# 30-30 lever action winchester rifle



## coldog22 (Sep 14, 2010)

i have been telling people how great these are, honeslty they do the job better than a 12 ga. shotgun. all my kills have been throu and throu shots.


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## wartfroggy (Jan 25, 2007)

Could you please explain for the people all of the overwhelming advantages that the 30-30 Winchester Lever Action has over similar rifles of differing calibers and actions? 
I have shot a Marlin 30-30, how would you rate the Winchester in comparison? Do you feel that the Winchester would again reign superior?


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## Carpmaster (Apr 1, 2004)

I think I need to get me one... the last doe I grabbed in 2006 with my 25-06 was shot thru and thru but she ran 80 yards. That makes the hunt difficult.


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## CaptainNorthwood (Jan 3, 2006)

Coldog22,
You are a salesman for sure. I went right out a grabbed me a 30-30 on your recommendation alone. I would like to know the intricacies of this round as a the deer destroyer you have discovered. Would you say its more effective than the dimunitive 30-06?


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## glockman55 (Mar 9, 2006)

You can't beat a Win. mod. 94...I think I'll take mine along to camp this year..


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## J&D (Jan 7, 2010)

i hunt with a 30-30 lever action win and i will never rifle hunt with another gun in the last 6 years all the deer i have killed with it have been thru and thru shots except one i pulled up on a nice 8 point drilled him in the front shoulder he ran prolly 20 feet fell over during the skinning process later that night we found the bullet just under the hide of the opposite shoulder still intact. also for dropping power and killing power i havent seen a gun match it that i own or freinds own. farthest i have had a deer run is about 40 yards and that was a 140 yard shot. anything between 80-100 yards have never had the deer make it farther than 20 feet most drop on the spot. so in my opinion best gun ever made and best gun to own is the winchester lever action 30-30


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## GIDEON (Mar 28, 2008)

CaptainNorthwood said:


> Coldog22,
> You are a salesman for sure. I went right out a grabbed me a 30-30 on your recommendation alone. I would like to know the intricacies of this round as a the deer destroyer you have discovered. Would you say its more effective than the dimunitive 30-06?


Me too, where has this fantastic deer slayer of a rifle been all of my life. thru and thru on a deer, who would have thought that to be possible.


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## ibthetrout (Sep 24, 2003)

I have one in 30-30 and one in .32 special. Best shootin guns I own! The .32 was my grandpas and I inherited it from my dad. Probably hasn't been shot in 40 - 50 years. I pulled it out last weekend and it's dead nuts on at 100 yards. Just amazing it could sit that long and still shoot like that.


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## coldog22 (Sep 14, 2010)

CaptainNorthwood said:


> Coldog22,
> You are a salesman for sure. I went right out a grabbed me a 30-30 on your recommendation alone. I would like to know the intricacies of this round as a the deer destroyer you have discovered. Would you say its more effective than the dimunitive 30-06?


im not a salesman, im 16 and a junior in high school. ive only used the 30-30 lever action winchester rifle for hunting. the miracles it has done is way better than the 12 ga. shotgun my brother uses. i only use the 30-30. killed all 3 of my deer with it.


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## coldog22 (Sep 14, 2010)

can you guys join my hunting group, MICHIGAN HUNTERS?


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## DeadWater (Mar 17, 2010)

Yes they are a fine rifle Colddog.....or maybe your just that much better than your brother


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## coldog22 (Sep 14, 2010)

he is from big brother big sister orginization, he is 61 years old, im 16 he has tons more years under his belt.


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## glockman55 (Mar 9, 2006)

CaptainNorthwood said:


> Coldog22,
> You are a salesman for sure. I went right out a grabbed me a 30-30 on your recommendation alone. I would like to know the intricacies of this round as a the deer destroyer you have discovered. Would you say its more effective than the dimunitive 30-06?


 
The Mod. 94, 30-30 has probably killed more Deer in Michigan than any other, including you CN.. :lol:..Give the kid a break...at 16 I used a 410 single shot..what did you use?


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

I like lever guns. My favorite, far above all the others is the .308 Browning Blr. actally I think it's my favorite rifle period.
But the 30/30 levergun has probably killed more deer than any other single type/round.


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## DaveW731 (Jan 12, 2001)

30-30 lever is a venerable gun, plenty of energy for Michigan deer. I happen to own the Marlin version, which is a bit heavier than the Winchester and (for me) easier to keep steady and a bit quicker if a second shot is needed.
Still, the old "cowboy carbine" is a great rifle!


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## duckhunter382 (Feb 13, 2005)

when it comes to the 30/30 I have to say its a great michigan deer gun but to say the best is very hard. My dads 35 remington is a little better in my opinion, it has a bigger slug and when he hits a deer it falls right where he shot it. Now with the hornady leverevolution the possibilities are endless. When it comes to brush hunting I have not seen anything better than the 35 but then again I would say a 12 gauge is better in some situations. Now I myself use a 7mm rem mag because when I was 18 and not married and had money I also was on a power trip.


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## JD252438 (Feb 3, 2010)

i got my winchester 94 AE at the age of 8 but didnt get to hunt with it til i was 12. And suposeably my grandpa (who gave me the gun) shot a 30 point buck :evil:back in the 70's. Im not so sure about that. This is easily the best best gun in michigan if you add up all the deer it has killed in michigan.


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## mgarrett88 (Jan 17, 2007)

my dad shoots the marlin 30-30 and loves this gun. For what you can get them for used on MGO or new in stores with a scope it is the best bang for the your hard earned dollar IMO. As for me i didnt follow in his footsteps, i took it up a notch and got a 30-40! haha:lol:


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## CaptainNorthwood (Jan 3, 2006)

Beautiful xylaphone............that thing is in mint condition. Did you do the restoration?

