Model 94 30-30

[Fredd]

I have a Win. Mod. 94 30-30 sitting in my gun case. I am currently using a Mossberg 243 to hunt deer but I would like to take out the 30-30.
Would 150 gr. bullets be about right for white tail? If I shot a squirrel a 100 gr. plinker, would it blow the squirrel a part? (That would be bad) Can anyone tell me whether my gun is a pre 1964?? The serial number is 2952034. Thanks!

 

[deputy tom]

Fredd,I use rem. 150gr in my 94 for white tail deer with excellent results.Look in front of the trigger-guard.If there is a little single screw there it should be a pre-64.tom.

 

[texagun]

Post 1964 Model 94's began with serial number 2,700,000. Your rifle was manufactured in 1966. Still a good year although the value is somewhat reduced due to the post-64 production. I prefer the 150 gr. for deer in the old 30-30 here in Texas, although many might prefer the heavier 170 gr. for larger deer. I don't think it would make a great squirrel gun although I have not tried any 100 gr. plinkers.

 

[steveno]

If I had a dollar for every deer that has been killed with a 150 grain bullet out of a 30-30 I could retire right now

 

[another okie]

I've had trouble getting the 100 grain plinkers to seat and seal properly. If you have any tips I'd be glad to hear them.

 

[M.E.Eldridge]

Hello,
I've been looking to buy a rifle for coyote, mountain lion and deer hunting and was wondering if the 30-30 would be a good cartridge choice. Today while looking at a local K-mart I spied the Model 94 Ranger in 30-30 for $299.99 and was wondering a few things. First off, is the cartridge sufficient for the game I listed earlier? Is the price a good one? And finally, is the 94 an accurate,reliable rifle? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Fredd]

I've had trouble getting the 100 grain plinkers to seat and seal properly. If you have any tips I'd be glad to hear them.

I also have trouble seating my home made 100 grains but I have had better success with the jacketed hollow points. They still aren't overly accurate but they are better

 

[rbernie]

I can get pretty good accuracy out of the Sierra 125gr HP's, averaging five-shot groups of 2.5"-3" at 100 yards vs 1.5"-2" for the Sierra 150FP PH.

 

[Rupestris]

I can get pretty good accuracy out of the Sierra 125gr HP's, averaging five-shot groups of 2.5"-3" at 100 yards vs 1.5"-2" for the Sierra 150FP PH.

is that with open sights? or scope?

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Hello,
I've been looking to buy a rifle for coyote, mountain lion and deer hunting and was wondering if the 30-30 would be a good cartridge choice. Today while looking at a local K-mart I spied the Model 94 Ranger in 30-30 for $299.99 and was wondering a few things. First off, is the cartridge sufficient for the game I listed earlier? Is the price a good one? And finally, is the 94 an accurate,reliable rifle? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I'm not so sure about mountain lion, but you shouldn't have any trouble with coyotes, unless you're trying to pop them at 300 yards.

As to deer, there's only been about a bajillion deer killed with Winchester 30-30s, so that's a pretty safe one.

(Sure you don't want a Marlin, though? hehe)

 

[mustanger98]

I shoot a '94 .30-30 with 150gr SPs all the time. Yeah, it'll do for a deer. This matter of 100gr plinkers, though... I may have a better idea for squirrels... that assumes a #1Buckshot will be the right size for the .30-30 case mouth and .308 bore diameter. Load it over 7grs Unique as per the Alliant cast lead cowboy data, then adjust the charge weight from there for the best balance of power and accuracy. It may give problems feeding from the tube magazine, so it may have to be single loaded in a levergun, but the ball size won't be much different to the old .32caliber squirrel rifles.

