Still using a 30-30?

S

Stubai

Joined
Mar 16, 2007
Messages
1,146
In these days of magnum worship, how many of us are sticking with our Marlins when it comes to bringing home the bacon? I have grabbed mine the last two years, the rifle performed both times with minimal fanfare but some of my hunting buddies seem to think I've lost my marbles.
 
Me, me, me!

Hell, yes, I still like the good ol' thirsty-thursday! It's mainly these urban weenies and metrosexuals who think it takes the latest, greatest, belted Super-Short Whiz-Boom Magnum to bring home the bacon, or the bambi, as the case may be. Anybody who calls himself a rifleman has to own at least one thirty-thirty, either a Wincherster or a Marlin.

Thirty-thirty, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. :D

Let's see now, I think I have one old H&R .30-30 single-banger with a matching 20 ga. barrel, one older Winchester 94 with a 20 inch octagon barrel, three standard Winchester 94s with 20 inch round barrels, and two Wincherster Trappers with 16 inch barrels, all in .30-30 caliber of course. I bought a few extras since Winchester closed its plant. I always buy old used stuff, and when a bargain surfaces I usually can't resist temptation. My wife's gonna have one helluva yard sale when I croak!
 
ashtxsniper said:
I still use my 30-30's when the range is limited to 200 yards or less.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. In most of the northeast your not getting a shot over 100 yards. Their is nothing in New england that can't be taken with a 30-30 at less than 100 yards IMHO.

Not the sexiest round in the country. But gun and cartridge are reliable and proven.

KR
 
I love my old 30-30s. I have four Winchester 94s including one very old 20" octagonal barreled with an old Lyman elavating peep sight set up. Two of my 94s are "trappers" and get carried VERY often in saddle scabbards on horseback when we go hog hunting and just general trail riding. My favorite lever gun however has become my Marlin 1895G Guide Gun in 45-70 worked over by Charlie Sisk of Sisk Gunsmithing....Talk about a stopping rifle:eek: ..
It rides in my scabbard and stays loaded with Garrett Cartridges Custom +P 350gr Woodleigh Weld-Core JSP @2000fps. It speaks with authority!
 
I don't even own a magnum. If I can't kill it with these, it can't be killed.

A 1954 model 94, and a 308 Rem model 7 Scout.

scout guns.jpg
 
Count me in. There's nothing like spending a day in the woods with my 336. Also have a NEF Handi in .30-30, which I like a lot, just haven't had much chance to get it out yet.
 
My hunting lever guns:

Winchester 94 Trapper 30-30 (consistently under 2 MOA groups at 100 meters with Hi-Viz open sights).
Marlin 1895 Guide Gun 45-70 (consistently under 2 MOA groups at 100 meters).
Puma 92 454 Casull (ordered and waiting for it; 45-70 power in a 16" barreled lightweight gun!, see article on www.gunblast.com).
Henry lever action 22 for practice (really accurate).

My other hunting rifles are Remington 7600 pumps: 30-06 and 35 Whelen for a bit more reach. No bolt actions so far, but the new Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan in 375 Ruger looks mighty tempting.
 
Up here in Wisconsin: "Yah, many a deer has been gotten by der ol' terdy-terdy; kills it dedder den da doornail hey".
 
Here in "corn country" (Indiana) it's illegal to hunt deer with a rifle. Gotta use a shotgun, handgun, or smokestick. My brother's got my dad's old Marlin 30-30 which has harvested a LOT of deer, bear and even a moose if I remember correctly.

I did buy a T/C Contender last year chambered in 7-30 Waters, a 30-30 necked down to 7mm. I took a little buck with it last fall and am hoping for a chance at a larger deer this year.

J-
 
Yes sir 30-30 lever action for me. I use the open iron sites for hunting deer, no scope. It is a little harder but for my style of hunting I like it. 170 Remington Core-Lokt is what I've been using for ammo. I read an article in the backwoodsman that said the 30-30 is enough gun to take any North American game. Also the ammo is readily available almost anyware. That makes it a good survival gun as well. Some discussion about Marlin vs. Winchester's. I have a Marlin and I believe it is heavier than the Winchesters. But the xtra weight is good in that when you are aiming after breathing heavily, hiking etc. it steadies a little better.
 
Do you guys have scopes on your rifles too, or am I just making life harder on myself! May have to go to that yard sale Dr. Mudd!!! NO TIME SOON of course!
 
Ever since I first saw the lever action rifles in the cowboy serials of the late 40's and early 50's I was hooked. This one is mounted on the dining room wall so I can look at it every day.

94.jpg
 
HomeBru said:
I did buy a T/C Contender last year chambered in 7-30 Waters, a 30-30 necked down to 7mm. I took a little buck with it last fall and am hoping for a chance at a larger deer this year.

J-
Click to expand...

I have a T/C .30 caliber Herret which is also a 30-30 necked down and fire formed that I used to use for silhouette. Never hunted with it. Not yet at least.

KR
 
For those that want to know.

http://www.reloadingroom.com/page31.html


Originally developed in 1972 by Wyoming pistolero Steve Herrett and Bob Milek, the .30 Herrett was designed specifically to be a highly effective big game cartridge in the 10" barrel of a Thompson Center Contender pistol. After 20+ years, the Contender is still the only firearm chambered for the .30 Herrett (available as a regular chambering or from Fox Ridge Outfitters, the T/C Custom outlet), but the combination is still a good one. Small enough to have excellent loading density yet large enough to give good velocity, the .30 Herrett is to the .30-30 what the .308 is to the .30-06. In other words, nearly indistinguishable results from a smaller, more efficient package. For the past few years I've used it for most of my deer hunting, and I consider it to be just about ideal for most pistol hunting applications.


If you doubt that, compare the .30 Herrett and the .30-30 calibers in the Contender. The Hornady Handbook, Fourth Edition lists both in their section of reloading data for the Contender. With the same 110, 130 and 150-grain bullets, the Herrett delivers up to 400 fps more than the .30-30 when both are shot in 10" barrels. Lighter bullets show the most added velocity. In a 14" barrel, the larger .30-30 case regains a small velocity advantage, especially with heavier bullets, but the difference is negligible. From a 20" carbine, the .30-30 launches a 110-grain bullet at 2,600 fps, only 200 fps more than .30 Herrett wrings from a tube only half that length. From my 14" T/C barrel, the stubby Herrett round gets 2575 fps, virtually identical to .30-30 carbine performance. The increased loading density of the smaller round when using faster powders gives the Herrett an efficiency edge. Plus, the Contender can use sleek, pointed bullets with high ballistic coefficients, a distinct advantage over most .30-30 rifles.
 
My stainless Marlin 336---rides shotgun so to speak in the trunk of my car---think of it as PC Homeland Defence Rifle.

Deer duties are for my Kimber Montana 7mm-08----its super light weight---and I'm getting old----the lighter the better.
 
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