30/30 out of 10" BARREL

[huntinhick]

anyone shooting a 30/30 out of a 10" barrel?  I am looking at one and want to know how they shoot.  after looking at my TC load book most say stay away from the 10" but I am looking for reports from those who shoot them how are they what do they do well

thanks
carl

[highwayman]

a 10'' 30-30 kept me from owning a contender for years. recoil and muzzle blast are bad to say the least. go with a 14'' much more pleasant to shoot.

[Ken ONeill]

I had one from about 1978 to about 1980, and used it in the early days of handgun metallic silhouette competition until the 7mm TC/U was introduced. I did well with it, but switched quickly to the superior TC/U. The 10'' .30-30 has a good bit of muzzle blast, and is greatly inferior to the 14" barrel in my opinion.

[irold]

As Ken posted above , I had a 10 "  barrel in the late 70s to early 80s .  Mine was an octogon , very tough as far as recoil and blast....also I lost several deer with it.  Been told I wasn't getting the velocity out of a 10 inch barrel for my bullet to expand properly.,...........I believe there's better choices.  Good luck

[Hank08]

I too shot silhouette with a 10" and at the time I was using 33 grs. of blc-2 and the blast and fireball was something. 40 shots with that was an ordeal for everyone around. The shooting platforms were close and the shooters next to me got the worst of it.  Later I changed to 3031 and 4895 and the fireball went away.  I also later changed to the 7TCU and set the standing production world record with it.  The 10' 30-30 is an excellent hunting gun.  I've killed several bucks with it.  Once some guys wanted me to hunt with them and they all had rifles and they laughed at me for having a contender in a shoulder holster but the only buck killed that day was with my 10" 30-30, 170 gr. fpgc.  The 10" is especially good if you want to carry it in a holster and are an offhand shooter. If you were going to use a 14" why not go 2 more inches and have a rifle that most shooters are more accurate with.  It also makes as excellent varmint handgun with 110 spitzers.
H08

[Sverre A.]

I`ve got a lot more fps with 14" barrel with a similar load - and that`s why I sold my 10".

[jhalcott]

 I didn't like the blast and flash of the 10" 30-30. It was more than accurate enough for sillywets and hunting though. I like most got rid of it for a 7TC/U. The 30-30 10" with FACTORY loads was NOT the same as a hand loaded 10" 30-30.Factory loads were designed for a 20 inch barrel,so the powder charge and type wasn't very good for use in that short barrel. It was a hand loaders barrel where charges and types could be chosen for best performance. I do not remember ever hitting a ram at 200 meters and having it still stand. The same for the few deer I used it on, one shot= one dead deer!

[Smokepole cowboy]

I have one, killed several deer with it.  It shoots 1" groups at 100 yards but it does kick a good bit.  Not so much that it's unshootable though.

[Mack in N.C.]

have 2 30-30's....1 14 inch with 3x scope and 1 10 " with fiber optic sights.......both are great shooters......i use the 10" in a holster crossdraw when i am in a tree stand.......evry deer has dropped in its tracks with the 10 " barrel except 1.......this year a doe i shot with it ran maybe 30 yds.......i will not get rid of the 10 " 30-30...mack

[Lives2hunt]

Mack what is your hunting load for your 30-30s??

[Mack in N.C.]

150 gr remmington sp core loks..........shoot that in both barrels....i shoot 170 gr federal premiums in my model 94 rifle......mack........recoil to me is not that bad......wouldnt want to shoot 50 or 100 but not bad out of 10 inch bull barrel.....mack

[IMshooter]

I shot metallic silhouette with a .30 Herrett in a 10 inch barrel.  This wildcat cartridge is simply a 30/30 cut down a little bit.  It had a nasty muzzle flash and kick.  Nobody liked standing next to me on the firing line.

That cartridge kicked so bad that one day all four screws holding the scope base on sheared off and the scope came back and hit me in the face!  Luckily the scope landed on the padded shooting bench and was not damaged.

TC replaced that barrel at no charge with a 7/30 Waters in 14 inch (they gave me a choice of caliber and barrel length).  I like TC products to this day!

The 7/30 Waters is a 30/30 necked down to 7mm.  A really sweet shooting cartridge and easy to load for.

[kgrand]

I am shooting a BFR 30/30 with a 10" barrel, and loving it.  Nice tight groups at 100yds.  Factory ammo only so far.  I have found the 160gr LeveRevolution ammo works great, but has a bit more felt recoil then the standard 150gr Power-Shok ammo I started with.  Still it is no where near as punishing as my 30-06 Encore with a 15" barrel.

[6.5BR]

I handloaded 10" bull w/125s and 130 Speer mag tip in college, less recoil than the 44 in that bbl.  Mine shot 1-1.5" at 100yds, got into the TCs then as a guy had a 14" 30/30 and a herrett.  Shot a beverage can on the backstop after a long offhand hold....first shot using his 30/30 w/2x EER Leupold.  I was hooked.

