30/30 handloads for black bear

[melsdad]

What is everyones opinions on the best bullet / powder combination for hunting Pennsylvania Black Bears with the 30/30 with ranges up to 100 yards maximum?

Thanks
Brian

[hornady]

I am assuming you are talking about a lever gun, there have been some nice black bear taken with factory loads, a suggestion would be the new Hornady Flex tip, My brother loaded some up for white tail last year, very devastating results for the 3030. He did have trouble locating a good load.
They have been on the market a while now, so you should find a good one for your rifle now, if you decide to go that way.

[dpe.ahoy]

I hear Penn. has some good sized Black bears.  I would go with 170 gr regular bullet, a Nosler Partition or 150 Barnes X bullet.  DP

[T.R.]

This dandy stag was taken last February on a hunt at Double D Ranch. Live weight estimated at over 400 lbs.  Yet my 30-30 bullets did not bounce off!  In my opinion, plain 170 grain factory ammo is still BEST for big game hunting. I'm not convinced that a Premium bullet will penetrate deeper or hit harder than Winchester SUPER X, FEDERAL Fusion, Hornady Interlock, or Remington core-lockt.

Plan to keep your shots within 150 yards or so.  Your rifle is a repeater; lever quickly after the shot and keep shooting until the animal is down.

Good hunting to you.

TR

[JPShelton]

The .30-30 is one of those rounds with terminal performance on game that is far more dramatic and effective than "paper ballistics" would lead you to believe.

The modest velocity of the .30-30 pretty much assures deep-digging, vitals-piercing penetration with standard cup and core bullets.  Unless I was hunting in some area where leadless projectiles were mandated by law, the most wazoo bullet I'd consider using in a .30-30 is a 170 grain Remington Core-Lokt.

You don't have the massive secondary (and temporary) wound channel with a .30-30 that you'd have with a higher velocity round.  But the primary permanent wound channel is shockingly large in volume to one who erroneously believes that a .30-30 is barely enough gun to kill a whitetail at 75 yards.  The modest velocity of a factory 170 grain load or handloaded duplicate doesn't stress the bullets much on impact, so they hold together well and have the sectional density needed to wade in deep, and the relatively thin jackets and big exposed lead tips promote reliable, "right now" expansion.  The result is that aforementioned suprisingly large volume primary wound channel.

This is why there is little to be gained by trying to turn the .30-30 into something that it isn't and never was intended to be.  That said, if you can be content to appreciate the .30-30 for what it is -a mild mannered, effective short to mid-range game taker that doesn't leave you with a bunch of bloodshot meat- I believe you'll find it a reliable one shot killer of whitetails, feral pigs, black bears, etc out to 200 yards with no hot-rodding or so-called "premium" bullets required to enjoy clean one-shot kills.

-JP

[melsdad]

That to me is a thorough description of the 30-30. Thanks JP

[Default_Required]

Introduced in 1895 and the proof has been in the puddin for the 30-30 ever since... Stick with the time tested and true . Good 170gr Winchester should serve you well , I know the old Super X brand has taken more game for me then any other factory offerings available in any caliber.


 Or I guess I can just +1 JP heh 

[melsdad]

Thanks for all the information everyone. Looks like I am going to buy a few boxes of different factory ammo, and see just what my 336 likes the best.

Right now I have a 4X scope on my rifle. I just bought a skinner peep sight for it. Should I find my best load before I take off the scope, or just shoot with the peep installed?

Thanks
Brian

[T.R.]

I have a 2X - 7X Leupold scope on my 30-30 carbine.  But it stays on 4X for most of the time.  You'll not be handicapped with a 4X scope!

This photo was taken in summer of 2005 in Pocono Mts. of eastern Penns Woods at the Church Camp where my daughter worked that summer.  Nearly every evening the bear came around looking for dropped food or anything to eat .  The kids stayed within their cabins at night; no running around in the dark!

I'd guess-timate it's weight well over 300 lbs.  The animal never attacked anyone nor behaved aggressive.  It was just seeking food. The bear did not show itself during succeeding summers.  Perhaps a skilled hunter shot it with his 30-30!

TR

[Happy]

I reload  for a friend . He uses the speer 170 over a Max charge of H4895, cci primer , federal case . in his 336 Marlin and finds this commo. just deadly for large deer as well as bear .
How we got the gang , who shoot 30/30's -all using this load ,as they see what my buddy is taken with the load .
Happy

[Lloyd Smale]

hard to beat a good old 170 corelock for bear hunting whether it be factory ammo or handloads using them. Around here factory corelock ammo is cheap enough that its hardly worth the bother of loading your own.

[Halwg]

I reload  for a friend . He uses the speer 170 over a Max charge of H4895, cci primer , federal case . in his 336 Marlin and finds this commo. just deadly for large deer as well as bear .
How we got the gang , who shoot 30/30's -all using this load ,as they see what my buddy is taken with the load .
Happy

This is the same load I use, and it's deadly on deer (At least for now).  It's only been in the last 40 years or so that deer have mutated into the super animals that take a 338 Ultra Mag to kill.  And that is only in some areas in the Great White North.  In WV, whitetails are still vulnerable to the 30-30, but I'm not sure how much longer this will be the case.  The first time my bullets start bouncing off, I'll be at the gun shop buying an Ultra Mag!   

[yellowtail3]

The .30-30 is one of those rounds with terminal performance on game that is far more dramatic and effective than "paper ballistics" would lead you to believe.
.....
This is why there is little to be gained by trying to turn the .30-30 into something that it isn't and never was intended to be.  That said, if you can be content to appreciate the .30-30 for what it is -a mild mannered, effective short to mid-range game taker that doesn't leave you with a bunch of bloodshot meat- I believe you'll find it a reliable one shot killer of whitetails, feral pigs, black bears, etc out to 200 yards with no hot-rodding or so-called "premium" bullets required to enjoy clean one-shot kills.

Excellent post; I wholly agree.

This from my largest whitetail yet - 2009 season heart shot, about 140 yards, using plain old Federal 150gr PowerShok...