.30-30 125 gr
- Thread starter AStone
- Start date
- Status
melbr00ks
Member
- Joined
- Feb 29, 2012
- Messages
- 16
125 gr. 30-30
This thread got me thinking. I've got 2 grandkids old enough for deer hunting, was thinking about a .243 youth model of some sort, but they can't/won't share 1 gun! Maybe make the ole Winchester into a youth gun with 125gr bullets? Sound good to me!
This thread got me thinking. I've got 2 grandkids old enough for deer hunting, was thinking about a .243 youth model of some sort, but they can't/won't share 1 gun! Maybe make the ole Winchester into a youth gun with 125gr bullets? Sound good to me!
Bama Drifter
Member
Interesting thread...
My shop in the densely populated Southwest, sells a crap-ton of the Remington and Hornady reduced recoil stuff (all major calibers). 125gr .30 WCF usually sells out right before the .243 sells out and we generally will have leftover .30-06 each season. Anyway, I cut my teeth on the 150 gr Winchester silvertips and at age 11 didn't find them all that rough except for late summer when sighting in my 336. That was usually due to cumulative recoil and only having a t-shirt on. As I shot deer w/ it year in and year out over the last 20 yrs I don't ever recall feeling it under field conditions.
The .30-30 is not a target rifle. Shooting more than 50 or 100rds through it probably won't hurt it, but it wasn't made for "plinking" or target usage. It was designed to dispatch game and repel boarders in the waning days of the Old West. If you want a fun, minimal recoil lever gun that will also drop deer, please consider investing in a .44 mag Henry, Marlin, or Rossi. Just my $.02, milage won't vary.
My shop in the densely populated Southwest, sells a crap-ton of the Remington and Hornady reduced recoil stuff (all major calibers). 125gr .30 WCF usually sells out right before the .243 sells out and we generally will have leftover .30-06 each season. Anyway, I cut my teeth on the 150 gr Winchester silvertips and at age 11 didn't find them all that rough except for late summer when sighting in my 336. That was usually due to cumulative recoil and only having a t-shirt on. As I shot deer w/ it year in and year out over the last 20 yrs I don't ever recall feeling it under field conditions.
The .30-30 is not a target rifle. Shooting more than 50 or 100rds through it probably won't hurt it, but it wasn't made for "plinking" or target usage. It was designed to dispatch game and repel boarders in the waning days of the Old West. If you want a fun, minimal recoil lever gun that will also drop deer, please consider investing in a .44 mag Henry, Marlin, or Rossi. Just my $.02, milage won't vary.
Yea I kinda get the feeling these 336 were not meant to be a happy-fun-time range gun. I've tried the reduced recoil ammo in a 30-06 and it was noticeable, but the ammo's not cheap. I've thought about getting a Marlin in .357 mag or .44 mag just for fun target shooting.
AStone
Member
I agree wholely with this. Fortunately, I'm neither a target shooter nor a plinker. I just want to shoot enough rounds at a target to see what a specific rnd will do.
I may add a .223 to my kit at a later time, and it would be in part a target gun.
AStone
Member
In the wake of what happened overseas today (that we won't discuss here), I've been researching .30-30 rnds again.
I want to focus on these next year.
I want to focus on these next year.
- 170 gr Federal Power Shok for hogs
- 160 gr Hornady for deer (that extra velocity, energy and flatter trajectory is alluring),
- 125 gr for whatever else needs killing
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
You would be well advised to pick one bullet, sight the rifle in with it, and use it for everything.
There will be a major difference in sight settings with that wide a bullet weight range.
rc
There will be a major difference in sight settings with that wide a bullet weight range.
rc
AStone
Member
^ That may well be true.
Hence my experiment for the next year to compare those rounds,
perchance to pick one everything (with that rifle).
Or maybe two, and be able to switch between them easily.
My prediction: 125 and 160.
Can't say why. Just a hunch.
Hence my experiment for the next year to compare those rounds,
perchance to pick one everything (with that rifle).
Or maybe two, and be able to switch between them easily.
My prediction: 125 and 160.
Can't say why. Just a hunch.
AStone
Member
Been away from here for a couple of weeks.
Haven't lost interest, just been in vacation mode.
Question: what's the comparison -- ballistically -- between .30-30 in 125 gr
and .223 in the heaviest bullet it shoots? (70 something, right?)
Haven't lost interest, just been in vacation mode.
Question: what's the comparison -- ballistically -- between .30-30 in 125 gr
and .223 in the heaviest bullet it shoots? (70 something, right?)
