30/30 Ammo

[kf4ocv]

I purchased a new 30/30 for my soon to be 17 yo daughter today.  Selecting the rifle was the easy part.  I know there are lots of you out there that shoot this rifle so speaking of factory loads only,  what does your rifle like the best.  My old 158 Topper 30/30 likes Rem core lokt 150gr,  but this is an entirely different rifle though it looks similar.  I looked at some 125gr (50% less recoil)  loads for 14.99,  but i purchased some Cheap fed 150gr.  Most deer in my area are taken in under 100 yds.  Thanks

[Spanky]

I shoot the 150gr. Core Lokt's in my 30-30 handi too. It shoots great. I've got a box of Winchester 150's but they don't shoot quite as well as the Remington stuff.



Spanky

[quickdtoo]

Rem 150gr shoot great at 100yds in mine, pretty hard to beat for factory ammo. 

Tim

[Old Lucky 01]

All my 30-30's seem to shoot the Remington ammo well, but I now only use the Hornady 160 gr Leverevolution ballistic tip ammo.  Very accurate, longer range if you need it, and extremely lethal on the ten or so deer we've killed from 40 to 140 yards.  Give it a try and you'll be impressed.

[dangerranger]

I have three 30 30s and all three shoot Rem Core loc 150s well. its my go to ammo. DR

[spikehorn]

Mine likes the rem 150 gr as well it shoots the 170gr almost as well and the hornady LE rounds shoot about the same as the rem 170 any of them are minute of deer

[Darreld Walton]

Haven't bought a new box of .30-30 for a LONG time, but the last I bought was Winchester Super-X 170 gr.  I used that load in an old 1899 Savage lever gun, one with a 26" tube, straight grip, perch belly stock and crescent rifle buttplate.  That load, in that rifle, liked to shoot groups that hovered between an inch and inch and a half at a hundred, off the bags, through a Redfield aperture sight and hooded Lyman front post.
First, and last time I took a .30-30 afield, it was that rig, south of Evanston, Wyoming, hunting on top of the railroad tunnels, in the vicinity of Sulphur Reservoir.
I'd hunted through some quakies, got back to the truck, and turned around to see a big mulie doe standing there.  I took a knee, slid the safety off, and when the shot looked good, let it fly.  At the shot, the brush exploded with deer, and they ran across the little two track through the sagebrush and stood on the sidehill about two hundred yards up.  I couldn't make out the doe, so I got the 'glasses, and spotted one with what appeared to be a wet spot in the 'perfect' spot, but she didn't appear to have been fazed.  I reached into the truck, and pulled out a .257 Roberts, put the scope on the wet spot and put a 115 Nosler into it.  She went down that time.  Climbed into the truck and drove up to the doe, only to notice that there were four legs in the air still twitchin' where I'd made the first shot......now I had two deer down!  Luckily, the oldest boy came over the hill with his tag, and we got 'em out without much notice.
That 170 Silvertip demolished the lungs and heart, and stayed inside the animal, expending every bit of it's energy inside the vitals, just like they're 'posed to do.

[Rustyinfla]

   WW 170's seem to shoot the best out of mine but everything else shoots almost as well.

[kf4ocv]

Thanks for the info fellas.  I will post when we try her out.

[cwlongshot]

I also don't shoot very much factory fodder either. But will say that the silver tips I have used expanded and preformed perfectly. Too bad the loaded ammo hasn't been as accurate in my guns.

 The Corlokt is another great bullet, it too has a well respected following. With this caliber your lucky it's widely available and cheaply priced so buy a couple brandenand go shoot it!!!

I always used the Hornady 170 in a hand load. Great performance. Last year I tried the FTX 160. The one deer shot so far expired very quickly.

CW

[Darreld Walton]

When I mentioned that it's been a long time since I bought a box of .30-30, it's because I'd just moved, and all of my loaded ammunition, as well as my reloading equipment and bench were still on the moving truck, or in storage.
I, too, shoot and load the 170 Hornady.  I fooled around with spire point bullets, as I only have but one tube fed rifle in .30-30 now, my Granddad's M94, and it doesn't get taken out much these days.  Spire points in the Savage, a bolt gun, and a Stevens single shot all shot more than acceptably well, but my experimentation hasn't gone beyond paper punching.  Most of those seemed to need a scoche more velocity to get reliable terminal performance, at least in the wet mud and loose soil I shot them into, especially compared to 100 percent expansion and integrity of 'made for .30-30' bullets.  I DO like the 170 Nosler, which shoots really well, and are as reliable as Nosler Partitions get, but they're pricey enough that I don't just take 'em out and blow holes into the hillside with 'em.

[petemi]

I've used Winchester 170 gr. Silvertips for 50 years.  Both my Handi and Marlin 336 like them.  The Rems may perhaps group a tiny bit tighter, but in my opinion don't kill as well out of a 30-30.

Pete