Anybody shoot a 30/30 anymore?. I have a Marlin side eject with a Leupold 3x9. It sure isn't the most accurate thing in the world, but it's light packs a good punch and is fun to shoot. Also, has anybody done anything to make them more accurate?
Posts: 121 | Location: Prosser, WA | Registered: 12 December 2002
I load for a 30-30. I've found it to be an easy round to work with. My eyes need optics, and my M94 is pre angle-eject. B-Square makes a pistol scope mount that clamps over the barrel and magazine tube, and I've considered it for the purpose.
Once I have optics on board, I'll do some accuracy work with it.
I'm interested in cast bullets as well as jacketed.
I've got a M94 made in 1943 and a TC Carbine barrel (I did own a M336 Marlin but foolishly traded it for a M93 .38-55). Both shoot well enough. The cartridge won't set the world on fire but it is a solid performer.
My favorite load for the 170 gr. bullets is 30 gr. IMR 3031. That too is an unimaginative old standard but it works and works well moving these bullets at 2100-2200 fps out of my two guns.
I also shoot several of the cartridges based on this same case: 7-30 Waters, .30 Herrett, .38-55 Winchester. I like them all, I think that the basic case is pretty good and perhaps best of all it is very common and thus cheap to shoot. All of these are on the TC Contender platform.
If and when the new G2 frames are released we'll hopefully have an even better SS platform. Of course you can use pointed bullets in the SS guns (including the NEF and Savage 340 bolt gun) that you can't use in the lever guns.
I have had some problems in experimenting with that though because in my Contender barrel the "throat" is so short. While a load with the Hornady 150 gr. SP would do very well in the M94 (single loaded only, do NOT load through the magazine) it would not chamber in the TC. The bullet would run right into the rifling. However, this load shoots into 2" at 100 yards, hits 2400 fps has a point blank range of 200 yards and delivers over 1300 fpe at that range. This from the M94 Winchester with William FPRS!
Well placed (always a prerequisite) the .30-30 kills deer as well as anything out to at least 150 yards.
[ 12-17-2002, 17:22: Message edited by: Hobie ]
Posts: 2324 | Location: Staunton, VA | Registered: 05 September 2002
336R.C.1967, loooove it! For accurizing try the following; 1. Recrown, Marlins have borderline factory crowns.I use a 3/4"mandrel mounted stone in a variable speed drill, just lube the stone with lithium grease and slowly work the drill in a figure 8 motion. Don't apply pressure , just the weight of the drill.In about 5 mins. you'll have a beautiful, smooth,even and accurate crown. 2. Lap the chamber and barrel, either firelap or use Clover medium grit on a poly brush chucked in a variable drill, follow the rifling direction. 3. Remove all the bands and the forearm and look for wear marks. Sand down any high spots on the wood and reseal the grain. 4. When you go for grouping, rest the forearm at the rear, near the reciever.Also vary the tension on the barrel bands, 1 turn can make a big difference. 5. Cycle a few rounds through the action, in a safe location, then check the rounds for cuts on the brass and bullets. Any scratches that are bad enough to feel? Then you need to stone down the sharp edges,diamond hones and jeweler's files work great. 6. Find a load your rifle likes, the above rifle will group any factory 150 grn. load under 1.5" at 100 yds. Give it a 170grn. and you might as well look for the bullet in another zip code! 7. After 20 years, and who knows how many shots this rifle still amazes everyone that shoots it.
And this a gun that the previous owner said wouldn't hit the ground if you dropped it!
I shot with a win 94 30/30 for about 7 years. I was bored with it so I traded it on a .375 just the other week.
It killed pretty well, not spectacular but it did it's job. If I were to own another it would be a marlin not a winchester. I think Marlins are streaks ahead of win 94's
Posts: 7505 | Location: Australia | Registered: 22 May 2002
I just bought another one the first part of the summer. A win M94 c.1974. It has a Williams reciever sight on board. My eyes aren't the greatest (probably should go the eye doc) so I don't shoot it for groups at 100 other that yto check zero but at 50 it will stack the 125 gr Sierra's on top of each other. Sean
Posts: 537 | Location: Vermont | Registered: 04 March 2001
I shoot and load a lot of 30-30, I have 6 of them 4 levers and 2 Rem, 788s, bolts. I shoot a lot of cast bullets out of them and have had great luck with what ever has been on the other end of the rifle. I have 2 large sons(1 is 6'5", and the other is 6'6") and they really like to shoot up a couple of boxes of Dads ammo at a time. When you are a large as they are the dang 30-30 levers look like a kids BB gun in their hands but they sure do shoot well. A 30-30 is a lot more capable than most folks think, I wouldn't feel to under gunned in most situations with one.
