I got a new rifle a few weeks ago, chambered in 30-30. I've never loaded for one of these. When I got the rifle, it came with die sets. The original owner supplied all sorts of brass with the rifle. The strange thing was he was using 375 Winchester brass to make 30-30 brass. His records go back to the early 80's. I don't really know why he was using 375w brass. For those of you that load for 30-30, is there a good reason for doing this? I weighed the 375w brass and it is heavier. Maybe that brass is stronger because it is thicker? Anyway, I would have preferred it if this would have been virgin 375w brass, I would have used it in my 375 winchester, and not this new 30-30. I recently bought 100 pcs of new 30-30 brass and have 50 pcs of new Starline heading my way. What are your preferred powders for this cartridge? I have W748, IMR3031, Leverevolution, H335 and IMR4198. I just got some 160gr FTX yesterday for a good deal, so I bought 300 to play around with. I also have a couple hundred 150gr Hornady rn bullets. I was watching some youtube videos, but those are almost useless since most of those guys are shooting 2-3" groups and a lot of those guys are shooting at 50 yards, even with scoped rifles. What say you 30-30 guys? I'll be loading for a bolt action, if that makes any difference.


Not asking for loads per se, just wondering what you've had the best luck with. I know this is an old cartridge, but it's a good one and I know some of you load for it, but it's rarely talked about here. Thanks for any info you can share.

LVR is the new darling powder for the 30-30. It definitely spices things up. My favorite has been H4895.

I have only just started playing with my Savage 340 bolt gun in 30-30, but so far it seems to like 170 grain Hornady RN bullets the best.

I'm gonna guess he wanted stronger brass.
Then took advantage of the strength of the 788.

Nice thing with a bolt gun is you are not stuck loading FP or RN bullets. You can also spice it up a little more due to the action strength.

First thing I ever loaded was 30/30

Never had any problems with the plain
flat/round nose cup and core bullets
I used. Every one launched at an animal
did it's job. FWIW I've tried the Lever
powder and bullets and haven't found
any appreciable difference other than
some increased velocity and noise.
Same with the factory ammo.
The purpose built bullets and the
run of the mill powders I've used have
done the job just fine.
Used mostly 748, but H4895 and RL15
have given good accuracy. I've been
trying some TAC I came up with, but
haven't used enough to say ok. Looks
very promising.
30/30 and 308 are similar in that you
almost have to try to load it wrong.
Every shot I've ever fired from either one
at game was a success

Good Luck

I have had good luck with 3031 with round nose and Lever with the 160 FTX.

This ^ ^ ^ snippet says everything.
Yes sir, they are useless

I've watched several yoofloob videos about
loading metallic cartridges, and most of the
procedures I've seen seem to be borrowed
from other yoofloob videos.
Some are fairly laughable. I do feel bad for
new inexperienced would be loaders looking
for sound advice.

3031 gives excellent velocity and accuracy, with both the 160 FTX and every 150 RN I ever tried in my M94. I’ve got loads for both that shoot 1-1.5” at 100 yds using a 4X Bushnell Banner scope.

I’ve also had good luck with H4895 and LVR, but IMO the LVR didn’t really live up to the hype. With 150s I ran out of case capacity also.

Interestingly, IMR-3031 gives top velocity according to QL. Even more so than LVR.

LVR is the shining star of all 3 my Lever 30-30's! 748 and 3031 are good but nowhere near lvr. A max load of LVR & the 160 FTX and the 30-30 is biting at the heels of the 300 Savage.

LVR and either a 150 or 170 bullet has worked excellent in my old M94 and a few buddies Marlins as well. It's pretty quick as well, not that it matters too much for typical 30-30 stuff, but it will boot a 170 Speer/Hornady or Sierra along at 2300 pretty easily from my little M94. No big trick to reloading that old bird I've seen.

The Hornady 160 FTX's get good press but I have never fired one of them either.

LVR and either a 150 or 170 bullet has worked excellent in my old M94 and a few buddies Marlins as well. It's pretty quick as well, not that it matters too much for typical 30-30 stuff, but it will boot a 170 Speer/Hornady or Sierra along at 2300 pretty easily from my little M94. No big trick to reloading that old bird I've seen.

The Hornady 160 FTX's get good press but I have never fired one of them either.

The FTXs have shot excellent through a couple rifles for me, and very meh with a couple others. I sold a buddy of mine my last Marlin quite a few years back, and it is a 100yd cloverleafer off the bench with 34.4gr of LVR and a CCI BR2 primer under the FTX.

