- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
The success that might be observed at extended ranges with a .30/30 depends a whole bunch on the rifle, the ammunition, and the guy on the trigger. Get an old scope sighted M-54 or M-70 Winchester chambered for the .30/30 and load up some 150 gr boat-tail spitzers to about 2450 and your rig will be accurate out to . . . well a long way. But the vast majority of .30/30s are iron sighted lever action rifles with barrel lengths from 18"-24". I learned with some surprise quite some time ago that these rifles, properly tuned with good handloads can produce amazing accuracy. Their downfall however is that they are most often loaded with flat-nose bullets, unless you load your rifle as a 2 shooter with pointy bullets, one round in the chamber and another in the magazine. This will allow a flatter trajectory, but not so flat as with a bolt action, and I would expect the velocity to be around 2300. Switching to a 130 gr TSX could bring the velocity close to 2400.
But what can an average hunter/average marksman expect to do with an iron sighted Winchester or Marlin carbine loaded with factory flat nosed 170 grs bullets at 2100? If a 170 gr gr flat nosed bullet has a MV of 2100 and a 170 yard zero, your bullet will climb 3" above the line of sight at 80 yards and will 3" above the line of sight until it begins to drop at about 120 yards, and crosses the line of sight at 170. It is 3" low at 200 and a foot low at 250. By the time the bullet has travelled 300 yards it is 2' below the line of sight.
At 300 yards the bullet remains supersonic, and the light jackets of the typical .30/30 bullet should still allow some expansion with impact velocities of 1200-1300 fps, and the super-sonic shock-wave traveling ahead of the expanding bullet should help to produce a large enough wound volume for a humane kill if the bullet is properly placed. But here's the rub, those who choose to hunt with a .30/30 are unlikely to carry laser range finders, or use a map to determine the precise range to the target. The average hunter/marksman will not attempt to adjust his aperture sight for range, assuming he uses one rather than the semi or full buckhorn sight that came on his rifle. The common bead sight will completely cover the game at this range, and has no index of elevation as does a flat top post which provides a horizontal line while your eye finds the center of the post providing a vertical line and is nearly as precise as a scope's cross hair, if a tad slower. The odds of getting precise placement on a deer sized target at 300 yards under such conditions, assuming no problems associated with wind, light, or angle of departure are pretty low. To say that our average hunter/marksman can make such a shot on demand with that equipment is a bit of a stretch.
A talented marksman can do wondrous things with a .30/30, as with almost any rifle, but it seems that talented marksmen are far too often absent from the hunting fields.
But what can an average hunter/average marksman expect to do with an iron sighted Winchester or Marlin carbine loaded with factory flat nosed 170 grs bullets at 2100? If a 170 gr gr flat nosed bullet has a MV of 2100 and a 170 yard zero, your bullet will climb 3" above the line of sight at 80 yards and will 3" above the line of sight until it begins to drop at about 120 yards, and crosses the line of sight at 170. It is 3" low at 200 and a foot low at 250. By the time the bullet has travelled 300 yards it is 2' below the line of sight.
At 300 yards the bullet remains supersonic, and the light jackets of the typical .30/30 bullet should still allow some expansion with impact velocities of 1200-1300 fps, and the super-sonic shock-wave traveling ahead of the expanding bullet should help to produce a large enough wound volume for a humane kill if the bullet is properly placed. But here's the rub, those who choose to hunt with a .30/30 are unlikely to carry laser range finders, or use a map to determine the precise range to the target. The average hunter/marksman will not attempt to adjust his aperture sight for range, assuming he uses one rather than the semi or full buckhorn sight that came on his rifle. The common bead sight will completely cover the game at this range, and has no index of elevation as does a flat top post which provides a horizontal line while your eye finds the center of the post providing a vertical line and is nearly as precise as a scope's cross hair, if a tad slower. The odds of getting precise placement on a deer sized target at 300 yards under such conditions, assuming no problems associated with wind, light, or angle of departure are pretty low. To say that our average hunter/marksman can make such a shot on demand with that equipment is a bit of a stretch.
A talented marksman can do wondrous things with a .30/30, as with almost any rifle, but it seems that talented marksmen are far too often absent from the hunting fields.
Safe and happy hunting to all.
