.30-30 Hornady Leverevolution

Mount Sweetness

Mount Sweetness

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Has anybody ever killed anything with this ammo? How does it perform on game?

How about paper, honestly, how does it compare to the old Silvertip 150gr round nose?

First hand experience please.
 
I have only shot the 30-30 hornady at the range. Excellent performance out to 100yds with it in my Marlin 336. I have however taken a Northern Ontario Black Bear last year with 45-70 Hornady. Unbelievable performance. The bear made it about 20 yds and dropped.

My 0.02¢
 
I've taken three deer with it and wasnt impressed. Never recovered a bullet because they always exited. By the looks of the exit wounds the bullets were not expanding thus not doing tissue damage. They all died but I think the old silvertips would have done the job faster. I ws using an xlr 30-30 at the time.
 
They're loaded hotter and shoot higher and/or fly better in comparison to the standard 30-30 cannonball. You have to sight-in for these rounds. They shoot nice, but I like the hole from the cannonballs better, they seem to make a better kill shot.
 
When you say standard .30-30 cannonball...are you talking 150gr....170gr...silvertips?

Seriously though, there has got to be more guys experimenting with the Leverevolution ammo. Any feedback..
 
Mount Sweetness said:
When you say standard .30-30 cannonball...are you talking 150gr....170gr...silvertips?

Seriously though, there has got to be more guys experimenting with the Leverevolution ammo. Any feedback..
Click to expand...

I did extensive shooting with it in my 30/30 Marlin 336 RC...

It is flatter,,,

I still stick to 170 gr Silvertips and shoot to 225 or so on deer and a bit closer on the bigger animals...
 
Mount Sweetness.....here is a copy paste of the answer I posted over at the OHL site:

I'm a recent convert - switched last season. Went from Winchester 170gr Silvertips to the Hornady 160gr Leverevolution.

On paper my groups shrank very nicely. I also went from the factory open sites to a Williams FP peep with the firesight front post. The real advantage with this ammo IMO is when you push past 100 yards.

Unfortunately my deer hunt was cut very short last season due to my son getting H1N1 ( had to leave camp for home on opening day) and I did not shoot a deer last year so I can't give you any first hand experience, but I believe the ammo has been out there long enough with lots of success on deer, bear elk and moose out of a .30-30 that I don't lose any sleep over it.
 
With my Marlin 30.30, so far have taken one whitetail buck, one shot, 60 or so yards, went about 10 feet and dropped dead...pretty much DRT.

Groups tightened up to 1" - 1.5" (with scope).

Sighted 3" high at 100 yds, it's dead on at 200 yds.

Can't even imagine using anything else.

IMHO, Hornady made what was once a relatively borderline primitive weapon into a serious and modern 250 yd shooter. Before LeverEvolution came along my Marlin sat in the safe during hunting season. Now I pack it quite often for late season whitetail.

My 300 WM remains my go-to for elk and muley, in part because a 350 yd shot is a real possibility around these parts. That said, out to 250 yds I wouldn't hesitate on an elk with the Marlin lever.
 
suits me said:
I've taken three deer with it and wasnt impressed. Never recovered a bullet because they always exited. By the looks of the exit wounds the bullets were not expanding thus not doing tissue damage. They all died but I think the old silvertips would have done the job faster. I ws using an xlr 30-30 at the time.
Click to expand...

I agree with you 100%. The old silvertip in a 30-30 was tough enough to break bones but it expanded enough that it did some real tissue damage.

Unfortunately the shooting world has been telling manufacturers that we want tougher bullets that will exit. We can hardly blame the manufacturers when they listen.

I am still a big fan of winchester power point bullets in the 30-06 class, and have gotten good performance from the 180 gr power point in .300 winmag, too. They do have exceptional knock down power in my experience.
 
I shot a whitetail with the hornady stuff 3 years ago. Distance wasnt far, about 50 yards and the deer only took two leaps and it was down. I can't complain but the only "bad" thing i noticed on dressing, was the bullet really came apart, i mean 'sploded. Looking at the destruction inside I would have sworn i shot it with a real soft bullet out of a 270 or something. Ive never seen a 3030 bullet behave that way. Like i said the deer was basically DRT but i couldnt find any larger pieces of the bullet then small fragments. Normally shoot Silvertip 150/170 btw

Luke
 
This is what I've been reading elsewhere as well, some are saying the Hornady Leverevolution aren't expanding....I just don't understand why? They are not traveling all that fast and they apparently are using the Hornady Interlock bullet design, what gives..
 