Posts: 347 | Location: Ogden, Utah (Home of John M. Browning) | Registered: 08 September 2002
I shoot and hunt Mule deer with 2 old 94 SRC 30-30's and a 25-35 rifle almost every year...I shoot iron sights. I enjoy it, it takes me back to a time when those were the only calibers we had on our ranch and we managed to kill deer and elk with them every year, nothing much has changed since that time other than the elk, they have gotten a lot smarter.
I have not hunted elk in many years with either caliber, prefer the 338 these days, but I tuned them up with those mild calibered guns in my teenage youth. Never lost a head of game, that came later with bigger calibers. I never shot an elk over 100 yds with the winchesters..They killed well at that range and shot placement was easy.
Posts: 42314 | Location: Twin Falls, Idaho | Registered: 04 June 2000
Hunted with my marlin 336 30/30 this year for the first time in many years. I have owned and spent (wasted?) money on too many rifles, some custom, so decided to settle down for a bit. I promised myself to hunt with the rifle all the time this year and did. Despite 30 plus years of hunting, I really relearned how to hunt, especially still hunting. I was surprised how many deer I spooked at 50 yards or less and a few big ones at that. I put a four power scope on as my eyes need a little help. I was able to take two deer, one at 178 yards and the other at 160 yards, by my paces. Both dropped immediately and one took a finishing shot, but never got back up. I used 150 grain bullets. What I learned was: - that the cartridge and gun work great and are all I could ask for. - that I am now a better hunter than I was with longer range cartridges - that sometimes you have to pass up a shot and wait for a better day
Sometimes we have to go back to fo forward I guess.
Everyone should own at least one 30-30. Mine is a Savage 99 take-down, 1921 manufacture. It has accounted for a lot of deer, along with a few elk and moose over the years since it was new. Mine has never disappointed me, and it shoots very well.
Yeah i hunt the brush with one of 3 mod 94 win that i own nice light and will do everything i ask it to do if a person had to own only one deer rifle i would recommend the 30-30
Posts: 1026 | Location: UPSTATE NY | Registered: 08 December 2002
Gotta lump the .35 Rem in here on this thread. Just killed a sleek doe with my iron sighted .35 Marlin 336A. Made in '51. Couldn't believe it when she went down at the crack of the little .35....she was a good step on out there. Will have to pace it off tomorrow.
Have a 1980 Marlin 336T in 30-30. It's accurate, light, and handy. I could get by with it just fine around here.
Posts: 128 | Location: East Central NC, USA | Registered: 26 May 2002
A freinds son wanted some low recoil loads for his 30 30 he's only 13 so I loaded some 110gr rn at 2500. He shot one 150lb buck and a 120lb doe one shot each at about 80 yards they both went about 20 feet and died. A very fun load and hits into about 2 in at a 100.
Posts: 19839 | Location: wis | Registered: 21 April 2001
The two 30-30 NEF/H&R rifles I own are a pleasure tio hunt with. The older H&R is a very lightweight rig around 5 1/3 lbs. I have a 1.5-5x20mm Leupold on it. The other somewhat heavier NEF is topped with a 1-3x20mm Weaver and works well also. I load these with either 130 or 140 grain Barnes XBT's, and a healthy dose of W748. Velocity in the 2600fps range and 225 yds of range has done well. All this with a 22" barrel in a rifle that is 38"OAL. These rifles will group very well with these loads as well as the Hornady 130 gr. SSSP bullet.
A while back I bought a 30 wcf. M94 from an a local indian. When I first looked at it, h said that it was his fathers that was handed down to him. It was in nice shap and the price was good but I said I did not want to buy it if it were his father's. He said that if I didn't buy it h would sell it to some one else. So I did. I am glad I did. IT has a brass blade on the front site. For an old gun it is darn accurate. I keep it handy around the house on our ranch. It is great for 'dispatching things' I thought about using it for an entire fall and hunt everything(sheep,moose,caribou and bear) with it for that season.
I guess if you don't have a 12 gauge shotgun, a 30-30 would be OK. With the latest developments in saboted slugs, and some of the factory and aftermarket 12 gauge rifled barrels out there, I simply see no need for a 30-30. Most saboted slugs are plenty accurate and pack enough energy to do the job out to about 125 yards. Beyond that, might as well use my .30-06. A new rifled barrel for my 870 Express is cheaper than a used 30-30, if you buy right.
Sorry to differ, but I carry no nostalgic baggage for the old rifle......
Posts: 2206 | Location: USA | Registered: 31 August 2002
I have a cabinet full of rifles including three Model 94s of different types. I have recently started shooting them more and found they kill deer every bit as well as ever. Makes me wonder why I ever hunted deer with anything else. I tend to use 170 factory Silvertips or 170 cast handloads. Both work very well. My current favorite is an angle eject Black Shadow with 24 inch barrel and 3x Weaver in Leupold mounts. Light, handy, and deadly and shoots those Silvertips under two inches every time.
