I have several center fire rifles that I like and reload them all.

I recently purchased a Marlin 336C 30-30 and I am having a lot of fun with it. I am buying factory ammo for it off the shelves of hardware stores, gunshops, sporting goods stores, big box stores and even a gas station or two.

This was a crazy idea.

Sounds like a crazy fun idea.

I must be crazy too. I picked up my first 30-30 in the form of a used 336W 3 weeks ago. I found it likes 170 grain Federal Blue box well enough to put 5 rounds under 2" at 100, looking through a Weaver V3. That should do.

Fun rifle. Already installed the Trigger Happy kit last week. Big improvement. Should be fun in the thickets back home this Fall.

The 30-30 is great rejection thearpy.

The usual scenerio for me when I walk into to a retail store, is there any 257 Roberts factory ammo...nope; 250-3000...nope; 7x57mm...nope; 35 Whelen...nope; 22 Hornet...nope.

Not crazy at all. You'll soon realize that hall the comments of rainbow trajectory and only being effective to 100-150 yds are ridiculous. No it isn't the top choice for f class shooting matches but for general field use it is pretty handy and much more capable than people realize.

Been that way for more than 100 years.

I had the same crazy idea.................. Mine is a 336SC, 3/4 magazine carbine. Light and handy. Stuck an M8-4X on it, but it liked 170 CoreLokts pretty well with irons.I just can't see well enough without glass these days.

I only have 4, 30-30's. And I do the same thing with off the shelf ammo .

30-30? Easily a 300yd deer gun, with proper ammo, plenty of experience, and a good rest. Hell, the 14" Contender I shoot is a 300 yd deer gun. I've only shot to 200, but the accuracy is there, and the drops with pointy bullets aren't that bad: less than 2 feet low at 300. Paco Kelly has some interesting writing out there on the web regarding what lever guns in 30-30 can do. I recommend his writing highly.

Oh gawd.......you bought one too? Rolling aluminum cans at various distances with a 336 is more fun than free beer at a Sunday picnic. At the range 2 weeks ago a young guy with an AR came down to my bench and said he had never seen a lever gun up close. Young whipper snappers anyway. I have bolt guns with turrets but for fun this whole lever action thing is addicting.

I have three .30-30's. A '49 Winchester 94, a '79 Winchester 94 XTR and a Marlin 336. The Win's both have Williams receiver sights and the Marlin wears a Weaver K-2.5. I've killed more deer with those rifles over the years than any others I've ever owned. Killed one at 314 yards with the '49 Winchester. One shot through the top of the heart and dead after a 30 yard death run. Mostly just use factory ammo and they'll all group 3 shots under 2" at 100 with one brand or another. So much for needing expensive rifles, premium optics and handloads stuffed with high BC bullets to consistently fill deer tags. Only if you SUCK I reckon.

I like Winny 94 .30-30 best for levers, but when I want to stretch the range of the cartridge I grab my M788. Had a 336 in .35 Rem and it was a hoot, but it was way easier to feed the .30-30.

Lever guns rock......been saying it for years.

I also find the 30/30 "Therapeutic".....

While it is wonderful we have so much to pick from, truth be known, if it has to do with Deer Hunting in most of North America, the old 30/30 is about all one needs...

although I load for many other calibers, come deer season, most used are loaded to 30/30 velocities....and to 250 yds haven't really been handicapped in the least...

Killing a deer with a 30-30 is part of a 12 step program for recovery from rifle looneyism.

Nonsense, long magazine tube lever rifle is the best HD rifle/carbine money can buy. Light weight .30-30 lever carbine is still gold standard for deer hunting in dense dark woods.

Which step? I'm just wondering where I am in the recovery process.

A couple of "fire": friends PM'd me to say no pics it did not happen.

OK

There is nothing more common at garage sales than 30-30 ammo. I have picked up dozens of boxes for around $5.00 each. I finally had to get a 30-30 for the ammo...

I'm not in recovery yet!

I'm in denial !!!

Great looking rifle, Roundoak. That was obviously a nice piece of Black Walnut that whittled that stock out of.

I remember in our neck of the woods the poor boys shot M94's and the rich kids had 336's with some sort of scope on see thru mounts. The 94's were available at the local discount store for $99 dollars and you knew deer season was coming because everyone started to grow beards. Phone lines at work would be tied up with everyone calling in on opening day to report results. Guy down the road bought 1 box of 30/30's to make sure his scope was on and then used the rest to hunt deer. Wasn't much of a shooter but that box lasted for years and he always had deer meat.

