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Used the 130 grain Speer flat point @ 2500 fps in my 336 A - 8 shots took 6 deer and 2 coyotes.Switched to the 150 Barnes this year-2 shots took 1 deer and 1 coyote.Ranges were from 50 to 221 yards.

I’m of the opinion that you should shoot them all and let your rifle tell you what it prefers. I currently own three 30-30’s and they all like something different. Although in a pinch they all give acceptable accuracy with similar “standard” loads (2 to 2-1/2” @100)
Good luck and have fun! Tom

I am a handloader at heart, but when it comes to hunting with the 30 WCF, I have found the ammunition that I prefer, to be of a factory load. Some winters back, I got a recommendation from member VAnimrod, to try the Remington 170 grain Corelokt Hollow Point load. I did, and found that he was absolutely right. Deer don't like it at all. As in, cyanide. Entrance, exit and straight down. I have used the 170 grain Hornady SP, and I think it is a bit hard. Just no reason to load anything other than the Remington Factory load. All these things said, I love to hunt with the old 30-30. It is a grand old hunting cartridge.

funny tide, u just talked me out of one....

In my younger days, I followed the crowd and used the 170 grainers...

in my older years now... I've come to like the 150 Speer FN... and fueled it with W 748....

The 30/30 is one of my most favorite rounds...one of my Unicorn rifles is a Model 54 Winchester in 30/30....

Most accurate powders I've ever found for a 30/30 happened to be SR 4759, with a 150 at about 1950 fps
or a 170 grainer at 1850 fps....

Got two nice 30/30s.... one is a Marlin Stainless when it was just introduced to see how the market liked it..
and the second is a Legacy Model, with a 26 inch barrel from Winchester... they were like $400 and then they quit making it for a couple of years
and then re brought it out.... only thing they had changed was the price tag.... from $400 to like $1300.00

then I still have the been in the family.. a Model 94 my dad bought in June of 1966 at the RAF Alconbury Rod and Gun Club on base in England for $49.00, just before we left England, for Pope AFB on Ft Bragg NC.... killed my first deer with it at age 14 that fall....

yeah, but you had an extra.

I don't want to hijack the thread but do the cases have to be trimmed shorter for the 160 FTX? I believe that's the case (no pun intended) for 44 magnums?

Thanks.

I use the 150 NBT with LVR and just double jack my 94's, the Ruger No.1-A can take them with no difficulty... this load really adds some pep to the old .30/30.

I as well remember "VAnimrod" wailing on the Remington .30-30 170 HP. I was fortunate to find 200 of these bullets and reloaded them for two Marlin 30-30's. My rifles would not group the HP's for [bleep] with several powders, w as so disappointed.

Interesting. I was thinking of the 125 BT and a couple of other options for a single shot. Didn't even consider the 150 BT.

Velocity around 2400?

Velocity @ 2500 from the No.1, have not chronied it from a 94... it is a peppy load... very effective on deer and bear.

Thanks

170gr Partitions over RL-15 would be tough to beat, and 500 bought when SPS had a sale says the price cant be beat either, i load them to 2400 fps in a modern 26 inch barreled 94 Winchester, an easy 2150 fps in older 94 carbines with 20 inch barrels, a dozen deer and pigs over the years, still looking to recover one.

Well damn, Doc. I am sorry to hear that. I never tried to reload any of those bullets, just bought the ones I found on the shelf, which weren't many. I shot them out of a Marlin too. Can't say I remember what kind of groups I got, but I zeroed the rifle and shot deer with them.

30-30 is one of my most experimented-on chamberings. However, I've only taken one deer with it, and the experience was less than overwhelming. In the early years of my tenure on this august forum, I had gobs of trouble with getting what I thought was a serviceable deer round.

See: https://genesis9.angzva.com/?p=1388

I finally settled on a bullet that Adobe Walls (remember him?) suggested, the 150 grain WIN PP. We've taken deer with it. It works fine. If it shoots well in the rifle, that would be my first choice on deer-size game.

I've experimented with a bunch of bullets. Besides the WIN PP:

130 grain Speer
150 grain Hornady
170 grain Hornady
160 grain Hornady FTX

The 160 grainer gave some benefit for extending useable distance, but honestly, the 150's do as good or better if you're using the 30-30 inside its normal ranges.

I haven't worried about minute of deer and could use any factory load I found on discount. Shoot two or three for sight in/verification and go hunt. The ranges were unusually short. Mostly was wondering if I would have a powder burn and have to listen to the other hunters about it. But walking as slow as though squirrel hunting worked well in the brush. If they weren't close you couldn't tell front from back in that thick stuff. 30 yards being a long shot. So minute of deer had to be six to eight inches in there? Be Well, RZ.

I shoot a 150g Sierra BTSP on my first shot.and second shot, never have needed a third shot!.. Brother uses a TC contender carbine in 30/30 and uses a 150g SST. We like 3031 or Lever powder.

My favorite two bullets are the Barnes 150 and my own cast 311440 loaded to Paco Kelly specs (do a search and you’ll find it).

Not for the 30-30.

An early favorite was the 150 grain flat nosed Sierra, quick killer and exited most of the time. However over the years I have come to notice that there is no noticeable difference to me or the deer as to how various bullets perform. I have used a bunch of 170 grain Hornady's and Sierra's. Have not used the new Flex tip ammo and probably won't because if I need more I would just take a different rifle. I do have my 30-30AI loaded to mid 2500fps speeds with the 150 grain FN Speer.