30-30 range report

[42769vette]

i worked up a load today for my marlin 30aw. i used h4895 and shot the hornady leverrevelution 160 gr ftx bullets. with factory leverrevelution i was getting 2 inch groups at 100yds today when i shot. i tried 5 groups of powder wieghts (26-26.5-27-27.5-28) i shot 3 shot groups with each. with 28 gr i was shooting 1.75 groups, but with 26 i was shooting 1.1 inch groups. but here is the great news, with 26.5 my first group was .69 center to center. so i loaded a few more of those just to make sure it wasn't a fluke and shot a .6 group. i am absolutly amazed with those groups from a 30-30. i used cci primers and unfired winchester brass with a light crimp.

now im debating on trying 26.6 and 26.4 but ill probably leave good enough alone since this isn't made to be a precision rifle.

hornady lists the min charge at 25.8 and max at 28.9 so im on the low end of that scale

[CJ7365]

Vette sounds like you found the sweet spot, I have a 336S 30/30, and bought some of the FTX bullets, but havent loaded any up yet,I always liked the Hornady Leverevolution ammo. Glad to hear its working well

I guess I need to start loading some 30/30

[42769vette]

i would have been jumping for joy with 1 inch. i couldn't be happier with the ftx bullets.

[Doodlebugger45]

That is truly awesome shooting for the 30-30. I took my old Winchester 94 out the other night and fired the first of the Hornady factory Leverevolutions in it. Actually, with my tired old eyes, I was pretty pleased to get a couple of 3" groups at 100 yards. That was for 5 shots. Seems like the rear sight on that dang thing was a lot clearer when I first started shooting it 36 years ago. That wasn't stellar shooting, but it'll still get the job done if I believe the velocities that Hornady prints.

[Ruger4570]

Doodle: Ya just had to bring up the old eye thing for me. Gettin' old "just ain't for sissies"
Nowadays, if I want to shoot a squirrel in the back yard, I need to take off the bifocals so I CAN SEE the rear sight, then the Squirel is pretty fuzzy in the sights that I can NOW see perfectly, just not the squirrel any more.
Who the Hell invented getting Old??? It wasn't MY idea..

[Doodlebugger45]

LOL

It really was an interesting experience the other night. I still shoot my 30-30 every once in awhile, but it is typically more informal casual shooting. Usually just one or two shots at a rock or a can or a coyote or whatever needs to be shot at since the 30-30 is normally sitting in the back of the truck. Typically, I just figure "yep, that was good enough".

But the other night I took my 243 and 308 out to compare some different loads at real targets at 100 yards. As an afterthought, I threw in the 30-30 and 45-70 as well since I was dying to try the new LeverRevolutions in them.

I tell ya what. After firing 25-30 rounds through each of the 243 and 308 with nice scopes and 7x or 9x magnification at 100 yards, it was truly a humbling experience to look at that same target with open sights for the 30-30 and 45-70. The targets that looked SO clear in the scopes were nearly invisible with the open sights. Basically, I could see the white 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper the targets were printed on when I was looking through the sights. Seems like before I would line up the sights, I could see the red 1" dot fairly well, but as soon as I tried to focus on the sights, about all I could see was the white paper with a hint of color in the center.

I only shot 2 groups of 5 with the 30-30 and 1 group of 5 with the 45-70 (it got to hurting a bit after those 5). Basically until I walked up to the target, I wasnt even sure I was on the paper! LOL So like I said, I was pleasantly surprised that all of the old lever actions had about 3" groups on them clustered around the red dot. It was a makeshift rest, fired as quick as I could chamber a shell and line up the sights comfortably.

But yeah, it was still a humbling experience seeing that sight picture and all the "fuzz" that has somehow accumulated on the rear sights of my good ole rifles.

[N.H. Yankee]

I have the 336 in 30-30, I have found a few loads that shoot 10 shots under 2 inch's at 100yds. My favorite is the 130gr Speer flat nose using 39.0gr WW748. This will group 2 inch's or under at 100 yds at 2550fps. I have anchored a few deer with it and the deer can run big up here. I have 3 that dressed out over 200lbs, and average for me is 150lbs dressed. These bullets work great in my 30-30.

I have a load for 110gr bullets that once went 10 shots at 1 1/4 inch's at 100yds with my 336 and thats using a 1 1/2 X 6 power scope. Oddly to date I cannot get the 170 gr bullets to group 2 inch's, usually 3-4 inch groups. I am just shocked at the accuracy of the Marlin lever rifles.

[42769vette]

my 30-30 does have a 3-9-40 on it. i wasn't to thrilled about a scope on a 30-30 but it was on the gun when i bought it and i never bothered taking it off. its not to bad i leave it on 3 for truck and tractor use and can crank it up to 9 for sighting in

[vbk1969]

Vette what was the COAL on these FTX loads? I read that hornady suggested to trim the case .010. Just wondering if u trimmed or not. Did u go with mannual specs on case length?

Thanks Brent