30-30 for big game

[LA FAYETTE]

Hello all, new to the forum, lots of good infos to read (great posts).

I own a Marlin 336sc in 30WCF, can i use it on big game, i plan to hunt with it next season on wild boars (here they can weight as much as 200lbs). i'm thinking of 170 grs silvertip for that task.
What is the maximum range ? do you have experience with such game and 30-30 ?

I hunted last year with a 444 (no problem with big game) and shot a 160lbs hogs at 100 yards with it (droped in his tracks), but i want to know if i can use my 30-3O in confidence (undergunned ?).
Thanks for your help.
Regards
L.F

[USA Varminter]

I've never had 100 yard performance qualms with the 30-30 on deer.  even with the lighter bullet offering.

I'm sure with good placement the 30-30 will work well.

[Rustyinfla]

The old thuty thuty has acounted for more and bigger game than that. I'm sure there are countless stories from the far north where they were used for everything including ole grizz. Not that it would be my choice for the big bears from the start, it could do the job.
  It will really shine with cast bullets if you start reloading too.

               Rusty <><

[LA FAYETTE]

Thanks for your replies, i like lever actions (best for me are MARLIN, they suit me fine), i 've shot Bolt actions but in the field i prefer lever Action cos it points well and i can fire severals bullets fast (running game).
I'm a young Hunter and usually i use a 444S (pre-safety 1981 model)  it works well on game and i don't notice any recoil when i'm in  hunting situation, on the range i feel recoil but it's not a terrific one, it's in the same category for me as a 12 gauge and you can't compare it with a bolt action 300WM light carabine.
i think that every guns Kills, but some have more authority on game, anyway you can shoot in a the butt of a big wild boar with a 300WM and see it vanished in the brush.
Here in my country people usually use the BAR Auto. 300WM (60% of the hunters in my area), last time i shot a pig with my 444 some told me that i was using an airgun (??!!!), if a 444S is an airgun what are they ??

Ialso like the traditional way of this lever-guns, if 30-30 was not a good one for game (why 6 milions of them been sold), i'm also in traditional archery.
I got a 170grs mold, i only use it for pet loads.
Regards
L.F

[big medicine]

New Years Day I shot a large doe (about 170 lbs) at 130 yards with the 170 gr Rem RN. the round had no problems what so ever at that range. I think the 30-30 is underestimated. It is a nice cartridge, it is no 300 Win mag....but it was never ment to be a mag either. My 30-30 get shot a lot!

[williek]

Never forget that 100 years ago the 30-30 was the fire-breathing dragon of the hunting world, and no one was very concerned about what they were shooting with it. The game we shoot hasn't changed any, only our perception of what is adequate to use for deer sized game.
Just know its limitations and happy hunting!
williek

[LA FAYETTE]

at 100 yards the 444 and the 30-30 have nearly the same amount of energy, witch one do you trust the most ? Advantages and minus of both ?

last time i bring the 30-30 in the woods i was feeling little under-gunned comparing to my mates carring their 300WM, i think things gonna gets better when i will have my first game with the 30-30, i will be able to compare the effects of the round.
Wild hogs in France are big ( sometimes 200 lbs and more) and when they're purchased by the dogs they are full of energy and adrenalin, angry also...
in my area most shots are ranging from 4 to 100 yards, i will think that if i aim right there will be no problem....i've read an article in Varmint Hunter Mag. about the Eskimos...these guy's are incredible...polar bear with 222 and Hornet...i know they also use 30-30 a lot...(hat's down !!)..but in far north wounded game has nowhere to hide..here it's a different story, and sometimes recover game in heavy brush is hell....wounded Hogs are really eating the dogs if we can't reach it fast.....we use a lot our 4x4 cars on hellish trails...dust, sweat and blood...sometimes freezing snow..and rain..hunting is an exciting thing....and for me Leverguns made by Marlin are a joy to carry and to own , i know now by experience that the 444 works great, but i want to use my 336 30-30 for hunting and not only at the range ....challenge ?

Regards
L.F
God Bless America

[USA Varminter]

The magnum craze is just rediculous.  There is no need in the states to own and shoot a heavy recoiler.  Even the .30-06 can be considered a very large cartridge.  The 30-30 will knock down any north american game animal.  Granted it is not my first pick if you are shooting at 150+ yards, a scoped bolt action in a larger caliber should take over then.  But considering most deer hunters seldom take shots over 100 yards in many areas of the country it is rediculous to assume that they'd need anything bigger than the 30-30.

I would feel free to get that 336 out, load it up and nail some hogs, I would imagine that some of the local 300 magnum shooters lose quite a few hogs every year.  Nothing to do with power, just accuracy.

I've also met hunters who owned several magnum, or large caliber bolt actions w/ scopes and never used them.

It shows, you'll notice that alot of people have given up on the large calibers and are picking up 7mm 08s, 6mms, 260's and the like.  The recoil has gotten on their nerves and they've discovered that there is more to shooting than having excess energy.

[Coyote Hunter]

USA Varminter –

There is nothing inherently wrong with the big magnums and your contention that the “magnum craze is just rediculous” is, well, just one person’s opinion.  For myself, while the largest magnum I own is a .300 Win Mag, I am glad that the .300 RUM, 338WM, .338 RUM, .375H&H and .375RUM are available should I choose to buy one.  If I was heading to Alaska for a hunt a .338 or .375 in one of the previously listed cartridges would be my companion.

