30-30 bullet recommendation

[Glockgreat23]

150 yards max....for deer should I load 150 or 170 grain bullets and any recommendations? Of the dozens of rifles I have owned, never a 30-30, just feeling nostalgic I guess

[Yosemite Steve]

Barnes 150gr. 30-30 TSX: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...free-box-of-50 I have not tried it yet but Leverevolution should get you up around 2300 fps. Just bought a bottle today.

Load data: http://www.barnesbullets.com/files/2...Winchester.pdf

[jmr40]

I don't think it matters too much, but I have a slight preference for the 170's in a traditional bullet.

I don't hear much about the Barnes copper bullets in 30-30. But if they work as well as in other cartridges those in a 150 would probably move the old 30-30 up a few notches in capability.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

30-30 performance seems to better with the use of 170 gr. There are no better 170s than these (link)

http://shop.nosler.com/nosler-bullet...llet-50ct.html

[Whistlebritches]

My Glenfield 30A loves Remington 150 gr core lokts..........I never argue with a gun.

[jamaica]

I shoot 150 gr in mine. Round nose or flat point. Depends on what is available. 3031 powder. Have fun!

[zipspyder]

The 170gr Nosler Partitions are simply the best. Second choice would be Remington core lokt.

[William T. Watts]

I prefer the 170gr Partition bullet if I'm using a 30/30 or the .307 round which is similar to the .308 with a rim and less velocity. The 307 round has higher velocity plus it's more accurate than the typical 30/30, it's not unusual to shoot 1 1/2 inch groups with higher velocity which would allow 150-200 yard shots and a little tighter grouping!! William

[T. O'Heir]

A 170 will do everything a 150 will do, but just a bit slower depending on the powder used. And Bambi won't know or care how heavy the bullet was. Felt recoil will be a bit less with a 150 though. Always found a Win M94 has excessive felt recoil for the power of the cartridge.
"...Leverevolution should get you up around 2300 fps..." Only at Max loads with a 170. Goes to 2500ish with a 150. Both with a 24" barrel too. However, accuracy is what's important. Not velocity.

[Pathfinder45]

Ya gotta have Silvertips......

[FrankenMauser]

I prefer 170 gr FPs. Take your pick: Hornady, Sierra, or Speer.

Partitions would be nice, but I haven't convinced myself that they're necessary in .30-30 (or .307 Win). You won't find me running the Barnes ".30-30" bullets unless I have to hunt in a 'lead-free' area.

150s should be adequate for the application, and my most accurate handloads used 150s (now discontinued ). ...But I prefer 170s.

[dahermit]

Ya gotta have Silvertips......

Do they make them anymore? I thought they had been discontinued.

[cc1965]

I always used 170. Been years since I loaded for 30-30
Used to use Hornady flat points and Sierra round nose hollow pints. Either 4895 or 4064 powder. Good Luck...

[shootbrownelk]

Hornady Leverevolution flex-tip pointed bullets, or their loaded ammunition.

[Charlie98]

My Marlin 336 showed a dislike for the 150's, so it gets 170's.

Do they make them anymore? I thought they had been discontinued.

I don't think so... but I still have something like 80 bullets left over from when they were selling them as component bullets. It was the most accurate bullet I ever loaded for my 336.

[Slamfire]

I conducted a bunch of load testing in my Marlin 336. The two best performing powders were IMR 4064 and N135.





I decided to shoot the N135 loads at CMP Talladega at 200 yards. They shot well




Factory 150 grain bullets shot well, considering their age.



Now my Marlin has a huge chamber. I greased my cartridge cases so they would fireform stress free inside the chamber. With a dry case in a dry chamber, the case neck will grip the chamber walls, fix the cartridge case in place as pressures rise. As pressures rise, the case has to stretch to the bolt face, causing sidewall stretching and case head thinning. When the friction between case and chamber is broken, the case slides to the bolt face, because the lubricant breaks the bond between case and chamber walls, and the shoulders fold out producing a perfectly fireformed, stress free case. This is a practice of World Champion Benchrest champions, they want perfect, stress free cases, and this is how the good ones fire form their cases.




If I had not greased my cases, they would have stretched to the point, that I might have gotten case head separations on the first firing, surely I would have had case head separations in a couple of firings. Cases are not meant to stretch 0.024" to 0.030" on any firing. You cannot see the grease in the picture, the day the picture was taken, I brought along a hair gel and just smoothed it all over the cases and bullets. You can see in this picture the difference in cartridge case headspace, between an unfired case, and one fired in my Marlin. These hair gels are primarily a mixture of lanolin and vasoline, and make a surprisingly good sizing die lube. I usually size them without tumbling when I get back from the range. As evidenced by the groups above, which were all fired with greased cases and bullets, these things shoot well at distance.



