Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Favorite 30-30 factory load for deer

There are more options out there now than ever but I am still using the 170 grain Winchester Power Points. Is there anything significantly better? I haven't shot many deer over 150 yards with a 30-30 and don't plan on doing so.

I like 150 grain Winchester Powermax bonded loads. Don't know if they are significantly better or not but in a sample of about 4 they seemed to expand a little better than some I've used.

Whatever brand and bullet weight shoots the best groups in your rifle.

Nope, Winchester is as good as any.

I've always been a Winchester 170 grain guy but this year I'm sighted in for Hornady Leverevolutions. My 16" barreled 30-30 gets fed 150 Core-Lokts.

The 170 grain Power point has worked well for me, deep penetration and an exit. No problem breaking bones either. When I reloaded for the 30-30 I used the 150 grain Sierra flat noses and that was a good bullet too but my current 30-30's both shoot the 170 grain bullets better.

170 gr federal blue box or fusions for my 30/30 ( 1923 savage 99 featherweight takedown). Will group as well as I can shoot with the sights it has, 2-3" at 100 yds.

Winchester loads shoot ok, but the primer protrudes a small but noticeable amount after firing (I suspect federal primers are harder?)

Remington corelokts shoot about 4 inches lower at 100 yds than federal or winchester.

I like the Barnes vor-tx

Barnes 150 TSX FN should do it.

Shot a few deer with the Remington 170 Core-Lokt and wasn't too impressed. Moved away from the 30-30 and haven't shot anything with one in over 20 years. If I were going to shoot one again and "IF" it were to be fed factory loads I would try Winchester, 150 or 170, whichever shot best.

I liked the Remington 170 gr hollow points back when I owned a Marlin carbine. I haven't seen them in a while though.

In the Savage 99 it is whatever 150 gr load I have on hand. I have several boxes of Federal blue box and Winchester Power Points that get used off and on. 170s work well too but a brother in law and nephew believe in that weight and a box or two of Winchesters seem to wander off with them.

In reloads 150 gr Sierra and Hornady round noses are my go to in the similar 30 Remington. I shoot more of these than 30/30 and these are most accurate in my rifles.

150 gr core-loks from Wally World is what I shot for years and they never failed me on deer and hogs. Then I got into reloading.... bad habit to have!!!

150gr Remington Corelockts shoot 2" groups with Iron Sights in my 1942 model 94. Love this old gun. I've really gotten back into hunting with older rifles vs the 400 yard tack drivers in the safe. Kind of gives more of a challenge.

150 Silver Tips👍

170 Federals in my Marlin and 150 core lokts in my Winchester. Both good deer killers. The 170 Winchester silvertips were my favorite so of course Winchester discontinued those.

I've used Winchesters power points, rem corelokts, and the hornady leverevolution. All killed deer. I buy whatever is cheapest for the .30-30 typically. It's been killing deer with those brands for a long time.
-Jake

the old winchester 170gr silver tips, now its the hornady 170's flat nose, Bill likes the speer 150 flat nose

+1. Any of the major brands are fine in either 150 or 170 unless there is just some noticeable difference in your rifles preference. Never seen that in my rifles. Seems Federal blue box is usually cheapest here lately. A lot of hunting to be had for about $12-$15 .

Same here. I swore by 170 Silvertips. Even killed a Bull Moose with that bullet.

I guess I'm one of the few people on here who have never killed a deer with a 30-30. I've hunted with one several times, just never seen deer. That being said, the Remington Hog Hammer with the 150gr Barnes shoot beautiful little 3/4 inch triangles at 100yds, so of course Remington discontinued them. Good thing I bought a half dozen boxes when they went on clearance at Midway. That should last me the rest of my life. If they perform like the rest of the Barnes bullets I've used, I'll be perfectly happy with them.

Sportsmansguide is still showing them as being in stock for $30 per box.

LeverEvolution either factory or handloads are my favorite. Get yourself a Cabelas Lever Action Scope on your 30-30
and never look back. My Grandson can hit the gong at 300 yards with this set-up with regularity.

I have an older batch of Hornady Leverevolution 160 grainers that shoot tremendously well in my .30-30. That is all that I hunt with now. I'll be bummin when I run out of them, as the new batches don't shoot quite as well. They changed something, just not sure what.

Interesting!

Loved the old 170 Silver tips. Now I use either the 170 Win power point or the Hornady rubber tipped 160s. I was fortunate enough many years ago to stockpile silver tips for my 32 Win Sp.

Yep the old Silvertips were my favorite of course Winchester just had to "improve" them. Seems like they can't let a good thing alone Their new AA hulls are a prime example.

I've killed deer across North America due to USAF assignments during 23 years of service. Biggest mule deer I toppled was during a hunt near the Badlands in South Dakota shooting 150 grain core-lokt ammo from my Glenfield carbine. One shot through the chest organs at approx 125 yards did the job quickly. I've had much good luck with Winchester Power Points, too. Their 170 grain version shoots amazingly well with groups averaging 3 inches at 150 yards! I feel that this 170 grain loading is my best choice for long shots. Last year, I downed two deer in Pennsylvania shooting 150 grain ammo by Herter's which produced one shot kills as well. Both were taken at about 75 yards or so in steep country.

The ammo companies have had over 100 years to figure out jacket thickness and other factors to produce rapid expansion for the 30-30 cartridge. I'd say they got it right.

