The anti-AR/AK - single shot rifles

[CraigC]

Very true. But .30-30 does not really lend itself to target rifles; its forte is reliably delivering a deer-appropriate bullet out to a couple hundred yards from a lightweight, compact, easy-to-carry rifle, which has made it a deer rifle par excellence.

But the low drag coefficient of the relatively short, blunt-nosed bullets makes it suboptimal for 300+ yard paper punching due to drag and wind drift, hence the rarity of target rifles in that caliber. .223/5.56mm has acquitted itself fairly well in 600-yard target competition even against such stalwarts as .308 Winchester and .30-06, although it is outclassed in that role by the heavier-bullet 6-7mm target calibers (.223 doesn’t have a lot of horsepower to work with, and OAL is too short for the highest-BC .224 bullets).

But in those guns you can use spitzers, as they tend to do in Contenders. It just doesn't have the powder capacity to compete with the .308 or .30-06.

 

[benEzra]

But in those guns you can use spitzers, as they tend to do in Contenders. It just doesn't have the powder capacity to compete with the .308 or .30-06.

Good point! I wonder how much velocity you could get out of a .30-30 loaded with a 168gr SMK at a standard .30-30 OAL. (Just keep it far away from tube magazines!)

Although for a Contender or similar, you might could exceed the OAL a little as long as the ogive is not too far forward?

 

[entropy]

Better yet, seated to the lands.

 

[CraigC]

Good point! I wonder how much velocity you could get out of a .30-30 loaded with a 168gr SMK at a standard .30-30 OAL. (Just keep it far away from tube magazines!)

I don't know but the 125gr ballistic tip was always popular for the Contender. Sort of how the lighter bullets are also used in the Blk/Whisper as game bullets. I haven't gotten a .30cal barrel for mine yet but the .30-30AI or .309JDJ is very tempting. Unlike the 6.5 that I do have, the .309 has a more common parent case, the .444Marlin. Always sounded like something interesting to play with.