I have purchased a new marlin 336 in 30/30 that I will use for hunting this year. I know this action can handle hotter loads than the manuals suggest. I am not looking to turn this into anything it isn't, but does anyone have any recipes for either 125/130 grain bullets or 150 grain bullets that better the factory stuff. The rifle will be used for whitetails at 175 yds. or less. Thanks in advance for the help.

You may have your rifle mixed up with Marlin's 1895 in 45-70, but neither is safe with hotter loads than the manuals show. The 1895 can take heavier loads than the factory standard, but nearly every manual has safe loads for it.

You might beat 30-30 factory velocities, but not by much. To see what the 30-30 really can do, read articles by Paco Kelly at sixgunner.com, especially the ones on the Back Issues page.

Hope this helps, Okie John.

Marcus,

The only reloads for the 30-30 that I seen the do faster than loads offered by the factory, by any significant amount, are those using a max load (or near max) load of Alliant's RL 15. For 150 gr and 170 gr bullets, the powder can give 100-150 fps faster muzzle velocities than anything commercially offered, and also compared to the usual powders listed as "go-to" propellants for this round (ie, IMR 3031, W-748, etc).

This off the Alliant website for 30-30 loads, and as my personal experience loading the powder.

My 170 gr bullet load clocks in ~2100-2150 fps MV from my 20" barrel (factory loads come in ~1950 fps, [max]for the same barrel length).

Preliminary developing on my 150 gr bullets shows promise. I don't have any velocity figures yet, but the groups shot with RL 15 are ~3" higher than those I've gotten from factory loads or loads using other powders (same aimpoint and distance to target used), so I know it'll show an MV comparable to the figure posted by Alliant for that bullet weight. Early bullet groups are ~3/4" for 50 yds testing, open sights. Nothing spectacular, but a definite improvement over groups using factory loads at that distance.

Using these loads is not going to turn my 30-30 into a .308 WCF or a 30-06, but it will give me an extra 50 yds of workable reach, just in case my estimation of 100 yds turns out to be really 130-150 yds...which is right about my limit for using open sights right now.

Most of the good powder/component combos get the reloader to equal or slightly better the MV performance of factory rounds. The goal is better accuracy over that which you can get with the $8.00 per box Big Green stuff at the local sporting goods store...

TXLoader

[ 10-24-2002, 21:37: Message edited by: TXLoader ]

How do you know that action is stronger than what the manuals suggest? And no matter what you do, the .30-30 is NOT a 175-yard cartridge.

I have overloaded alot of calibers just to see what would happen.
If nothing bad happens, I back off a safety margin and get a hotter load that max book as a reward.
If the gun is damaged, I am out parts, or the whole gun.
Not getting hurt and not hurting others takes planning and experience.
I started out with long trigger strings.

I can tell you about the internet, there are 10 posters that will pee on your parade for everyone that will encourage you. And actual data, to save you time and guns, is very rare.

I have overloaded:
.243

25acp
257 Roberts AI

32acp
32sw
32Long
7.62x25mm

7.72x54R

8x57mm

9x19mm
9x23mm
357 Sig
38 sp
357 mag
38sw

40sw
10mm

11mm
44 mag

45acp tight
45acp
45Colt
.410

45/70

One thing you could do is overload an NEF Handi rifle in 30-30. I would overload that till the brass flows like water. There might not be much velocity left.

I use a 150gr Speer with 35grs of H-335, it's so accurate you won't believe me so I won't tell you my group size's.

The 30-30 not a 175 yd round? I don't know about anyone else, but I won't stand 275 yds in front of a 30-30 and allow someone to shoot at me.

Just did some quick ballistics on the 30-30 150 gr load, using a MV of ~2200...doable using RL 15 recipes...with the deer at the following ranges:

150 yds....~1740 fps terminal velocity...~1000 fpe terminal energy, 3.3" low from aimpoint

175 yds....~1670 fps terminal velocity, ~925 fpe terminal energy, and 5.9" low from aimpoint

200 yds....~1600 fps terminal velocity, ~850 fpe terminal energy, and 9.4" low from aimpoint

Actual ballistics would differ when specific velocities and ballistic coefficients are used, rather than the 2200 fps and 0.250 BC used here just to get numbers.

While the fpe is lower than the desired 1000 fpe threshhold, a 150 gr bullet with at least 750 fpe energy delivered to the heart/lung area will result in one dead deer (Deer are rather fragile builds). Even with open sights, aiming at the top of a deer's back at 200 yds will put the bullet into the lungs/heart area.

Dropping the velocity to 2100 fps (typical 150 gr factory load velocity), and using Speer's 150 gr FN (bc = 0.268)as a reload, the numbers become:

150 yds....~1681 fps terminal velocity...~941 fpe terminal energy, 3.5" low from aimpoint

175 yds....~1618 fps terminal velocity, ~872 fpe terminal energy, and 6.4" low from aimpoint

200 yds....~1556 fps terminal velocity, ~807 fpe terminal energy, and 10.2" low from aimpoint

While I won't recommend doing deer at 200 yds with the 30-30, the ballistics do say it is not within the realm of impossibility, even with factory stuff. While 175 yds is long range for the venerable round, I suspect the actual shooting range for the originator of this thread will be more around 100 yds when all is said and done...which is well within the reach of the 30-30.

My only other points would be...come up with a good accurate load for your 30-30, practice quite a bit with it (ie, ~500 rounds) at your max range (this case, 175 yds), and when you can keep 9/10 shots on an 8" pie tin at that range - then you're good enough use the 30-30 at that distance. By then, you'll also know much more about the actual ballistics (not just paper) of what you're shooting.

Get a good range finder and hope you don't need to shoot out that far. Call'em in a bit closer, or stalk up to a closer point - maximize your chances the deer goes down.

In spite of my ballistics posting above, the 30-30's low velocity does introduce more room for error and missed/wounded deer beyond 150 yds, if the hunter isn't familiar with everything about his rifle and bullet performance. The average hunter's shooting proficiency these days makes the 30-30 a good 100 yd and under round. In the hands of good hunter/shot...150-175 yds is doable, but the good hunter will close the distance...

It's one thing to shoot such a distance with confidence in the rifle and round being able to do the job at that range...it's quite another to just load and go, try to compensate, get lucky once, and think you can do it all the time.

Just a few additional thoughts.

TXLoader

I have a 336-A [Old Model] Marlin 30-30 with a 24" barrel. I shoot the 150 grain bullet with 32 grains of 3031. [please start a couple of grains lower and work up] That graphs 2470 out of my rifle. I have an old K3 weaver on this rifle and it will put 5 rounds into about 1" at 100 meters. I would have NO qualms about taking a 200 meter shot at a deer with this combination. I have shot it many times at the range at 200 M. and it consistently groups under 2.5 inches. Now the longest shot I have ever taken with it so far is about 160 meters, but the bullet hit within an inch of where I expected it to and the deer went about 15 meters and folded up. Found the nicely expanded slug under the skin on the opposite side of the deer, still weighed 138 grains. There are better rounds to shoot deer at 200 with but the 30-30 will do the job, I'm sure. Regards, Eagleye.

I have been using a 30-30, off and on, for 30 years. And, have not fired a factory round for the past 10. I use pointed bullets and IMR4064 in my Savage bolt action. I also load Hornady 150g RN and 34.5g of H335 for a friend's Winchester 94. The 30-30 is a very good round inside 150 yards, and that is where 90% of whitetails are shot. I have used 125 and 130g rounds, prefering the 150's.