Nothing crazy about picking up a good .30-30. My hunting buddy and I call it "lever action satisfaction". Nothing quite like it.

As a kid I grew up in the '60's shooting an Ithaca Model 49 .22 single shot. It got away from me in '69. Decades later I spent several years looking for one in good shape top replace it. Finally found this one in 2011.


Back in the '80's Dad gave me a Browning B92 in .44 Mag. I still love to shoot that rifle and it has accompanied me as a backup on many a hunt. For years I made it a practice to carry it at least one day every elk/deer hunt.

My first Marlin was a Marlin 375 chambered for .375 Winchester, a .30-30 case blown out to .375. Picked that up in 2001. That rifle jus twhetted my appetite for more Marlins and in 2002 I picked up a pristine 1895 in .45-70. Talk about a fun gun! I've developed more loads for the .45-70 than most any other three or four rifles put together, from low cost, low velocity, low recoil plinkers to elk loads to what I call my "Rhino Blasters", a 460g chunk of hardcast going 1812fps that kills on both ends. (Took me years to shoot one of those with the scope attached.) Then in 2005 I found a 336CS in near perfect condition at a price I couldn't walk away from. That .30-30 has been wonderful fun for all that have shot it.

From top to bottom:
Marlin 1895, .45-70
Marlin 375, .375 Win
Marlin 336cS, .30-30
Browning B92, .44 Mag


Crazy? No, crazy would have been to not acquire them.

Nice collection of fun guns there coyote hunter.

Nothing quite like shooting a lever gun, offhand.

At rocks in the air...

I don't have a lever action right now but I am always looking for a Marlin Model 30TK to replace the one I sold several years ago.

Picked this one up 2 weeks ago because I had the Redfield receiver sight in need of a rifle. Appears someone split coke on the RH side of receiver so it was cheap! Good sound carbine! Born in '53.

The old 30-30 has been made in a lot of models. Here's a few.
Doc

The Sixgun Journal In Defense of the 30-30 Winchester

Never got the scout rifle craze. It is a poor solution to a need that winchester and Marlin addressed 100 years ago.

From utilitarian to just plain beautiful right there! That G1 Contender looks slick. What barrel length?

One of the Campfire Tennessee hunts.

Inherited this one that my sister and I bought my Dad many years ago.

Mike

If I had to do it all over again , I most likely would have went with a 30-30 lever for my deer and bear gun. Really hard pressed to think ya need more for Wisconsin bear and deer. We way under estimate the killing power of them.

Good to see that you are using your Dad's gun.

The third rifle from the left looks like a Winchester 54, the least common of the 30-30 bolt actions that I'm aware of.

Remington 788
Savage 40 & 45 Super Sporters
Savage 340 series is dozens of styles/models/brands
Winchester 54

Nice find!

Cool dog!

You know what they say? Sometimes it is not too late to start over again.

We were living in Calgary at the time (2004 - 2009) and my three son's then spread between 10 and 18 queried why I did not own a M94. "Every gun nut should". So I looked for a bit and on the Canadian Gunnutz forum, that I was very active on, came across a mint 1959 M94 at a very fair price. It was bought and imported back to the US and sits in my safe. It shoots very well and is one that I need to take out and throttle something with.

Thanks guys. I think Dad shot 1 doe with that rifle and that was it. I took the scope off and added XS peep and blade sights.

That dog was the camp/lodge dog she followed me around and then after FVA and I whacked our hogs and posed for pics came over and threw her leg on that hog like she had something to do with it

Mike

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.

Congratulations, it was a wonderful idea, I have three 30-30's, I load the 170 gr Hornadys in two and the 170 gr partitions in the 26" octagon barreled rifle, all mine are '94 Winchesters, I like the Marlins too.

One of my favorite 30/30's, 91 years young.

Core-Lokt's get'er done.

See, I'll use a Cor-lokt in a 30/30 or 35 Rem, but that's about the only cartridges I'll use them in.

Scott is that untouched wood on that rifle?

Looks way better than my .300/99

Mike

If you decide to reload, the nosler website usually has 170gr roundnose partitions.

I like the Leverevolutions in mine, although the most recent batch is not shooting as well. I swear they changed something.

Ha, I expected you to say that deer was killed with a mono and give me heck about core-loss bullets. grin.

Eventually, I expect to reload the 30-30 and the bullet you listed would be sought after.

I picked up a 1949 win. with a partial box of silvertips from when it was bought new,made the same year I was born.I guess I might have to go shoot it one of these days.Dabble

It was shot with 170gr Federal blue box ammo. I've used the Remington before.

