Shooting a Model 94 30-30 at 100 metres

MD

MD

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I put a Williams receiver sight on a 1956 Model 94 30-30 a buddy gave me last month and took it to the range today.

After some tweaking around and fiddling about, I got about a two-inch group at 50 metres so then tried it at 100 metres.

I admit, I had one flier about 3 inches to the right, but the other two shots out of a three shot group printed in the same hole in the middle of the target.

Not too shabby for a 53 year old rifle shot with 55 year-old eyes I figure.
 
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I can hardly wait to relace the front sight on my Marlin 30-30 and try that at 100 metres now.
 
I shoot my 2 - 1906 Winchester lever rifles in 30-30 out to 200 yards at our range. Open sights .....they have more umph than the suggested power.....totally under rated as most people use the carbine with the 20 " barrel but the 26" rifles seem to reach out more readily..
 
Fun rifle the 3030..use both Winchester and Marlin. Scoped the Marlin ..

Cast 170 grain reloads are blast to shoot in the Marlin. It's good out to 100 yards.

Going to try 200 next trip. Will use Hornady 170 grain for the 200 yard shoot. I think it's under rated as a cartridge. It does not match the 30-06 for power , but it is great to shoot.
 
When we were shooting Rifleman's Rodeo here in Northern BC, there was a class in that shoot known as "Frontier" Limitations were: Lever action rifles only, Iron sights only [peep OK] Had to be chambered in a round that was developed before the year 1900. The targets were at 125, 200, 250 & 300 yards. The 300 yard target at Endako was a life-size mountain goat, the 10 ring was about 3½" in diameter, 9 ring about 4½" and 8 ring about 5½" Possible score was 10 on each of 5 animals for a total of 50. I saw scores in the 40's reasonably often {I even shot a 45/50 myself!} using the 30-30 was a bit of a challenge because of the drop, but a deer or like sized target would have been toast, even at 300 for the guys who knew how to shoot their 30-30's. Regards, Eagleye.
 
I have an old post 64 beater with stock open sights that shoots 3 inch groups when I use a front and rear bag for support. My 38-55 from 1907 shot 1.75 inch groups a couple of times last week. (although the majority of groups were 2.5 inches. ) I love the old levers, they just feel right.
 
A few years back, we had a heated argument here over the ability or inability to shoot such groups with the 30-30, in a levergun, without optics.
Since at the time, I'd shot a 3/4 inch group with mine, you know where I was in that discussion.
Could I do that consistently? Not a hope in hell. But 2" can be done with reasonable consistency, by a good shot familiar with his rifle. (Who isn't an old fart with bad eyes) I used to be able, but it's not happening now, the front post isn't as crisp as it used to be. Maybe I just need new specs. I can hope anyways.
 
I've had good results with all my 30/30's, The best was a 1909 26" barreled rifle, Dame accurate. My current 30/30 is a Marlin 336CS made in the 1970's.
 
Several years back I remember watching a local old timer at the range string up Golf balls at 50 yards and shoot them offhand with his iron sighted 30/30 win.

He said when he was only 5 years old in rural Pakistan his father would string small scraps of metal from a tree branch on a hill backside behind their house and he used an old locally built martini rifle longer then he was tall, and he was not allowed to eat dinner until he could shoot all targets down, over the years his father increased the distance, how's that for motivation? :D

Today he is the sort of guy that in his retirement years still goes out hunting every season regardless of weather all by himself... Which to him means driving to the end of a dead logging road parking the car and then hiking for a week around the brush filling his deer, bear and grouse tags...with his iron sighted 30/30 win.

And over the years I have met a few others like him.
So methinks it is more about the rifleman then the rifle. :)
 
Calum said:
Several years back I remember watching a local old timer at the range string up Golf balls at 50 yards and shoot them offhand with his iron sighted 30/30 win.

He said when he was only 5 years old in rural Pakistan his father would string small scraps of metal from a tree branch on a hill backside behind their house and he used an old locally built martini rifle longer then he was tall, and he was not allowed to eat dinner until he could shoot all targets down, over the years his father increased the distance, how's that for motivation? :D

Today he is the sort of guy that in his retirement years still goes out hunting every season regardless of weather all by himself... Which to him means driving to the end of a dead logging road parking the car and then hiking for a week around the brush filling his deer, bear and grouse tags...with his iron sighted 30/30 win.

And over the years I have met a few others like him.
So methinks it is more about the rifleman then the rifle. :)
Click to expand...

Nice story, thanks for sharing. :)
 
Eagleye said:
When we were shooting Rifleman's Rodeo here in Northern BC, there was a class in that shoot known as "Frontier" Limitations were: Lever action rifles only, Iron sights only [peep OK] Had to be chambered in a round that was developed before the year 1900. The targets were at 125, 200, 250 & 300 yards. The 300 yard target at Endako was a life-size mountain goat, the 10 ring was about 3½" in diameter, 9 ring about 4½" and 8 ring about 5½" Possible score was 10 on each of 5 animals for a total of 50. I saw scores in the 40's reasonably often {I even shot a 45/50 myself!} using the 30-30 was a bit of a challenge because of the drop, but a deer or like sized target would have been toast, even at 300 for the guys who knew how to shoot their 30-30's. Regards, Eagleye.
Click to expand...

I had this picture of my trophies, won with my 1956 Model 94, 30-30, on these threads just a while ago, but seeing this post from Eagleye, I couldn't resist.
This is the exact event described by Eagleye, only these trophies were won at Salmon Arm shoots.
From left to right,
2nd in 1975, First in 1978, second in 1977 and 3rd in 1979.
The two closest targets were running and the three farthest were pop ups, that appeared for 4 seconds.
The shooter didn't know which target would appear.
And here is the well shot up goat, at 300 yards.
FRON1001.jpg

goat001.jpg
 
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