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

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.