I think my favorite though are the Winchester Power Points and I also have several boxes of 170gr Partitions.

My post was supposed to say Nosler seconds website. They're usually always available.

1963 vintage, Williams FP with Firesight. It'll get the job done every time.

Just bought a 1974 vintage Marlin 336 in 30-30 yesterday. It was too nice to leave in the rack at $330.00. I have got to stop going to gun shops, too much temptation.

You favor the Winchester Power Points because of accuracy, performance or both?

I put a scope on my Marlin 336 and shot groups with different brand ammo and bullet weight to see what it prefers then put a Williams FP and front Firesight on it. I did pretty well with groups at 50 and 75 yards, 100 yards just OK and 150 yards not so good. I realize that if I stay with the iron sight there needs to be a lot of practice sessions.

What I have observed is since I bought the gun earlier this year 30-30 Marlins are showing up left and right at reasonable prices, but so far have resisted the temptation.

They seem to hold together better from what I've seen.

Wayne,

As you know, if scoping that rifle, it's proper WI-etiquette to put see-through mounts on it.

It is funny you mentioned that. I do have a set of see-thru's in a draw in my shop. They came off a Rem 742 that I re-scoped for a friend. I have been waiting for an Amish guy to come along to take them off my hands.

No Not CRAZY AT all, My 1st given to me in 1972 to me By my Dad, and Shot a ton of Game.
The 30-30 Probably has killed more game than any other Cartridge out there
There Fun to Shoot.
STEVE

I have a model 94 Trapper 30-30 and a model 336W 30-30. The former is my constant hiking companion and the latter is my fun-hunting rifle. As soon I have fulfilled my seasonal "obligation" of punching my elk tag, I put away my serious hunting rifles and grab the Marlin. It has become total enjoyment for me to be able to casually still hunt deer using the Marlin and just soaking up the whole hunting experience in the process. CP.

Said it before and I'll say it again. When I was growing up if the word "deer rifle" was mentioned, this was the rifle that immediately popped into my head!



The Model 64. This one was born in '53.

You know the best thing about the 30-30 is the rifle. A 94 or 336, but especially the 94 balances just right. That magazine gives it a little muzzle heavy feel that belies its short and insubstantial barrel. The flat receiver makes carrying a breeze as well.

No rifle, and I don't care how light, carries as easily or naturally as a Winchester 94 with iron or receiver sights. There is just nothing like it.

On top of the sheer delight in hunting with a light .30-30 carbine, be it Savage (my favorite), Winchester, or Marlin, one thing many people overlook is its versatility as a cartridge for target shooting. If your game is paper punching at 100-200 yards there isn't a much better choice than a quality bolt gun or single shot chambered for the .30-30. It lends itself well (ideally to some people) to cast bullet shooting with velocity levels from sub-sonic up to low 2000's- something for everybody.

If you put a gun to my head and told me I could only have a heavy barreled single shot for experimenting with & a light handy carbine for deer hunting, I would make them both a .30-30. (Runner up would be .22 Savage HiPower, or .22 Hornets if it weren't for the deer hunting bit.)

The 12th step...NUT; The first 11 deal with initiation and preparation. Seems though, [that] 12th step never gets completed. It's like the Eveready Bunny....Just keeps going.....and going....and.....

WILL.

blueeyes: I like your tag line. I would add: "Never sweat the petty stuff, and always pet the sweaty stuff!"

'preciate it gnoahhh. But, in all honesty I stole..errr...uhh,, borrowed it from someone whom I've forgotten over the years. I really had to change the wording a little to make it "forum-appropriate". I like your addition too, but I think someone would probably try to make a PC issue out of it

WILL.

I can't believe no one has mentioned the .303 Savage. It's pretty much the .30-30's red-headed step-twin cousin....two pods in a pea...or, whatever...?

I've put 150 and 170 grain .30-30 core lokts into deer from about every angle and never had one come apart. The only ones I ever recovered were 170 grain from lengthwise shots and they were near picture perfect mushrooms after penetrating nearly full length. I busted both shoulders more than once with 170 silvertips and core lokts and never recovered one.

Those are ballistics not too dissimilar to a 257 Roberts.

Hmm guess I'm on ignore or turdlike clan or something.




Mike

I shot about 10 rds of Trailboss and 165 gr Meister cast bullets a few weeks ago at 50 yrds and with the XS sights managed about a 5" group propping on my shooting bag on the bench. They were noticeably low so will have to turn the site out some.