Sherwood

The .30-30 just works. It's a gun I find myself grabbing at some point every season it seems like. Usually on a rainy nasty day. I've always like levers, and use allot of them. But it's tough to beat a .30-30 for a whitetail shooter.
-Jake

I picked LeverEvolution powder and the Barnes 150 when I loaded for my 336 30-30. When I hit 25.5 grains of LE the gun started shooting perfect little 3/4 inch clover leafs and the chrony was telling me very consistently 2400 FPS. I tested them into water jugs and got ad copy expansion down to either 1100 or 1300 FPS. I'd have to dig out the load book to be sure which. Either way though, it's plenty of margin for killing deer at any range I might be willing to shoot one with a 30-30 since I have never killed one beyond fifty yards with that caliber. Was I looking to shoot factory ammo I'd be looking for Vor-Tx or the Hog Hammer stuff and I'd snatch up plenty enough to last me. I think both are loaded by Barnes and the Remington and the Rems are just in a different box.

Experimented with several factory brands and bullet weights and my Marlin 336 took to Hornady's American Whitetail 150 grain right off the bat. The 30-30 is the only center fire I don't reload.

170 Hornady FP

I'll second the TSX....not needed, but decidedly wicked on energy transfers, at least anecdotally. The old PMC star fire was similar. Seriously, it probably doesn't matter that much....any 125-170 through the pumps will kill deer/hogs out of a slooo dirty thirty.

I always wondered why no one mentions the Speer 130. It grouped little bitty groups in my last 30-30 but never seen deer when carrying it. It would group way less that half what a 150 or 170 would.

I killed a antelope doe using a 130gr hornady spire point in a 30/30 T/ C encore with a 24'' barrel worked really good, I would use the 130gr speer flat point in my winchester mod 64 any day.

Mooshoo, that's good to know. I sold my 30-30, but was going to load them in my 308 win for the grandsons.

I haven't killed a deer with a 30-30 for 30 years but the 150 and 170 worked about the same for me...being young and wanting more vol I loaded som 130 s....I can't recal ever shooting a deer with one tho....

Yeah, I used to load up a lot of 130 Speers for the range and for groundhogs. I'd always switch back to 170's for Bear and Deer though. It was because of Bear season immediately preceding deer season. I didn't have the time or take the time to sight back in for 130's for deer. Then the PGC started running bear and deer concurrently and ended all thoughts on my part of taking a deer with the 130's.

I use the 150 grain Winchester PP in my M94

150 grain Silvertip and 170 Core Loke..

150gr Powermax is the best 30-30 on the market for me.

Well I picked up some Federal Fusion 170 grain loads from Walmart for my Oklahoma deer hunting this year. Reason is they were on sale for $13.00 a box! Bullet seems to have a good rep too.

Used the 130 grain Speer in a 24" 336A last year,loaded to 2500 fps.5 shots,3 deer and 2 coyotes.Ranges from 90 to 221 yards.

How was bullet expansion for the 130 gr Speers?

Doc

Anyone use 170gr Sierras? I am running low on my stash of Remington bulk bullets so am going with the Sierra instead.

I wouldn't loose too much sleep over the sIerra prohunters either 150 or 170 grain for whitetails. About the only bullet I can think of designed for the .30-30 that I question the on game performance of is the 135 ftx, knowing how soft the 160 ftx is I'd avoid it for woods ranges.

The Sierra 170 works well. So does the Speer 170 and it's more accurate in my current Marlin.

I was messing with my 336SC this morning, using 150 Power Points. It was awfully warm, and the thin barrel would get HOT, if I did much more than shoot two shots. No matter, it's zero-ed and I already know that they kill deer pretty dead.

That old Marlin (1960) shoots awfully well, much better than it should, and it likes Power Points very much. Deer should fear it.

I use to reload the Speer 130 gr and killed a truck load of deer with it. It chronoed around 2000 ft/s and was easy to shoot. It got to where I had problems getting the bullet, so I had to change. Now I reload with the 160 gr Hornady.

Only use the 30-30 when its snowing hard in the woods and I don't want a scope on the gun. Out comes the Winchester.
Favorite load is the one that was on sale. Most deer seen in that situation are very close, and most that are hit are dead right there.

Tried and True cheap old Remington Core-Lokt. Love that little gun and ammo where we hunt. Has taken many deer over the years.

The only ones I've shot much have been some Hornady loaded with their 170gr and then their 160FTX Lever load. Both shot very well out of a 24" 94, and the 160 FTX shot very well out of a picky Marlin 336. That FTX load is like a laser. I'm mostly a handloader, but for a scoped rifle shooting factory ammo, I'd be happy with only the FTX load, and with an open-sighted gun, I'd shoot the Hornady 170..

About 35 years ago I used a 30-30 to kill several big Nevada and Idaho mule deer. I don't remember all the details exactly, (which deer were killed with hand loads and which ones I used factory loads on,) but I do know I never got any 150 grain 30-30 to exit a deer and I never had a 170 grain 30-30 stay in one. I MUCH prefer the 170 grain loads. I want exit wounds.

I just renewed my old love for long barreled 30-30 rifles. I have a Marlin 336 with a 24" and a half magazine, with a pistol grip. I will be using it this year for deer if the sky is clear. I can't see irons as well as I could when I was a young man, but if I have good light I am still a very capable shooter with this rifle out to about 300 yards. If the sky's get cloudy I will take a scoped rifle out. Probably my new 9.3X57.

Ya that!
That set up (160gr factory loads) on wife's marlin with the micro groove barrel shoots 1.5" at 100 she killed a zebra and a kudu in Africa in 2010. Both one shot kills. I killed a coyote with it at +/- 200yds.

The leverevolutions are too hot for my old model '94 it likes the plain old green and yellow 150gr corlocks enough for me to kill a black bear a few years ago

Exactly. Wish I had my 336 back sometimes. My daughter keeps it at her house. We have both killed mulies at 200+ yards with it. Most were a lot closer. I like Remington Coreloks, but we have used everything including Hornady Leverevolutions. Maybe I can borrow it back.