What's your 336 30/30 get for hunting accuracy?

[teddy12b]

I was at the range today and I was just making sure that my 30/30 was getting excited for deer season.  I was using my old trusty handload of a 170gr sierra FP over 32.5grs of Varget.  I usually get around 1 1/2" groups with this load out of my 336W.  Any of you guys have a hunting load that gets you better accuracy than that?

[Keith L]

30AW with 170 grain Federal Premium factory loads. 5 shots under 1.5 inches at 100 yards with an old Japanese Tasco 2.5X7 scope.  Groups went to half their size after a good trigger job (now about 2.5 pounds).

[ScoutMan]

Teddy, Can you "hold" within 2.5". If not than what the rifle can do is meaningless. Go to FR. Frogs site and look at Miisc. # 5 " Will a more accurate rifle make me a better shot" for a thoughtful discussion.

[Coyote Hunter]

Teddy, Can you "hold" within 2.5". If not than what the rifle can do is meaningless. Go to FR. Frogs site and look at Miisc. # 5 " Will a more accurate rifle make me a better shot" for a thoughtful discussion.

If he's getting 1-1/2" groups I suspect he's holding better than 2-1/2"?

[Coyote Hunter]

To the original question, anywhere from 0.5" for 5 shots to 2" for 3 shots depending on the load.  All are more than accurate enough for any shot I would take.

[Hooker]

I haven't shot any paper in a long time. With open sites 170gr Federals at 75yds I can still kill a lot of golf balls. And I also manage to drop a few deer, hogs, and coyotes. Not to bad for an old truck gun and my 47 year old eyes.

Pat  

[ScoutMan]

If he's getting 1-1/2" groups I suspect he's holding better than 2-1/2"?

Ya but,

If this is bench holding it doesn't count. Only field position holding counts.

[Keith L]

It depends what you are testing.  Bench holding tests the gun.  Field holding tests the shooter.  I believe the question was about the gun.

[teddy12b]

This question is about shooting from the bench.  When I know I've got the best I can get from the bench, I know I'll be able to get my best standing.

[Keith L]

I think that is the way most of us look at it.  And quite a few of us shoot from a rest whenever possible hunting as well.

[Lloyd Smale]

got an old 336 adl with a 22 inch barrel that will shoot into an inch at 100 with loads it likes. It will give most of my bolts a run for there money and even do it with 170 corelock factory ammo.

[ba_50]

2-3" @ 100 yards from a bench with only one reload so far. Trigger is pathetic.

[S.S.]

I do not have one anymore in .30-30, but I do have a .35.
It will shoot under 2 inches all day long. My old .30-30 would
do the same or a little better, Its trigger was a bit smoother.

[pooter]

Mine will only shoot 2 to 3 inches at a hundred yards off a bench. I haven't found any factory ammo that it likes yet.
I bought it 5 or 6 years ago, so if there was a factory round it liked I think I would have found it by now. Still, it's accurate
enough to kill a 10 point buck and I don't know how many hogs up on the Red River, and that's all that really matters.

[McLernon]

With reloads I get 2 inch three shot groups from the bench-- with a 6X scope.

McLernon

[Dillohide]

I use your Varget 30-30 load. In both my rifles it puts the first two shots side by side and drops the 3rd .5 to .8 below at 100 yards which is what I'd expect from anything sporting barrel bands. Also use a IMR 3031 load with the same results. You've got a good load.

[WyoStillhunter]

My big game season is over: 5X5 mule deer and cow elk, both with .444 Marlin.  But I have a Marlin-made Revelation Model 200 lever action 30-30 that is a real shooter.  It wears a Leupold Rifleman series 2-7X33 scope.

On 2/13/06 I had an interesting session at the range.  Using a benchrest with sandbags, etc. and the scope set at 4X I fired 5 fouling shots (1.655" ctc) with handloads before shooting four 3-shot groups at 100 yds. with four different kinds of factory ammo:

Federal Fusion 170 gr. =- 1.088"
Federal Nosler Partition 170 gr. - 0.838"
W-W 170 gr. PowerPoint - 0.822
Hdy. LeverEvolution 160 gr. - 0.797"
The AVERAGE of the four groups was 0.886"!

Shooting from field positions at live animals would not render this level of accuracy but the rifle is certainly capable of it.

Maybe next year I'll have to take it out for elk.  After all the average distance of my last four big game (1 mule deer and 1 elk each in 2005 and 2006) is approximately 50 yards.

[teddy12b]

I went to the range this weekend for the express purpose of just having some fun and checking my handloads against the Hornady Leverolultion rounds.  Wow, was I ever put to same.  I had groups at 100 yards that put my handloads to shame.  I literally had a bullet hole, the width of a bullet hole, bullet hole, width of a bullet hole, and bullet hole.  I had some tight groups with the new leverolution ammo and I just can't argue with it.  There would be a certain added pride if I shot a buck with a bullet that I handloaded myself, but Leverolution groups half that of my handloads so I'll be leaving my pride at home and taking the hornady rounds to the field this year!

[old geezer]

Mine shoots minute of deer, and I'm tickled pink.  One deer, one bullet, freezer full.  Doesn't get any better.