30-30

[muleman]

I've been loading up some light loads and hunting loads for a young man's first rifle and so I have componets and dies for a 30-30 but no rifle of my own. I like the pre AE '94xtr. Which 30-30's do you all like and why? Kinda thinking the itch might need to be scratched.

Scott

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

The Pre-AE Win 94 is the quintessential 30-30 rifle although believe it or not I have shot more 30-30s that werent 94 Winchesters. Still for a boy's first rifle you'd be hard pressed to anything that would be more nostalgic and effective. Where I hunt though the shots are usually longer than the 150 yards I feel comfortable shooting a 30-30 with conventional loads and with iron sights. A Marlin 336 is a very economical and accurate choice too.

My favorite for personal reasons is the Savage 99. Not only are they amazing lever guns but you could handload spitzers if you so desired and mount a scope over the center of the action due to the angle ejection. I have also fired T/C Contender Handguns and Carbines in 30-30 which were amazingly accurate as are the Savage 340 bolt action 30-30s.

A 125grain Nosler Ballistic Tip is an amazing Deer load in such rifles owing to not needed to conform to a tubular magazine and roundnose flat point bullets. Also Hornady's Flex-Tip 160 grain Lever Evolution is a great load almost approaching 300 Savage ballistics with a 24" barrel.

Good luck, thats my $0.02 hope it was helpful. Let us know what you come up with!

 

[Oldtrader3]

I would not buy any of the Model 94's which were made from 1964 to about 1969. They had a sheet metal follower, instead of machined bar stock and were not nearly as smooth feeding but other than that period, pick your choice.

I happen to like Model 94's that were made from 1947 through about 1960. I owned one in .32 Win Special for nearly 50 years that my son has now. It was a 1949, Pre 64, with the long forend. Those are my favorite era of Model 94 Winchesters but to each his own. They all almost all really nice starter guns for deer hunting.

 

[Dr. Vette]

I have always preferred the Marlin 336 to the Winchester for a variety of reasons. The pre-Remington Marlins are more highly regarded and only recently has Marlin's QC improved enough that there are some good ones in the box.

One of the reasons that I don't like lever actions, though, for a first gun is the lack of recoil pad. You would have to cut down a stock to youth dimension and add a recoil pad if you want to make it "kid friendly". It can be done, but it does decrease the value of the rifle. I bought a youth sized synthetic stock for a Marlin but was not at all impressed with the fit of it.

I purchased a Weatherby Vanguard in 243 a few years back with a beautiful wood stock. Last year I bought a youth sized Hogue stock from Legacy Sports and installed that on the rifle. My girls love it, and my 17 yo son thinks it's neat too. I can swap it back to the factory stock in a couple of minutes and use it myself if I wish.

My new-to-me 336 had a crappy recoil pad glued on it that I removed immediately on purchasing it. I'll add a thin Pachmayr for my own use instead.

 

[Guy Miner]

I've had both, but prefer the Marlin over the Winchester. My current .30-30 is a "Glenfield" made by Marlin years ago. It's just about perfect for me. I like the solid top of the Marlin design, it makes mounting a scope real easy, and anymore I prefer using a low-powered scope rather than sights. Also, I learned to shoot as a kid with a .22 Marlin lever action, so that name is one I've always known and trusted.

I also like being able to easily remove the "bolt" and clean the Marlin from the breech end.

Nothing really against the Winchester, but the Marlin is my favored choice. It seems to have a couple of advantages, to me.

Yes, the pressed-in pattern is a little 1970's corny, but I still like it. "Someday" I might upgrade to nice chunks of wood on this little .30-30, but I doubt it. I like it just the way it is.

When I shoot it, or carry it afield, the .30-30 just puts a grin on my face. I like the cartridge, and the lightweight lever-actions. I carried mine afield a couple of times last year, hoping for a shot at a bear, but no such luck.

Regards, Guy

 

[SJB358]

I have a Winchester M94. Great shooting rifle with about any 170 and LVR powder. Pushes the 170's around 2250-2300 with ease and recoil is pretty mild. My son loves mine and it shoots really well.

 

[Guy Miner]

Classic!

 

[DrMike]

It is interesting that I've never owned a 30-30. I suppose I will have to correct that deficit one day. I do have a couple of .307s, however.

 

[Guy Miner]

Mike - the things I really like about the good ol' .30-30 include:

It's a very traditional cartridge - I like that cool factor.

It's very easy shooting, even with the 170's, but particularly with the 150's.

It's amazingly effective, I think because the bullets are well designed for the velocity. They expand well, penetrate well, and seldom break apart. I'm talking traditional 170 gr jacketed soft-point bullets here. The exit wound from a .30-30 is often very impressive.