Mike

I've said this before but my really beater looking 336 has a super slick action and one of the best triggers in the safe. I might head out tomorrow to look for a scope base, just for fun.

Hey, one of my holy grail rifles in a Spotless Model 54 Winchester in 30/30...

Missed it. Negative, someone put some urethane or something on the stock.

Got one. When I have the Unertl mounted on it, the stars are in alignment, and I squint just right, it'll put 5 180 NEI GC'ed cast lead bullets driven by 14gr. 4759 into an inch (and often less) at 100 yards off the bench. I don't know how it does with jacketed stuff, I never got around to trying any.

They got the magazine geometry right on that one too because it feeds everything as smoothly and reliably as you could please.

That explains it all quite well. I'm still going!

YOWZA! I feel all warm and fuzzy just knowing that set-up exists and is being shot. Such things are out of my league, but it's nice to dream. Something about a bolt gun in cartridges designed for modest pressure sounds sooo cool. Another I would love would be a Mauser in 45-70.

Yeah, I owned the gun back in the 80's, and shot in a few Cast Bullet Association matches with it. Then I bought a house and sold a few guns to sweeten the down payment and it went away- to a good friend. Fast forward to a couple years ago he finally relented to my badgering about selling it back. It is one of a couple that will never leave my grubby mitts again.

I have a couple of pre 64 94's and just love them. One cold afternoon after a week of fighting a Mini 14 to get decent groups, I took one of my 94's out.

100 yards, 5 shots with a buddy spotting me. After 3 shots I asked him how it was shooting and he just said "keep shooting". Down range the group was a 1 1/8" cluster dead center and 2" high (just how I sight them in) for 5 shots with iron sights and federal blue box. Made me want to wrap the Mini around a tree.

I turned to my buddy and said what do I need to fight this Mini for when this old gun can do THAT? He agreed. Before that first group I had not shot that particular rifle in about 5 years. That reminds me, maybe it's time to take it back out to the range again.

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. ;-)

As I sit here at the computer, theres an old photograph (blown up and framed) of my Great Grandpa, Grandpa and 5 of his cousins, taken in the late '40s. It was taken up by Eagle River WI. They are kneeling in front of 7 big bucks on the meat pole in camp with their rifles. There are 3) 30-40 Krag "carbines", 2) Winchester 30-30 rifles and 2) Marlin 30-30 carbines. Other than my Grandpa who eventually bought a few more rifles of different calibers, all the other guys owned only one deer rifle, one .22lr and maybe one shotgun. The funny story with the photograph was some city guys from Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL were staying with a guide in tents also, about a 1/4mile away. It was state land and the guys with the guide hadn't seen a deer and my Grandpa's camp was tagged out. So the city guys were leaving and asked my Grandpa if they could take a picture of themselves in front of my Grandpas' camp deer and in return they would take and send pictures to my Grandpa and his relatives. So they said yes and a couple months later 7 color pictures showed up at my Grandpa's house. my Grandpa is 95 and in a nursing home/hospice now and still remembers that year at deer camp and the pictures and laughs, like its yesterday. It's crazy how times and perceptions have changed.

I have downloaded both .375 winchester and .30wcf with cast lead bullets down to around 1200fps or so. Not much more than a .22lr.
few years ago i ran across a winchester in the box fromt he 70's.
it had spent it's life in the box in a swamp cooled house here in phx. 100dollar bill, solid rust on the exterior, inside brand new.
it was beyong my skill set, but took it to a guy who got the rust and pits out and reblued it, except for the alloy reciever, wouldn't hols standard bluing, so he used one of those bake on enamel type paints on the reciever. Nice little rifle today.
I have a real fondness for these levers, and they are much underestimated.

my first lever was circa 1957. I was in a hunter/safety course and kids were making fun of me for the old jap arisaka i had.
My mother made my dad get me a proper rifle. At the local hardware store it was 69dollars a winchester 94, which i still have.
I was around 11, so it was a cannon to me. But i watched him and his friends shoot beercans with it offhand at 100yards. That was the goal i was told to strive for, or get to where i could hit running jackrabbits with it offhand.

Wonderful cartridge with cast bullets.

I currently own 3. Wouldn't be without a least one.

Marlin 336A 24" barrel, old enough the receiver is not drilled and tapped for a scope, wears a Lyman peep.

My fathers Savage 340A

Ruger #1


Have owned NEF, Win 94, pre and post 64, and a converted Schmidt Rubin.

Would like to find a Savage 219 in good shape, not so common here in Western Canada.

