SPITZER BULLETS FOR A 30-30 SINGLE SHOT

[coopershooter]

WHAT SPITZER BULLET WOULD BE GOOD FOR A CONTENDER CARBINE?
 I HUNT DEER AND HOG,   UNDER 100 YARDS, BUT DONT WANT TO PASS A LONGER SHOT. WHAT BULLET WOULD YOU USE?

[oliverstacy]

If I had a carbine barrel I'd try either 150 gr. Nosler BT's or their new Accubonds.  The Accubonds are a little tuffer and with the decreased velocity from the 30-30 I'd probably stick with the balistic tips.

Also some other bullets to choose from in the 150 grain range would be; Sierra 150 gr., Speer 150 gr., and Hornady 150 gr.  All are spitzers and I've had great accuracy from them all.  

I have a 14" 30-30 Contender barrel and it seems to favor the Sierra's.  If I do my part they seem to clover leaf inside of an inch at 100 yards.  150 grain spitzer over 33.5 grains of Winchester 748.  

As for the Accubonds...I shot two 8 pts last year with them out of my 270 and couldn't belive the performance.  55.5 grains of AA 3100 and the 140 grain Accubond, pure joy.

Josh

[Redhawk1]

I would also go with the 150 gr. Nosler BT's . You want a bullet to expand, and some of the premium bullets won't at lower velocities.  

[jerkface11]

With the lower velocities of a 30-30 you don't want a bonded bullet. Just find a nice 150 or 165 grain balistic tip that ISN'T bonded. Since balistic tips are designed to open at lower velocities they should be perfect for your 30-30. If you use a bonded bullet on white tail at 100 yards from a 30-30 you might as well be shooting FMJ's.

[dirtdobber47]

I've gor a H&R topper in 30-30, I use 125 and 150gr nosler ballistic tip and have good sucess with both with IMR3031. I've taken deer with both' longest one at about 135 yrds with the 125.  

[while99]

I have a Savage model 24 in .30/30 over 12 gauge.  I've shot 168 grain Hornady match bullets and 165 grain Remington pointed Core-Lokts in it for practice.  I've never hunted big game with this rifle.  I use standard 170 grain loading data with the 165/168 grain bullets and it works fine.

[BCB]

coppershooter,
With my Contender in 30-30, I have used the Hornady 130 grain Single Shot Pistol Bullet.  I is very accurate and expands perfectly at the lower velocities of the Contender.  I am uncertain that they still make that bullet.  They (Hornady) may make a bullet that has taken its place.  With a moderate charge of H-335, I was getting 2150 fps and it worked quite well on a couple of deer at around 75 yards.  
I think you best stay with a bullet designed for the slower velocities of the single shot T/C's.  Good-luck...BCB

[coopershooter]

how about a  partition? will they open at lower speeds?
 i'm worried that the balistic tip is too soft for hogs. they are a bit tougher than deer. i want something i can use at any angle, like my swed. mauser.
 thank you guys!

[Snowshoe]

My wife and I have been shooting 125g Remington PSP's, and 150g  Winchester PSP power points for quite a few years now. Many whitetails have fallen to them, with no problem. The 125's are traveling at 2630 fps, and the 150's at 2400. I have used the 125's on coyotes out to 250 yards with no problem at all. The rifles used are a Savage 340, and a Stevens 325.

[coopershooter]

any one use a partition in a 30-30?

[Graybeard]

I believe Nosler makes a PT just for the .30-30 for use in lever guns. I can't argue with the use of the BT in such a gun as it is an excellent bullet and works beautifully with lower velocity rounds.

BUT if you're doing this to gain some supposed advantage at longer ranges you are kidding yourself. Nose shape makes almost no difference at the ranges a .30-30 is effective. Only past 250 yards does the nose shape begin to really matter.

