30-30 for hunting

Who uses a 30-30 for hunting? What game and favorite load.

I do on occasion. Deer, hog, axis. 160gr FTX.

I do sometimes. WT deer and javelina. 160 gr Leverevolution load.

Hogs. Remington 150 grain Corelokt.

I consider my 30-30 to be my "brush gun", not because 30-30 bullets are better at cutting brush, but because it works great when hunting in brushy areas were shots might be 40 yard or less. Want some people call brush guns don't exist because ANY bullet is going to be negatively impacted if it hits anything between the shooter and intended target. I like the 30-30 for being easy to handle and carry in areas where a heavier and longer rifle becomes more difficult to maneuver.

While I've traditionally been a Core Lokt shooter, I recently switched to Federal Fusion because they seem to perform better at just about the same price. IMO, 150 grains of lead is plenty to sling at deer and hogs.

The reason I ask is where I'm going on a whitetail hunt is dense wooded areas. The 30-30 package with open sights seems a better choice in those conditions. Also I have a box of Speer 130gr hot-cor I'm working up a load with. I notice that ya'll are in the 150gr range, do you see any problem with the bullet selection? I'm using W748 powder.

I shoot 150 grain bullets only because they seem to be the smallest off-the-shelf loads you can most frequently find in the 30-30 caliber.

I also shoot an open-sighted 30-30 because at such close distances a scope just gets in the way. The last deer I shot with my 30-30 was just 15 yards away. The last feral hog was no more than 30.

Of course any bullet will/can be deflected and change course by hitting something before the target. I only have 1 experience shooting the 30-30 through brush and it was positive. Walking back to the house after an unsuccessful deer hunt I heard something in the thick under brush of East Texas. I took a knee and quickly realized it was hogs. It was so thick I couldn't tell which end was the head or the hind so I aimed for the center and fired. When I got in there, sow was hit dead center from about 20 yards. I consider it a good experience with what many call a "Brush gun".

I've used most 30-30 loads over the years. I haven't found one that will not work. Just find one your gun shoots well and you're going to be happy. Right now my favorite is a 165 gr cast over trailboss for a whopping 1400 fps. It works pretty well for pigs.

Use mine occasionally for old times sake. Owned it for almost 50 years...corelokt, white tail and hogs.

Whitetails. Winchester 150 grain Power point.

Kills them completely dead.

Yes it does

I have an inherited 94 in .30-30 that I have never hunted with (but I do hope to get around to it). I chose 170s because I tend to have a little more faith in a heavier bullet's ability to penetrate. How much difference there really is in the field? I wouldn't expect a hell of a lot of difference. It's only about a 5% difference in weight between a 150 and a 170.

brush guns

I've shot a fox, axis doe, and aoudad ram with 150gr "soft points." By soft point I mean that I can't remember if it was loaded with Federal blue box, Winchester Power Point, or Remington Corelockt/Corelockt SP.

All of these were killed at further distances than what I think you want yours for. The fox and ram at around 65 yards, the axis doe ranged at 89 yards.

Winchester 150gr Power Points. typical 100-120 yd shots.

The "brush gun" concept has been argued over the wrong issue for a long time. A good brush gun isn't good because it gets through brush, a good brush gun is fast handling, shoots bullets that penetrate game deeply and don't tear up an excessive amount of meat. The penetrate game deeply part is the real issue in "brush guns" as often you don't get the perfect broadside shots. Fast handling allows you to get on target before the animal gets out of sight. If I wanted to do damage to "brush" I think a 12 gauge shooting buckshot would be the way to go.

The 4 bore double rifle I’m building doesn’t care about a little brush.


.450-400 barrel(.410” bore dia) on top.

Or a lot of brush, or a heckuva lot of brush, or even a small forest!

Remember years ago reading about one gun writer taking a 4 bore double on a hunt for elephant. He got his bull.

Remember years ago reading about one gun writer taking a 4 bore double on a hunt for elephant. He got his bull.

4 Bore double the weight of the gun goes up over a pound with loading it.

My shoulder just started hurting and my nose is bleeding. Weird.