Flyer

Now I got the hots for yet another 94!!! Like a plain ol' octogon bbl rifle with enough scratch in' left in the bore to shoot good!!! 30WCF of course.

Move the rear sight the direction you want the bullet to go, lower and left, in your case. You probably know that, but maybe it'll help someone else .
Depending on how high it's shooting, you probably DO need a new front sight, there's a formula for finding the difference, a google search can probably find it, and then you can order a sight pusher and new front sight from the vendor of your choice.

Not really. Not even close to a mile... 21.5" to 23.8".

Rather than compare two completely different cartridge and rifle types, it might make more sense to simply ask if the .30/30 can do the job at say, 300 yards.

The pointy 140 Hornady factory load claims over 800 FPE at 300. The two 160gr loads pack over 1000. Any of them, while not ideal, ought to do the job if properly placed. The question then becomes; are the sights and shooter up to it?

Right, 300 yards seems outside the normal, practical range for either chambering. My thought is/was within 150 yards, or so, there is no practical difference. I would think a regular need or interest in 300 yard capabilities would indicate some other chambering... although I'm no expert and I have no experience at 300 yards using either.

[quote=Flyer01]Wonderful cartridge with cast bullets.

I currently own 3. Wouldn't be without a least one.

Marlin 336A 24" barrel, old enough the receiver is not drilled and tapped for a scope, wears a Lyman peep.

My fathers Savage 340A

Ruger #1




A Ruger #1 in 30/30? WOW, I'd love one of those!

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To get drops like that (21.5" to 23.8") with the Sierra 125g bullet and a MV of 3600fps you have to have a 200 yard zero. My calculations were for 100 yard zeros. By the way, in checking my previous calculations it appears I made some minor errors. Corrected data with 100 yard zeros is shown below. Not a lot of difference but I thought it worth acknowledging my original error.

Again, using these loads:
.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 @ 3163fps, 22” barrel Ruger M77

Corrected data for 300 yards with 100 yard zeros:
Sierra 125g FN/HP = -34.9”, 1065fps, 315fpe
Swift 120g A-Frame = -12.0”, 2298fpe, 1534fpe
Nosler 110g AccuBond = -9.8”, 2516fps, 1546fpe

Now let's compare the two cartridges using a 200 yard zero since that appears to be your preference:
Sierra 125g FN/HP = -22.6”, 1065fpsfps, 315fpe
Swift 120g A-Frame = -7.2"”, 2275fps, 1379fpe
Nosler 110g AccuBond = -5.96”, 2516fps, 1546fpe

And for fun, let's compare both with MPBR (Maximum Point Blank Range) zeros for a target 6" in diameter. This will give a maximum deviation from line of sight of +/- 3" and is how I zero all my rifles:
Sierra 125g FN/HP = zero@180 yards, MPBR@207 yards, -3", 1378fps, 527fpe
Swift 120g A-Frame = zero@246 yards, MPBR@288 yards, -3", 2200fps, 1410fpe
Nosler 110g AccuBond = zero@264 yards, MPBR@310 yards, -3", 2496fps, 1522fpe

Much as I love my .30-30, the facts are it doesn't compare well against the capabilities of my .257 Roberts, especially as the target ranges get longer.

Gotta disagree in both cases.

First, 300 yards is easily within the capabilities of the .257, no doubt about it.

Second, while the trajectory of the Hornady loads might require a bit of figuring, the energy is sufficient, and with the 160gr FTX at least, the impact velocity is within the design window for expansion. Again, not ideal, but for the shooter who knows the rifle and load, no big deal.

On a side note, John Wooters used to run a TCR in .30/30 pretty hard; 150s at about 2600, if I recall correctly. He didn't recommend it to anyone else, but was okay with it for himself. The TCR is a strong rifle, and Wooters a pretty experienced guy.

Exactly right. If the 125g Sierra at 2600fps is a 300 yard bullet, the .257 Roberts with a 110g AccuBond at 3163fps (+P pressures) is a 500 yard cartridge.

.30-30 @ 300yards w/ 125g Sierra and 2600fps MV = -25.8", 1065fps, 315fpe
.257 Roberts @ 500 yards w/ 110g AccuBond and 3163fpsMV = -29.3", 2133fps, 1111fpe

In fact, in terms of fps and fpe, the .257 Roberts with my 110g AccuBond load has more of each at 1000 yards (1352fps, 446fpe) than the 125g Sierra launched at 2600fps has at 300 yards.

It was a Lipsey's special run of them a few years ago. Been wanting one myself, but they almost never come up for sale.