Now my loads are above manual maximums, but that is a direct consequence of the huge chamber in my Marlin. I had to add more powder to reach factory equivalent velocities. So, while I recommend IMR 4064 and N135 as starting points for experimentation, do not start off with my powder charges!

Once the cases were properly fireformed to the chamber, I just bumped the shoulders back by a couple of thousands, and they are ready to be reloaded with powder and bullet.

This is the velocity of factory 150 grain bullets in my Marlin:

150 gr Core-Lokt SP Remington Factory

29 Dec 2011 T = 56 °F

Ave Vel =2253
Std Dev =13
ES = 31
High =2268
Low =2237
N = 7


From web research, the factory velocity of a 170 is between 2100 fps and 2200 fps. My testing showed that in my rifle, my best accuracy was between 2100 and 2200 fps, and that groups basically grew or became totally unpredictable above and below these velocities. This rifle has a magazine tube under the barrel, a handguard attached to the tube, and whole of which attached to the barrel with bands. This creates a very complicated structure for dynamic vibrations. I am of the opinion that this rifle will shoot its best, and predictably, with loads that are close to factory weight and velocity. Of course you will find some loads that are slower than might shoot accurately, I never found any higher velocity loads that did, and gave up trying because the action tried to unlatch with over pressure loads. This action is pretty much limited to factory pressures and velocities and it is not worth trying to exceed them.

It would be an article of faith to assume that a 170 grain bullet going 2150 fps is either better or worse, on an animal, than a 150 grain bullet traveling 2250 fps. If you place your shot with either bullet, it will do the job.

[rickt300]

I've been testing Levrolution under Speer 150 gr. flat noses. I stopped at 37.0 grains for no other reason than accuracy was just splendid. Minimal case stretch (.003), slick extraction and iron sight groups under 3/4ths of an inch at 50 yards. I expect I am getting 2300 fps plus from my Marlin 20 1/4 inch barrel. With the 30-30 I have not decided which bullet weight I like best yet though it seems the 150's may have an edge on Texas whitetails. But I have only shot 20 or so whitetails each with 150 and 170 grain bullets. Both bullet weights penetrate really well as I have only recovered on bullet from a deer which was a 170 gr. Remington corelokt factory load and I bet it went through more than 30 inches of deer.

[McShooty]

I offer another vote for the Hornady FTX 160 grain spitzer. It is available to reloaders, as is the excellent Hodgden LeverEvolution powder. The FTX is ballistically superior to round- or flat-nosed 30-30 pills. Or, you can simply buy Hornady's factory LE ammo (2400 fps). The FTXs are safe to fire in rifles with tubular magazines, and, the FTX will arrive at hunting distance (100-200 yds) with with quite a bit more smack than a 170 grain standard bullet.

[Rifletom]

Good to see the 'ol 30-30 getting some press. My favorite load has been, for years, Hornady's 170gr FN, a stout charge of Win 748 and a mag primer. A good load for my M94. If I was still hunting, I might give that 160 a look with the Leverolution[?] powder.
Alas, Just chase upland birds now.

[zipspyder]

I had a 150 gr bullet stop on the opposite side of a spike whitetail through the chest. Decided to strictly use 170 gr bullets after that. I know real scientific!

[Hanshi]

With a Win M94 30/30 Trapper I've had forever, I don't expect great velocity for the 16" barrel. I load 170 JFP with IMR3031 for something a ways south of 2000 fps. But I do like the way it shoots. Killed a deer years ago with a 130 grain load but saw nothing special about it.

[Yosemite Steve]

I had a 150 gr bullet stop on the opposite side of a spike whitetail through the chest.

What's wrong with that? If the bullet passes all the way through less of it's energy is absorbed. I like mine in the hide on the other side.

[Bayou]

2 thumbs up for Hornady 160 grain FTX projectiles. I handload them using LeverEvolution powder as per the recipe printed right on the canister label.

[zipspyder]

What's wrong with that? If the bullet passes all the way through less of it's energy is absorbed. I like mine in the hide on the other side.

Nope I believe two holes is better than one. A good expanding bullet through and through. I was disappointed because the 30-30 should have enough energy for a pass through on a small to medium deer. I understand both schools of thought so I'm not trying to put the expend all energy inside view down but that can make tracking harder.

[jamaica]

"Ya gotta have Silvertips......"

Silvertips are killers OK, but I do not like to use them because they always flew apart spreading little bits and pieces of bullet all over the critter. I prefer softpoints that would mushroom but stay together in one piece. The key to getting game for the pot is to hit the critter in the right spot. The brain or the heart gets the job done.

PS..... and there won't be any tracking necessary.