ThomasT
Member
Astone I can't answer your question in the above post. But I can add that I have a friend who lives in the deep east texas area and lives to deer hunt. He uses a 223 bolt gun. He had trouble dropping deer using standard off the shelf 223 loads and hand loaded ammo. A guy at the gunstore suggested he use Barnes X bullets. This was years ago before the triple shock line came out.
He told me it made all the difference in the world. Deer were dropped pretty much on the spot or at least didn't travel very far. I don't think you reload but maybe you can find some factory loads or at least a reloader who will load you some up. If you were near me I would be happy to do it for you.
He told me it made all the difference in the world. Deer were dropped pretty much on the spot or at least didn't travel very far. I don't think you reload but maybe you can find some factory loads or at least a reloader who will load you some up. If you were near me I would be happy to do it for you.
stubbicatt
Member
Oh now! Bama Drifter! Don't tell the guys at the lever action silhouette matches that the 30-30 isn't a target rifle! It might affect their mid-30's scores out to 200 meters!
AStone
Member
Bumpin' this ..
GooseGestapo
Member
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2003
- Messages
- 6,154
Well, I'll bite...
I've been shooting and reloading the .30/30 for over 40yrs.
Most of my shooting and deer killing to include some pigs have been with the lighter bullets.
I've loaded round ball w/ bullseye up to 180grn flat-nose cast. Shot deer with 125, 130, 150, 170 grain jacketed, as well as 120, 158, 180grn cast.
My favorite 125grn bullet is the Sierra flat nose hollow point. It's designed as a big game bullet. It expands well, holds together to penetrate well, such that I've never recovered one. I've also never lost a deer shot with one either. My favorite load (not only, though) is 36.0grn of Reloader15. The Sierra bullet has a long shank and seats a lot deeper than the Speer, hence 36grn is all the case will hold and is somewhat compressed. 37.5grn will fit under the 130grn Speer FN, but I've found the Speer bullet to be a bit too "hard" for the smaller south east deer. It should be great for 200+lb northern and Midwestern deer.
The Speer 130 grn Hollow point is great from s/s or bolt action .30/30's. Or single loaded in l/a's.
I've owned a couple of b/a .30/30's, but they don't really do anything for me. Both were accurate (the Remington M788 especially so!), but I just prefer l/a. Though I have two M94's, The Marlin/Glennfield M30 half magazine is my favorite. It's light, smooth, accurate, and easy to shoot well, and has a marvelous trigger (yeah, I did a trigger job on it, but it's easy...)
Pointed bullets in the .30/30 are overrated. However, I do like the Nosler 125grn ballistic tip, but the Hornady 125 SST is just as good and is 1/2 cost of the Nosler.
FWIW, it's hard to go wrong with a 125-130grn bullet in the .30/30. Take your pick, just remember that with the pointed bullets you are a "2-shooter" with a tube magazine gun.
If I "need" to shoot/hunt with a 125 Nosler or Hornady SST, I'll launch it from my .300aac ar15...
I'll stick to my cast bullets, or 150/170grn Remington Corlokts. I've got a few I'm parsing and should last as long as I'll be able to still deer hunt. Too many other guns, too little time, too little freezer space...
I've been shooting and reloading the .30/30 for over 40yrs.
Most of my shooting and deer killing to include some pigs have been with the lighter bullets.
I've loaded round ball w/ bullseye up to 180grn flat-nose cast. Shot deer with 125, 130, 150, 170 grain jacketed, as well as 120, 158, 180grn cast.
My favorite 125grn bullet is the Sierra flat nose hollow point. It's designed as a big game bullet. It expands well, holds together to penetrate well, such that I've never recovered one. I've also never lost a deer shot with one either. My favorite load (not only, though) is 36.0grn of Reloader15. The Sierra bullet has a long shank and seats a lot deeper than the Speer, hence 36grn is all the case will hold and is somewhat compressed. 37.5grn will fit under the 130grn Speer FN, but I've found the Speer bullet to be a bit too "hard" for the smaller south east deer. It should be great for 200+lb northern and Midwestern deer.
The Speer 130 grn Hollow point is great from s/s or bolt action .30/30's. Or single loaded in l/a's.
I've owned a couple of b/a .30/30's, but they don't really do anything for me. Both were accurate (the Remington M788 especially so!), but I just prefer l/a. Though I have two M94's, The Marlin/Glennfield M30 half magazine is my favorite. It's light, smooth, accurate, and easy to shoot well, and has a marvelous trigger (yeah, I did a trigger job on it, but it's easy...)