One thing to bear in mind with spire points in 30-30 is you're still limited by mag length. I've not dealt with the 788, but with the 340 it limits your options to shorter, stubbier profile bullets a bit.

Had some RL7 I needed to use and it worked well with 160 FTX in a lever gun.

My go-to's for jacketed loads are the old traditional ones like 3031 and others with similar burn rate. Another powder I've had good luck with is CFE-223. For cast bullets Unique, 2400, RL-7, 4198, 4227, and my all-time fave SR-4759 fills the bill. (And I can drive a 190 cast bullet at 2000+fps with my standard load of 28gr. 3031, out of my 24" barrel. Accuracy, cheapness, and devilish death to deer with that package- what's not to like?)

Hell, there aren't many powders that don't work in the .30-30. An old timer I knew who haunted the Blue Ridge for deer and black bear, and who owned a rifle collection that would be the envy of everybody here, used a well-worn old Savage 340 .30-30 for most of his hunting. His favorite load? A 220 grain soft cast bullet and a case filling charge of 4350. Pure death on four legged critters, it was.

Long ago in a galaxy far away when I was experimenting with my first of a couple M54 .30-30's I've owned, I got it in my head to load for it at the shooting bench, with 180 grain cast bullets (the same RN cast bullets I sent you, Lawrence). I had them sized at .310 or .311" (I don't remember exactly which), worked with but one cartridge case which I primed and charged with a powder measure right there at the bench repeatedly- no resizing-, and inserted the slightly oversize bullets into the case with finger pressure. The bullets had tiny dimples on them which allowed for repeated exact orientation into the case each time, and the cartridge then inserted into the chamber oriented the same each time. A devilishly slow way to shoot a ten shot group, but accuracy was phenomenal.

I initially used "standard" commercial .30-30 brass but that stuff was problematic as the case neck walls were on the thin side for holding even the oversized cast bullets, and accuracy was only so-so because of the loose bullet fit. Then a light bulb went on over my head and I thought "why not squeeze down a .375 case to .30-30 shape to get slightly thicker neck walls?" Bingo! It worked - the thicker neck wall gave just enough tension to hold the bullet straight yet allowed finger seating of the bullet in an unsized case. The .375 brass revolutionized my experiments in that regard. I recall getting infinite case life - one box of brass lasted me all summer for hundreds and hundreds of shots (no re-sizing, remember).

I still shoot my .32-40 single shot target rifles much the same way, with but one cartridge case, but I seat the bullets completely into the rifling ahead of the case in a separate operation. It's called "breech seating". Easily done with soft cast bullets, but don't even think about trying it with jacketed!

So to wrap it up, maybe see if those cases formed from .375 brass will hold your bullets, jacketed and cast, without the need for re-sizing. Perhaps that was the gun's first owner's intent.

I don't remember loading any jacketed bullets for my .30-30 but, I've used a ton of cast in it from 125 grains to 220 grain. My favorite powder for up to 150 grain plain base is Unique in 6 to 7 grain doses. I've used H-335 mostly with Lyman 31141 with acceptable results but, my all time favorite is RCBS 30-180FN which tips the scale at 195 grains with enough H-414 for 1970 fps out of my Marlin's 24 inch barrel.

Good info shaman. I appreciate it. As luck would have it, I just bought some Leverevolution and some 170gr Hornady RN bullets the other day. The local shop had 1 box with dust on it and it was priced right, so I bought it. I was hoping that was not a poor decision on my part.

Very good info. That is what I was hoping for, since I picked up a few hundred of the 160 FTX (30-30) bullets yesterday:


I thought the price was right and I shot some factory ammo in the rifle right after I got it:


For factory ammo and irons, I thought it looked pretty dang promising. The guy that owned it before me, loaded up some pointy bullets in this rifle. I have some of his data and targets. He used 150gr Nosler ballistic tips and some sierra's. I'm sure he was single feeding because the OAL's he wrote down were much longer than the magazine. I have heard it is not a good idea to single feed one of these 788 30-30's because you may break an extractor. Does anyone here know if that is true??? I do look forward to trying some of those 160 FTX bullets in the new brass I just got though. Thanks for everyone's input on this one!!

