Ok gentlemen, I know I'm behind the times by 15 years or more, but I finally got a Super 14 Hunter Contender barrel in 30-30 (and I'm not having it reamed for AI).

I'm leaning toward using 150gr bullets. Which poly-tip is recommended for WT-Mule deer: Nosler B-Tip or Hornady SST? Acutal experience please.

Good going Blackhawk1.

Of all the single shot handgun barrels I have I think the 30-30 is the best or most versital. Of course thats just my opinion but I do have a lot of expiriance with them.

The funny thing is as much as I like the 30-30 and of all my contender barrels I don't curently have one. I traded mine for a buddys .223 barrel back when I had my E.A. Brown 30-30 falling block pistol build so it made no since to keep it in the contender.

I'm with you although the AI would up the performance I prefer to keep with the standard 30-30. Why go to the bother and expence of the dies,chambering, case forming etc and then give up the option of just useing factory loads in a pinch if that ever came up. I know you can shoot the AI in the standared chamber and you would have to for fire forming but not for hunting.

Yes the 150gr and poly tip bullets are the ticket for me also. I have tried 165gr ballistic tips and they worked well but the 150 s worked beter for my use.

Since I hunt deer size game and down with this pistol I like the 150 gr ballistic tips for big game. Actully I did shoot a caribou cow with good results once but a cow isn't that much bigger than a big whitetail buck. When I load the 150 ballistic tips I also load a number of the cases with 150 gr Hornady FMJ's for use on fur. They will shoot to the same P.O.I. but no tear up the fur.

I have shot my biggest whitetail buck with the 14" 30-30 as well as Caribou and furbearers which seem to always present themselves to me on my hunts.

whoops - I meant to say you can shoot the standard round in an AI chamber not the other way around.

Hey BH1, I love the 14" Super 30-30 barrel for deer. I shoot the Nosler 125 BT in front of 35.5 gr of IMR 4064. My Contender will group this in a nickle size group for 5 shots at 100yds.

Usually get meat for the freezer with this combo. Most years I take 3 or 4 does out to 200 yds. They usually run around semi-circle for about 15 yds and stop then tumble. Shoot a deer with my 300 RUM the same way and it will run as hard as it can for 60-80 yds crashing in flight. Usually get a full pass through unless I catch some shoulder. Good Luck and God Bless, Louis

My hunting partner and I have shot dozens of Kodiak Island blacktails with the 150 Nosler BTip in our .300 Savage Contenders. The MV of the .300 is probably 150 fps ahead of the .30-30 but we have had nothing but perfect performance from the BTips. Always good expansion and almost always full penetration, even at over 250 yards. I use the 125 BTips in my 10" .30 Herrett but I believe it to be a bit soft for deep penetration when launched faster.



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My 14" factory bbl prefers the 150 BT's and the 150 Sierra gamekings. I seat them just a few thousanths off the lands.

I have a 13" AI version that absolutely loves 125 grain NBTs. They are very accurate and perform very well on game at the velocity that little barrel produces. I've only recovered one from a hog in Texas - all others have been clean pass throughs on antelope and deer sized game out to 150 yards.

Lol...DesertRam took the words outta my mouth! That's the combination I used quite often back in Kodiak for blacktail. Not exactly the most gigantic of deer however the combination proved quite wonderful. I put a 1-3 power scope on mine and it shoots like a dream. Mine especially likes those 125 grain Sierra hollowpoints...although I have my reservations as to they'd probably open too fast for a deer. Although...there's no better evidence than actually going out and testing.

So Slowpoke Slim

What powder(s) are you stuffing behind that Nolser 150 BT?

Have you plugged anything other than targets with either of those bullets yet.

I have a couple of boxes (100 count so they are old and likely of the soft jacket variety) that I plan to run through my straight 30-30 and AI if I ever get around to sending a 30 Herrett off to be rechambered.

Louis,

I loaded those with Win 748, mostly because I had some laying around I wasn't using for anything else and I wanted to try it in the 30-30.

I loaded up a batch for javelina hunting here in AZ, but so far I haven't been able to draw a tag (handgun-archery-muzzleloader HAM season), so they just sit...

Thanks for the replies concerning 150gr bullets. Now for another question; how does a 180gr cup & core RN perform out of a 14" barrel at close ranges (under 100 yards)?

BH1,

Send me your e-mail address by PM and i can send you a good article on loads and bullets for the 30-30 super14. My best luck has been with the hornady SSP on deer sized game but i keep my shots to 125 or less.

I've never used a bullet as heavy as 180 gr. but I did shoot a deer with a 165 gr. NBT and I was'nt happy with it comparred to the 150 gr.NBT.

I shoot a Contender in 30 Herret and have been using the 130 Gr. Single Shot Pistol bullet from Hornady. Has worked great for whitetails. You might want to give this bullet a try in your 30/30. Higher velocity and less recoil than a 150 Gr. bullet.