Posts: 400 | Location: Murfreesboro,TN,USA | Registered: 16 January 2002
ksduckhunter, There are two things that I think you haven't looked at with your post. I am not trying to prop up the 30-30, but looking at it this practically.
1.My wife and kids can shoot the 30-30 cartridge much more economically than the 12 guage. 12 guage saboted slugs are about $10.00 for 5. 30-30 shells are about $10.00 for 20. You could practise 4 times as much with the 30-30
2. The recoil is considerably less, which leads the wife and kids to shoot with more precision.
I am in agreement about the cost of a slug barrel vs the used rifle purchase.
quote:Originally posted by ksduckhunter: I guess if you don't have a 12 gauge shotgun, a 30-30 would be OK. With the latest developments in saboted slugs, and some of the factory and aftermarket 12 gauge rifled barrels out there, I simply see no need for a 30-30. Most saboted slugs are plenty accurate and pack enough energy to do the job out to about 125 yards. Beyond that, might as well use my .30-06. A new rifled barrel for my 870 Express is cheaper than a used 30-30, if you buy right.
Sorry to differ, but I carry no nostalgic baggage for the old rifle......
Well, for one the .30-30 kicks less. Why subject yourself to needless recoil when a lighter, handier rifle will do the job. Besides, .30-30 ammo is lots cheaper than slugs.
-M
Posts: 4869 | Location: Lakewood, CO | Registered: 07 February 2002
quote:Originally posted by TERRY8mm: 2. Lap the chamber and barrel, either firelap or use Clover medium grit on a poly brush chucked in a variable drill, follow the rifling direction...
Terry, Could you explain this a bit. I'm pretty sure I'm in complete disagreement with you on this concept, but I'd like to make sure of what you are saying before I say so.
Do you mean run the Clover across the Lands the length of the barrel with a drill?
By the way, the only "Non-Embedding" commercial polishing compound I'm aware of is "Garnet".
Posts: 9920 | Location: Carolinas, USA | Registered: 22 April 2001
quote:Originally posted by Chainsaw: ksduckhunter, There are two things that I think you haven't looked at with your post. I am not trying to prop up the 30-30, but looking at it this practically.
1.My wife and kids can shoot the 30-30 cartridge much more economically than the 12 guage. 12 guage saboted slugs are about $10.00 for 5. 30-30 shells are about $10.00 for 20. You could practise 4 times as much with the 30-30
2. The recoil is considerably less, which leads the wife and kids to shoot with more precision.
I am in agreement about the cost of a slug barrel vs the used rifle purchase.
Good points. I missed that. In fact, even though it doesn't sound like it, I was talking mostly about myself. The 30-30 may well be much more suitable than a 12 gauge slug gun for many others. I have such little use for either that I see no reason to spend more money on another rifle that I won't use much.
Posts: 2206 | Location: USA | Registered: 31 August 2002
Up here 3 shots is all you get with a shotgun. The rest of those big fat slugs fill up yer pockets pretty quick. Not that you should need more than one, but...
quote:Originally posted by John Y Cannuck: Up here 3 shots is all you get with a shotgun. The rest of those big fat slugs fill up yer pockets pretty quick. Not that you should need more than one, but...
Yes, and some states are like that. Kansas, where I live, isn't one of them. We don't have a magazine capacity limit for hunting rifles or shotguns, except the Federal 3 shot limit for hunting migratory birds.
Posts: 2206 | Location: USA | Registered: 31 August 2002
quote:Originally posted by Chainsaw: The two 30-30 NEF/H&R rifles I own are a pleasure tio hunt with. The older H&R is a very lightweight rig around 5 1/3 lbs. I have a 1.5-5x20mm Leupold on it. The other somewhat heavier NEF is topped with a 1-3x20mm Weaver and works well also. I load these with either 130 or 140 grain Barnes XBT's, and a healthy dose of W748. Velocity in the 2600fps range and 225 yds of range has done well. All this with a 22" barrel in a rifle that is 38"OAL. These rifles will group very well with these loads as well as the Hornady 130 gr. SSSP bullet.
Chainsaw:
Have you hunted with the Hornady 130s? I will be loading for a NEF pretty soon and want to know if the bullets will penetrate properly on a whitetail at the higher velocity, and don't want to go the cost of the x-bullets at present.
Posts: 323 | Location: Keithville, La. USA | Registered: 14 February 2002
W. Wilson, I have not used the 130 SSSP's for hunting. I load about 20 rounds of the 130 Barnes for hunting each year for one rifle and 20 of the 140's for the other rifle. I shoot about 10 of each and then hunt with whats left.