I totally agree with you sir^^^^

Very good info. I don't know if I want to put my BR2's in a 30-30 case for an iron sight rifle though. I'm down to 1,000 BR2's and I need to save those for my competitions and 6.5 Creedmoor rifles. Love those primers though. I have a buddy in Oregon that may sell me 2 bricks for cheap. If that happens, I may throw a few in the 30-30 case and see how they compare to the CCI200's I normally use.

Awesome info buddy! As luck would have it, I did use the 375 win on some of your cast bullets. I'm waiting on a good day to go to the range. We've been getting snow off and on here. The last time I went to the range when it was showing, it plugged up my rear aperture sight and I got covered in snow!!! That was frustrating. Yesterday was another one of those days, so I took a 120 mile trip to a near by town to look for bullets and stop by my favorite gunshops there. A farm and ranch store there, always has great deals on bullets, and one of the stores had 30-30 brass, so I was in hog heaven. I appreciate the tid bit on not resizing the case with the cast bullet. I set up the expander you gave me in one of my spare dies and it seems to be working great. I just have to be careful I don't go too far because it bells the mouth out too much. Got to feel for that and it works great. I then only crimp just enough to remove that flare on the end of the case neck. I was surprised that the OAL is very short though, as the bullet contacts the lands pretty quickly. I am excited to try out your cast bullets and really appreciate your kind generosity on that one buddy!!!! Let me know if these look acceptable to you:




I didn't load very many because I wanted to wait until I found some IMR3031 powder. Luckily the shop in town had some. Now I will try your 28gr load with these bullets as well.

L:

I have played with the 30/30 quite a lot over the years... Inherited a couple passed down via family.. bought a couple on my own. of the Marlin 336 and the Model 94. I still have the first year a Model 336 came out in stainless... and also have a Model 94 Legacy with a 24 inch barrel I prize these two...The Legacy I bought for $350 new, and then was feeling fortunate, as they stopped making them after that year... It was a short run...Then 3 years later, they had them on the market again. However when they started releasing them again, the price went from under $400, and had jumped to OVER $1200...

I've also picked up several of the Marlin and Savage bolt actions in 30/30 around here years ago...they all shot well... Price on the used racks, they went for $100 to $125. For those I preferred using the Speer 150 FN. Before I hand loaded I use to buy the 170 FN bullet rounds. After I started hand loading, I saw the 150 grain FN were more accurate... I've passed on a few of the 788 Remingtons, because they were usually 50 bucks higher than the Savage and Marlins, and the latter two worked just as well for accuracy, compared to others owned by acquaintances from over at the range.

As usual at the load bench, I tried ALL Sorts of powders at the load bench...and bullet combos. For kids use ( via Boy Scouts ) and for wives, I've loaded 10 grains of Unique with 110 grain RN/SPs. Within 100 yds or so, they ALWAYS worked for those I loaded them for....most of the time taking a deer in the yard in local rural homes... or with the boys, it was their first deer hunting with grandpa off the front porch...

Most accurate loads I ever got out of any 30/30, was using SR 4759 with a 20 grain charge...for like 1850 fps MV...hands down winner, and it was duplicating the old loads from around WW 1 and on...

3031 was given that number for a reason.. as I've read from many old sources, it was formulated with the 30/30 in mind, as that was the most used deer rifle in the country at those times. 3031 I find does well in almost any cartridge.. not always the fastest velocity, but for accuracy, it never seems to be a real slouch in anything... even rifles with barrels shot out or near shot out, it and SR 4759 can still do minute of deer out to 150 yds to 200.

I did all this stuff, before powders like Leverolution came out.. but I've always found that the MV of 1850 fps to 1950 fps seemed to be the most accurate in anything I played with that had 30/30 stamped on the barrel.

Everything I've ever done has been with jacketed bullets, I'm not a cast bullet guy, although I use a lot of cast bullet data...

I have used bullet weights as high as 220 grain RN's in several 30/30s, both lever action, bolt action and NEF single shot...

Had one manager over at the range 15 to 20 years ago ask me about loading him up some bullets for his NEF single shot... He was going bear hunting, and wanted the most thump out of it. It was chambered in 30/30, It was the only rifle his budget would afford.. it was $100 at a pawn shop in town. I played with loads and for the biggest thump out of the round, I worked up a 220 gr RN, for a MV of 2100 fps...Stout ? YUP... got flamed by a bunch of the campfire usuals...per usual...