Sold the 44, later the 30/30, and shot 7TCU and 6.5TCU.  The bbl by the way shot a group little over 30cal hole size at 50 yds for three, using 150 corelokts of all things.  Loud, yes, recoil, not bad, used Pachmayr and a 41mag revolver is my upper end gun now.  44s whether in a 7.5 200th anniversary BH or a SW29 4" were just more than I wanted, downloaded were nice.  So I went to 41s. 

I always felt for ME the 14 was too long and cumbersome, nice off bags, too much for hunting.  I think a 12" would be about right to lower blast some, still hold well offhand.  14 was too heavy on muzzle for my shooting.

[Curtis]

I always felt for ME the 14 was too long and.........

I'm partial to the ten inch barrels myself but have two fourteeners; 7-30 Waters and .22rf.  My two Herretts and the two 44s are ten (naturally).  I have a .22rf in ten for offhand shooting as the fourteen inch .22rf wears a rifle scope and is only used at the bench.  From all of the loading data I've read over the years the 30 Herrett actually out performs the 30-30 in the ten inch barrel with all but the heaviest bullets.

Curtis

[WolfTrap]

I too shot silhouette with a 10" and at the time I was using 33 grs. of blc-2 and the blast and fireball was something. 40 shots with that was an ordeal for everyone around. The shooting platforms were close and the shooters next to me got the worst of it.  Later I changed to 3031 and 4895 and the fireball went away.  I also later changed to the 7TCU and set the standing production world record with it.  The 10' 30-30 is an excellent hunting gun.  I've killed several bucks with it.  Once some guys wanted me to hunt with them and they all had rifles and they laughed at me for having a contender in a shoulder holster but the only buck killed that day was with my 10" 30-30, 170 gr. fpgc.  The 10" is especially good if you want to carry it in a holster and are an offhand shooter. If you were going to use a 14" why not go 2 more inches and have a rifle that most shooters are more accurate with.  It also makes as excellent varmint handgun with 110 spitzers.
H08

Good Shooting!
What was your standing score?
I had shot a standing score of 34 with 30 Herrett.
10 Chickens....10 Pigs....10 Turkey's....4 Rams

[nomosendero]

The 30-30 & a 10" tube is a very poor match, as alot of you have correctly stated. I am dating myself here, but that was the entire reason that Bob Milek made such a big impact talking about the 30Herrett
back when it was introduced. In a 10" tube the Herrett would perform better & had far less blast & less recoil, with the lessor powder charges & more efficient & logical case for a 10" barrel.

However, when the "Super 14" came out the situation changed, as the 14" would better utulize the increased powder charge. In fact, if you look at the history of the Herrett rounds & intro of the 14", you will see the Herrett sales fading at the same time the 14" sales were growing, no accident at all. Then as the 14" became popular & only then did you start seeing the hotter rounds like the JDJ rounds being used. Yes,
the 14" changed it all.

I have a Super 14 in 30-30AI that I really like, it will get 2,400fps with the 150BT, nice set-up.

When I want to use a 10" barrel  those times do occur, I use a round more suitable for a 10" tube.

Huntinhick, to each his own, but I would not want a 10" 30-30 for any purpose, to much blast & bang & bad performance.

[6.5BR]

I shot mine a good deal, seems IMR 4198 from memory, and yes blast would be less with a Herrett, and if I wanted to spit 125-130s again, a 300 Whisper just might be the ticket.  None the less, back then LOADS of free brass as nobody picked them up at the range. 

I did get a 12" 7-30 waters but never fired it, but did shoot a 357 Maximum awhile and it was nice, 12" MT also, the 35 bore might be a tad more efficient and for a deer hunting handgun might be the way to go.  Efficient comes to mind.

I.E. my 1894 Marlin spat 158s at 2000-2050 in an 18.5" bbl.  Knocking on a 30-30 heels.....a TC in a Maximum just might get real close, the 180 SSP might be the ticket.

I did enjoy the 30/30 for up to 150 yds, then it ran out of gas, but it was simple to load for and once I used a good bit of cheap 125 corelokt bulk bullets.

I'd imagine the blast would bother me more today than back when I was in college......

Again, a Whisper on the 221 Fireball case seems VERY close to 30/30 for light bullets.  Lots less blast/bite.

TCUs were always a favorite but you'll possibly split a few case heads at times and once I had a case stuck in the bbl when the head severed off.  Flat, accurate, and less recoil with 6.5 and 7 TCU than the 30/30, but no factory ammo.  Pros/Cons.

For deer/hog type hunting, I think a 41 mag and the 357s make good sense, simple, effective and moderate recoil, with good punch to 100-150 yds.  Under 100 yds the trajectory would not really be an issue IMHO.  Longer shots, the 35s likely flatter, and the bottleneck rifle calibers better yet.