Pointed bullets in the .30/30 are overrated. However, I do like the Nosler 125grn ballistic tip, but the Hornady 125 SST is just as good and is 1/2 cost of the Nosler.
FWIW, it's hard to go wrong with a 125-130grn bullet in the .30/30. Take your pick, just remember that with the pointed bullets you are a "2-shooter" with a tube magazine gun.
If I "need" to shoot/hunt with a 125 Nosler or Hornady SST, I'll launch it from my .300aac ar15...
I'll stick to my cast bullets, or 150/170grn Remington Corlokts. I've got a few I'm parsing and should last as long as I'll be able to still deer hunt. Too many other guns, too little time, too little freezer space...
I don't like the energy dump way of quantifying the effectiveness of bullet impacts. The problem is that the correlation between "dumped" kinetic energy and severeness of the injury caused is not at all linear or very predictable.
This is very obvious in extreme examples: A broadhead arrow can in some cases completely penetrate the target, causing a massive wound, but there is not much of an energy dump in the target.
Yes, it is true that energy is used to cause the injury, but there is no clear correlation between energy dump and injury, so it's quite hard to predict that a bullet will be beneficial using only the energy dump theory. When choosing a bullet, look for more concrete and predictable characteristics.
I prefer to have an exit wound because it increases the chance that a lot of blood will exit the animal. This helps tracking tremendously but I also imagine that it might increase the rate of blood pressure.
I also prefer to have a bullet that won't disintegrate when impacting the animal, especially if it his the shoulder bone. There is a slight risk in some situations that a light (and fast) bullet that is designed to splinter in a smaller animal does exactly that when hitting the shoulder joint of a larger animal. I'm not sure if this is relevant when discussing a .30-30 for smallish deer.
In short, I think penetration is important. Expansion is also important, but expansion and splintering does not have to be massive, especially if it means that penetration is greatly compromised.
I hunt mainly moose, large wild boar and large deer and antelope and I use mainly .308 Winchester.
AStone
Member
I'm reading. Fascinating read. Thanks, guys. So much to learn, so little time.
DM~
Member
SOOO, once again you are describing a Nosler Partition bullet!
The nose is soft and expands FAST, but only to (aprox) 1/3 of the way down (to the partition) and the rest of the bullet stays together and drives DEEP, usually exiting the animal it hits...
Make my hunting bullets NP's pleaseee!
DM
AStone
Member
AStone
Member
But then, I love my 2007 JM 336, what ever rnds it shoots.
AStone
Member
SAR, any report?
I've been away from here for too long.
Lever rifle is still in FL. Need to change that.
I've been away from here for too long.
Lever rifle is still in FL. Need to change that.
Dr T
Member
Just a note on the potential accuracy of the 30-30: It is a direct, necked-down descendant of one of the all time great target cartridges, the 38-55.
Nothing wrong with 125 and 130 grain. Lots of deer cartridges in those weights,
everything from 25 caliber to 264 to 270 to 7mm.
After shooting 170 grain since 1960, on a whim
I bought a box of the light weight Sierra flat nose hollow point.
Much flatter trajectory to 100 yards, you already know that.
But it has such a low ballistic coefficient that it drops like a rock after 100 yards.
It loses velocity rapidly and drops quickly.
So if your hunt is ALWAYS at shorter range, more power to ya, my friend.
I didn't want to adjust my self to the new trajectory so I went back to 170 grain.
It's all personal choice, make sure you shoot enough in your gun that you know how it flies.
Note for those who like 170 grain: Nosler Partition made especially for 30-30.
The front half opens up just like it should, the back half pushes it all the way through.
It's the nicest bullet I ever shot in 30-30 since 1960. Square base, efficient, extremely well made.
everything from 25 caliber to 264 to 270 to 7mm.
After shooting 170 grain since 1960, on a whim
I bought a box of the light weight Sierra flat nose hollow point.
Much flatter trajectory to 100 yards, you already know that.
But it has such a low ballistic coefficient that it drops like a rock after 100 yards.
It loses velocity rapidly and drops quickly.
So if your hunt is ALWAYS at shorter range, more power to ya, my friend.
I didn't want to adjust my self to the new trajectory so I went back to 170 grain.
It's all personal choice, make sure you shoot enough in your gun that you know how it flies.
Note for those who like 170 grain: Nosler Partition made especially for 30-30.
The front half opens up just like it should, the back half pushes it all the way through.
It's the nicest bullet I ever shot in 30-30 since 1960. Square base, efficient, extremely well made.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked