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

The .30-30 also works nicely in a single shot rifle:



That Contender has a few bugs, and I need to eventually refinish the stocks so they match, but it is handy and shoots well. Plus, like the 99, you can load about any bullet you want. That doe fell to a 125gr Ballistic Tip.

Ruger made a run of #1A's in .30-30 but they are very difficult to find. I'd like to see a Low Wall or a 44½ in the caliber...or build one.

Not really. Not even close to what a Roberts can do.

Using the .30-30 load referenced and .257 Roberts +P velocities as chrono’d from my rifle, a comparison tells a very different story.

.30-30 = Sierra 125g FN/HP, BC .119 @ 2600fps, 20” carbine
.257 Bob = Swift 120g A-frame, BC .382 @ 2947fps, 22” barrel Ruger M77
.257 Bob = Nosler 110g AccuBond. BC .418 @ 2163fps, 22” barrel Ruger M77

Given 100 yard zeros and a 300 yard target:

Sierra 125g FN/HP = -33.5”, 1088fps, 329fpe
Swift 120g A-Frame = -12.0”, 2298fpe, 1534fpe
Nosler 110g AccuBond = -9.7”, 2538fps, 1573fpe

Love my .30-30 but for longer reach my Roberts wins every time. By a mile.

A Savage 99 would cut into that downrange lead some by allowing pointed bullets. And one could always load pointed bullets in a tubular magazine lever action too - just load one in the chamber and no more than one in the magazine.

I won't advocate heavy loads in any lever action, but a modern single shot would allow warmer loads, too. The .30-30 does not have the case capacity of a Roberts or 08 case, but a stronger rifle would let you get closer, if you were so inclined.

I know some people do that. To me it is an accident waiting to happen, particularly if multiple people are handling/shooting the tube-mag rifle.

To me the .30-30 is a fine cartridge as-is. Doesn't have the reach of most modern cartridges but better than my handguns.

teaser!!!

that's like a beautiful blonde with a big rack showing you her boobs and then walking away with an evil grin on her face...

And wearing a thong..

Although it took me decades to get one, I've always felt a collection of hunting rifles is never quite complete without a lever-action Marlin or Winchester .30-30.

None of my bolt guns provide the shooting pleasure I get from shooting my levers and the .30-30 is the most pleasurable of all.

Well, except maybe for my .45-70 shooting 300-350g plinking loads at 1167fps and 1097fps respectively using 13.5g HS-6 as the propellant. These are powerful loads with much less recoil than standard .30-30 loads (about 7 ft-lbs). My girls and I love to shoot these loads and they are dirt cheap to build. Guess I could do something similar with the .30-30 if I had a mind to do so as Hodgdon lists a 160g LFN load at 997fps that would generate less than 2ft-lbs recoil. Those would be fun, cheap and hard on rabbits.

I had a Rossi .44 Magnum we shot a lot with similiar loads, a 200gr. RNFP bullet with 8.5gr. of Universal Clays. We called 'em "popcorn loads", they popped and tossed bullets at roughly .44WCF speeds, 1200fps. Scarcely any recoil, and they shot pretty well. I killed a few rabbits with it, amongst other things. I even lobbed a few at prairie dogs, just for fun.
I'm sure that the .30/30 can be loaded similiarly, but it's easier with the .44 Magnums, since you can use carbide dies.

Been thinking about doing similar loads for my .375 Winchester.

Anyone know where to get the old GMDR.com data? The web site appears to be down. Never mind. couldn't get to the site this morning but it comes up now.

I've been wanting to get back to close-range stalking for Whitetails for some time. Just picked up this 30-30. It has a 26" long barrel, as I like them with long barrels. I'll add a receiver sight and be good to go.

Nice chunka wood.

arrrggg I was watching that auction

Some of those Centennials have really nice wood.

I've got one and it shoots as good as it looks..

I have my Dad's '94, of 1927 manufacture. I carry it quite a lot in walk-about here in Alaska.

Killed a ND whitetail in '66, my senior HS year, with it.

I gotta fix that with a moose or something...

Damn, you are old as dirt....

My berry picking gun in Alaska




Off hand at 100. I've sunk mooring buoys at 750 yards with it.

I'm pretty sure that more coyotes have taken a dirt nap from a 30-30 than any other cartridge.

30-30's are fun.. We have picked up hundreds of cases at the local rifle range.. Also shoot my dad's old .32.. Gave a couple p. dogs a real surprise last summer.. Must admit, I was surprised also..

I shot my first eight deer with my Grandpa's 30-30 Marlin. Then I bought a "real" rifle and developed a flinch that still rears its ugly head here and there. I picked up a brand new 30-30 winchester 94ae ranger when the New Haven plant shut down. I didn't use it much till 5 years ago. I had a peep sight mounted I picked up, shot it a little dropped a doe at 40yrds, missed a huge buck the year later. so, then i put the rifle away and didn't touch it till this year. Now I want to learn to shoot it because for the 2-200 yard shots I get in Northern MN/ Northern WI big woods hunting, it's truely perfect. Light, trim and plenty powerful and as an added bonus under $20/box to shoot. with the peep I keep shooting very high and a little right at 50 yards. I think it needs a taller front sight but open to suggestions. As a side note I hit the doe high and a little right, too. ;-)