I bought this Win. 94 in 1986 NIB.I had never thought about developing a load for it until last week. All these years I had thought, "it's only a .30-30". So all I did was take a recipe from the manual with components I had on hand and loaded them up.

I never shot this gun off the bench,strictly off-hand plinking for deer hunting practice. Missed more targets than I hit.(However, I never lost a deer that I shot with this rifle. A few tracking adventures, but we always got 'em). So last week,a buddy and I were plinking with all manner of projectile pushers. .45's .357's .22-250's .308's You get the idea. Anyway,out come the .30-30's. I load for this particular friend as he owns the land we deer hunt on. He says he wished that the .30-30's shot as well as the other rifles we own. It was then that I had a "moment of clarity". I realized that it's not "just a .30-30", but a high-powered center fire rifle worthy of the respect of any other rifle.

Worked up a load in my gun,and wow,it never shot this consistant.A little over 1.5" at 50 yds. with iron sights and 53 year old eyes,off the bench.(O.K. the bench definitly helped).My cheek weld was lower than I am used to as I had only shot scoped rifles off the bench. Felt like I was getting punched in the cheek. That inch and a half that the scope sits above the bore line makes a big difference in felt recoil in the face. However, I am extremely pleased with the results.

As a sidenote,I shoot high-power steel sillouette.After the matches,we put a steel chicken out at the 500 meter line,and anyone who wants in pays a dollar. Winner take all, 1 shooter at a time,1 shot at a time. You hit the chicken,you get the cash. Just for fun, I tried it with my .30-30, 500 meters at a target the size of a basketball!

I didn't get the cash, but once I found my aim point,(6 feet left, 12-15 feet high)I was making the others think that hitting the chicken was entirely possible with iron sights. Lots of "ooh's and awww's", that I was as close (or as far) as the scoped guns, we're talking missing by inches here, and some good natured ribbing and encouragment.The other guys thought it to be pretty cool that anyone would even try this game with a .30-30!

With my new loads, I expect to give 'em a run for the cash next match

The 100 and 130 grain ESP Raptors sans tips would be the cats meow if you like lethality and accuracy.

you think thats good go to marlin owners forum and watch video of a guy called wind hit dingers out to 800 plus yards with a 38-55 pushing lead projectiles to 1,500fps its truly amazing, show your buddies

Most Marlin 336, 30-30's are capable of shooting 1" at 100 yds. if the handloader and shooter do their part. Some other brands are probably pretty good too.

I still love the 30-30 and its served me to perfection in far West Texas mountains to bush deer in central Texas and the mountains of Idaho behind my house..Same for the 25-35..Keep shots to 200 yards and you don't need more gun.

How do mine shoot? Off the bench with iron sights at 100 yards the 30-30 SRC shoots one inch every time...The 25-35 shoots 2.5 to 3 inches..Thats good enough for Government work.

As to killing power, well the 30-06 is a 30-30 at 300 yards and I don't see anyone complaining.
The 25-35 is a tad light, and one needs to be carefull and be sure of shot placement, but again the 25-06 is a 25-35 at 300 yards or so.

Its all about shot placement and proper bullets.

I've shot a few deer with a marlin 336 pushing the 170 gr. Speer bullet. Two of those deer were shot at about 140 (known) & 170 (est.) yards.

On those two shots, I wonder how much expansion happened with these bullets. I didn't do much of a post-mordem on either deer; the one hit at 140 yards dropped at the shot and was dead by the time I walked up to it. The other one...well, I'll just take the 5th.

On the other hand, one of my best shots was on a running doe at about 30 yards, with the 25-35. Shooting a 117 gr. bullet at maybe 2100 fps. Dime-size hole in; Nickle size hole out, deer pushing snow with its nose in a dead skid .

I guess what I'm saying is Ray's experience, too: inside 100 yards, there's no deer walking that can't be killed with the 25-35, and I'd bet no elk inside 150 yards with the 30-30.

friar

You know, when Winchester was running ads featuring Vice President Roosevelt touting the flat-shooting new .30-30, all the serious hunters in the United States thought it was a death ray. It still is, within its natural limits.

For whitetail deer, the 30-30 is all the average hunter needs. Most shouldn't be shooting beyond 200 yds and the 30-30 will kill any whitetail on earth at that distance.

i enjoy my 30-30's... the problem i see is at wallyworld you can get a plastic stocked 30-06 / 270 w/ a scope for less money. and young beginners will go that route; they don't mind recoil...
i'll enjoy my 336, & its recoil.