However in testing it, I load 10 cases, that were range pick up brass.. given to me to do so, by the range manager who wanted me to do this for him..
He didn't understand handloading at all....however, I loaded those cases 10 times with that load, which was on once fired brass... I loaded it an 11th time and the primer pockets were still tight...It was Federal brass.. you find that on the ground a lot at our local range in the past... because that was always the lowest price brand at our local Bi Marts... Powder I used was W 748.

Of all the bullets I used in my testing all the time...180 grain and 220 grain Round Noses, were always the most accurate of ALL the bullets tested..
The next most accurate were the 110 gr SP/RN, ( the 110 SP also in the bolt actions)..and the 150 FN Speers.. the FN were always more accurate than any of the RN 150 gr bullets tested, from whatever whoever manufacturer..

If I had your rifle and was going to hunt with it, I'd either pick the Barnes 110 grain TTSX or the 110 or 130 grain TSX. There should be NO problem being able to run those at 2400 fps out of your rifle, even I'd say 2500 fps would entirely be on the table. My powder choices would first be, W 748, followed by 3031.. With a scope on top, you'd easily have a 250 to 300 yd venison getter.

I'll offer a Hint, you can't get enough W 748 in a 30/30 case to over charge it and having it mess up the brass....I got 2100 fps out of a 20 inch barrel Model 94 bought new in 1966, with a 220 grain RN... and to "proof test" the load.. primer pockets were tight on its 12th reload...seating the 220 grain down into the case, so it would function thru the action of the Model 94, you had to roll crimp the brass... charge was sorta stiff...it would push the bullet further out of the case if not roll crimped...

My "Unicorn" rifle has always been a Model 54 Win, in 30/30....but it has alluded me. I think Gonnah silently knows I moan with envy every time he posts something about the one or two of them he has... That is my Cadillac of Bolt Action 30/30s...

The Marlins and Savages I have had, that I picked up for $100 to $125, have always been gifted to folks I know who want a hunting rifle, and are on a very limited budget.. good folks in their 20s, young and married... I've given away 5 or 6 of them I've had in cases like that...the ammo was always cheap... and they always seemed to get their deer with them....

and the guy with the NEF, the loads I did for him with the 220 grain RN, he always got his bear... the family camped a lot, and he always seemed to know each fall, right were one of two were hanging around...he didn't care much for venison, but for some reason he sure loved bear meat...

Good luck with your "new to you" 788....

cheer my friend...

2 points to be aware of:

1) 160gr FTX comes in two styles, one for the 30-30Win and one for the 308mx, which has a different ogive, and the crimp groove is located differently.
if you have the 308MX version and crimp in the groove, it may not fit your mag, or cycle through

2) IMR3031 is an old standby that seems to work in almost every case.
31gr for 150gr bullet
30gr for 170gr bullet
29gr for 190gr bullet
extrapolate from there.... it appears to be very linear

Don't trust my data, confirm it in loading manuals

https://press.hornady.com//assets/p...20Cal%20_308%20160gr%20FTX%20_30-30_.jpg

https://press.hornady.com//assets/p...8%20160gr%20FTX%20_Marlin%20Express_.jpg

Man, what a great post. I love the stories and info!! Yeah, I'll tell you if I ever see a model 54 30-30 on the used rifle rack anywhere, it's going to go home with me. If not, I'll call you and tell you where it is. You just don't see them though. I still kick myself in the azz for not buying one at one of the Portland gunshows years ago. I was just never interested in the 30-30 cartridge for some reason. Probably because when I was a kid my grandpa let me shoot his steel plate 94 and it hurt!!! I was only about 10 at the time, but too much recoil for a kid of that age. It left a bad taste in my mouth. With that being said, I have seen some bolt action 30-30's that have caught my eye. The first one was a few years ago and it was a savage 340. I thought that was a pretty cool rifle, and then I saw a Remington 788, and thought that was even sweeter. I let those 2 get away and told myself that if I saw another one, I'd buy it just for chits and giggles. Well about a month ago I was in a shop over here buying a nice mauser 30-06 and I saw this very nice 788 in 30-30. It was intriguing to me, as I had never seen one set up like a target rifle. It was odd and unusual, but with very nice wood. Above average for any 788 I've ever seen. You can see how a rifle like that can get into your mind and not leave!!! I had to go back and buy it because it was so unusual. I'm hoping to do it justice and want to leave it just like it is. So the weak link is my eyesight. I already have to shoot it right handed because my left eye sucks. But that is life. It's fun putting rifles on the bench and shooting them just as they sit:

Anyone used Big Game with 150 grain bullets? I know its a little slow, but Ramshot lists data and I've got a lot of it. I don't need top velocities, it's my farm gun. My favorite .30-30 load uses IMR 8208, but my supply is limited.

