WHAT ALL IS A 30-30 good for?

[Smoke]

It will kill everything, man or beast, in my part of the world.

Smoke

 

[GunAdmirer]

I have a Marlin 30AW .30-30 I wouldn't part with. I bought it barely used and replaced the factory sights with XS ghost ring sights. It is a sweet gun. I leave my higher dollar .270 w/scope at home most of the time now. The .30-30 is just too fun to carry and shoot. Almost unbeatable for a brush gun. It has a neat traditional western look to it. I've never had to kill a deer or feral hog at more than 50 yards so it almost always more than enough. I also like the fact that it could be used for personal defense. The rounds are cheap for rifle cartridges. Long live the .30-30!

 

[sm]

Down here in the South 30-30 ctgs are just everywhere.

They grow wild in the ditches, on the side of the road, liable to find them in snowcones, and ice cream cones. 30-30 ctgs will find their way into tool boxes, floorboards, truck beds, mailboxes - get a soda from a vending machine liable to get change back as either 150 gr or 170gr...

Since the Ctg will take of care any and everthing we need down here - We tote the Lever actions that shoot 'em.

I prefer the OLDER Model 94 as I was raised right...

...but we gotta argue about something down here when the gals are not wearing summer clothes so we can gawk at 'em and we have exhausted which truck is better agrument...

 

[Swamprabbit]

Just taking a slightly different path, the .30-30 in a bolt or single action gun is VERY accurate. My son took his first 3 deer using an old Savage bolt gun with some handloaded 110g bullet loads. Even this old rifle with an old K-4 Weaver would shoot just under 1 MOA at 100yds. I also know a fella who had a Browning low wall in .30-30 that he shot 600yds with. The loads were too hot for the bolt guns but the darn thing was very accurate.

 

[sturmruger]

A better question would be "what is it not good for?"

 

[Zeke/PA]

Years ago,an older friend was telling me that he had taken 4 shots with his Model 94, .30-30 during the previous hunting season.
Quote" I got a deer, a bear and an elk and shot once at a stump."
Respectfully, Zeke

 

[Rupestris]

A better question would be "what is it not good for?"

That would be the shortest thread in THR history.

WHAT ALL IS A 30-30 good for?

Its good for making you want another rifle chambered in it because you wife likes it so much that she now claims it as her own. :banghead:

 

[absolute0]

What's it good for?

Lookin' Cool......especially when you do a one hand twirling reloading stroke ala John Wayne in "Stage Coach"

 

[Matt G]

absolute0, that may be the case, but trust me that nothing looks dumber than spinning your thutty-thutty and dropping the durn thing on the ground and wondering how bad you clunked the sights, because you don't have that oversized loop that the Duke had on that little trapper carbine. (I tend to think of True Grit when I think of John Wayne spinning a lever action.)

 

[calzoom]

Ok Now Looky here. I don't want to hijack a thread but I noticed a lot of Winchester 94's being mentioned. What about the 45 colt Winchester 94 that any good for anything? My wife shoots it. I pack a short 12 ga myself.

 

[deciple-of-keith]

It's a funny thing .Here in Auz in the 1970s ,all that any boby talked about were .30-30s for pigs goats ex.Every man & his dog owned one yet these days you just don't see em around .Which is mores the pity cause its a damned fine lever cart. It seems my Old (rattelie 94 will digest any ammo I feed it ) . More so its a fun rifle to shoot .I'm probarly biased but give me a lever gun with a bit of authority rather than a handgun cal lever any day

 

[calzoom]

Hey Deciple: Didn't your Guv-ment go around a grab all the guns and crunch em? I don't know maybe you could fill us in on your gun program there since the big grab a few years back.

 

[deciple-of-keith]

Auz Gun Laws

CALZOOM . Yes our Gov has had two bites of the apple with us shooters .The first being the restriction of Semi auto Rifles and shotguns & Pump action shotguns .The ruling being .That only Primary Producers & Prof shooters may own ,Semi auto rifles /shotguns or pump shotguns The magizine cap will Be 10 shots for any centrefire or rimfire& 3 shots for shotguns or less!(I belive that club members may still hold semis or pump shotguns for club use only) The second Bite was the nasty one ! Handguns! No semi auto with a cap of more than 10 rds .38 being the largest cal .44-45cals allowed under the proviso that they are used for western action or metalic sil .No hundgun hunting is permited in AUZ but a primary producer may apply to carry a hand gun without club membership. To own a hand gun tou must be a member of a club & attend 4 shoots per year for each cal you own !I still have my two super black hawks in ..44 mag

 

[junke]

what arent they good for? 600 yds i guess but an excelent rifle/caliber none the less. i think "time in service" says alot.

 

[Rupestris]

3 shots for shotguns or less

I could probably get double what my Mossberg bolt action 12 gauge is worth here in the States.

 

[mike1966ga]

pretty much anything that walks, crawls, flys,or swims
if you have the nerve to get close enough

 

[cooch]

G'Day Gentlemen

I was recently asked advice regarding the use of a .30/30 for Sambar.
For those not familiar with them, they have a reputation for being very hard to put down quickly, and difficult to follow-up due to the density of vegetation in their preferred habitat.
Most authorities regard the .30/30 as "marginal" for these deer .... so my question for you is - given that the questioner has no other option - how may he reload so as to maximise his chances?
I notice that Winchester do not appear to consider their own loadings suitable for larger game. Are there flat-point projectiles of 180 grain or heavier with suitable construction? Would a 200 grain hard cast bullet work?
I'm aware that 200 grain projectiles are going to limit the powder spoace if loaded to feed through a Model94 or Marlin, but I've always believed that it's weight that makes deep holes, while velocity is useful for flattening trajectories.

Best Regards........ Peter

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I notice that Winchester do not appear to consider their own loadings suitable for larger game. Are there flat-point projectiles of 180 grain or heavier with suitable construction? Would a 200 grain hard cast bullet work?

The .30-30 has taken elk, moose and grizzley bear -- and more than a few of each. While not ideal, there are sourdoughs and subsistance hunters in Alaska who prefer it.

A cast bullet in .30-30 is not a good idea -- in larger calibers (say .45-70) it would be ideal, but the small .30 caliber isn't where cast bullets shine.

You could load a Nosler Partition Jacket for larger game. The Partition Jacket opens up rapidly, but in tough game, instead of self-destructing, the expansion stops at the partition, and the shank of the bullet (with trailing bits of jacket) penetrates deeply and makes a big hole.

 

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

My 30-30 makes a good backup to my .35 Remington.

 

[carnaby]

I just went to the range with my .30-30 Winchester. Here's the results at 100 yds



Not too bad for a rifle newbie. I plan to take it out hunting deer this fall. Should be fun for a first-time hunter, which I am.