Ok, Humor me here.... 30-30 for a saddle gun

[Broz]

I am looking for a everyday beat around carry rifle to keep in a scabbard on my saddle. This rifle will be used for preditor hunting most of all, so lets say wolves and coyotes. Don't care about the damage to hides, just want em dead. My first thought was to look for a Browning BLR in 243. But I do have a pre 64 mod 94 in 30-30 in tha back of the safe. It is pretty much beyond collector status as it has been drilled and tapped, stock shortened ect. But it is in good working order and has a Lyman flip up tang peep on it. I have never fired this rifle, I have always hated the 30-30. But maybe it would work for what I want?

So you guys that own and shoot the 30-30, how far are they affective as far as accuracy?

What weight bullet to stretch it out there?

Using the open sight for closer and the tang peep for longer shots what do you think I could accuratly get out to?

I ain't to keen on this, but I have it so I am keeping an open mind here.

Jeff

 

[kcebcj]

When I was a kid it was a Win 25-35 then moved up to a Win 30-30. If the barn door was half open I could not hit it. Would never go back there.

I don't spend as much time horseback as I used to but it is and was the carry rifle that went into the scabbard. I can understand you not being keen on it!

 

[Broz]

When I was a kid it was a Win 25-35 then moved up to a Win 30-30. If the barn door was half open I could not hit it. Would never go back there.

I don't spend as much time horseback as I used to but it is and was the carry rifle that went into the scabbard. I can understand you not being keen on it!

LOL, we are definatly on the same page. BUt to be fair I probably should shoot a group at 100 and see.

Jeff

 

[winmag]

How can you not love an ol' cowboy gun Broz?
I have shot many from Win to Marlin. All of them sucked.
However when Hornady came out with the Lever revolution ammo, I figured I'd try it for a backup bear rifle in the brush. To my suprise, that ol Winnie absolutely loved those 160 gr flex tip bullets! I never shot it from a rest, cause, well its a 30-30, come on. But I will say that my groups landed me well inside the kill zone way past its "effective range" for Deer/Bear. Off hand, or using a tree branch for a rest (not exactly scientific, cold hard accuracy data) but I'd say my old 94AE would be more than accurate enough for a wolf to 400 ish +/-. I shot rocks that far just to see if I could. Off hand went more like a battleship as far as bracketing my target to figure out my hold with open sights. But once dialed it was easily repeatable.
I'm guessing that with the right bullet, & the addition of optics (with is a sin by the way, to scope a cowboy gun) you could stretch it out there quite a ways with accuracy.

P.S. did anyone mention to you that Berger doesn't make a flex tip? I never woulda thought you'd give a 30-30 a second glance, just because of that.
Oh, wait you'll probably single sled the Bergers anyway
Good luck bud.

 

[bigngreen]

My youngest brother shoots a couple 30-30's and the flex tip bullets out of his marlin are quite good, he stuck a burris ballistic plex on it and he's minute of wolf easy out to 500 yards and those flex tips do a good job on deer so a woof should not like them, and you can go Gun Smoke on it and just lever that baby . He has an old winy that every generation of my family has tried to get to shoot but you fankly couldn't shoot your way out of a paper bag with it but it does look right in a saddle scabbard, horses and lever actions are just right!!

 

[LouBoyd]

I'd suggest you consider a Winchester 88, a Savage 99, or Browning 81 BLR in 243Win. Those lever actions use stack magazines and can shoot spitzer bullets with considerably higher velocity and less wind deflection than a 30-30. Arguably more suitable for coyotes than a 30-30.

Winchester 88

Savage 99

Browning 81

 

[BillR]

Try the Hornady lever revolution ammo in that old lever gun. Makes them shoot a lot more accurately and a lot flatter trajectory.

 

[FEENIX]

My youngest brother shoots a couple 30-30's and the flex tip bullets out of his marlin are quite good, he stuck a burris ballistic plex on it and he's minute of wolf easy out to 500 yards and those flex tips do a good job on deer so a woof should not like them, and you can go Gun Smoke on it and just lever that baby .

Holy crap BNG! Was minding my own biz and now you got my attention. lightbulb

I have a Glenfield (Marlin) 30A and might have to bring it out and give her a try and set it up like your Bro ...

Thanks!

Ed

 

[Broz]

I am going to shoot her on paper and will post up the results here. But man I forgot about the Savage 99's. One of those in 250/3000 would be cool , but to nice of a rilfe to be left in a scabbard.

I just pulled the 94 30-30 out of the back of the safe. No rear site as it has been removed and pluged. So the site will be the old tang peep and front blade. I found a box of 170 gr WW ammo in the camo cabinets too. So Iwill shoot that to see what she is like and then try some of the Hornaday's too.

I looked down the tube and it is open... Pretty darn clean to be honest..

Thanks for all the replies.

Jeff

 

[roninflag]

if you reload there are the 125 grain sierra hp. for coyotes and lions. that load would be similar to the 25-35. on 24hour campfire there is a thread just for lever guns. they reccomended 37.5 grain of 748 and a 170. i have 94, got it cheap. only fired 5 rounds out of it. after shooting my 6.5-284 rem/ krieger and my 7mm mag rem krieger. the 30-30 falls short. coues are small and generally shot at long distance . one guy on there told me to keep my shots under 225 yards with the model 94 and i would be fine. compared to the others above, 50 yards would be stretching it for me. no 6.5X20 and no krieger= big groups .

 

[HARPERC]

It's getting seriously western out here. LOL. Great thread Broz! I've had reasonably good luck with the Model 94 accuracy wise, some contenders for the title best saddle gun, but I think it's still the champ. I'd look at some of the other calibers especially the 307. I'd stay away from scoping it, but my old eyes would pick something with a single aimpoint that didn't alter the balance of the rifle. Leupold prizmatic or such.

 

[Broz]

Well I just put a dozen rounds through it. I feel it will keep em all in 4" at 100 maybe better The 4" square aiming point I was using is pretty much covered with the front bead at 100. After I had her shooting about 2 to 3" high at 100 I took her back to 293 yards and sent two. They were in 1 minute of wolf but 14 to 16" low. I was pretty shocked with the severe drop. I am going to get some lighter ammo than these 170's and see what it does. I will look for some of those Horadays. Man, shooting open sights on a 30-30 really reals you back into reality after you been shooting a 338LM and a Nightforce..

Jeff

 

[Dr. Vette]

Depending on the scabbard you could look into a red dot sight. They're wicked ona 44 Mag S&W pistol to 100+ yards.

 

[sp6x6]

I grew up hunting with my buddies, they had the 30-30, myself I had 243,w/scope. No match. My best friend that was on rifle team with me had a 243. I remeber when he shot a deer across my place, 1/4 mile fence lines. My first mountain gun was I Weatherby vanguard 7mmrem. I saved and got it right out of high school. That rifle has had alot of scabboard time, barrel bluing pretty much gone, it has a old Sheppard on it 3-9. I was bored and drug it out last week, hasnt seen any action in 20 yrs. Sighted it in and on 4 th shot I cracked a rock at 725. Scope has very little eye relief. Something like this would be a good choice,w better scope. I am going to scope mine some time and bring it out for practice and see what it will do. Then send it w/ kid, when at colledge because I'm not to worried about it.