Good points, that is why I specified (30-30) bullet in one of my posts. They were also shown in a picture and you can zoom in on the part #. That price shown is also cheaper than anywhere you can find them elsewhere.

If western powders/ramshot lists it, I'd be experimenting. I also have a lot of big game powder. Love the stuff in my 7mm08 and 30-06.

Your loads look great, BSA. (If you look close in the pic you can see the little dimple I put in the mold cavity to mark the bullet nose for orientation purposes I referred to in my earlier post. Two cavity mold, dimples located differently in each cavity, for segregating them as to which cavity they came out of. Of importance only if trying to squeeze out the last couple thousandths in group size!)

Evidently you have a very short throat. That's ok, you've adjusted your seating depth accordingly. The throat on my M54 is a lot longer, I can seat them out farther. Doesn't really matter as long as you get a little contact of the rifling on the bullet nose. (One of the protocols of seating cast bullets that I follow. I asked Mr. Sinclair, of Sinclair accuracy/bench shooting products fame, what seating depth he used with the bullets from a personal mold of his I bought from him once, and he said "Hell if I know, I just jam 'em up into the rifling.")

What was said earlier about the 1800fps sweet spot with cast jives with what I find. A little more velocity for deer hunting is ok, and accuracy doesn't really suffer much, but rest assured it's enough speed for deadliness. I whacked a deer once with that same RN bullet out of an '06 at a measly 1400fps or so and it surely died. (Those velocities put it squarely in the realm of the .32-40 which was considered the cat's meow for deer before the .30-30 came along.)

Awesome gnoahhh. I appreciate the help on this one. When I set the OAL, I did just that: put one in a case where it had a little tension and ran it into the chamber. I did that a few times with a few different bullets I got from you and took a good average. I set my seater die to that OAL. It is much shorter than mag box length, but sometimes you can't go by box length. I always want to know where the lands are in relation to the bullet. I'll load up some with 3031 powder and will let you know how they do. Also with some of that 375w brass, some of it looked new, just annealed by the original owner and resized with a 32 winchester special die (I'm assuming, as that was in one of the RCBS die boxes I got with the rifle). I checked the shoulder to base dimension and they were too long for my chamber. I used a 30-30 body die to set the shoulder where I wanted it and then finished with the FL 30-30 sizing die. I don't know if that is the preferred method, but it worked. I set the die so it bumps the shoulder back .002" and they chamber in my rifle. I've shot them and fireformed the brass:


Average group size was around 1 3/4" for 3 shots at 100.


One thing to note: On the Hornady brass, I weighed it and found it to be the same weight as the 375win brass. Those are around 147gr, while regular 30-30 brass weighs around 133-137gr's. The new Winchester brass I bought yesterday weighs around 133gr's. I'm hoping the Starline brass that is being shipped to me is thicker than the Winchester brass!!! If I could get my hands on some new Hornady brass, I'd be liking that. Federal 30-30 brass is also heavier/thicker than Winchester brass, from what I have seen.

NOT MY BEST BUT NOT BAD FOR A LEVER

I'm going to play with it this summer. I blundered onto 8 lbs of Big Game at a good price, and need a use for it. Ramshot shows a load, but it is low pressure and less than top velocity. I'm guessing I'll run out of case room, but it should make a tin can, skunk and raccoon load for a peep sighted 30-30

BSA, It has been a long time since I messed with a 788 but as I recall since it is a push feed rather than a "controlled round" feed there should be no difference between single feeding and feeding from the magazine. The extractor engages the rim as the bolt is closed.
Kind regards,
Pavementends

Pretty good shooting lever gun Fotis. That gives me something to shoot for with LVR and 160 FTX in my rifle. As shown earlier, I have shot a .8 moa 3 shot group with factory ammo and the 160 FTX bullet. If I can duplicate that consistently or even 1" consistently, I'd be happy.

Thanks for the info. The extractor on the 788 30-30 is way different than any other 788 chambering. It reminds me more of a hook extractor like you see on 22lr's. I've seen where some guys say they have broken an extractor, trying to push it over the rim of the cartridge. I wish there was more info regarding this. I appreciate the feedback and your experience regarding this. In the back of my mind, I'm wondering why the original owner had a new extractor and ejector in a baggie with this rifle though.. Are they weak? As for the rifle, man I am loving it! The Canjar trigger is something else too. My trigger pull gauge doesn't even read, when trying to see what the pull weight is. Must be in the ounces, not pounds when the set feature is engaged.

