30-30AI or 7-30 Waters

[old coach]

I want to add a bbl to my grandson's T/C Contender rifle.
He is now shooting the 223 well and he needs another bbl for deer hunting.
Range will be 100yds or less for now.
I will handload his ammo.
I am considering the 30-30, 30-30AI, and the 7-30 Waters.
I will load the 125NBTs for the 30cal. and the Hornady sst for the Waters.
What I need to know is about recoil in both cals.
Bbl would be a 23" bull.
He is 9 yrs old and has been shooting for 3yrs.

THANKS
Coach

[Dezynco]

Since you're handloading, any of the three will work since you are able to load the cartridges down.  I loaded some 30-30's for my 10 year old daughter using 150 grain softpoint's.  I kept the velocity down around 1500fps, so the recoil was pretty mild.  75-100 yards is about as far as she can shoot accurately, so the loads worked very well.

I like the 30-30 for simplicity, I own both the 7x30 and the 30-30, and have owned a 30-30AI.  I always come back to my 30-30 since it's easy to load and does not seem to be very picky about bullets and powder.  My 7x30 and my 30-30AI seemed to be a little more finicky.  Also, for my kids, I can load the flat-nose and round nose 30 caliber bullets that were designed for the old lever guns, they will perform at the reduced velocities.

[old coach]

Thanks for the info. The recoil was what I needed to know about.
I have dies for the AI and the Waters.
I load 125NBTs to about 2600fps in my pistol bbl.
That load should get him to 100yds for deer or hogs.
Could just use the reg. 30-30 and he could use factory 150 Rem Core-Loc, although the recoil might be harsh.

Coach

[David D.]

My choice would be the 30-30AI with 125gr Nosler B-tips. It should also shoot 30-30 ammo just as accurate, point of impact will probably be different. But as he gets older you can load the AI up. Also a quality recoil pad such as the Simms Limbsaver will do a lot for the recoil.

[nomosendero]

Like David said, a good pad will do alot & non of these kick hard anyway. For me , it would be the 30-30AI hands down. You can shoot factory 30-30 which is about as common as it gets & the BT is a proven killer at these more modest velocities. I use a 30-30AI in the Super14 with a 150BT @ 2,400fps, the rifle of course will do better. The BT opens up at 250-300yds. with great performance.

[tlyne]

May I success another caliber . The 6.8SPC will give you the performance of 243 with out the kick in the contender barrel. You can buy ammo. All calibers listed will do the job on a deer, But the 6.8 will have less recoil kick. At less check out the 6.8 SPC. It is a great caliber for kids. Just my 2 cents. 

[Ranger413]

I've set my son up (so I think) with the 6.8SPC for deer hunting.  I figure with the right bullets it will pull double duty between a nice heavy varmint rig and a good deer rifle.  What I hear about the 6.8 - "performance of a .243 with recoil between the .223 and .243".  I was initially leaning toward a youth model left-handed bolt gun.  He's right handed but left-eye dominant so he's trained himself to shoot left handed.  I chose the G2 because I liked the interchangeable barrel idea and the fact that its ambidextrous.  So, there we are.  6.8 gets my "write in" vote. 

[LONGTOM]

Remington makes a Managed Recoil reduced load for the 30-30.
I think this would be about right for a young shooter and his first deer rifle.
Latter he can move up to full power loads but for now he would not be ubderguned for either deer or hogs.
Below is what Remington says about this round.

Remington's Managed-Recoil Centerfire Ammunition delivers proven hunting performance out to 200 yards with half the felt recoil of normal ammunition. Less recoil means sighting-in at the range becomes a more enjoyable experience and second shot recovery is quicker, so the shooter can get back on target more easily. Specialized bullets were developed specifically to perform at these velocity levels, and they are optimized to provide superior expansion with over 75% weight retention on shots out to 200 yards.

Technical Information

•Caliber: 30-30 Winchester
•Bullet Weight: 125 Grains
•Bullet Style: Core-Lokt Soft Point
•Case Type: Brass

Ballistics Information:

•Muzzle Velocity: 2175 fps
•Muzzle Energy: 1313 ft. lbs.



LONGTOM

[luckydawg13]

can you load a 270 or a 308 down so he can grow with it i got my 12yr old a encore
muzzleloader i just load that down if we could use centerfire in illinois i would got him
a 308 and down load it for him kids grow fast