New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

Hi All,

I just signed up to this forum, lots of great info. The reason that I am writing is that I am fairlynew to hunting (I do huntpheasant though). I just inherited my grandfather's Marlin 336 30-30 (iron sights)and had some ammunition questions. The local stores basicallycarry Winchester 30-30 Powerpoint and Silvertip both in 150 and 170 grains. Can someone please tell me (or direct me where to look) what the difference is between Powerpoint and Silvertip? What type of game should be hunted with Powerpoint vs Silvertip and should the round be either 150 or 170 grains? I know that shot placement is the key factor in taking down game. What is the longest range that you would recommend hunting with the Marlin 335 in30-30 WIN? What is the largest game animal that should be hunted with 30-30 WIN? As you can see, I know almost nothing about the 30-30 cartridge, so any info would be useful and much appreciated. Thanks, Figsy.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

I love my Marlin 30-30..I've never had a deer run after I shot it..That is one sweet shooting gun up to a 100 yds..

I buy mine from Walmart they are the...
Winchester
150 Grain Hollow Point

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

ive never had any experience with the 30-30s, but i did stay at a holiday in express last night;)

welcome, youll love here!

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

I heard that the newer 30-30 shells out by Hornady (I believe?) called Lever Revolution were very good shells and they shoot much further out than the regular 30-30 shells on the market!If you hunting for Deer I would use a 150 grain bullet with a soft lead tips (corelok) for more impact on a deer and they will hold up better in thick brush or wooded area's.I have several friends that have used 30-30 Rifles all their lifes and they do very well with them,a .243,.270, .308 or 30-06 will shoot further and work better in more open area's like large fields,big area's with food plotsand so on!

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

youve never had a deer run when you shot it? how many deer have you shot

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

youve never had a deer run when you shot it? how many deer have you shot

Good question...:D
only 4 ..whenI was in school and in the military I was out of hunting for 15 years at least..I'm back to stay and hope to add alot of deerto my numbers.

1 heart
2 spines
1 broken shoulder

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

i know knockin the spine or both shoulders will put em down, but a heart shot thats pretty impressive. how close was the deer

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

figsy, both of those rounds are for big game and both are good brands. the trick is to see which one your particular gun is more accurate with. buy a box of each and see. I would start with the 170 grain as the 30 caliber guns typically have the best ballistic coefficient with a 165 grain bullet. If u can't get good groups try a 150 grain.

The point blank range for a 30-30 is about 120-130 yards. I would try that lever revolution ammo also if i were looking at hunting with that round. again see which one your gun is most accurate with. they will all take deer size game down handily.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

"i know knockin the spine or both shoulders will put em down, but a heart shot thats pretty impressive. how close was the deer "

50 yds..he fell over like a piece of cardboard..it was too easy.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

boy thats cool. great work!
i actually dont like the 30-30 at all, i love my .308, and my .45 caliber muzzleloader. knocks em dead;)

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

I love my 30-30 and have killed 6 deer with it. I use remington 150 grain shells but would like to try the new hornady lever revolution ammo. I would suggest putting a scope on the gun at some point. Ive only had one deer get away after i gut shot him. In my experience, shot placement is the key with this gun.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

i use the 150 silver tip. makes a nasty hole when it comes out. better blood than my .270 or 7mmm....tony

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

most guys use 30-30's for whitetails where my family and I hunt. West Michigan. as far as distance...depends on how familiar you are with the gun/ammunition. about 200yds would be my max for that cartridge.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

Yep, same here. I took an 8pt. this last season at 187yds. He ran about 30 yards and dumped. I have seen an antelope taken at 300 yards with a 30-30 using this new Hornady Leverevolution ammo. I have been using levers for 43 years and have never seen such impressive kills untill this new LE ammo with leverguns.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

+1

Excellent advice above... You have to see what flavor of ammo your .30-30 will like. Some like Remington Core-Lokt. Others like Winchester Silvertips, Hornady, Federal, etc...etc...

I love my Marlin .30-30 and will never part with it. It has a distinct preference for Winchester Silvertip 170gr, so that's what I stick with.

Also, depending on where you hunt, I'd keep your grandpa's .30-30 traditional and historical, with the plain iron sights. Lots of people put a scope on a .30-30, but I don't. To me, it just looks funny. But then, with the new Hornady LeverEvolution rounds, and a scoped .30-30, you could essentially take a deer at 200-250 yards.

I keep my Marlin .30-30 plain, with the iron sights and only use it in the heavy woods and thick brush, where I need to quickly fire off a shot at maybe 50-75 yards.

For longer ranges, I chose to NOT scope my .30-30, but went out and picked up a nice, used, Savage 110 chambered in .308 and mounted a real nice 3-9x40 Bushnell scope on it. I don't plan on bringing the Savage into the heavy brush and will use it on ridgetops and overlooking fields, where I could shoot up to 200-250 yards if need be.

