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Posted: 7/8/2007 5:39:09 PM EDT
| How is it as a round? I was thinking about a lever gun. Is it a "worthwhile" cartridge anymore? |
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.30-30 is a slight step up power wise from 7.62x39, but in most guises it is a round nose.... I have not tried the leverlution ammo yet, I'll get a couple boxes when I get a chance. I like .30-30 because it is: Cheap Easy to find Fun to shoot works on most things. The guns it comes in are really easy to pack and carry. |
The 30-30 is a step up in power at the muzzle, but it sheds velocity faster. By the time you get out to 100 yards, the 7.62x39 has caught up with the .30-30 in terms of kinetic energy and if you go past that the 7.62x39 quickly becomes the more powerful round. |
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I have one and love it. For me, there is very little kick. ymmv. 4 page thread on the 30-30 here Gene |
I like the new Hornaday Lever Revolution ammo, which yield far better 150 - 200yd ballistics than any of the tradition 30-30 loads.
LeveRevolution Article |
It is not at all easy to find ammo so absolutely not,doesn't meet the above requirements! Oh yeah My 32win sp came from my now departed favorite uncle and is about the last gun I would ever get rid of! Factory sights blow on lever guns and scopes are mostly just silly ,with a good peep all the stars in the universe line up and the levergun becomes a wonderfull thing ! |
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My Marlin took a bunch of whitetails. But, I traded it for a few hundred rounds of decent BTJHP .223 and a trigger job on my 30.06! I DO miss it, though - even though it was a heavy bitch! When my son said he wasn't interested in it, I figured I'd get what I could for it - since .223 is getting hard to find AND the pull on my Remington was hovering around 8-10 lbs! Come to think on it . . . that's the first gun I ever really liked, that I got rid of! Hmmmmm . . . ! (Make mental note not to sell/trade of any more guns that have proven themselves!) If the right circumstances ever arise, I WOULD like to have a traditional Winchester 30-30, with iron sights - to go with my cap & ball .44. (You know: for playin' dress-up!) 
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Yes, I vote for the .30-30 because it is easy to reload, the cases last a long time, factory ammo is relatively cheap and easy to find, it has sufficient power to use for medium sized game (deer, pigs). Recoil is mild and the muzzle blast won't rupture your eardrums if you ever have to shoot it w/o hearing protection. I am, however, biased by the fact that I took my first deer with a Winchester Model 94 in .30-30. I like 125 grain JHPs for reloading it. They don't kick much, will kill a deer with full penetration, and they're also fun to blow up 2-liter Coke bottles full of water with. |
The “killed more deer than any other round” analogy is flawed. Sure, the .30-30 round is very capable of taking down deer sized game at reasonable distances but there are better rounds that are more available, cheaper, and have a longer effective range (.308, .30-06, .270, etc). I’m sure more guys have gotten laid in a Ford than a Mercedes but which car would you choose for getting in girls pants? |
I'll go along with longer effective range, But more available & cheaper. I don't think so. |
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Look at what I found out about the 30-30. youtube.com/watch?v=Z9ZNgShTGac That gun with the Remington Green box from WalMart 150 gr SP will group 1.5" @ 100 yards all day long. That is what my daughter is shooting in the video. Good Luck Bill |
So what would be those better, more available, cheaper and longer ranged rounds? None of the ones you list qualify as cheaper or more available. |
.30-06 can be purchased at any sporting goods store (yes, I realize that .30-30 can also) plus you can find cheap surplus online. Doesn't that make .30-06 more available? Where can I buy surplus .30-30? The concept of "better" is subjective and beyond the scope of my reply although I can't think of a situation where I would prefer my .30-30 over my .30-06. |
My Marlin 336 RC with the straight grip stock was born the same year I was...1968...If she could tell stories. She puts some 170 grn silvertips in tight little groups at 100 yards...which here in N. Georgia, it's rare to shoot past 100 yards...more often than not, its at 50 or less. I imagine with the new Hornady tips, you could really do things past that 100 yard mark. In my fun-safe, packed with evil blackness, I own two wood rifles....both Marlin Levers, one in .30-30 and the other in .357. roy d...and I love them like family
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Muhammad Ali Voice on " it is the GREATEST North American Cartridge of all TImmme" i have 3 and bought another one today. Ahhh i firmly believe the secret to the 30-30 is the flat point. on deer size game the 150 gr load seems to be better than the 170's. this is think due to the fact that the 170s blow their power out the exit wound expending too much of their energy outside the body. i have heard of the 125 loads being even more dramatic on deer. |
i beg to differ. the 30-30 and 44-40 along with various big bore sharps annihalited most deer, bison and elk herds from N.A. the simple proof is in the pics that were taken and the shear numbers of winchester and marlin 30-30's in the pic of the dead animals. were there tons of .32 specials, 45-70, 45-90 and other lever guns of course there was. along with 44-40's and other lever gun cartridges. but the proof is in the pics. bolt guns didnt come along in the real world until the 1920-30's. but even in those days it was more common to see a pic of a dead animal with a man and a levergun, than all others combined. the % of 30-30 levers was greater than all the others. hell, i would take anything on the north american continent with a 30-30. in its day..IT WAS THE MAGNUM. |
we have one...LoL. the 38-55 is a wicked beast. the grand daddy to a few outstanding cartridges. lever guns.. MMm .44-40- check .444- check 30-30- check .348- check 45-70 check---none of that guide gun...crap. old school winchester. .32 special-check .35 remington-check my grandfather was a half ass gunsmith/ all self learned and used by the locals. we have old lever guns crawling underneath the floorboards. my dad grew up hunting(poaching) with a .44-40- he told me one time that he took his first couple of hundred deer with one. he bought his first 94 in a 30-30 he thought he could take on anything. he said to him it was the equivalent of jumping from a .243 to a 300 magnum. cool story. we had to do some repair work on the old 45-70 one time when i was a kid, my grandpa took the butt plate off and found gold dust, flattened out. i guess at one time it belonged to a miner or something and he had to have a solid place to keep some of the gold "cake".. we have found more stuff in butt plates. old hunting licenses. $20 dollar bills. pictures. i need to hunt with the leverguns more. i hunt alot with my winchester big bore .444. |
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a lever action 30-30 is kind of like a 1911 and a Browning Hi-power, everyone should have one... I finally got around to getting mine 2 years ago after drooling and talking myself out of them for years. My father-in-law has 3, and I'm hoping to get one of them off him soon as well. Got to have one... ammo is common, gun's are reliable and durable... and FUN |
| I'm not knocking the 30/30 but another gentleman had raised the question in another thread about 30/30 vs 357 and the 357 loaded hot will have about the same energy out of a rifle for out to about 100 yds or so.Just a consideration if you want a pistol caliber combo.Also with something like a taurus 85 total titanium 38 special or light weight s&w you could come in under 6 lbs with both guns together.You might be able to find some cheaper practice ammo to boot...just a thought. |
Care to share any tips on reloading the 30-30, especially powder selection. I have tried IMR 4320, Varget, and win 748. Thanks |
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