One more positive reason to keep your 30-30s

[J Miller]

As factory ammo and hand loading components skyrocket in price, and many cartridges are becoming very hard to find, the grand old 30-30 is becoming more and more the (my) cartridge of choice.
Primers are a wash, but the jacketed bullets are still less expensive than many other rifle bullets. And since it uses less powder than many other center fire "hunting" rounds it becomes a rather attractive proposition.

Switch to cast bullets and some of the faster powders such as Unique and it becomes down right cheap to shoot.

Ahhhh, one gun for most things. Simplicity at it's best.
I need at least one more 30-30. I want a rifle with a 26" full octagon barrel. That should do it. Yeah right.

Joe

Didja notice I didn't say anything about Marlin vs Winchester?
That was deliberate, cos the 30-30 comes in all forms and flavors. Lever guns, bolt guns, pumps, single shots, something for every one.

[Old Savage]

Here! Here! Or, Hear, Hear according to the OED.

[2X22]

I guess I've been shootin' on the cheap before I even knew it!

Been shooting a 311041 for years (amongst others) and 9-10 grain of Unique for decades. Paper didn't seem to mind cast and neither did the deer and grouse. And when a feller can get 700+ loadings from a 1lb can of powder, price really isn't considered a problem.

The 30-30 really is a riflemans dream.

2x22

[pdawg.shooter]

If you cast your own and paper patch you can load to full pressure and velocity and give up nothing over jacketed loads.

[O.S.O.K.]

The 30-30's finally come into its own?

[Griff]

I only pity those folks for whom the grand ol' .30WCF went out of favor and now find themselves in the odd predicament of having to re-aquire arms and accoutrements in order to join in the fun.

[Dave]

The 30-30 is an almost magical round. It will kill almost anything in N. America out to 200 yards, doesn't kick that much, and can be found at any store that carries ammo. I understand trophy hunters who pay big money for guided hunts do not want to have to pass up a long shot so they want a flatter shooting rifle, but a lot people don't have the trigger time to shoot past 200 yards ethically on game anyway. In my area you can never see 200 yards anyway except in a manmade field. Why carry a 7 mag to shoot deer at 75 yards?

Combine that with the fact that most 30-30's are 3 feet long and weigh 6 pounds and things get even better. Maybe I have been lucky over the years but I have yet to get my hands on a Marlin 336 or Winchester 94 that would not shoot sub 2" groups at 100 yards. Many of them are close to being inch rifles.

I guess it would be hard to win the Olympics with most 30-30's but if you are in the woods carrying your rifle and pack, in and out of the truck, boat, tree stand, blind, scrambling ditches, dragging deer, and all the things you do a short, light rifle that will kill anything makes a whole lot of sense.

The latest 30-30 I bought is a single shot H&R and it shoots quarter size groups at 50 yards with the iron sights on it so with a scope it will probably shoot that at 100. Even if it shoots golf ball size groups at 100 that is totally usable.

Just goes to show how good the 30-30 round is and how you can get a hunting rifle for a buck and a quarter even with all the high prices for guns you see nowadays.

[AJMD429]

Ahhhh, one gun for most things. Simplicity at it's best.
I need at least one more 30-30. I want a rifle with a 26" full octagon barrel. That should do it. Yeah right.

There's always "just one more" to get, isn't there...

I'm down to about 48 hours after a new gun joins the herd, before I start thinking about what the next "last gun I really need to get" will be.

At least I'm to the point where I CAN actually bear to part with one to get another; in fact several of the ones I've gotten over the past five years have required me to trade off two or three 'not quite what I needed' guns to get one 'what I really should have gotten/kept in the first place' gun.

So, in the process of 'thinning' the herd, I'm getting back to the 'basics' - fewer guns, but ones with more practical usefulness. For me, the pistol-caliber rifles have been useful; much of what you say about the .30-30 Win is true of a .357 Mag, for instance, and you have ammo useable in a sixgun as well.

Still it is pretty COOL to think that the 'venerable old thutty-thutty' truly IS one of our greatest CONTEMPORARY rifles. Not much it can't do well enough to get by.

[piller]

Yep, a good caliber. Despite what the folks in the gun magazines seem to think, it is still effective for anything native to North America. Low recoil, accurate, inexpensive to shoot compared with other calibers, what more could one ask?

[Lefty Dude]

Keep your eye's open at garage & Yard sales.

I recently picked up two boxes of factory loads. One Winchester 170 gr. Silver tips the other Remington 150 gr. core-lok power points.

Total for both, $10.00

Yep; Owning a 30-30 says it all.

[Old Ironsights]

I'm not buying a .30-30 because I have one just waiting to be inherited - so, for now I'm still trying to get a decent non-bolt, non-gas pointy bullet gun that uses MilSurp ammo...

