Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Buying a 30-30 was a crazy idea.

That's a great story. Got a good chuckle out of it. Still chuckling, in fact. I've known dogs like that. And the best feeling is taking animals with guns that my dad shot.

They don't just kill little deer either.

I gave this Winchester to my father as a retirement present. It means I have to get another one for myself now

If I had more than one rifle I'd likely have 2 .30-30s. Wait....

I have had a couple of them, including a nice peep sighted 30/30 AI that I SO wish I had back.

Need to snag another.

Kaywoodie, if you ever decide that you want to part with the rough finish on one side peep sight equipped model 94, please PM me. That one is just perfect, IMO.

Much as I love my lever guns, my Ruger Scout in .308 Win has considerably more effective range but is still short, handy and accurate. The detachable mag makes it easier to unload, too.

One reason I got it, though, was to do something I can’t easily do with my lever guns, and wouldn’t do if I could – add a suppressor.

A suppressed 336! Now we're talking! Shooting a big RN. Too bad no one makes a 200 gr RN. I have a cast bullet that would fit the bill. It is 215 and a 'redneck modified' version of the Lee 200 RN. It surprisingly stabilizes just fine in 1:12 at barely supersonic speed.

That was my first carbine barrel when they first came out. 21 inches.

. It's my new truck, truck gun! LH side looks nice!!! I'll remember you request, but I'm sure this one will prolly be with me a while. But not to worry. It's not my Valhalla rifle! .

It is a pretty little set-up, that's for sure. How does it shoot?

I'm not big on scopes on levers. I like receiver sights. But, I just put a Burris Fastfire on mount made by Turnbull that goes out on the barrel in a mount that fits in the sight notch. It is low and very very FAST. With a 2 MOA dot, I was making hits out to 250 yards this weekend about as fast as I could ever imagine. Plus, the Fastfire is so small that it doesn't disturb the balance of the gun at all.

This rig is going to be extra deadly on deer this year.

Barrel mount

I've shown this picture numerous times, and here it is again.

I bought this when I was 13, and Lord only knows how many deer have fallen to it. It goes with me every year, and typically gets meat. One of the biggest deer I have killed fell to this little M94.

There's an old homestead around the corner from here and the trail leading to the cabin is lined with brown bear skulls. There is about 30 of them and they were all killed with an old 94 in 30-30.

By the way, has anyone mentioned the 125 grain Sierra FNHP? You can load that sucker up to almost 2600 fps in the standard 20 inch carbine. It hits like a hammer and shoots about as flat as anything else out to 300.

And they don't match my sights.

I kinda like shooting the Hornady 140 grain LeverEvolution factory loads from my Savage 170 pump gun.

The 30-30 is a widely underestimated cartridge. Put it in an accurate rifle with good sights and good ammunition and it will do the job within the scope of its capability.

My first centerfire rifle was a Glenfield 30A, an inexpensive version of the Marlin 336. Bought it when I was 15 making $1.85 an hour. Killed my first dozen deer with it as well as a bunch of Prairie Dogs loading it single shot with Speer 110 grainer spitzers.

Since then I've picked up a few more including a 1904 94, an early post-64 94, a 94AE, a Savage 325, and a Model 54. The 1904 and '54 are among my all time favorites but that 30A will be with me til I'm 6 feet under.

z1r, I hunt with one of those Glenfields, an early 70's version, repainted with some kind of truck bed liner. Wood aside, I'm amazed at how nicely made it is for a econo model. Not one piece of plastic on it.

Cast bullets over Unique or Blue Dot at @15oo fps is a hoot in the .30-30 lever gun....

Ella

Ella,

Ain't that the truth. I use cast 165's over Unique. Have shot many of those in cast bullet silhouette matches. Tons of fun!

I had several, when I was younger... In my youthful ignorance, the 30-30 was a stop-gap, until I could afford 'real' rifles. Twenty-some years ago, my Dad decided he needed a deer rifle again, JIC. so, I picked him up a 336 at a gun show for $125. He thanked me, and put it in the gun cabinet is built him, where it sat until he died. Now, myself, his grandson, and others have taken no telling how many deer and other critters with that 30-30. I try to spend some time with it every year. I have figured out that the solids, with big hollow ends, make it act like a 30-06 on the receiving end.

Wifey and I gave the oldest son one of those 94 "classics" in 30-30 with the case hardened receiver and gold colored saddle ring for Christmas. Rifle was used and about all we could afford. I think he was in 6th or 7th grade. I dunno how many deer and hogs he's killed with that rifle. Btw he's 35 now.