I can tell you they(the SSSP's) are accurate out of both rifles. I posted on the single shot pistol forum the same question and did get some replies about using them for hunting. I will look up the thread and either send it to you or post it here. Maybe that will help. If you would want my load data, for all the rounds I have worked up, just let me know. ---------Chainsaw
Thanks. I have taken a big doe with my Contender with the 135 Speer SSP. Not exactly meaning to I shot her through both shoulders and created a hell of a lot of damage for such a low velocity number. She dropped on the spot, naturally. Just wanted to see if I would get more of those. A friend just bought a stainless finish NEF and I suggested lighter pointed bullets at higher velocity for a genuine 200 yard rifle and he was intrigued.
Posts: 323 | Location: Keithville, La. USA | Registered: 14 February 2002
W. My two rifles with 130-140 grain loads each develop way different velocity I believe simply because of the barrels. The same load in the H&R will be some 200 FPS slower than in the NEF.
I have 3 grains more of the same powder in the loads for the H&R than the NEF with no signs of pressure. These rifles are both set up for 225 yds. and shoot MOA with the factory triggers. I am going to try and set one up for shooting the 110 grain Speer Spitzer for some plinking work also.
A stainless finish in an NEF, I would like to see that. Was it custom finished that way?
Anyway, keep in touch and let me know how it is going with load development. Not many shoot the 30-30 Single with light bullets.
A female co-worker of mine took two does this year with an iron sighted Model 94. I promised her I'd brag about her here at AR. Her comment was: "Who needs a scope?"
I hunt with a 30-30 WCF, and used one to take my first brush country mule deer at age 13. That deer was the longest shot I've ever taken on a muley, too--125 yards.
Over the intervening 34 years since that deer, there have been others taken--and every one of them could have been taken with the 30-30. Two were with handguns, the others with bolt rifles--308 and 30-06. But the 30-30 could have done the job just as well.
Using the 150 or 170 grain bullets, shots on deer should probably stop at about 150 yards. My current 30-30, a pre-angle eject/safety post-64 Win 94, is good for about 2 MOA with most 170 grain bullets, and runs them at 2150 FPS easily. Not spectacular in these days of short magnums and beanfield rifles, but in my area a 400 yard shot means a 2-day drag-out in warm weather--no venison, in other words.
There is a LOT more to a hunt than just the tool's ballistics. THIS is why the 30-30 WCF remains popular in the game fields.
Deputy Al
Posts: 299 | Location: Yucaipa CA | Registered: 21 December 2002
I currently have two 30-30's (Marlin 1936's). Both kill with the best of 'em. Except for the 22LR and maybe the 30-06, I think the ammo makers still sell more of this than anything else.
Posts: 9487 | Location: Texas Hill Country | Registered: 11 January 2002
quote:Originally posted by Chainsaw: W. My two rifles with 130-140 grain loads each develop way different velocity I believe simply because of the barrels. The same load in the H&R will be some 200 FPS slower than in the NEF.
I have 3 grains more of the same powder in the loads for the H&R than the NEF with no signs of pressure. These rifles are both set up for 225 yds. and shoot MOA with the factory triggers. I am going to try and set one up for shooting the 110 grain Speer Spitzer for some plinking work also.
A stainless finish in an NEF, I would like to see that. Was it custom finished that way?
Anyway, keep in touch and let me know how it is going with load development. Not many shoot the 30-30 Single with light bullets.
I haven't seen the rifle yet--he got it with a 20 ga. barrel, but both barrels and the receiver are a satin or stainless finish of some sort, he guarantees-he don't know and the dealer didn't say if the finish was factory. I will let you know what it will do with the 135 Speers if it will group; he might splurge for the x's.
Posts: 323 | Location: Keithville, La. USA | Registered: 14 February 2002
HOT CORE, You're correct, I didn't word that properly. I use the drill set up on the chamber only. I don't let the drill just spin in the chamber I use the brush on a coated cleaning rod for the barrel, and just let it twist with the rifling. I know some don't agree with that , but I've had good luck with it. Some Marlins just rip patches when new, so I just want to take off the sharp edges and clean the barreel thoroughly with a mixture of mineral spirits and denatured alcohol to remove the residue. If it still grabs the patches I'll repeat again. I know that after this treatment I get above average accuracy and very little copper fouling thereafter. Yes any lapping or honing is removing metal, but every trigger polishing or fire lapping is just duplicating the effects of use on the affected part. I think if you wanted to shoot a case or so of ammo over the course of a weekend, you would achieve the same results. My great grandfather was a gunsmith, his specialty was .32 and.36 cal small game percussion guns. My grand father said that after he cut a barrel to the desired length, he would use a swab like we do now to pull soapy water thru the bore like a pump, only he used a mixture of sand and water to "smooth" the rifling, of the factory rifled barrel stock he used.
Posts: 260 | Location: ky. | Registered: 29 May 2002
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Too small for my neck of the woods.
