Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 30-30 flat nosed bullets at 2600 fps muzzle velocity - hunting...

OK, I am almost done with a little project that converted a model 94 win carbine with a bad barrel into a model 94 win rifle with 26" barrel and 30-30 Ackley Improved chamber.

Here's a pic:



I've got a cressant buttstock and some other small parts coming - slot blank, screws for the tang sight, etc. So, it'll look old-timey when it's done...

This rifle will easily move a 150 grain bullet out at 2600 fps at standard 30-30 pressure levels. Money for nothin, chicks for free...

I'm just wondering about what bullet to load in it for hunting - primarily whitetail.

My concern is that a Speer 150 grain hotcore will not hold together if I get a 50 yard shot. And that makes me think that that perhaps the best pill for his rifle is a TSX, which I know will hold up and still expand at lower velocities.

Anybody have any experience with this? This is basically a 307 Winchester or 300 Savage - balistics-wise.

ETA: (flat nosed 150 grain bullet meant for 30-30)

No direct experience with that combination but:

Two thoughts:

1) I've taken a number of deer with 30-30 bullets downloaded in a 308 to about 2600 fps...always worked well.
2) Sierra says in their manual that the "best velocity for hunting" for their 150gr FN 30-30 bullet is 2200fps to 2600 fps.

I bet the Speer would work fine.

Beautiful rifle, BTW...bet you have fun with it!

Thanks. The only thing that counts is the velocity and restults on game. Sounds like you have direct experience and it was postive.

How did the bullets look or did they exit?

If they exited and from different angles, then that's that!

Dood......just about any factory cup-n-core bullet is going to kill whitetails just fine at 30/30 or 30/30 AI velocities.

Unless you plan to hunt elk with that rifle,you won't be needing a TSX in it anytime soon.

BTW,beautiful rifle-should you ever want to part with it,let me know.

WB.

OSOK: It's been a while so I don't recall all the specfics as to angles (but there wer no Texas heart shots), but there were 5 or 6 deer. all at close range, say 50 or 60 yards or less. All bullets exited, meat damage was not excessive. I recall thinking something like "gee, this works about as well as a 30-30, duh!"

BTW, these were Texas Hill country deer, so they were small.

I have recovered very few of the 150- or 170-grain Speer bullets fired from the .30-30AI or the .307. The 170-grain bullet is a better killer in my experience when the muzzle velocities are above 2,300 fps.
One morning while sitting on a tank a mature Texas buck (this one above 130 lbs on the hoof) walked up on me and at about 60 feet I centered his chest with a Speer 170-grain bullet at 2,350 fps or a little better. The bullet didn�t touch bone and ended up on the left ham under the skin. I believe the bullet lost about 30-grains. You will have no trouble using the Speer hot core bullets on deer or hogs.
When you sit down and try for accuracy try the 130-grain Speer FN � a very accurate bullet in lever action rifles.

Thank goodness hunting season is approaching...

A 150 at 2600 not enough for WT deer?

Come on folks...

Greg: I think it's a reasonable question. He's asking about a bullet designed for 30-30 velocities that will be used outside its design criteria.

I can think of a number of bullets which work very well at 257/270/7x57 velocities (2900ish), but if you bump the velocity up a couple hundred fps, they can make a mess.

I just loaded up 300 rounds of 30-30 for my son's Marlin 336 using Nosler's 170 grain bullet. That bullet is exceptionally accurate in his rifle. Hasn't killed any Deers with it yet, but I like that bullet better than any other 30-30 bullet.

Don

Not trying to be harsh, sorry if I came across as such, but I'm just wondering the hesitation to use a 150 grain cup/core at 2600 for WTD. This is the exact velocity for cup/cores to be used...

Maybe I'm reading too much into the question...

I thought the same thing, Gmo...

I think you read in a bit too LITTLE. He's talking about a 150-grain bullet designed NOT for the typical 2600-2800 fps of most .30-cal rifles, but a bullet that is specifically designed for 2200 fps - launched 400 fps faster. His concerns are quite well grounded.

That said, I also think they are overblown. I think the Speer Hot-Cor is a better bullet than is credited. It'll do just fine.

If you're still worried, OSOK, plug in a few Hornady 150 roundnoses. They're designed for 2600+ fps and are more than blunt enough for lever-action use. You may have to adjust seating depth if the cannelure isn't placed exactly right, but the Lee Factory Crimp will take care of that and still give you an adequate crimp.

Back in my college days, my centerfire rifle was an 8mm Mauser modified for scope use and with a Fajen stock. I loaded up 170 grain Winchester .321 bullets intended for the .32 Special. It's been too long to recall the load but it was out of the Lyman manual for 170 grain 8mm bullets and 4895 powder. That rifle was used for most everything needing shooting from porcupines to a black bear. It probably wasn't a real mild load because my 19 year old brain treated loading and cars about the same. Why drive either if not at top speed? At least that made sense back then. Anyway, the bullets held together fine, grouped into about three inches at 100 yards and critters hit just died. Now, of course, I seek the holy ballistic grail, strive for sub MOA groups, walk less, shoot less, hunt less and don't have near the success that crappy old Mauser gave me.

Thank you fellas. As stated, the question is not wether a 150 grain bullet at 2600 fps is adequate for wt, but what Rocky said.

I will load and hunt with the Speer bullets and not worry now.



And for the record, I've never felt the need for premium bullets when using standard cartridges with standard velocity loads. They have always worked very well for me.

Oh, and Wheelchairbandit - go check my post down in the general leverguns forum. The front end kit is available from numrich for $200. And I'm not quite done yet - have a cressant buttstock coming tomorrow that I'm going to fit to it.

I have used the Speer 170 and 150 FN bullets in my old 30-30 Marlin 336 Ackley Imp. Good performance on hogs, but no data on deer.
Velocity from my shorter barrel is 2550 FPS + using 3031 powder and the 150 grain bullets.

If you're worried, run the 170 partition.

If you're really worried, try the 150 tsx.

SOS

They have worked for me at about that velocity, but if you hit a knuckle bone or something on that order you might get into trouble.

My fault then for misunderstnding the intent of the post...

Please ignore my past babble and carry on...grin...

Gmoney - no biggy. I did not specify "flat point". But that is indeed what I was referring to.

And I'm probably dwelling too much on the 150 weight - because it gives the comforting velocity. Something that I usually don't do, preferring mass and penetration to velocity/foot pounds. But there you have it.

I'll go with the trusty old hotcores and see how they do.

Partitions... just cuz the deer deserve it.