I wish I could find components for that price!

Also, for those who worry about the accuracy potential of the 30-30, I recently read an article online where the fellow won several benchrest competitions with one
in the right firearm, the 30-30 is a goer!

Seafire offers some great advice about light for caliber bullets!

Why not make up a test dummy and slowly cycle it out of the magazine and into the chamber? Look in and see how/where the bolt/extractor engages the case rim.

Yep! Load 125 gr Ballistic tips in my Contender with 14 “ barrel. Darn thing is amazingly accurate.

GreggH

I've had good results with H335 and 170gr IL Hdy's in the 30-30. Loaded em with 33.0grs and they scamper right along. Max is 34.0grs, so I backed it off a grain. I realize this powder is taboo for temp sensitivity, but I've got it and for something relatively non-precision as in not made for the benchrest circuit, it's a perfect match.

Hell yes. Quite a few of you guys are offering some great advice. I appreciate it!!

The old owner was running some of those as well. He has some literature about guys using the TC Contenders for silhouette shooting and how they loaded for the 30-30. Some good interesting reading material for sure. He even had some articles on how to turn 375win brass into 30-30 brass, but I have not delved into that too much. I think back in the 80's a lot of guys were doing it. Now days, you might get your azz whipped for messing with good 375win brass.. ha ha. Especially if you own one of those too!!!


I was trying to think of a way I could turn that modified brass back into 375 winchester brass, but that seemed like too much of a hassle..

There's a load in that Nosler manual, back in the pistol data section. It's listed as the most accurate load with the 150 grain bullets. It's crazy accurate in my rifles, and more fun than you can stand. If I had that788 I'd be breakin' the sound barrier on my way to the range to shoot some of it!

I picked up 788 in .30-30 a few months ago, and the first thing I had to do was swap out the ejector. Luckily, it was pretty easy to find, but the design of it does look a little fragile...I'm tempted to go ahead and order another one (just in case), I can't imagine these will be available indefinitely.

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about Jason.

LOL. I'm going to have to check that one out!!

I just sold my last .30-30 and I think the last time I loaded for it was about ten years ago. I know 3031 anf LVR are pretty much at the top of the heap, but if you have any AR-Comp on the shelf and no plans for it, the .30-30 will digest it well. I always loaded 170s.

I do…..but it’s been many years! memtb

In about any 30/30 I've owned, the most accurate load of all of them has been: 20 grains of SR 4759, with the Speer 150 gr FN...

MV is between 1850 to 1900 fps. depending on barrel length, and style of action.. bolt vs lever action.

That Speer 150 FN, I had a friend, retired Marine, and he got involved with a competition group, who would have monthly matches local, using Garands.. I told him to pick me up some Speer 150 grainers, as I've had good accuracy results in several 30 caliber rifles. I was referring to SP, but he shows up with 150 FN instead. Instead of taking them back, he wanted to just try them since he had a box of them....

So I did a load with 4064, and he comes back afterwards, a week or so later, happy as a clam.... He actually ended up winning the whole match..
So he went out and bought like a thousand rounds of it...I kept doing the 4064 load for him and he kept on winning.. instead of being 4th or 5th all the time... then the others started badgering him on what was his secret.. he never told them.. but he swore the edge was shooting those FN 150 grainers from Speer...

It wasn't planned.. it just happened on its own....later he said he bought them, because he saw me using them in my 30/30 loads...

YMMV....just passing this on....

Haha! Good story! I'm tellin' yez, the .30-30 is probably the most underestimated cartridge we have. In this day and age of Superwhizbang Magnums and 6.5mm Wonderbeezers, the Average Joe forgets about the old cartridges or automatically categorizes them as has-beens. Personally I think that's ok because that leaves more of them for me!

For me it's 15 grains 4759, but I shoot lots heavier bullets than 150's. I bet you and I have the market cornered on the remaining supplies of 4759. I could still spit in Hodgdon's Corn Flakes bowl for having pulled the plug on that powder.

Good stuff J.

Lawrence, Nosler stopped listing 30-30 handgun data after #6 manual. So here you go.