I'm a fan of the 30-30 Win, hunted with it since I was a kid (I'm in my mid-sixties now). I have a number of rifles chambered in the cartridge; bolt, levers, and a pump.

For the last 15 years, I've been using 170-grain cast bullet but have shot just about every offering made other than the Hornady FTX bullets. The OP asked about the Speer 130-grain, I've used it and it works well. As of late, I'm using the Speer #2007 with my 30-30 Ackley Improved.



748 is a good powder choice.

I like the model 94' lever action for a brush gun and just plain practice . Perfect for thick areas , shooting close-up and small compact size for packing especially when horse back riding . That's why they were so popular from the beginning . I shoot 150gr which is more than enough for the use of that gun . Anything higher is really of no use for that particular rifle . Thing about this style is shooting distance is short for accuracy . The open sights is really all that is needed for brush work . Sights easily set and any good shooter can hit his target if he practices .

I would really like to see this when you finish. Is it going to be exposed hammers.

Round action trigger plate. Internal hammers.

I take it about every 5th hunt. Use some old silver tips that my uncle gave me.

As long as you do your part with accuracy, either bullet will kill them just as dead.

It doesn't need to be complicated.

Go buy some brand name ammo from a discount store. Make sure you can consistently hit in an area towards the center of a small dessert plate or saucer at the range you will be hunting. Be confident and calm in your shooting abilities when aiming to kill a living thing.

love the 30-30 in 94 I take mine amost more then my bolt gun

The 30-30 does have some operational characteristics that require special attention when used for hunting, the most obvious being the exposed hammer. IMO, there is less to go wrong with hammer less bolt actions and semi's where the shooter need only switch off the safety when the time comes to get off a shot. While some hunters might leave the hammer in the fully cocked position while on the stand, I suspect most leave it in the halfcock position for safety reasons. This requires the hammer to be pulled back completely to the firing position when it comes time to get off a shot. Of course, Marlins (and perhaps others) include a trigger safety for those looking for a gun that emulates the same operation of the bolt actions and semi's so that the hammer can be left fully cocked but still safe from accidental release.

I own three different 30-30 rifles with each having a different safety design. The Marlin has both a trigger safety and halfcock hammer functionality, while the Winchester offers the halfcock hammer and a lever safety where the lever must be held completely closed before the hammer can be released by the trigger. The Henry has no hammer halfcock position, nor a trigger safety but "an ultra-safe patented Transfer Bar Safety Mechanism. This safety system prevents the gun from being fired under all circumstances, except when the hammer is fully cocked and the trigger is pulled." Still, I suspect I'll be one who waits until it's time to get off a shot before pulling the hammer back to the firing position.

I have my dad's 32 wsp, I don't know what year but it's before 1950. Top eject open sites. Whish I could have a scope on it, wear bi-focal hard to focus short and long at same time.
I believe the 32 has the same ballistics as 3030.

I shoot 150 grain bullets because they are more accurate in my rifle. If 170’s were more accurate I’d use them.

My Glenfield model 30A has taken hogs, a ram, and unknown number of whitetail in the 35+ years I have had it. Hunted with an '06 for few years, but back to my 30-30 now. Nothing in my neck of the woods that can not be killed by a 30-30. Use 150gr CoreLoks because 170gr targets look like I shot them with a shotgun (holes all over the place). Had Chad (on this forum) reload 100 rounds 150gr for me a few years ago. Again- nothing around here, or any place I have been, needs more than a 30-30.

I found 170 grain bullets impact 4 inches lower than 150 grain bullets at just 80 yards in my Marlin 30-30. That's significant but expected when you consider the weight of the bullet relative the to the amount of powder pushing it.

As a visual comparison, the best performing cartridges for my flat shooting 25-06 carry a 100 grain bullet with much more powder under them. In fact, a reloading chart indicates a 100 grain, 25-06 has twice the powder charge of a 170 grain 30-30.

I have a pristine savage 99 in 30-30, never shot, probably won't now.

Classic hunting rifle. Too bad it will never see the field.

Yeah, a real shame. Let me borrow it and I will hunt the new right off of it.