Two rifles for two different styles of hunting = the best of both worlds! :D

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

Here are a couple of links to the Winchester site that compare Power Points to Sivertips. One is for 150 grains and the other is for 170 grains.
http://www.winchester.com/products/catalog/comparerifle.aspx?multiadd=WDMwMzAzLTEtMStBRUEtWDM wMzA0LTEtMQ==&action=3&ctype=1&atype=1

http://www.winchester.com/products/catalog/comparerifle.aspx?multiadd=WDMwMzAyLTEtMStBRUEtWDM wMzA2LTEtMQ==&action=3&ctype=1&atype=1

I personally prefer Hornady LeverEvolution 30-30 ammo, and in my experience, it has much better terminal performance than any other 30-30 ammo that I have killed game with.

As to what size game can be hunted with a 30-30, that is a tough one. I have killed over 25 deer with mine and hogs as large as 250 lbs, but I have heard stories of guys hunting elk and moose with a 30-30. You really hit the nail on the head when you said that shot placement is the key to downing game. Like I said, I use my 30-30's for deer and hogs and have other guns in calibers better suited for larger game, but I am in no way saying that a 30-30 could not be used for something larger.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

I've used corlokt 150 grainin a 30-30 336 & a .270 and love them. I will admit I have had better accuracy at long distances with powerpoints. ButI rarely have a shot over 100yds. and the corelokt knockdown power is great.Plus there are cheap

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

Thank you very much everyone, your info has been much appreciated. Over the weekend, my rifle seemed to group best with 150 grain powerpoints. I have some more questions. Are heavier bullets supposed to be used for heavier game? If I wanted to hunt a larger animal than deer (given the 30-30's capabilities), would I use a 170 grain bullet instead of a 150 grain? Is it true that people hunt elk and moose with a 30-30? Guys at my local range this weekend told me this and I don't know if they were pulling my leg. They also told me thatthey have reallyfound no difference in the take-down performance of powerpoints vs silvertips. What has been your experience between the two types of bullets? This is a great forum. Hopefully someday I will be able to help new hunters. Thanks again, Figsy.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

From what I have been told, the silvertip is the more premium bullet over the powerpoint. My dad used one to kill an elk with this year and it worked beautifully. Yes, the 30-30 can kill an elk or other larger game. But is it the best choice? Nope, there are better rounds out there that are more suited to larger game. With the 30-30 you would definately want to be within 100 yards of an elk or moose and shot placement would have to be spot on. Remember, the 30-30 was the round of choice for many years and took many many game animals and still is to this day. It is a great deer round and is still getting the job done even when there are bigger, better and faster rounds out there today.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

It just doesn't get any better than the Hornady LeveRevolution ammo, IMO.I can't see using anything else.

The 30-30has beena great round for 100+ years and the LeveRevolutions just made it better.With the LeveRevolutions, shooting deer at200 yards is now about as reasonable as 100 yards used to be.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

between the 150's and 170's I'd use 170's they fly better, hit harder down range......hornady now loads 160gr pointed, which are safe for tubular magazines. those 150/170 had a 200yd range, now with the 160s you can shoot antelope/deer at 300yds and have enough juice to drop one. So if you need to shoot 300yds go with those 160s, otherwise Id stick to the 170s. Try some brands, to find which work best.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

Power Point and Silvertip bullets designed for the .30/30 will actually give about the same performance, as the .30/30 is basically intended to be a deer gun that is also usable for black bear. I would use150-grain bullets of either type for deer hunting, but would switch to the 170's if you think you might get a shot at a bear. The reason for this is that the 170's don't expand quite as fast, and will generally give deeper penetration. Deeper penetration is better when shooting a bear because their muscles and bones are thicker and tougher.

Out to 150 yards or so, the .30/30 is perfectly adequate for deer & black bear (and even for bigger stuff if you are a good shot and know the anatomy of your quarry), so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Just practice & learn to shoot it well!

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

I load Hornady 170gr for my son's H+R 158 SS 30-30, he's shot several deer and one big cow moose with it.Close to 3 ft penetration on the moose!Harold

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

I shot a Winchester 30-30 for years still have it first deer rifle. at 15 yrs old killed first deer wit it it didnt run (i shot it 5 times) overkill huh just a kid. It was a big 10 pt. oh yea biggest to date.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

336 is a great gun I have one in 35rem. For the 30-30win figure on 200 yards and the type of sights used will make or break than range. XS systems makes a peep sight that will greatly inhanse accuracy and keep it a well balanced gun. I have a 1-4x20mm VXII on mine and love it. I suggest not getting a long/heavy scope for it since that will mess up it balance and handling.

I suggest the leupold VXI 1-4x20mm or the light weight VXI 2-7x28mm or even a ultra dot all these are small and light weight. If you need a longer rang gun someday get a 270win/308 etc.. and an aproperate scope for it like a 3-9x40mm.

As for game expect great sucess on deer, hogs, black bear, at about 100 yards. It can and has taken elk and moose, but the are better cartridges for them. The 170gr Corelokts, Power points are great try them first.

RE: New Hunter - 30-30 WIN Questions
 

get you a bow and try hunting instead of shooting