Thanks buddy. I appreciate it. I have the first Nosler load manual, as well as a few more. That looks like the inside of my black manual. Don't know if that is #4, but that sounds about right. Bought that one around 1998, I believe. Or is that manual #6? Looks familiar. I usually pull a few of them out and compare the data. Thankfully I have a lot of the powders listed.

This is the #6 I have all of them, lgs had 1-4 super cheap so I bought them. #4 #5 also have data for 30-30 handgun.

I swear, the next single shot rifle I build is gonna have a .30-30 barrel on it. Probably a heavy target barrel rather than a lightweight hunting barrel as I spend about 100 hours at the bench for every hour I spend in the woods anymore.

Anybody have a decent Winchester High Wall action lying around, haha!?

I haven’t loaded 30-30, but I’m having fun with a 32-40 with 165 grain flex tips. It is fun to shoot! Hit him in the chest, came out right hindquarter. He was 60 yards away.


free screen capture

That's pretty good penetration hanco. My elk hunting partner shot a spike bull a few years ago with his 30-30. It dropped him on the spot, but with a back of the head shot while he was trying to flee the area. He was using the flex tip, but it's hard to tell what kind of terminal performance the bullet does when it's in an area like that. It did get the job done though.

That's a good idea mathman. Thanks.

There are some newer powders that folks are using but for me the old tired IMR-3031 gets the job done.

Useful in others as well.

36 grains of LVR under a 150 Barnes tsx shot the best in my old marlin 336. Chronograph said 2300fps. I should have stopped at 3 shots because the 4th opened it up to an inch

IIRC, Butch Lambert made some remarks about some accuracy work being done with the old .30 WCF cartridge a couple of years ago. I have heard nothing about that since then, and this thread has awakened my curiosity.

Hanco, excellent, I'd love to try a 99 & the 32-40! I've probably sent more 30-30 loads downrange in past, especially 7 years since I retired. Before all the ammo-political troubles, all I wanted in them was a Win PP or Rem CL, both are hard to beat! Then I started reloading for the 30-30, most people say why reload for the 30-30, and before all the trouble I agreed!
But at the high praise of 3031 that's what I started with. It's great. But then I tried LVR. In my Win Mod 64 & 24" barrel, Mod 94 Win & Marlin 336 both 20" barrels.
After many rounds downrange there's no comparison, in all 3 my rifles but especially in the Mod 64. And it mist always seems the closer to a max load I get the more accurate it gets!
I'm getting 2,425fps with the 160g Hornady ftx and with that bullets B.C. it's doing more at 200yds than most 30-30 bullets at 100yds. And I get 1.5" groups @ 65yds and 1.75" at 100yds and that's with a receiver sight.
And in that rifle the Nosler 170gr Partition RN is almost as accurate at about 2,360fps best I remember on the velocity.
With the LVR and Nosler Pt in my Mod 94 I've settled on a load of LVR @ 2,250 fps.
Never could touch either velocities or accuracy with 3031. Seems 3031 in all my rifles has a sweet spot near 3/4 max load where accuracy come but it looses it when I load heavier. In the Mod 94 it's aprox 2,150ffps and maybe near 2,200 fps in the Mod 64 with same bullets!
After trying LVR I tried W748 and Varget. They're more consistently accurate than 3031 but nowhere near the velocities of LVR.
The surprise powder for me as far as accuracy has been A4064. Great stuff but as much velocity, but its scary accurate from a starting load to a max. This all in my Mod 64.
If a close range brush gun is all you need then yes 3031 Will Get The Job Done! But why limit the 30-30 if you don't have too! Yes all rifles are different as far as preference. But I've yet to try a 30-30 that LVR didn't come out on top, accuracy & velocities together!
Every deer I've killed in past 7 years has been with the 30-30 and I have a 30-06 and 270 but I live my levers!
The Sierra 150gr PH FN and LVR combo is great in all my rifles also, very accurate!

Not quite a 30-30, but I've gotten excellent accuracy across bullet weights from 110-170 grains with A4064 from my 303 Savage. Velocities are a bit piddling with it, but the bullets go exactly where you're aiming. It's become my go-to 303 plinking powder.

The 30-30 is so doggone fun to load, shoot and hunt with! This past year I updated my handloading for it and started using Hornady's 160 gr FTX as well as LeverEvolution powder.

