I just checked out my favorite online shooting supplies source and found 29 different loads listed for the .30-30 Winchester (Nine were reported to be out of stock). I know that not quite all of the available loads were listed by this company; Hornady’s new 140-grain gilding metal load was missing, for example, and maybe a couple of others. Twelve different brand names were represented in the list and it is clear that technological advances in ammo are still being applied to this ancient round. Three of the loads are offered with Barnes Triple-Shock X bullets, if you would like to pay about $2 apiece for your double thirties.
No doubt about it, after 116 years, the .30-30 Winchester (born as the .30 WCF) is still one of our most popular cartridges. Gaining its fame as a deer hunter’s round in handy carbines, it has not received much attention for other types of shooting. My love of the .30-30, however, has come from using it to learn rifle marksmanship, including bench technique, and in learning to handload successfully for accuracy and economy. Here is my “bullet” list explaining “Why I love the thirty-thirty.”
- One great thing about the .30-30 is that one can choose a rifle from a variety of action types, if one is good at surveying the used gun market. Over the years, the .30-30 has been chambered in just about every type of action, with the possible exception of the semi-automatic. This makes for interesting comparisons. I have used bolt actions, lever actions, and single shots. Performance of the .30-30 in a good bolt action rifle can be quite surprising. Sadly, I have never been able to find a good copy of a Savage Model 170 pump, but I would love to give one a try.
- I think that the .30-30 is still a good cartridge design, and, somewhat contrary to conventional opinion, it is very accurate in a good rifle. This is my personal experience, but other shooting experimenters have reported fine accuracy for many years, going way back into the 20th century. Granted that this is easier to attain with a bolt action rifle, but many have reported very good results with the lever actions. A generous rim is certainly a good way to headspace a round in a chamber, and the long neck gives support to the bullet that compensates somewhat for variations from ideal chamber dimensions. It is also a very safe cartridge, being factory-loaded to modest pressure levels in deference to all of the older and supposedly weaker arms still in use.
- For handloaders, the 30-30 offers many possibilities. First, there is the huge variety of .308 bullets available. The flat- and round-nosed bullets, safe to use in tubular magazines, give excellent results, especially if ranges are held to 150 yards or less. In the bolt guns and single shots, you can use any bullet in the 110- to 200-grain weight range. The long neck and modest case capacity also contribute to good performance with cast bullets. Jacketed or cast, any bullet can be used with a wide array of fast- to medium-speed powders and just about any standard rifle primer. Good dies are available from all of the major companies, and Forster offers a benchrest bullet seater that is a Jim-Dandy. Loading presents few problems. I keep my fired cases and rifles paired, so neck sizing only is successful and gives good case life and fine accuracy. Lever shooters that feed cartridges from the magazine might find full-length resizing to be preferable. Good loads can be made using about 30-35 grains of powder, less with cast bullets, and that is a real advantage considering the current cost of powder.
- The 30-30’s appeal is enhanced by its contribution to the American heritage. It has always been a tool to be used by people who have the freedom to hunt with the rifles of their choice (i.e., every American). Launched from the iconic, totally American, lever-action rifle, it will bring down game. Over the years, the 30-30 has had its detractors as a game-killing round, mainly because more powerful cartridges have appeared as time has passed. But it would be unwise to argue against its effectiveness in light of the thirty-odd factory loads that are still offered. Clearly, more than a few are using the 30-30 for hunting. They are folks whose hunting skill allows them can to get within a reasonable range of their quarry and to place a bullet in the vitals.
- Among centerfire game cartridges, the .30-30 is a very pleasant round to shoot. This makes it attractive to youthful hunters and others of slight stature. However, I should point out that the recoil of a light carbine is a pretty good belt with factory loads. As always, start youthful hunters with reduced loads. In one of my shooting projects, I popped off 96 rounds in one afternoon, and I didn’t get overly punchy (some might argue) or exhausted from the recoil. Try that with your .300 Win mag, or even with a .308!
I think this all adds up to the .30-30 being a real “rifleman’s cartridge,” which no one need apologize for using or liking. If you wish to shoot a deer at 300 yards or more, you had better not use it, but there are plenty of thirties that burn 60-80 grains of powder out there to satisfy your needs. However, if you wish to do a whole lot of shooting in a quest to learn all phases of riflery, the .30-30 is an excellent choice.