why the 3030?

From what I see the addition of the new LeverEvolution ammo will extend the range of that rifle quite a bit as well as making it a more accurate rifle. I have personally seen this happen with my 4570 and am dying to try it out on a 30-30 since I can now buy both the Hornady bullets and the powder that shoots it. Put a good tang site on it and go hunt with it. The 30-30 is a piece of hunting history/legend. Even in the days of blackpowder and 1300fps loads it was still putting meat on the table. Sure there are more powerful rounds out there. I hunt with a 30-06 but also like to take my Savage 99C 308 levergun out to play. If you are a good hunter it seems you can hunt with anything successfully. There is no "magic bullet" for hunting and nothing replaces practise and skill regardless of what you shoot.
 
Even in the days of blackpowder and 1300fps loads it was still putting meat on the table.

The 30WCF (30-30) was never a black-powder round. It has been loaded with smokeless since day 1. It was one of the first high-velocity small-bore rounds to hit the market.
 
The answer (I think): a lot of people aren't as 'into' guns as much as most of us on here, so if they have a 30-30 that's been in the family, they use what they have. Particularly as the rifle is likely light and reasonably handy, and the round (I believe it throws a bit bigger bullet than 7.62X39, at similar velocity, though I could be wrong) is cheap, and decently powerful for a small, light gun. Simply, for a lot of people, it works. Just like the old truck, the old fridge in the rec room, and the microwave that's been sitting around for the last 20 years

^^^^^^^^^^This is the closest we've come to the truth yet.
 
I never heard of anyone loading 220's into a .30/30 case. I'm assuming these were .30/40 Krag projectiles and I think they would encroach on powder space badly, the .30/30 isn't a very big case. In my neck of the woods the .303 Savage was rated a better moose rifle by many years ago as they were available with 190 grain bullets but that is about the heaviest bullet that was offered in the .30/30 class of cartridges.

Mike,

I have loaded 210-220 gr cast bullets in my 30-30 Model 94s, and know at least two other fellows who do also. One of them uses nothing else for bear and moose hunting.

Ted
 
Damn, that's a beautiful looking pre 64! It will be factory drilled and tapped on the left side of the receiver, for an aperature sight, also.
By some strange coincidence, the Williams aperature number to fit is, #94.
And what a bargain.

Thanks H4831, I'm glad to hear that! I was wondering this very thing, as I really like aperture sights but didn't want to drill & tap this rifle. I'm delighted to hear it will be done already...I will be adding one of these, thanks! :)

Jeff.
 
Still have the old 50's vintage model 94 in .30-30 Win that graced a corner in the living room cloak and shoe closet where I grew up for many years and sent many Whitetails to the happy rutting ground.

The old rifle took 3 moose that I know of in my brothers hands when it emigrated to Canada.

I take it out and check it for rust and clean it 3 or 4 times a year and fondly remember old times.

Would I hunt deer today with that old rifle.

You bet !
 
Thanks H4831, I'm glad to hear that! I was wondering this very thing, as I really like aperture sights but didn't want to drill & tap this rifle. I'm delighted to hear it will be done already...I will be adding one of these, thanks! :)

Jeff.

I am presuming yours is drilled and tapped, because they started doing that in the mid 1950s. I have a 1956 Model 94 and it was drilled and tapped for the Williams Fool Proof I put on it in the early 1970s.
Just check the left side of the receiver for the two little false screws, about half inch apart.
 
I am presuming yours is drilled and tapped, because they started doing that in the mid 1950s. I have a 1956 Model 94 and it was drilled and tapped for the Williams Fool Proof I put on it in the early 1970s.
Just check the left side of the receiver for the two little false screws, about half inch apart.

Thanks again, will do. :) If it turns out to not be drilled, I plan to just leave it be and use the irons. If however, it is drilled - I'll be adding a Williams AP sight for sure!
 
I hear things like that said a lot about the .30-30. They are technically true, but I think that for the average hunter the phrase should be revised to "inside 75 yards".

150 yards is a long, long way for most eastern deer hunters, with any gun. When we're talking 30-30, we're usually talking about a lever-action with iron sights, often the buckhorns that came with it. 150 yards is well into Hail Mary territory.

Maybe for you...

I shoot Coyotes to and deer to 300 yrds with mine (scoped) and have not hesitated on Moose inside 200 yrds...

[youtube]fIbmzSfCzz4[/youtube]
 
If you will reread my post you will see that I did not say the 30-30 was loaded in black powder. However in those days of softer steel I understand pretty much everything was loaded down to BP spec so even if it was smokeless it was likely loaded down around 12 to 1300fps. 1902 to 1903 vintage seems to be where the higher load specs have come in. According to the Winchester site they changed to a more robust steel and would take higher pressure loads. Then again there is a lot of misinformation out there.
Im currently looking for a 30-30 to play with so I can run the LeverEvolution loads and see what kind of a difference it makes. Might even come close to my Savage 99 308. That would be so kool!
 
1. The .30/30 is a hunting round, one for medium-to-large game. It's not a target load and probably never will be. Most of us can't hit squat at 600 yards and paying megabucks for something that has the potential to drop a deer at that range is like little boys having peeing-for-distance contests behind the barn - cute in a childish sort of way but pointless in the real world.

2. Bambi's not all that tough. You don't need a .460 Weatherby to bring home venison. Frankly, you don't need one for moose, either. A .30/30 slug in the right spot will do the job reliably. To put it another way, Bambi doesn't read ballistics charts.

3. The rifle is lightweight, easy to use, low-recoil, quick-firing, reliable and convenient to carry. Both it and the ammo are comparatively cheap.

So why do people use the .30/30 when there are 'better' rounds? Because it does the job, that's why. The .30/30 has brought home more meat than any other round on the shelves. If you add in the .303 British, the two of them have probably brought home more meat in Canada than all the rest put together.

Never argue with success.
 
I understand pretty much everything was loaded down to BP spec so even if it was smokeless it was likely loaded down around 12 to 1300fps.

The orginal loading of the 30 WCF when introduced in 1895 was a 160gr. “metal patched” bullet at 1,970 f.p.s
 
It's because you actually have to hunt with a 30-30. Not just shoot.
Not to mention the History of the 30-30 or the nostalgia of using one while actually "Hunting" you know, figure out the lay of the land, trying to figure out where the buck or bull maybe hiding/feeding and not just picking a slask and spotting one, ranging to determine it is 650 yrds and with holdover the 300 wizmagnum the critter is dead in mere seconds.
Nothing wrong with the wizmagnums, nor is there anything wrong with the 30-30 either, just some prefer to
"hunt" with different techniques.
Tight Groups, even with a dirty 30 it is possible.
Rob
 
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