The traditional lever-action rifles chambered for it are usually light, handy, good looking, and offer accuracy plenty good enough for most hunting.

Guy

 

[DrMike]

As I said, Guy, I'll likely find it necessary to correct the deficit one day. Since I already have quite a few Model 94 Big Bore rifles, I'll run into a Model 94 chambered in 30-30 one day, and it may just follow me home.

 

[PJGunner]

I have more than a few rifls in 30-30. probably my all time favorite though is the one my Great-grandfather's gun. he gave it to my Grandfather as a wedding present and Pop gave it to my dad who in turn gave it to me. Accordidng to the serial number it was made right around New Years Day in 1911. I killed my very first deer with that rifle in Lake County California at the ripe old age of eleven. Since then, I've picked up a few more including two Winchester M64s, one a standard and the other a deluxe model, a Winchester M54 bolt action and a Marlin 336 with straight stock like the Texan but is not marked as such. The only one that gets sshot fairly regularly is the Marlin because it has a scope and my eyes are so bad that I can't see the front sights on any iron sighted rifle anymore. I also haave another M94 from the early 1980's that I got into too cheaply to pass up.
Walmart put up a super store next door to a Super K-mart and in 6 months the K-mart had a liquidation sale. For spits and grins I went to their sporting good section and came home with 27 boxes of 170 gr. Winchester 30-30 ammo for $4.00 a box. :shock: I also took home all their .308 Win. for $5.00 a box and all their 30-06 for $6.00 a box. IIRC, there were 10 boxes of the .308 and 7 or 8 boxes of the 30-06. Best deal I've ever found on ammo. :grin:
My wife was looking for stuff and had a small cow when she saw my haul. :lol: They would not accept checks, only cash or credit card so she didn't buy anything. She doesn't carry cash and refuses to use a credit card except in emergency or ordering on line.
I haven't shot any of that 30-30 ammo yet. Most of the time I just shoot my cast bullet handloads for fun or game. A Lyman #311291 at 2000 FPS does a right nice job on deer. 8)
Paul B.

 

[Guy Miner]

That was a GREAT buy on ammo!

I did real good once on Nosler bullets when the local Wal Mart was having a post-hunting-season sale. About half price for Partitions. Nice...

 

[Guest]

My first rifle was a Win94AE, and I scoped it with a 4x32 Japanese-built scope. It was near heresy at the time, but I could swing the $50 for that Armsport 4x where I could not swing the cost of a Redfield or Leupold, which were the only other real choices I had at that time. It's been a good rifle, killed some deer, and knocked holes in plenty of paper and cans along the way. I still try to carry it afield at least once a season, and it'll get first dibs in the rotation this November when gun season opens. It's the "Dr. Jekyll" to my 270Wby's "Mr. Hyde" and I really like it. Tame, easy to carry, easy to shoot, and pretty dadgum tough out to 200yds.

I shoot 150gr Speer Hot-Cors through mine. When I run out of these, I guess I might try the Hornady 160s or the new Speer Deep Curls. Just depends on what's available. Around here, I like the 150 because I get better trajectory by about 2" at 200yds and I maintain 1000lbs energy out to 200yds with them, versus about 900lbs at the same distance with the 170s. Probably not a nickel's worth of difference, but so far, the 150s have taken good care of me and I see no reason to change.

Best addition I ever made to my cleaning arsenal was an Otis kit, for this lever gun and my Browning BAR. Makes both of them easy.

 

[FOTIS]

Here is my 30-30

 

[DrMike]

Very handsome, Fotis.

 

[CMBTshooter]

Fotis I got one of those too! It's been in my wife's family since it was purchased and hasn't been fired. It wasn't well taken care of and sat in the box under a bed for decades probably but it's not in horrible shape.

I'm gonna shoot that thing one day I just have to talk the wife into it.

 

[FOTIS]

I keep saying the same thing. Mine is unfired also

 

[Txpitdog]

I prefer Marlins. Never have thought the Win 94 was as slick looking or handling as the 336, but that's all just personal preference. Definitely like the 30-30 even with all the other chamberings available. I haven't found any yet, but from what I understand the 150gr Winchester Power Max bonded PHP ammo is supposed to be THE ammo for the 30-30. Kinda hard to argue with many a bang flopped deer with plain ol Corelokts, but I will give it a try at some point.

Anyway, mine's a beauty - '66 336RC

 

[SJB358]

That's a very nice Marlin right there!

 

[DrMike]

Very attractive Marlin. They are a good looking rifle. Still, I do like my Winnies.