mentor in shooting just bought himself is the sweetest little rifle I have seen in a long time. Very slim, trim and light. The serial number indicates it was made in 1924.

Fortunately for him, it is shooter grade with no real collector value, (poorly refinished and re-blued decades ago, with several small cracks in both stocks and some minor rust pitting here and there) so he can hunt the heck out of it. That is his plan. The bore is reasonably good.

He got it for a steal. A friend's family inherited it, and didn't want it. Knowing that he was into shooting, they offered it to him for $200. He was smart enough to grab the deal on the spot, even before he could ask me about it. I have several M-99s, but I have never had an H Carbine. Now I need one.

I had the solid frame carbine but, sold it years ago because I had the better .300 Savage. Reaching maturity is sometimes a painful experience!

When I first moved to Omaha, I used to make pocket money buying Savage 340 series rifles in 30-30 and 223 for under $150 and selling them to a pawn shop in Wisconsin for $50 more per unit than I paid for them. The pawn broker told me that he had pawned and resold some of those rifle four or five times, making a significantly greater ROI than the 25% to 50% that I made.

The 340s are an excellent value. I get good accuracy from the 340 30-30s I have. The early ones had nice walnut stocks and good irons, later models drilled and tapped for a scope mount. They also have the benefit of being able to use pointed bullets.

Dennis.

I thought that they were OK in 22 Hornet, 222, 223, and 30-30, but they always seemed a little on the "iffy" side for the 225.

I had a new Savage 342-S in 22 Hornet for awhile. I sold it to a fellow in northern NY to collected them and who used to post here, but cancer caught up with him. The 342-S have a cut checkered walnut stock and came with the factory peep sight.

I've have a 225 now that I haven't had a chance to shoot. Need to mount a scope and get it to the range.

Dennis.

The Cabela's in LaVista, NE, has a 340V with a low grade scope in a Weaver side-mount in the used guns rack for $350. For some reason, I have 2 340s around, a 223 and a 30-30.

I imagine the 140 grain Monoflex turns the .30-30 into a different animal. I might have to find out this year.