In December 2022, I took a muley doe with one shot at 170 yards with a Henry lever action, topped by the 2.5x Leupold scope. Everything worked perfectly. She tipped over quickly. The bullet broke a rib on the way in and I was a bit surprised at the damage it did. That damage did drop her quickly. I found a small exit wound on the off-side flank, she must not have been quite as broadside as I thought. Also found a few jacket fragments while processing the deer at home.



Got my first 30-30 in the early 1980's and have usually had one kicking around ever since. I'm particularly fond of my old Glenfield. It's a little rough around the edges but shoots well. In the past I've mostly used traditional 150 and 170 grain round nose or flat nose bullets from Hornady, Sierra & Remington.



Regards, Guy

It's my 30-06 powder and I've quit searching since trying it. Apparently it shines in most any 30cal!

Cascade that's a trophy with a lever at 170yds! I've never shot a deer past 75yds with my 30-30 and only one that far. Rest are inside 50yds. But one day I'll get opportunity and I'll be loaded and ready.
The old standbys Rem CL & Win PPs have proven themselves way past needed but when I found the LVR & FTX or Nosler Pt combos I quit grieving over their absence!
Love your half mag Glenfield!

I actually got into A4064 specifically for the 303S. I had been shooting IMR4320 in it, so when they pulled the plug on that I started trying new powders as subs. Shoots just as well, but speeds are a touch slower. My 250 Savage ended up loving it too, so that was a plus.

Very nice Guy. Thanks for sharing.

It's been years, but I still have dies & a few pounds of IMR3031.

I've had several 30-30's: Mossberg, Marlin 336, 788, & Win 64.

The 788 is new to me, bought from a member here and I think it's nice, but the snow is deep here and weather [bleep]. So, I have not shot it yet.

The Mossberg has a scope on it, because it's actually my wife's. It's accurate. The waffle top is accurate. The 64 only shot ~ 1.5 to 2 MOA with the best loads, so I sold it.

I have lots of 150 and 170 Rem CL bullets. I start out with IMR3031 when I get a new 30-30. Then I try powders that have the nearest burn rate to IMR3031. Often 3031 does very well, sometimes other powders do better. I like the 170 grain bullets a little more than the 150's.

I do. My cast bullets and jacketed.

170gr cast 50yds

My favorite is the 125 NBT, too. H4895 in the standard 30/30 and IMR4198 in the Ackley. Fantastic combinations! Both Contenders.

In the 788, the 125 NBT should be really nice, as well. Congratulations on acquiring a fine rifle. I’ve got one in 22/250 and absolutely love it.

Been loading two bullets in my .30-30's, a 170 Speer Hot Cor flat nose and my own hand cast 180 gr flat nose gas checked and powder coated for a tough bullet.

While hunting in middle Georgia 30 yrs ago with my 30-30 I liked W-748 with 150 gn FN Speer bullets. However, I have lived in NW Florida for the last 25 yrs and I have found that IMR 4895 gives the most consistently accurate groups using the same 150 gn FN Speer bullets. Wx changes down here are unbelievable - One day it's 85 deg. and the next day it might be 35 deg., and that is why I say "consistently accurate". As mentioned above, I think it might be hard to find a bad 30-30 powder.

I've enjoyed good success with the Hornady 160FTX as far as known performance and accuracy. But I happened upon them like I said, really by trial and error because I couldn't get the bullets I wanted at the time, 2020-22. But I got to say in all honesty, if I had to choose just one brand of bullet for all my rifles, I'd choose Speer. The Speer 170gr HotCor FN has been on my to get list ever since all the shortage began. Seems everytime I'd buy bullets, the Speer was not available. But I know for sure in most every 30-30, the HotCor will be accurate and for sure get the job done probably as good as any, too many witnesses of the fact! My #1 bullet in my 30-06 is a 150gr HC and the 130gr is almost as good as any in my 270. The 170gr HC is on my list to order right now! I'm shooting the a mild load with the 130gr HC right now in both my Winchesters with squirrel hunting accuracy out to 50yds!

I have a Henry single-shot. I tried all kinds of pointy bullets and powder, at varying velocities. I decided to leave high velocity to my other cartridges and settled on a charge of 3031 just over max, under a 150-grain Midway seconds bullet. It shoots extremely well to 200 yards on the range and it smucks deer pretty well. My farthest so far is 168 yards.

I’ve shot 150&170hornady and sierras but a year or so ago all I could find were the 160FTX…Pretty sure I used CFE223 powder and probably will stick with that combo from here on out. Shoots at least as well or better than any other load I tried and the one and only deer I shot never took a step. Good enough for me.