The 30-30 has been around so many years and the factories have made so many changes in the bullets that every brand of 150 or 170 gr. 30-30 bullets have met with perfection and they all expand perfectly in almost all conditions within reason out to 300 plus yards in my experience, same for the 25-35 and 250 Savage. Maybe some others, but not many have been tested as extensively by the factories.

I have a 336 in a 30-30. I got it from my Grandma several years ago. She bought it for her father to use deer hunting. She told me that he would not use it because it was not a Winchester. SO when I got it it was basally new. I found a very old weaver k4 scope and I mounted a old set of weaver bases and rings. I wanted to dress it like it would have been in the 1950's when she bought it. With Sierra 150 gr this rifle shoots amazing. The second picture is my son with the first deer the 336 ever killed. Ron

What I am going to tell you guys is going to sound insane, and I am sure some absolutely will
not believe what I am going to tell you.

I love a 30/30, especially the little 16 inch guns! Talk about handy and easy to handle. However, I confess, I have NEVER been to the field with one. There has always been something else that took priority in my field studies. I probably have at least 1/2 dozen or more, Winchesters laying about.

Back some time ago I did some test work with Cutting Edge Bullets new 100 gr ESP Raptor. While you think in conventional terms that 100 grs is not much, however I can and will place a bet with any of you that this 100 gr bullet will without any doubt out perform any weight conventional out of the 30/30. I have seen many of these bullets work in the field. Recently I sent a buddy of mine to Zimbabwe with the same 100 gr bullet loaded in his 30/06 which he shot several animals impala and baboon with incredible success. But, neither here nor there, lets talk 30/30.

Testing this bullet here I used 308 and 30/30. Tipped in 308 and no tip in 30/30. I used a 16 inch barrel Winchester M94 Lawman, one of the com guns from the 70s I believe. My favorite little 30/30. I mounted a forward scope on it for the test work, accuracy and terminals to be more precise. Now I never measured pressures with these loads, so I cannot attest to exact pressures, but using H-4198 I managed to get to 3013 fps in a 16 inch 30/30. It was starting to get ever so slightly sticky, so I backed down a grain for a dead steady 2952 fps, and zero issues, in that particular rifle. I have not had time to test in a longer barrel, or any other of my lever guns, but at 2950 fps in a 16 inch tube, that is smoking for the old 30/30. Even if one had to back down further you would still be at 2800-2850 fps and be absolutely safe. Still a tremendous improvement in performance over the old standards.

Respect? I think so, combined with this bullet (bullet does all the work) then in my opinion it turns the 30/30 into a completely different animal. 30/30 devotes should take a look at this bullet.

Michael

quote:

Originally posted by friarmeier:
I've shot a few deer with a marlin 336 pushing the 170 gr. Speer bullet. Two of those deer were shot at about 140 (known) & 170 (est.) yards.

On those two shots, I wonder how much expansion happened with these bullets. I didn't do much of a post-mordem on either deer; the one hit at 140 yards dropped at the shot and was dead by the time I walked up to it. The other one...well, I'll just take the 5th.

On the other hand, one of my best shots was on a running doe at about 30 yards, with the 25-35. Shooting a 117 gr. bullet at maybe 2100 fps. Dime-size hole in; Nickle size hole out, deer pushing snow with its nose in a dead skid .

I guess what I'm saying is Ray's experience, too: inside 100 yards, there's no deer walking that can't be killed with the 25-35, and I'd bet no elk inside 150 yards with the 30-30.

friar

I too had questionable expansion on deer with the Speer 170 FN at 2100 FPS a number of years ago. I don't know if Speer has since changed the construction of this bullet.

A 30-30 loaded with a healthy charge of W748 and 170 grain Nosler Partitions will handle 90% of all hunting excepts perhaps for the big bears. Mine will shoot a 2" 5 shot group with iron sights at 100 yards and has never let me down. Often underestimated for more "fancy" cartridges.

A subject that you never hear about with Win. mod 94 and marlin 336s is the 30-30 round is basically a very accurate round and if your 30-30 isn't shooting real well then glass bed the butt and forend, and you will be elated..most will shoot with a bolt gun so tweaked, but you seldom hear of such a thing.