30-30 Maximum Distance With Accuracy

[45 2.1]

Accuracy is one thing. However trajectory takes a nose dive past 250 yards with a 30-30.

Lot of things like that......... however they make things called rangefinders, scopes and adjustable sights to compensate. Use those things and you will be really amazed what you can hit. Try a 22 long rifle rimfire at 500 yards..............

[PAT303]

The question was a 30/30 in a 24'' barrelled rifle with 170grn boolits,depends on the rifle,ammunition,shooters skill,range conditions etc etc.With an off the rack winchester '94 the range would be not very far,with a tweaked rifle and good sights/loads/shooter the range would be very far. Pat

[45 2.1]

[QUOTE=PAT303;1898446]The question was a 30/30 in a 24'' barrelled rifle with 170grn boolits [QUOTE]

No Sir......... he said: What distance can one shoot a 170gr bullet in a smokeless charged 30-30 with a 24" barrel ... with accuracy?

The normal 170 gr. bullet in the 30-30 is a jacketed flat nose. He said bullet, not boolit indicating it was jacketed....... not the 169 gr. 311413 he used. We already knew from w30wcf's posts of what it could do with heavy cast boolits. Weight and nose style effect ballistics greatly.

[.45Cole]

John Boy-
If you are hunting or 'walkin' around' then look into Point Blank Range, it is what you should consider if you have open sights. ++1 As defined by Lyman
If for benchrest accuracy, go buy a benchrest gun (assuming you have a lever)

the question is very subjective, as each gun will differ

[FergusonTO35]

When his eyes were better my Dad could easily keep all the rounds from his Marlin in a 3-4" group at 200 yards from a kneeling position, I saw him do it. With my own Glenfield 30 (my most accurate centerfire) and its favorite loads my max is 150 yards. I do believe a real marksman could take it out to at least 250, but that isn't me!!

[rhouser]

LeverRevolution Ammo has pushed the limit out to 200 if it is a clean shot. If 150 yards had been a choice on the poll, it would have been mine. rc

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have a Winchester 1885 Model in 50-90 Sharps with some very good vernier sights on it.

With a cast 695 GR Creedmor boolit over 102 Gr of Swiss 1 1/2 powder then a wad and slightly compressed I can with regularity hit the bison at 500 meters. Is that a great shot? Not really. An expert with a decent BPCR can fire a group into the x ring at 1,000 yds using similiar caliber and such.

I shoot that shoulder breaker just for fun and I love hearing that clang from 546 yds away.

[Don McDowell]

I picked the 2nd 200 yds which I'm assuming was meant to be 300. You can reach that easily with the sights as supplied with the rifle. Add a good target peep sight (either tang or reciever) and a globe sight with your favored apperature, and like Dan said 1000 yds is plumb doable if you have enough sight staff to get there.

[Tracy]

I went with 200 yards, defined as maximum point-blank hunting range on a deer-size target.

[ndh87]

I had a 336 with a 16 inch barrel that would hit 2 liter coke bottles at 300 yards

[w30wcf]

Not a 170 gr bullet (200 gr 311465 group buy) but 4 shots in about MOA at 547 yards....




w30wcf

[chajohnson]

Since this is a levergun topic I won't comment on the accuracy of my Savage Model 340. What I consider accurate in a 30-30 lever action rifle would be about 3 MOA. Even with a good scope I wouldn't feel comfortable trying to group reliably on paper for money or put meat on the table at any range over 200 yrds. Since this is a cast bullet forum, I'm also assuming the use of cast bullets. I live in West Texas & many a shot on deer & coyotes have presented themselves beyond this range. The few times I've taken the shot, I found it was a waste of powder, primer, lead, lube, & time.

[nanuk]

He's jerking our chain Mooseman, plus he's from PA, they shoot at sound in the bushes.

I saw a documentary on "Hunting in Vermont"

I think I peed my pants laughing!

[nanuk]

MOD = Minute of Deer (or what ever you are hunting)

What I have taken to doing is make a conscious decision as to what distance I can "Center" hold on deer, and hunt my way to get within that distance with what ever cartridge I carry.

range distance is known. walking through a clearing, do you REALLY know how far the treeline is? once the boolit is on its way down, 15yds makes a BIG difference.

that is why I like and use "Point Blank Range" and the gun needs power to kill within that range.

for a moose, a PBR for a 3030 has to be somewhere near 300yds. I'd need to check on that for sure. But a 170gr or heavier 30cal from a 3030 will kill a moose at 300 yds if you put it through the lungs.

[MT Gianni]

My son wanted to shoot on Thanksgiving. We had some guns @ the range and I had my 30-30 Mod 94, receiver sight with no appature in it. He ran a couple of filled milk jugs up the hill to about 250 yards, split it with the second shot and hit it 50 % of the time as it rolled down to about 200 yards. He prefers to shoot off hand not from a bench, so 50% hits on a milk jug @ unknown ranges with a 311407 copy loaded about 1500 fps standing. Now he wants the gun not realizing that it is mostly young eyes.

[FAsmus]

John Boy;

I recently got my 50s vintage Marlin 336 out of mothballs to try on our recently opened "short" silhouette range ~ some 175 yards closer than the "long" version of the same targets.

At first my load was the standard accuracy load of 15 grains 4759 and the NEI 178.308. This combination worked very well. I was amazed at how easy it was (compared to the 22RF) to get get hits on our targets right on out to 411 yards.

The next distance, of 470 yards to the "Chicken" was tougher as the short sight radius ganged up on the slow load's performance.

I changed over to a higher speed combination - 36 grains WW760 and the same bullet - but heat-treated. This is, as you see, a full-power jacketed load under a HT cast bullet - but still within the rifle's capability.

This load performed well, allowing me to reach out to the 671 yard target easily enough with the installed receiver sight and Lyman 17A front for the first time I tried it. Results were interesting but, so far, semi-inconclusive.

Further testing is indicated but the 30 WCF is alive and well, ready to go when the snow melts off.

Good evening,
Forrest

[1bluehorse]

I can't see a 10in black circle at 500 meters...

[HARRYMPOPE]

Since this is a levergun topic I won't comment on the accuracy of my Savage Model 340. What I consider accurate in a 30-30 lever action rifle would be about 3 MOA. Even with a good scope I wouldn't feel comfortable trying to group reliably on paper for money or put meat on the table at any range over 200 yrds. Since this is a cast bullet forum, I'm also assuming the use of cast bullets. I live in West Texas & many a shot on deer & coyotes have presented themselves beyond this range. The few times I've taken the shot, I found it was a waste of powder, primer, lead, lube, & time.

I think this is the most sensible response.

[HARRYMPOPE]

True about low velocity holding accuracy with heavy higher BC bullets at long range.This is a 30-30 out of a levergun and presents it's own set of problems.

[FAsmus]

Gentlemen;

Why not load a long, heavy bullet over a load that gives, say, 17-1800 ft/sec in the typical 30 WCF?

I have done this with the 40/65 on a modified Marlin 1895 at the Quigley Match and come up winner in the "Lever Gun" class a couple times. My load was with the 350 grain SAECO 65640. Single load only as the rounds are way too long to run through the magazine.

I took this idea and have begun loading my Marlin 336 for accuracy with a HT RCBS 30-180-SP. These are early days but the load should work once I do some research.

Once this is in hand there in no reason at all that the load shouldn't perform as well as any other rifle that will shoot into about an inch and half or slightly more at 100 yards.

Good evening,
Forrest