Got me my Marlin 336 when I was 14. Walked into one of the town's hardware & paint stores and plunked down the cash savings from my paper route. Sure was a different world back then. Ammo is Remington or Winchester 170g. Put a lot of venison in the freezer with it. Still use it for regular gun season - it's all I've got (or need) other than the T-C black powder I got about 30 years ago.

Nostalgically thinking back, I was the oddball with the 30-30. Except for my best friend (still is) who got his in .35 (still uses it every year), everyone else I knew and hunted with back then had a "must-have" 30-06 with scope.

Do you remember about what you paid for it?

In 1969 I paid less than a $100 for the rifle and a couple of boxes of shells. I want to say the rifle was $80, but not sure on that.

I bought my first Marlin 336 for $50 used in 1974. Another $40 for a Bushnell scope and less than $10 for a sight thru mount and sling for about $7 as I remember. Shot my first deer with that rifle. I have shot a lot of deer with a 30-30.

You have to love a 30-30 for what it is. It is a HARD hitting,quick handling and relatively short range gun.
If you don't have one, i think everybody should. Go get one. Leave it open sights. Take it to the field pick your shot. Nothing over 100 yards. Preferable 50 yards or less. And appreciate what you did and the gun. Remember when tbe 30-30 wss introduced it was state of the art. The hunters were hunting for survival.
Did I mention that I am very fond of the 30-30!? I have 2 winchesters. I got my grandpas a 1920 Savage 99 that i killed a deer with when i was 11 years old. I got it back from the estate. I shot it at Christmas. It was exciting to shoot it again.

I have to believe some guys are drawn to the 30-30 because in the back of their minds, it reminds them of the Daisy they got when they were just a kid.

I know of an "invite only" hunt on a very large ranch in South Texas, the attendees all cattlemen, where you can only hunt with a 30-30. It is a BYOH hunt, the "H" being a horse, as it is a pack-in event, miles from any made-made facilities.

Or that many of us started on a 30-30 lever, I know I did.

I think the draw to lever guns has more to do with western drama in movies and on TV. When I was four years old back in 59 the hot toy was a Mattel toy 94 that came with plastic bullets that actually fired from spring-loaded cartridges. IIRC, of course...no bets there!

Glenfield 30A in 30-30 was my first centerfire rifle. Wife bought it for me our first Christmas after getting married (1981) from Montgomery Wards. Paid $129.95. I added a scope, see thru mounts, and a sling. I also have a Win 94 TOP EJECT (also in 30-30) that his daughter (my wife) and I originally gave to my Father-in-Law in about 1985. Before he went to the Veterans Home, he told me to take the rifle back before any of his sons got it- COMPLETED!

I have a Remlin and a JM Stamped Marlin 336. Killed deer with both out to 140+ yards. Speer 150 Gr. Hot-Core (My reloads) or Hornaday LEVERevolution 160 Gr.
Too damned old for open sights, both rifles are equipped with 3X9's. I do not shoot thru brush...

they had a cowboy buck hunt up on one of the ranches (may have been the waggoner ) up in north texas where it was like this....lever open sighted rifles off horseback. seems like it would have been an interesting hunt for sure.


IMO a .30-30 was at the time the best combination hunting/tactical rifle available....decent range ( for an open sighted rifle ) more punch than a .44-40 or .45 LC but still had a decent magazine capacity and could fire shots pretty fast.

as far as a straight hunting rifle was concerned there were better options available but considering the times many rifles had to serve double or triple duty and this was a great combo gun.


I've owned two in my life, a model 94 that was lost in my parents divorce and my current 336 marlin. I was always a fan of the marlins over the Winchesters myself. its not my favorite hunting rifle or cartridge by any stretch but it serves its purpose for me like it did for many when the cartridge was created; to be a short, quick handling rifle with power to kill deer sized game and have the ability to have fairly rapid follow up shots. it lives under the back seat of my truck most of the time, this one wears a trim little 2x7 leupold.

I'm not sure about the Waggoner Ranch but I do know the Nail Ranch outside of Albany has hosted these kinds of hunts before.

That was it, the Nail Ranch