Sierra 170 grain 30-30 performance?

John Y Cannuck

John Y Cannuck

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I've used Hornady for years, and am well pleased with them, however, on my last visit to the local gunshop, they were out, so I picked up some Sierra's.
I know that a few decades back, Sierra had some bad 30-30 bullets. They didn't expand well.
Anyone with some first hand experience?
Yes, if the Moose gods are favorable, I just might drop another 30-30 moose this year. I will however use the 308 for most of my hunt.
 
I used the 170 gr Sierra in a 30-30 a little while back and got away from it. It was quite soft; I used it on a doe, and found bits and pieces of copper and lead at the entrance wound, and the cup in a rib on the far side. This bullet couldn't have been moving fast, so I don't understand the cup/core separation. The bullet stared at 2350fps and the deer was at 125yds on impact.
I also found they did not perform favorably compared to the Hornady 170 FP in wet newsprint testing. The Hornady made nice, broad mushrooms and kept tight to the shank. The sierra lost bits and pieces again and was often dug out of the newsprint resting sideways with an oddly bent shank.
Someone else may have a different opinion, but I think you should stick with the Hornadys, especially if moose is on the menu.
 
170 gr 30-30

I have reloaded 165 grain spitzer bullets in a single shot 30-30, better ballistics and small game performance .
150 grain ballistic tips worked pretty good too when loaded hotter than the lever guns will allow.
In the lever guns I found the 170 FP Hornady was a better performer, possibly due to the jacket being slightly thicker.
 
I shot my first deer with a Sierra 170 gr FP in my 30-30 @ 30y, dropped it stone dead.

Put a finisher shot into a nice whitetail later that fall at 10 feet, and the bullet penetrated 3 inches into its back and stopped in its spine. It had a dent in the ogive, and retained about 99% of its weight. Odd performance, although striking hard bone at 2100 fps might not be good for bullet expansion.

These bullets were bought in the 1980s
 
Todd, I don't have the article I was refering to any more, but I think 80's would be about right for the overly tough Sierra bullets. The article did a side by side test, and photos showed Sierra's barely expanded at all. The same article said that Sierra was changing their bullets' makeup as a result of the tests.
 
303carbine said:
I have reloaded 165 grain spitzer bullets in a single shot 30-30, better ballistics and small game performance .
150 grain ballistic tips worked pretty good too when loaded hotter than the lever guns will allow.
In the lever guns I found the 170 FP Hornady was a better performer, possibly due to the jacket being slightly thicker.
Click to expand...


Lever guns will allow more than you think. I've used spitzers before too, single loaded, or with only one in the mag.
I find them to give no real advantage at the ranges I am hunting. They have the disadvantage (with a tube mag) of having to carry a pocket full of cartridges.
 
I shot a spike buck at about 50 yds broadside with 150 grain sierra handload in 30-30. One shot kill complete pass-thru lungs. Shot placement was dead center lungs. So-so blood trail, deer made it about 100 yds before piling up. Accuracy of the load was very good.
 
Not to sabotage John's thread, but I did recover the 30-30 bullet from my whitetail deer.
The recovered death pellet weighed 77 grains, and almost all of the front lead was gone except for a tiny bit left deep in the expanded copper cup.
It started out as a Winchester Silvertip of 150 grains.
 
iceman2 said:
If you recovered the bullet from a dead deer I guess it did its job! shooting one and not finding it is another story.
Click to expand...

Very good point, and that was in the back of my mind. I didn't call the bullet a failure in my post; I pointed out that it was inferior in performance to the Hornady. The accuracy of the Sierra was superior to the hornady at 100m, but the difference was negligable when the purpose of the rifle and the load was considered.
My point is I would have reservations using the Sierras on moose, but non at all with the Hornady.
I also see no point in spending the money on Noslers for the 30-30. The velocities are incredibly mild and the Hornady is more than up to the task in the penetration department.:D
 
I believe the 170 grain Hornadys would be adequate for moose with good shot angle and range less than 100 yds. I would not have enough faith in the ability of the Sierra to hold together going through a big critter like a moose. I have been loading 150 grain barnes x bullets for my marlin, and have been getting super accuracy! Haven't shot anything with them yet but hope to change that this fall:) I really like the performance of the TSX's in my .270 win. Whether you really need a partition or an x bullet on a moose is a legitimate debate, but tests have proven that the nosler and x generally do penetrate better than hornady interlocks, all other things being equal. I think the barnes x or tsx fn bullet would be excellent for moose. But I shoot a lot of interlocks as well, and they have never failed me on game. Even if the Hornadys didn't group super in your rifle, they will still be "minute of moose":p
 
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