.30-30 170 gr factory ammo comparison

Guy Miner

Master Loader
Apr 6, 2006
17,453
4,514
Standard for decades, 170 grain soft point .30-30 ammo is a mainstay of the ammunition industry, and a reliable partner of countless hunters. There has been a long time now for this .30-30 ammo to be perfected. The modest muzzle velocity of the .30-30, coupled with the large exposed lead tips of most factory ammunition typically results in excellent bullet performance on game. To explore that a little further, I selected three common types of 170 grain .30-30 ammunition for testing.

The test platform was my trusty 336 Marlin with iron sights. Conditions were 40 degrees, overcast, with a slight wind blowing from the north. The chronograph was about 12' from the muzzle, and the one-gallon plastic jugs of water were at 25 yards.

Remington 170 gr Core Lokt: Recovered from the 6th jug. Retained weight is 132.5 gr. Expanded diameter is .552" and the muzzle velocity was 2118 fps.
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Winchester 170 gr Silvertip: Recovered from the 6th jug. Retained weight is 125.6 gr. Expanded diameter is .584" and the muzzle velocity was 2167 fps.
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Winchester 170 gr Power Point: Recovered from the 6th jug. Retained weight is 138.5 gr. Expanded diameter is .606" and the muzzle velocity was 2141 fps.
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The three different types of ammunition were very similar in performance, which didn't surprise me. All were between 2118 fps - 2167 fps, retained weight varied from 125 - 138 grains, all expanded between about .55" and .60" and all penetrated into the 6th one-gallon water-filled jug.

That last part about penetration is noteworthy - recovering bullets from the 6th water jug is impressive stuff. All three types of .30-30 ammo tested produced that amount of penetration, which is greater than I've seen with some .45/70 and .375 H&H hunting ammo!

At this point all I can advise it to use the one that shoots best from your rifle - and that may be hard to determine too, there was no real accuracy difference between them from my rifle...
 
Guy,

The penetration is surprising! Performance, otherwise, is roughly what I would expect. In all, it would indicate that the 30-30 is still a good performer in the deer woods.
 
Guy,

Interesting info. Penetration is more than I would have thought.
Maybe the old timers who swear by their 30-30's are on to something.

JD338
 
I think I have seen this somewhere before! I check out the Marlin Owners forum every once in a while. But anyways. Very awesome results! If you saw my bullet test from yesterday, 150gr Fusions out of my 30-30 penetrated over twice as many jugs as my dads 300 RUM shooting 180gr Accubonds at 3250! I was very surprised as was he. Ive got 7 deer tags to fill this fall and Im hoping to use my 30-30 to fill at least a couple of them.
 
Guy, thanks for sharing those tests. That penetration suprised me. I didn't think those lil' old cartridges had it in 'em. I won't think twice from now on about grabbing the old meat getter to head out into the field.
 
bbearhntr":hb2tzkxw said:
Guy, thanks for sharing those tests. That penetration suprised me. I didn't think those lil' old cartridges had it in 'em. I won't think twice from now on about grabbing the old meat getter to head out into the field.

I know my 30-30 and 35 Rem will get some use this year in the North woods. They are really some great performers and can be relied upon. Something has to be said for those 30-30 bullets. They all did one excellent job! Scotty
 
DeerTracker":a9xybrhs said:
I think I have seen this somewhere before! I check out the Marlin Owners forum every once in a while. But anyways. Very awesome results! If you saw my bullet test from yesterday, 150gr Fusions out of my 30-30 penetrated over twice as many jugs as my dads 300 RUM shooting 180gr Accubonds at 3250! I was very surprised as was he. Ive got 7 deer tags to fill this fall and Im hoping to use my 30-30 to fill at least a couple of them.

How many jugs did it penetrate? I was getting ready to go test some of those?

Corey
 
Corey, are you going to test the 180gr AB in your 300RUM? I am looking forward to your results. Should be a hammer. What distance do you plan on setting up the jugs at? Scotty
 
Well I've been doing them at 50 yards as of late, so that is what I'm going to do. I have enough jugs now to catch any that stray off to the side. I'm looking forward to it too. Might try and get it on video.

Corey
 
Yes thanks Guy, did not mean to hijack your thread. I shot my very first deer with a Marlin 30-30 with a 170 Partition. All the bullets completely penetrated including one through both shoulders. I know now why.

Corey
 
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