I use 170 gr Silvertips cause the difference between them and Hornady, I find is very little for my purposes. I won't shoot beyond 250yrds with my 30/30...
I can do that with Silvertips, Hornady not needed.

On larger animals, I am shooting at 150 yrds and in,...Hornady not needed.

I was very inerested in Leverevolution last year and then
got away from it.

I don't think there is anything wrong with the ammo,...I just will continue to use what I have had much success with over many years ...

I shot last years buck at 187 yrds, no issue...;)

20080822_170624.jpg


20080823_010707.jpg


and below is what a 170 gr silvertip does to a bucks "sweet spot" at just under 200 yrds

20080823_011955.jpg
 
Mount Sweetness said:
Nice shot bud! Another .30-30 trophy!
Click to expand...

I'm going to miss this rifle ... I still have it, but I am trying a new rifle this fall..
Still gives me a little heartache knowing she won't be out with me....

I shot that deer in the boiler room,..he didn't move just stood on spot and stuck his neck out, so I shot him in the head.
I originally thought I had missed.

When I gutted him, the heart and lungs were jellied and ripped apart... I guess he was about to drop or flexing or something when I shot him the second time.
 
Here's some real world stats from a fellow hunter:
Federal 170 gr Hi-Shok Soft Point Round Nose
Winchester Super X 170gr SilverTips
Hornady 160 gr FTX Lever Evolution

Five shot groups with a rest, Sights William FP Peep Sight
Range for all shots was 50 yds.
Chronograph 10 feet from muzzle.
Rifle, Winchester Model 94, standard post

Federals chrony'd at 2063, 2040, 2049, 2050, 2025
Winchesters chrony'd at 1976, 2021, 2016, 2051, 2048
Hornady's chrony'd at 2271, 2235, 2208, 2245, 2245 and again the zeroing target chrony'd at 2235, 2292, 2244, 2264, 2247

Tightest group Hornady, approx 1in
No game results as of yet.
 
Federal 170 Round Nose...

http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/rifle.aspx?id=28

fps / ft. lbs: Muzzle, 100, 200, 300

2390/1902, 2019/1358, 1686/947, 1399/652

100 yds + 3.6": 200 yds - 0, 300 -15.9"

LeverEvolution 160 FTX...

http://www.hornady.com/store/30-30-Win-160-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/

2400/2046, 2150/1643, 1916/1304, 1699/1025

100 yds + 3.00", 200 yds + .2", 300 yds - 12.1"

Big difference from 200 yds on out, eh? About 37% more energy at 200, and 57% at 300...not that 300 yd shots are a good idea with a 30.30 in any event. I've often read that 1000 ft. lbs. is considered the baseline minimum on big game.

Big enough to make the difference in a pinch, IMHO.

FWIW.

Note: I understand the Hornady specs are from a 24" barrel. The Federal specs likely also are, as this usually is the standard.
 
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sir_springer said:
Federal 170 Round Nose...

http://www.federalpremium.com/products/details/rifle.aspx?id=28

fps / ft. lbs: Muzzle, 100, 200, 300

2390/1902, 2019/1358, 1686/947, 1399/652

100 yds + 3.6": 200 yds - 0, 300 -15.9"

LeverEvolution 160 FTX...

http://www.hornady.com/store/30-30-Win-160-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/

2400/2046, 2150/1643, 1916/1304, 1699/1025

100 yds + 3.00", 200 yds + .2", 300 yds - 12.1"

Big difference from 200 yds on out, eh? About 37% more energy at 200, and 57% at 300...not that 300 yd shots are a good idea with a 30.30 in any event. I've often read that 1000 ft. lbs. is considered the baseline minimum on big game.

Big enough to make the difference in a pinch, IMHO.

FWIW.

Note: I understand the Hornady specs are from a 24" barrel. The Federal specs likely also are, as this usually is the standard.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be surprised if the federal specs are from a 20" bbl, thats pretty much standard in a 30-30.

It might make a difference in a pinch? yeah, maybe, but not much difference.

Both are 250 yd deer cartridges. Neither one is a 300 yd hunting cartridge IMO. 12" drop just isn't that much better than 15.9" of drop at 300 yds.

If you want to have more power you could just carry a 30-06 and have much greater versatility and range, and the 30-06 ammo probably cost half what the Hornady lerevolution stuff does.

Having said that, if i were a 30-30 hunter, i might try the Hornady stuff just for fun. But i wouldn't buy it to try make the old "thutty thutty" into a magnum.
 
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