The .30-30 will certainly take any animal in North America, as will a .22 Magnum if properly placed.  This does not mean either of them are the best choice for a particular situation.  Fortunately the rifle manufacturers do more than consider the needs of “most deer hunters” when deciding which cartridges to bring to market – they consider the needs of the market as a whole.  The recent onslaught of short magnums and ultra magnums is not a bad thing at all.  Frankly, although I don’t own any rifle chambered for Dakota, WSM, SAUM or RUM cartridges, I applaud the innovation they bring.  The market will sort out the winners and the losers in due time.

This I know for sure – when a hunter spends thousands of dollars on an out-of-state big game hunt in the western states or Alaska, a .30-30 is rarely the most logical choice for the firearm.  This is also true – a .30-30 can be and often is used at ranges and situations that are inappropriate for the shooter's skill or the .30-30’s ability to perform.  That is not to say that a magnum will make up for poor placement, but given equal placement I would most often prefer to use a magnum.  Indeed, there are many times when proper placement is much easier with a magnum.

Here in Colorado the .300 Win Mag, not the .30-30, is easily and often argued as the best all-around choice for the one-rifle big game hunter.

[Lloyd Smale]

I may raise a few eyebrows but ill extend the recomended range to 200 yards. Ive killed game with no problem at those ranges with a properly sighted in gun. Ive shot groups around 3 inch at 200 with my marlin with a peep sight on it. I witnessed my buddy take a antelope at 245 yards off hand with a win. and a peep dropped it in its tracks. Those jacketed 3030 bullets dont take much velocity to expand reliably. its more of a question as to how far your capable of shooting and how well your gun shoots out there.

[Mikey]

LA FAYETTE:  I will go with the suggestions and findings of the others, with one exception - the 444 has more power, energy and penetrability at 100 yds than the 30-30.  Don't get me wrong, I like the 30-30, got tow of them but I like the 444 a lot more.  It is a much heavier cartridge.  

200 lb boar with the 30-30 should not be any problem, as long as bullet placement is good.  However, I'll take the 444 for boar any day - some are juyst rat nasty critters and need a whoppin' to put them down.  I will always opt for more power than less.  

FYI, the 444 really starts talkin' when you stuff it with 300 grain slugs or better.  I find the heavier bullets penetrate beyond all expectation.  I have used the 265s before and they are ok, but j ust ok - 300s, 330s and 350s are much better.  JMHO.  Mikey.

[Scota]

I may raise a few eyebrows .

He is right.  The 3030 is a wonderful short to medium range deer cartridge.  I would stick with the 170 grain bullets.  The velocity is low by modern standards.  The bullets are  consequently made with thinner jackets.  So, one compensates for the other.  Bottom line is the bullets don't tend to break up and penetration is very good.  The modern high velocity guys need to use fancy bullets and fight bullet break up.  The gain with the high velocity is flatter trajectory.  Killing power is plenty with both.  

The 3030 will plow through flesh and make a long steady wound channel.  Fast stuff is more destructive but can fail to penetrate as well.  So, you get different performance but nether is better.  I am not saying a .338 kills the same as a 3030.  I am saying with a 308 and 3030 you may never see a difference in the amount of vennison in the freezer.  

Long range....  Can you really stick them all in the boiler room at 400 yards??  I can't.  I can shoot too.  Shooting in the field is different than shooting off the bench or at your high power match.  I think lots of guys fool themselves into thinking they have a real world advantage by upping the velocity by 1000fps.  I am not so sure for most of them.  Most game I see killed is pretty close.  I have seen lost of long range gang bangs without a good hit.  Seen a fair amount of wounded game from those exercises though.  Frankly, if you are a good hunter you should be able to get close enough to make the 3030 work on any deer sized game.

Western open country elk and mulie hunting is different.  Use the range finder and rock solid rest with your 300 super whatever, that is it's place.  

Final thought.  Shoot your 3030 until you are a crack shot.  Buy ammo at K-mart and go shoot rocks and ground squirrels.  You won't burn out your 3030 as the high velocity guys will.  Ammo is cheap shot lots of it.  By learning to shoot your rifle really well you will be the guy who brings home the venison.

[147 Grain]

The 30-30 is undervalued and underrated now-days, but still does surprisingly well, especially with Federal Premium 170-gr. Partitions, which I believe is the best factory 30-30 load out there.

2nd best load are 170-gr. Grand Slams (Federal has stopped loading them, but this Speer load is still on the market) or the 170-gr. Fusion bonded load from Federal (which is similar to the Grand Slam).

[Big Paulie]

It seems to me that about 3 months ago, I read that Hornaday has announced that this year, it is introducing factory loaded 30-30 ammo, with boosted performance (compressed powder loads I expect), that boost the speed and performance level of the 30-30 150 grain load to within 50 foot pounds of the .300 Savage!  That is a huge improvement.  These loads will also be available in the 170 grain load.

   These new factory loads, if accurate, really put the icing on the cake for the 30-30 Winchester.  It is already a super performer.

     As I have mentioned before on these boards, the sad boring fact is that out to 150 to 175 yards, the 30-30 Winchester, with a good 170 grain factory load (Remington core-loct, or Nosler Partition) is all that anybody needs for any game in North America, short of moose, huge elk, or grizzly.  Even these last three will not survive a good lung shot for very long, though they make walk a ways.

Best Regards,
Paul Amos

[Old Griz]

:cb2: Back to the hogs, we've got some hog hunting guides here in Tennessee that recommend using .30-30s even over the .45-70 (gasp!  :eek: ) That surprised the heck outta me.