 

[lawson]

If I had a dollar for every deer that has been killed with a 150 grain bullet out of a 30-30 I could retire right now

if i had a dollar for every deer I'VE taken with a 150 grain bullet out of a 30-30, i'd have six bucks

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

Hello,
I've been looking to buy a rifle for coyote, mountain lion and deer hunting and was wondering if the 30-30 would be a good cartridge choice. Today while looking at a local K-mart I spied the Model 94 Ranger in 30-30 for $299.99 and was wondering a few things. First off, is the cartridge sufficient for the game I listed earlier? Is the price a good one? And finally, is the 94 an accurate,reliable rifle? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

That depends on the ranges you will be shooting from. With standard 170 grain ammo, it is excellent on deer out to 200 yards. You shouldn't use 150s on deer. The 150s are fine for Coyotes. As for mountain lions, the 170s should be fine, especially since I assume you use dogs and tree the animal before you shoot it. At that range, that's plenty of power for a mountain lion.

By the way, there is a new crop of pointed ammo available for the 94 in .30-30. It can be pointed because its points are made of soft synthetics, so will not set off the primer due to recoil while in the mag. The benefit of this points is increased aerodynamics. Increased its effective range on deer from 200 to about 275 yards, due to increased retained velocity at that range. Just zero it for 200 yards, and your good to 275.

 

[mustanger98]

You shouldn't use 150s on deer.

Says who???

 

[ziadel]

I dont think the deer will notice the 20 grain difference

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

Says who???

Well, there is no advantage to it. Velocities drop off faster with the 150s, and you have less energy to start with. The .30-30 is about minimum powerwise for deer to start with, so why not use the hardest hitting weight? Just my opinion, though. Use the 150s if you want to.

 

[mustanger98]

ziadel:

I dont think the deer will notice the 20 grain difference

They won't. I always add, or intend to add, that bullet placement is everything with any caliber/loading.

Velocities drop off faster with the 150s, and you have less energy to start with.

I'll have to consult my Hornady 5th Edition manual for particulars, but I recall noticing the 150's are generally loaded to run faster and flatter than 170's to begin with. Lighter bullets being loaded over heavier powder charges than heavier bullets so as not to overpressurize the rifle.

That said, a lot of deer hunting is done much closer and more personal in brush where most of us probably couldn't tell the difference between 150's and 170's... or the difference between a .30-30 and some other newfangled wondercartridge.

As far as what's minimum powerwise, the state of Georgia changed the law so that if someone was idiot enough, they could hunt deer with a .25 auto pistol. I've also seen where one deer was shot locally here with one of those newfangled WSSM's... she got away with a flesh wound and made a full recovery. Looked to me like somebody was using the latest-greatest-superfast-wondercartrdges and didn't put near enough emphasis on being able to place their bullet. The point here is a well-placed 150gr .30-30 beats anything ill-placed. I'm sure nobody can really argue with that... well, somebody could, but... Dead Right There is Dead Right There to any of us who've seen it with our respective preferred ordnance.

 

[Lupinus]

I have a model '94 and I like it quite a bit. Never gone hunting with it as I have yet to have the chance to go deer hunting period but arguably more deer have been taken with 30-30 then anything else it is a classic and great one.

 

[rbernie]

I can get pretty good accuracy out of the Sierra 125gr HP's, averaging five-shot groups of 2.5"-3" at 100 yards vs 1.5"-2" for the Sierra 150FP PH.

is that with open sights? or scope?

This is with a 2x scout scope.

Velocities drop off faster with the 150s, and you have less energy to start with.

A 150gr starting out at 2400fps has 1918fpe; a 150gr starting out at 2300fos has 1762 fpe; a 170gr with 2100fps at the muzzle has 1665fpe. The trajectory for either will be largely the same out to 200 yards.

 

[Onmilo]

I always liked the 170 grain silvertip Winchesters when I was using a .30/30 for deer because they wouldn't leave as big an exit wound on a broadside shot.
I shot one deer from the backside and the bullet went all the way through and zipped out the chest just below the throat.

150s make a pretty big exit wound on the off side unless the deer is somewhere around moose in size.
They usually won't exit if you shoot the deer from the front or backside and they will kill Mr. Deer just as dead as the 170s.