Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .30-30 Powders

The thread on "first deer rifle" got me thinking I need to dust off my .30-30 and work up some loads for it, it's a Marlin 336. I stopped hunting with it before I got into reloading so never loaded for it. Found some brass and bullets and ordered some Hornady FTX 160s and Speer 150 flat points.

I have Varget, H4350, RL-15,Tac, and some others on-hand. What has worked for others with 150s and 160s?

smokepole;
Top of the morning to you my cyber friend, I hope the day is a wee bit less snowy in your part of Colorado - unless of course you need it and then there's that - but regardless I hope you're well.

Without going into my notes and going off of a semi-geezer memory this morning I'd offer the following thoughts on reloading a .30-30.

Watch the OAL very carefully as it'll tie up the gun in magnificent and mysterious ways - when you're up chasing whitetail in the snow, in the late season, when you'd rather not disassemble the rifle on your frozen tailgate....

In 4 or 5 different rifles in that chambering I've had good luck with IMR3031 and 4064 and also 748 wasn't terrible. A shooting/hunting buddy runs RL-15 with 130gr and they work great.

I'd guess that H4650 might be a tad slow - that's a guess - since it works wonderful in say the Swede or .270.

Regarding Tac and Varget either should work but haven't tried them in the .30-30 yet, only in the .223 where they both of course gave nice consistent velocities.

Hope that made some sense and was useful.

Happy New Year to you all.

Dwayne

Thanks Dwayne, I hope you and yours are well and Happy New Year!

Pretty hard to nuts up a .30-30. Acknowledge that the loading manual authors know what they're doing, and stick with fast-to-medium burning rifle powders and you'll find it harder to create terrible loads than you will good ones. Of your powders you listed I would employ the Varget, RL-15, and TAC. If you can acquire a can of 3031 I would give it a whirl, as it's always been my go-to for the .30-30 and is a bit faster burning and more in line for the purpose than the medium burners you have. But, they're all good. Heck I even experimented with 4350 and Surplus 4831 once, and with heavy (190 grain) bullets they returned excellent accuracy but velocity wasn't anything to write home to Mom about.

On the other hand, 28gr. 3031 gives me exactly 2000fps with a 190 grain soft flat nosed cast bullet out of a 24" barreled M54 Winchester bolt gun. Right in line with factory performance of the old ballistic twin .303 Savage. (With startling accuracy, no leading, and a bullet that smacks/expands with authority. What's not to like?)

The .30-30 lends itself wonderfully to reduced loads too. It's a very efficient case capacity for .30 caliber for burning reduced charges of relevant powders, with a sterling reputation for accuracy among cast bullet target shooters. I'll go so far as to say if all I had was a good accurate .30-30 bolt gun or single shot to play with I would be content. Not every shot one fires needs to be capable of whacking an elk at 500 yards.

Thanks. Don't have any 3031, but might try some Hodgon Leverevolution.

Have used primarily 3031 and 4064

CFE223 is excellent in the 30-30

I have loaded 30/30 since the early 1960's with 3031 for jacketed 170's. That said, we had good luck with RL15 with 150's in my wife's Win. 64. YMMV. Regards, Woody

Don't know if it would translate to a lever action..but accuracy testing a scoped Savage 340 good old Reloader 7 turned in some jaw dropping groups...slightly better overall than 3031.

I’ve been running 36 Gr of RL15 under a 150 Win Power Point in my model 94 for years and it’s killed a lot of stuff.

The .30-30 is so forgiving that you could funnel in a handful of beach sand and it'll shoot good.

I've used Win 748 and a Barnes 150 FN HP for our M 94's. Works very well in them.

Rx15 for 150/170 grain jacketed bullets for the last 20+ years, fiddle with other powders with cast.

Smokepole, I looked in my logbook...another sleeper powder not often mentioned is BLC-2. My notes say a .66" aggregate (5 shot grps) with Sierra 150 RN. All this took place before Varget and Rl-15 were on the market...but you can't have too many powder choices these days, ya gotta burn what ya got.

3031 has been the go to powder for 30-30 for a lot of years. I loaded it back in the 60's and the again in the early 2000's. Also used it in 45-70.,
, 375 Winchester, 38-55, some .06 and .308, of late in the AR, .223

As others have said, 3031 works really well, and I’ve found decent accuracy with TAC and RL15, but I’ve gone to leverevolution under the Speer 150 for my .30-30. Great accuracy and 2400 fps from a 20” Marlin. More than a match for any whitetail if applied properly. Good luck with finding a load.

Old70

Thanks for all the replies!

Old70, if you don't mind, how much leverevolution are you loading with the 150? I've looked online but can't find data for that powder, not even on Hodgdon's website.

Another vote for 3031

Looked at the .30-30 list in Gun Gack IV: The Little Book of Rifle Loads That Work, and found Accurate LT-32, Benchmark, CFE223, IMR4895, LEVERevolution, Norma 201 and Reloder 15 listed for jacketed-bullet loads, and Red Dot and IMR-3031 for cast-bullet loads.

I inherited my Graddad's Marlin, 1/2 can of H335, 20 or 30 150 gr Speer bullets and 100 loaded rounds. I took it to the range and determined why mess with success.

3031 and 4895 from mine

VV 530 worked for mine.. top velocities and accuracy with 150’s…

I haven't loaded 30-30 since the 70's, for my buddy. I do recall that I used .307 bullets, not .308. I was using the Speer manual at the time. Looking at some load data now, I guess that isn't a thing anymore.

Yeah, and I don't know why it ever was a "thing".

Actually, I just looked on my bullet shelves and I see a box of Sierra .307" .30-30 bullets. Not that old, but the old style cardboard box nonetheless. Never really gave it much thought.

3031 at 33gr gave me 2300 fps and tight groups in my 20” post-64 M94 with Hornady 3035 (150gr) bullets. No issues, but note this is over current book max - but right at max according to velocity and QL. Some “older” manuals listed max at 33.5gr. 30 gr also shot good around 2050 fps, and is the reduced recoil load for my kid.

Leverevolution at 34.5 gr gave 2300 fps with 160 FTX in the same gun. Be aware Hornady and Hodgdon have vastly different load data (max) for this combo. I’d start at 32.5gr with 150s and work up slowly from there.

H4895 around 30gr is also good with 150s.

Smokepole, I’ll take a look at my data and PM you, and see if I can find my data source. It’s been a number of years since I loaded the 4 boxes I keep on hand and I’ve reached the age where I need to refer to written notes when it comes to load data.

Old70

Pm sent

Reloader 7 has always worked best in my rifles. I have tried all the powders listed here and settled on RL7.

I use H4895 and LVR for 30-30. Both do a good job.

LeverEvolution has been an excellent powder for my 30-30' a Winchester Mod 64 made in the early 1950's. I'm getting over 2300 FPS with 170g bullets with excellent accuracy. It also shows less pressure than some older powders that get less velocity according to Hodgden website.

35 grains CFE 223 + 170 gr Sierra fp + Federal case + WLR = 2240 fps and 3/4" 100 yard groups from my 20" Marlin.

Smokepole, I use 38.5 gr. Of LVR under the Speer 150. It’s a max load according to the hodgdon book, so work up and the usual caveats apply. The load shoots very well in my Marlin.

Old70

I have been using surplus WC846 (BLC2) for 30-30 for a couple of decades with very good results with jacketed bulets. It also works well with cast in my M54 Winchester. This is my hunting load and runs a little over 2000 fps.

Thanks Old70, and thanks all.

For cast bullets of 150 to 180 grs., 15 grs. of SR4759 works well, if you can find it anymore:

CFE223 will get the most velocity with the lowest pressure and produce excellent accuracy

Cast bullets? Who do you think I am, Digital Dan or something?

JK, thanks for the info!

I've got some of that too, thanks. Have either of you compared it head to head against leverevolution?

Have to agree. 15 grains in .30-30 (and 18 grains in .30-06) has been magical in every gun I've shot it in, with pretty much any 170-190 cast bullet, given proper bullet fit of course. Even though I have somewhere between 15-20 pounds of the stuff it's use is strictly reserved for .30 cast bullet shooting in an effort to make it last me 'til the end.

Bullseye and Unique for low vel target loads, 4759 for medium target loads, 3031 for woods thumpers.

I tried several different powders and even pointy bullets in my Henry single shot. I went back to the old standard 3031 and some 150-grain seconds from Midway to find where it did the best. It shoots great with a bit over max charge.

I have other rifles, for when I need speed and distance. The old standard bullets and velocities are where the 30-30 belongs.

I have killed deer to 168 yards without issue.

748 is your huckleberry

In older days, we used 3031 pretty much exclusively .. dad insisted on using 150 grain sierra pointy-point since we were shooting Savage bolt actions and he wanted the higher ballistic coefficient. (Yeah, I know, but talking to him is like debating a cement block.) It worked pretty well with 170 grain hornadys in a Winchester 94 trapper I owned in the late 80s. In the most recent one, Lever Evolution did really well. I also tried H335, CFE223, and .. I don't recall what else. I would start with Lever Evolution. 3031 accuracy is good but the velocities seem lower than ideal.

That is my same load. Shoots great

my two favorites are H322 and AA2230, but I prefer the 170 grain bullets

Ever wonder why Dupont named 3031 with that number, 30-30 fans?

First off, to be perfectly honest I haven't shot a 30-30 for some time now, especially in full power loads. However, usually IMR 3031 was what I used. I did do some testing with H335 and H4895 but 3031 always seemed to work best in my rifles, one of which has a birthdate if 1911. When I do take it out these days I run mild cast bullet loads through the old girl. It was originally my Great grandfather's gun.

These days when I shoot a 30-30 it's mostly with cast bullets and either Unique or 2400. I still have one unopened can of SR4759 I can use. My favorite bullet for the 30-30 is the Ideal, now Lyman #311291 although my Ideal is marked #308291. I have two molds marked 31141 and 311041, same mold plus a clone made by the now defunct NEI and I've never been able to get any one of those to shoot worth schitt. Not in the 30-30, .303 Savage when I had one nor the .308 and 30-06.

Favorite loads are 30.0 gr. 3031/170 gr. Speer, 5.0 and 10.0 gr. Unique and various weigh cast bullets from 100 gr. to 190 gr. and I also use the 30.0 gr. 3031 with the Lyman 308291. I also have a 311291 two cavity that I sometimes use. I've had the 308291 since 1954 and it's an excellent mold.

These days I treat my 3030s as fun guns. At the most they might be used on harassing a few Arizona jackrabbits but other than that I just kill paper with them.
PJ

My absolute favorite load for the .30-30 is 35 grains of H-414 pushing the RCBS 30-180 FN (192 grains ready to load) 1970 fps from my Marlin 336 A. It works fine in 3 Marlins and 1 Winchester plus a .303 Savage. I got that load from MR. John Kort about 20 years ago and it has worked fine ever since.

Pic I posted earlier with the levermatic was shot with the 311041 w/gas check.

It is my preferred bullet for the .30 Sneezer on the 50 yard butt for obvious reasons....no gas check.


Guess on my part, but you might want to check fit and/or take a look at your alloy hardness.

This.

I quit looking for a 30/30 powder after trying it several years back.

IMR 3031 for me, 30.0 grains & the Hornday 170 grain does the trick in my M-1894 in .32 Winchester special


41

I haven’t loaded.30-30 in about 30 years, but can still remember 30 grains of 3031 with 170 grain bullet. It was one load for which I’d break my ironclad rules of never loading by memory. Who could misremember 30 grains of 3031 for the .30-30?

Always had the best results with W748.
Did just about as well with RL15 and AA2520
Just acceptable with H4895 and H4198 and
the Lever powder. I tried some after all the
good reviews about velocity, but the accuracy
wasn't there with my firearms, and that's enough
for me to disqualify it. I have shot a box of
the factory loaded Leverevolution to rule out
an error on my part, but the accuracy was as
so-so as my loads.
Just picking one ? W748 for me

There's a lot of decent .30-30 powders, but I think today Leverevolution is the clear frontrunner

Here’s a QL fun fact - 3031 gives the highest velocity of any powders with 150gr bullets in 30-30. Even more so than LVR, with 20% less powder.

Wow, Great post. Thanks Chippy and Dan as always for pictures of the rifles and targets. This makes me want to get out the Marlin and see if I can still see through the Lyman Peep.
Nostalgia in the New Year to all.
Cast or Jacket it’s all fun in an bottle neck case with a cool old rifle

I have. It's been awhile, but the LVR was faster and accuracy was similar or a bit better in my gun.

Hodgden says different.

Thanks man, and thanks for the link. I checked the website yesterday, not sure how I missed that.

I assume those 160 FTXs work just as well as other bullets on deer?

+10 it's the best I've ever used in the 30-30 accuracy and highest velocity. Mb

PSA on the Hodgdon website: When I navigate to it with the link above, it shows .30-30 data for the 160 FTX (as well as a bunch of other bullets) and a wide selection of powders. But when I navigate to it through a search, about half the time it doesn't show the 160, and it only shows a handful of powders depending on which link to the Hodgdon site I click on. When you search "hodgdon reloading," several different links come up.