[w30wcf]

Joe,
Amen! Easy to load, plenty of cast bullet designs available from 45 gr. to 220 gr.....plinking Fun to big game hunting, etc., etc., etc.........
It just may be the most versitle cartridge ever created.....

w30wcf

[2ndovc]

I've had about a dozen .30-30s over the years, Marlin and Winchester. There's a couple I really regret selling.

The one i have now is the best of the bunch. A 20's vintage Savage 99H in .30-30. Beat up and worked over but one of the best ( and most fun) shooters I've ever had.


jb

[KSRtrd]

Signs of my times, seems the only powders I'm grabbing is 3031 and unique, lead bullets and 30 WCF brass. I like the short rifle they fit in tight places and I won't get bent if they ge a bruise here or there. What isn't there to dislike about em. Guess the tactical thing dosen't do it for myself.....

[2X22]

Signs of my times, seems the only powders I'm grabbing is 3031 and unique, lead bullets and 30 WCF brass.

Truly a man after my own heart! My two absolute favorite powders in the whole wide world

2x22

[Tristan]

The 30-30 is an almost magical round. It will kill almost anything in N. America out to 200 yards, doesn't kick that much, and can be found at any store that carries ammo. I understand trophy hunters who pay big money for guided hunts do not want to have to pass up a long shot so they want a flatter shooting rifle, but a lot people don't have the trigger time to shoot past 200 yards ethically on game anyway. In my area you can never see 200 yards anyway except in a manmade field. Why carry a 7 mag to shoot deer at 75 yards?

Combine that with the fact that most 30-30's are 3 feet long and weigh 6 pounds and things get even better. Maybe I have been lucky over the years but I have yet to get my hands on a Marlin 336 or Winchester 94 that would not shoot sub 2" groups at 100 yards. Many of them are close to being inch rifles.

I guess it would be hard to win the Olympics with most 30-30's but if you are in the woods carrying your rifle and pack, in and out of the truck, boat, tree stand, blind, scrambling ditches, dragging deer, and all the things you do a short, light rifle that will kill anything makes a whole lot of sense.

The latest 30-30 I bought is a single shot H&R and it shoots quarter size groups at 50 yards with the iron sights on it so with a scope it will probably shoot that at 100. Even if it shoots golf ball size groups at 100 that is totally usable.

Just goes to show how good the 30-30 round is and how you can get a hunting rifle for a buck and a quarter even with all the high prices for guns you see nowadays.

You're lucky!! I've been looking for that very rifle for months now!

[Lefty Dude]

I was lucky a few weeks ago at Cabela's. I bought a Handi/ H&R Topper in 22 hornet.
Now I am on the hunt for a 30-30 H&R Topper. One nice compact fun-gun for sure.

I am spoiled, I only paid $99.00 OTD for the Hornet.

[the telegraphist]

Hate to say it, but I dont own a 30-30. That is going to be rectified very shortly. Some info please, are the pre64 levers in Winchester make better than the modern ones, kinda hopeful of finding one pre 64. Theres plenty of post 64's going for reasonable prices in Australia. Theres a few in the early 70's vintage going for around 400/500 AUS$. They are in excellent condition.

[phc45-70]

I have 2 Winchesters. One is a late 60's carbine that will shoot MOA with a tang sight. The other is a Canadian Centennial with the 26" octagon barrel that has only shot a handful of ammo. However, my go to gun is still the Marlin 1895 cowboy 45-70.

[jlchucker]

Hate to say it, but I dont own a 30-30. That is going to be rectified very shortly. Some info please, are the pre64 levers in Winchester make better than the modern ones, kinda hopeful of finding one pre 64. Theres plenty of post 64's going for reasonable prices in Australia. Theres a few in the early 70's vintage going for around 400/500 AUS$. They are in excellent condition.

A pre-64 30-30 is a wonderful thing to have, but are getting to be scarce and expensive. I don't know the conversion for Australian money, but if I were you I'd look at one of those '70's versions, open the chamber, and see if the cartridge lifter is a stamped piece of tin or if it's made from cast steel. If it's the latter, and the price is reasonable, there's no reason why one of these later versions wouldn't be worth grabbing. If it's the former, the tin lifter can be replaced by any competent gunsmith if you can find one of the cast steel lifters. One thing that never changed in Winchester's attempt at industrial suicide in 1964 was the barrels on the Model 94. Despite other cheapening factors and attempts for a somewhat crude look, Winchester pretty much kept walnut stocks and forearms, and excellent barrels.

[J Miller]

Hate to say it, but I dont own a 30-30. That is going to be rectified very shortly. Some info please, are the pre64 levers in Winchester make better than the modern ones, kinda hopeful of finding one pre 64. Theres plenty of post 64's going for reasonable prices in Australia. Theres a few in the early 70's vintage going for around 400/500 AUS$. They are in excellent condition.

