For a Henry .30-30, 20" barrel, 1/12 twist.

The old standard 170, 150, something else?

My average shot on a deer on my land is about 50 yards, so I know anything will be close enough.

But what is likely to give me the best results on paper targets?

And if it matters, I'm going to scope it.
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TIA

ETA:  If anyone has a brand/bullet style suggestion that yours like, by all means, speak up.

This is my 1st .30-30, so I'm starting from scratch.  Unlikely to ever reload for it.

Oregon Trail has a Lasercast 170 grn LRNFP with a gas check that I have used for a lotta years in my 1950s vintage M94. Not at home right now so I can't give you the charge weight/powder info. Shoots very well in my gun and can actually be loaded pretty close to jacketed velocities due to the alloy they use. I was told of this by Oregon Trail and was a little skeptical at first. Between the alloy and the gas check, they are correct. IM me if you want the load data.

However, going to their website, and getting their proprietary data book is a good place to start. I get a lot of satisfaction shooting my 30-30 with handloads, just a cool thing in the scheme of things.

Also, you can make some nice plinker/small game loads using the 30 cal 110 grn half jacket bullet made for the M1 Carbine. And it is possible to make Black Powder loads should you so desire.

ETA: Did not see the comment in re NOT RELOADING. In that case I would try the PMC Starfire Hollow Point ammo, or the Hornady Leverevolution pointed soft tips. And by all means, shoot a box or two of the old standby Remington Core-Lokts. They are the standard by which most 30-30 ammo was judged for MANY years. All of these have worked for me.

I'm  a Hornady fan, so the LeveRevolution is definitely on my list.

PMC would have never occurred to me.  Will give that a try, and Core-Lokt, as well.

The Starfire Hollow Point flat out F*&^% up piggies inside of 100 yds. Ear shots and behind the front legs shots are the ticket.

Starfire seems to be unobtanium.

I just noticed that. Went online and looked for it by name and it's not coming up. However I did search for 30-30 HOLLOW POINT ammo and found several choices including Rem Core Lokt 170gr HP ammo for $18.95 a box. No experience with it though, but worth trying as the original Core Lokts are great performers.

I just picked up a new Mossberg 464, since everybody needs a 30-30. Hopefully the Hornady 160gr Leverlution shoots well!
A bullet I want to try, loaded hot, is the Hammer Bullets 143gr Lever Hammer. Definitely a hollow point, too

Thanks for the suggestions!!

My LGS has a good ammo selection.  I'll grab a variety tomorrow when I pick up the rifle.

Get a box of each and see what your rifle likes the best.

i like 170gr.

Right now my 30-30 has 170gr corelokt's in it, it likes them.  I have some 160gr leverevolutions and some fusions I need to try still.

Finally got to shoot it today.

4" group, at 50 yards.  

Ouch. That is not a happy rifle.  What did you try?

150 gr Nosler BT and 160 gr LeveRevolution.

If you're not going to reload and tune a load for your rifle, I'd suggest buying a box of pretty much every load you can find and seeing which your gun likes the best.

My Winchester likes that Hornady American Whitetail 150gr pretty well sub 2" at 50 yards off a sandbag.  Several other 150gr loads were 4"+ at the same range.
In handloads, I've found it *REALLY* likes the heavier rounds at higher ends of pressure.
It seems the faster I push em, the tighter the groups get.
I'm still looking for that sweet spot between accuracy and pressure because it kicks like a damn mule since the rifle is so light.
Haven't run into visible pressure signs yet but it's kick has moved into the 'unpleasant' area and I have several 'African capable' rifles that I enjoy shooting frequently... that dang .30-30 kicks more abruptly than my .375H&H.

I haven't done any reloading for a few years.  If/when I pick it up again, I won't likely be loading .30/30.

It's just not something I'd shoot enough of to make it worthwhile.

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I got it out again today and tried a few more kinds of ammo.

Fed. Fusion and Win. Power Max 170 gr each shot about 3/4".  I'm a happy camper.  

Rem Core Lokt 170 did about 1 1/2".  Not terrible.

Just for S&G, I tried the Noslers and LeveRevolutions again.  The Noslers got right at 2", and the LeveRevolutions about 3".

Kinda bummed that I bought 2 boxes of LeveRevolutions in the beginning.  I really expected them to do a lot better.  

I was at my LGS this morning, before shooting today, and they had more of the Noslers, still for $13.99 a box.  I was tempted to buy a few, just for the price.

If it’s shooting 4” at 50 yards, maybe the bore needs attention.  I’d get a strong copper solvent like Barnes CR-10, strip it bare of all copper until patches show no green, then clean again with regular solvent, then fire a few fouling shots and test the group size again.  Also make sure, if shooting from a rest, place the foregrip in exactly the same place each time.

Also, backing off the screw on the front barrel band can sometimes make a lever gun shoot much better.

Agreed, either the rifle needs help or the bullets are too heavy/too long for the 1/12 twist rate.

Clean the bore with Barnes or Shooter's Choice bore cleaner and then use their copper solvent.  Get it clean!  Finish up with a oiling of the bore, then jag it dry.

Inspect bore for damage.

Check all screws and sights to ensure nothing is loose.

Is barrel free floating or rubbing on the stock somewhere it shouldn't.

Is magazine properly fitted and not loose.

When all that is done, get ammo with the lightest and shortest bullet you can find (maybe 125 gr flat nose) and see if those shoot a smaller group.  It's easy and fun but costs money.

I got erratic performance from Hornady LE's.

Federal blue box 150 grain deliver excellent accuracy but it's an old tech bullet. Should work fine though at the range is your shooting at.

Winchester Power Max delivers excellent performance on target. Not quite as accurate in my gun as the Federal blue box but pretty close.

In all honesty, you're kind of spinning your wheels trying to find a perfect load when anything on the shelf at your local Walmart will do the trick at the ranges you're talkin about.

Edit: I see you found the Power Max and Fusion. I've heard the fusion is a great load that I've never tried it. PowerMax works well for me. That's what I stick with.

I’d go with 150s, just for the slightly better ballistic arc.

I went through this before.  My best accuracy was the Winchester ballistic silver tip. So i stuck with that

I can't speak to the Henry .30-30 but I get great accuracy with all of my pre-64 Model 94s with Winchester 150 gr factory ammo.   It's 1.5 to 2 MOA using a tang sight.





Since you are shooting at 100 yards or less there isn't any real advantage to Leverlution ammo.

In terms of 150 versus 170, the 150 gr loads are flatter shooting and do a bit more damage in soft tissue at short range (lungs, etc), but the 170 gr bullet will penetrate better on larger game and will do a better job of breaking a shoulder if your bullet placement is a bit off.

Either one is a good choice as both have been getting the job done for well over a century.

If you're a reloader try the 170 gr. Speer Hot Cor flat point over Varget. Great and accurate load in my 30-30 JM stamped Marlin.