Not sure what's up with that but the lesson is, if you don't see what you're looking for on their site, try a different link.


Justahunter, thanks again for posting the link.

smokepole;
Good morning again sir, I trust the day, week and year have been treating you well thus far.

Hopefully it's okay I drop in with an additional thought that just occurred to me which might be of use to you or someone out there.

If memory serves I've played with two different Marlin .30-30's with 20" barrels, a 340 Savage with what I want to say was a 22" barrel, two 94s with 20" barrels and a 26" barrel 94.

The 26" barrel gave higher velocities in the powders I tried with it back then, sorry I'd have to look in my notes for a bit to find them as it was 30 plus years back but I recall being somewhat satisfied that I finally achieved the velocities listed in the Hornady or Speer manuals I had then.

The 20" barrels in the 94s and 336s were usually at least 100fps slow - sometimes more than that - at max powder levels.

We fooled with a 94 Trapper with a 16" barrel too, but I don't recall if we ever chronographed it and want to say we didn't.

Hope that was useful again.

Good luck with the reloading and all the best in 2023.

Dwayne

Thanks Dwayne, so far 2023 is the best yesr ever, I haven't had to work yet!

Best to you and your family and good tip on the slower velocities in the shorter barrels. I'll take advantage of the newer powders and bullets as far as velocity, but as a few have noted these rifles weren't built for speed so it's all about accuracy.


I'm thinking I might even mount a scope (gasp!) on it. I have a .375 Ruger I'm thinking of selling and it has nice Leupold 1.5 X 4 on it that seems like just the ticket. At least for load development.

My 30-30 load for my Marlin 336a (1976 mfg, 24" bbl) is:

170 grain Speer JFP
32 grains WW748

I don't have a chrono, but supposed to be 2100++ fps.
Shoots 1.25 MOA with prepped, weight-sorted cases.

WW748 was much more accurate than 3031, 4895, or 4064. They ran about 2-3 moa. I have some Leverevolution powder, but have not done much testing with it.

My brother had similar results (500 miles away from me, same rifle and mfg year). He tried 3031, 4895, and 4064 -but with 170 grain JFP Hornady bullets. He got 3 +/- moa groups with them. I told him about my ww748 /170 Speer load, He tried it, and shot 1.5 -1.75 moa. He did not prep (ie flash hole uniforming) or weight-sort his brass. Even so, groups were reduced better than 35% with 32/ww748 and 170 grain Speer JFP bullets.

FWIW.

I hope a slight deviation from Smokepole's original post would not be taken as out of line. Any input on loads for the .32 Special? I just screwed a used 20" .32 Special barrel on a pre-64 model 94 with a seriously ruined barrel and am beginning to look at load development. Do cast bullets so that is an avenue for exploration in addition to jacketed.

You're outaline outahere!

Seriously though, no worries, I've gotten all the Info I need and then some.

Having said that, I bet you'd get more responses if you started a thread with "32 Special" in the title. People who have that data might not be reading this thread.

Good luck!!

Interesting thread here. Up until about 6 years ago my favorite 30-30 load was a 170 gr. Speer FN with 29 gr. of 3031 getting a little over 2000 FPS with great accuracy. Then I discovered 35.8 gr. of Leverevolution with a 170 gr. Hornady FP was even better with more velocity to boot, ( avg. 2260 FPS) and it's now my go-to load. 150 gr. load was a 150 gr. Sierra RN over 36.4 gr. of BL-C2 for about 2210 FPS which was about the best 150 gr. load in my Marlin 30-AS (economy model 336) but I don't even use that load anymore. My 30-30 only hunts the woods where I can rarely even see a deer past 100 yards. For more open areas I have suitably chambered bolt guns.. Although I did play around with the 160 gr. Hornady FTX's which were OK but not quite as accurate as I wanted and then figured why bother for the ranges I use a 30-30 at. The old school FP's and RN's work just fine up in the woods.

You're welcome

As a few other posters mentioned, Win 748 for my 150's and 170's in my Mod '94 Win. Mostly 170's. Works.

3031 and Benchmark

I have also joined this parade and found CFE223 gives better performance in the old workhorse. My hand cast, gas checked bullets drop at 180 gr after sizing and what I carry in a 16" Trapper barreled 94 in the Mountains.....