[coopershooter]

THANKS GB,
 YOU THINK THINK THE BALISTIC TIP IS OK FOR HOGS? I THOUGHT THEY WERE MORE OF A VARMINT BULLET.
 I'M NOT TRYING TO STREACH OUT THE YARDAGE. BUT I DO WANT THE BEST POSSIBLE TERMINAL PERFORMANCE.
 THANK YOU!
 COOPERSHOOTER.

[Graybeard]

If I were going to use a BT on hogs I'd use the 165 grain or better yet use the Partition that Nosler makes just for the old .30-30. But in truth any of the 170s made just for the .30-30 are as good as it gets for use with it no matter the type of rifle you're using.

[dirtdobber47]

To what graybread says that a spitzer bullet is no better than a round nose until after 250 yrds. , I think thats bull , look up the diffintion of bc. All my 30-30 pointy bullets are more accurate in all my guns. Sorry GB    

[Graybeard]

You can be sorry all ya want but it still don't make ya right. And BC has nothing to do with accuracy. Take a look in any reloading manual that shows data for say a 150 grain bullet. Check the max velocity it gives for that in a .30-30. Now look up the actual ballistics for a 150 spitzer, RN and FP and see what it shows as the difference inside of 250 yards for those.

At most the spitzer might gain you an inch or so at the longer end of that distance. Anyone who believes that an inch or even two inches at 250 yards is a serious advantage has more problems than I can help them with.


Hornady says you can push a 150 to 2300 fps. So let's accept that velocity and look at a RN and Spitzer at 2300 fps muzzle velocity.

The SST is their sleekest bullet with the highest BC 0.415

started at 2300 fps and zeroed at 100 yards it is 3.2" low at 200 yards and 7.4" low at 300 yards.

Their RN is the least effective nose shape offered with a BC of only 0.186

Started at 2300 fps and sighted in at 100 yards it is 4.3" low at 200 yards and 10.8" low at 300 yards.

So as I predicted earlier there is but 1.1" difference at 200 yards. But at 300 yards where the BC starts to matter there is a difference of 3.4". I rest my case.

[VTDW]

Dangit Bill,

I hate being confused with facts. :wink:

Dave

[canonF-1]

While I don't own a single shot or bolt gun in 30-30, I do load various loadings of Spitzers through my old Winchester m94 30-30.  I used to load the above mentioned 150gr Ballistic Tip along with the less expensive and equally performing Sierra Boattail 150gr in the 2300-2400fps range.  I carried the lever gun with one in the chamber and one in the tube...kind of a two shooter if you will.  This is probably not a recommended practice but I did it for years anyhow.  

With such loadings I did see a noticable difference at 200 yards and beyond.  However, like GB mentioned, under that range, I could handle all shootings with ordinary 150fe FP factory loads or handloads.

For hogs, I don't have any advice as they are rare in Idaho.  I doubt I would hunt bear with a ballistic tip or the Sierra boatel or any boattail for that matter.  I just like putting two holes in game.

One day, I loaded some 180gr Ballistic Tips  in my 30-30 at around the 1700fps mark.  They handled themselves pretty well out around the 400 yard mark once I understood the trajectories which took a couple tracers.

Have fun.  My favorite 30-30 powders are H4895 and IMR 4320.

F-1

[dirtdobber47]

Acording to my software and handloads.com ballistics cal. using 150 gr remington advertised at 2390 vel. with bc of.0193 sighted in at 100 yrds. would be 7.67 low at 200 with energy of 851 at 200.  Using 150 gr ballistic tip with a bc of.435 at 2390 vel. it would be 5.75 low at 200 with energy of 1355 at 200. A diference of 1.9 "  and 504 lbs. of energy. I know which one I"d choose. Every man I know cares about every inch and the punch at the end. I know the boss is always right, I'm done

[Steve P]

I too would vote for the 150 BT.  On big hogs the Partition may hold up weight, but may not expand to distribute that weight.  My 30-30s have seen lots of the balistic tips.  No partitions.  But no one has envited me to hunt hogs either.

Steve