I picked up a really nice pre-64 (1950) Mdl 94 some years ago that looked like 99% new. In the years since I bought it's split more cases at the neck / shoulder junction than all 14 or 15 30-30s I owned before did combined. It has a bad chamber. What good is it? Until I can get a new barrel on it it's a wall hanger as far as I'm concerned.

Post-64 Win 94s I've had have all been accurate. No exception. I read once that during that period all the barrels were made by Winchester in house. And they were good barrels.
The stamped lifter everyone seems to want to dis is cheaper and sounds tinny when it pops up, but for the most part they work. No need to turn away an early post-64 just because it's got the stamped lifter. If it works, use it. If for what ever reason it causes a problem up date it with a newer cast lifter.

There are bad examples in every vintage and design variation, nothing to condemn the whole line for.

Joe

[Grizz]

I have a couple. Never hunted with one. Just didn't have one around when I was meat hunting.

I think of the 30-30 as the 308 Spcl.

Think about it.

Regards,

Grizz

[1894cfan]

I've also got a couple '94s, a '77 with a scout scope setup and a 1941 vintage that's still as tight as it came from the factory with only cosmetic problems, ie. worn blueing. Near as I can tell, the '41 is still all original.

[the telegraphist]

Thanks your replies guys, Grizz I think you wacked the nail on the head. Gotta get one soon.

[Lawyer Daggit]

Over the last forty one years, I can look back and see trends in my shooting- a move to faster rounds (.22LR- to 22 Hornet, to .222 to 223 to 220 swift and faster actions (procession before-single shot to bolt action to lever action to semi auto back to bolt action and single shot.

I now do most of my shooting with a single shot or bolt action using two of the oldest nitro rounds- the 30-30 and 7x57 mauser.

Both get the job done with a minimum of fuss. To me, after these rounds, over 100 years of ammunition development has been unnecessary and irrelevant.

[gak]

The stamped lifter is fixable, and just indicative or symbolic of the cheapening of the the 94 line Post 64. Generally lesser wood, the scintered receiver prone to flaking and pitting (especially the early "painted" ones) and looser tolerances of the lever/action mechanism are other items of note. In the late 70s 'til 81/82 (end of "Winchester" and start of USRAC), they did make numerous mechanical and cosmetic improvements that rendered some examples "near Pre 64" in overall appearance and function. Others can fill in on some other bits an pieces of the Pre's vs the Post's.


I liken the two eras--Pre 64 and especially early Post 64--to a GI M1 Carbine vs the '60s or later commercial replicas. Strictly as "tools," some report they have had GI-like accuracy and functioning with their replica gun and have said "no issues, "the gun has gotten the job done." Still, two different firearms to behold.


I've got several Pre's and two late Posts, a pristine '79 20" carbine and same year Trapper in fine shape, the latter with just very minor rust spots that are overdue for treatment. Both decent enough wood quality. The Pre's are still my favorites, but I lucked out with the other two; they're also very nice guns worthy of pride of ownership and shooting pleasure.

[Dave]

Both get the job done with a minimum of fuss. To me, after these rounds, over 100 years of ammunition development has been unnecessary and irrelevant.

There is a lot of truth in that

[Catshooter]

Both get the job done with a minimum of fuss. To me, after these rounds, over 100 years of ammunition development has been unnecessary and irrelevant.

There is a lot of truth in that

You both speak the truth. Some of my calibers: .25-20,. 30-30, .38-55, .45-70, .45 ACP, .45 Colt, .32 S&W. I do have some that aren't that old, but the above can really get the job done.


Cat

[brno602]

I will admit I am one who sells off his 30/30s or 32's and they are the only ones I have done so other than some crazy wild cats I have owned. Reason I can always find another I wont sell my 788 but that's not a real 30/30. I regret selling my Marlin to my big brother but he would sell it back to me. I let my .32 go, kind of a hope it fills your freezer deal, you need a good gun. Bastard shot one of the biggest Elk I have seen!! It made me feel good though to help a friend, he only pulls it out once a year and every year it put's game in the freezer.
I just bought a like new 94 I think I will keep my made in 1981 and shoots great 94 I will use it for Bear.The Pesky 30/30 just perfect power but we power hungry won't admit it! .300 savage kicks it's butt Though and I am sticking to that!!!


Even though I have no real world findings, don't tell anyone okay!

[O.S.O.K.]

You're lucky!! I've been looking for that very rifle for months now!

You're looking for this specific rifle or one very very similar? Bud's Gunshop has NEF Handi Rifles in stock - in 30-30.... I've been eying them...

[Chas.]

Been thinking of getting my next BFR in 30-30. Let's see those inflated Freedom Arms do that.

[Rusty]

I've got a Handi rifle in .30-30 that is one of my favorites. The nice thing about the Handi in the picture is the straight stock. Mine has the pistol grip. The straight would be nicer IMHO, or better still would be one they made with the Manlicher style forestock and front sight assembly. If I ever find one of those I'll fit it to my barrel.