Nice gun too!:evil:


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## blittle913 (Feb 21, 2007)

Where you gonna be huntin with that 30-30, coldog?


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## steveh27 (Oct 23, 2000)

I bought my Win 30-30 in 1967 as a senior in HS. Used it in the NLP for many years & took 11 bucks with it. Love that gun. I did miss 2 I should have taken because I didn't practice that year beforehand & forgot how to aim the iron sights. My bad. That taught me a lesson.

Now I hunt in the thumb & use a shotgun.

When I hunt PA I use a scoped Remington as the shot are farther & my eyes are older.


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## MERGANZER (Aug 24, 2006)

coldog22 said:


> i have been telling people how great these are, honeslty they do the job better than a 12 ga. shotgun. all my kills have been throu and throu shots.


 
Better than a 12 gauge????? I don't think so.


Ganzer


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## coldog22 (Sep 14, 2010)

they are. my brother shoots a 12 ga. and i get better hits with my 30-30 than he does with his 12 ga.


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## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

MERGANZER said:


> I personally would never recommend the 30-30 to anyone. Its on par with "you can kill a deer with a bow that is 25 lbs of pull" sure it can be done but if buying a new gun go bigger! The 30-30 is slow and doesnt have that SHOCK factor of the 30-06, 270,308, .300WM, 7mm etc. some say its overkill but there is now degree of dead just my opinion.
> 
> Ganzer


 
I'm too lazy to look; please refresh my memory as to why you have such a dislike for the 30-30. 

I ran the numbers the last time I noticed you voicing your "opinion" on this and I indicated that a 30-30 pushing a 150gr bullet has the SAME energy at 100 yards as a 30-06 pushing a similar 150gr bullet at 300 yards. 

Here's another clip from that thread:



Quack Addict said:


> *30-30* Win load mentioned above (Remington Core Lokt, 150 grain) = 1296 ft-lbs at 100 yards
> 
> I can't get Remington's slug comparator to work (so I can't pull up ballistics for their slugs) but Winchester's website has a similar feature that is working.
> 
> ...


Here's that thread for your perusal in case you forgot.


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## sgm22325 (Dec 31, 2009)

Nothing, in my opinion, is better than the feel of my Glenfield (Marlin) 30A 30-30-30 lever. I will only use my 12 gauge if I cannot make into rifle zone. I have tried numerous other calibers and always go back to my 30A.


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## Newcub (May 26, 2010)

There is nothing wrong with a 30-30..My first 4 deer that I shot was with a Marlin 30-30. They are a great round for deer out to 100 yards- 150 yards max.


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## coldog22 (Sep 14, 2010)

30-30 is a beast. all 3 of my deer can tell you that (or can they). my first dropped after jumping 1 yard, but the other 2 got lucky and made me track them. 1 bled to death (i wish i did a bettter shot) and the other i did a gut shot on.


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

Doeboy said:


> ..........my favorite has to be my lever action 45/70 carbine, there just some about shooting that old black powder round and the 405gr soft slug .


.....and you dont even have to wait for them to step out from behind the tree first! :yikes: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

Burksee said:


> .....and you dont even have to wait for them to step out from behind the tree first! :yikes: :lol: :lol: :lol:


 I refer to mine as a consumer grade howitzer.:lol:


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## coldog22 (Sep 14, 2010)

Newcub said:


> There is nothing wrong with a 30-30..My first 4 deer that I shot was with a Marlin 30-30. They are a great round for deer out to 100 yards- 150 yards max.


all my shots have been within 20-40 yards, but for accuracy, the 30-30 is the best there is (minus military grade weapons)


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## glockman55 (Mar 9, 2006)

coldog22 said:


> all my shots have been within 20-40 yards, but for accuracy, the 30-30 is the best there is (minus military grade weapons)


 Best there is?? compared to what? I'll out shoot my 30-30 with my Savage .270 any day of the week. I like my 30-30 but it's by far not the best there is.:lol:


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## Sib (Jan 8, 2003)

glockman55 said:


> Best there is?? compared to what? I'll out shoot my 30-30 with my Savage .270 any day of the week. I like my 30-30 but it's by far not the best there is.:lol:


Best there is in his ownership. :lol: The kid is a teenager, so you have to take his experience with a grain of salt. As you well know, the barrel has the most influence on accuracy, which is why guns of the same caliber vary in accuracy.


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## amon (May 8, 2002)

CaptainNorthwood said:


> Coldog22,
> You are a salesman for sure. I went right out a grabbed me a 30-30 on your recommendation alone. I would like to know the intricacies of this round as a the deer destroyer you have discovered. Would you say its more effective than the dimunitive 30-06?


I think this article does an excellent job of explaining real-life applications of energy transfer and penetration vs. Taylor KO (bunk) and Muzzle Energy (doesn't tell the whole story). The 30-30 is singled out as a perfectly appropriate deer round, and the illustrations will show you why:

http://chuckhawks.com/energy_transfer.htm

But like you I prefer a .30-06 any day of the week.


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

good article.....Another good example why I shoot a .308


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## glockman55 (Mar 9, 2006)

Sib said:


> Best there is in his ownership. :lol: The kid is a teenager, so you have to take his experience with a grain of salt. As you well know, the barrel has the most influence on accuracy, which is why guns of the same caliber vary in accuracy.


 
Sorry if I seemed too harsh, it just struck me kinda odd..I love my 30-30, mod. 94..and my Dad has a pre-64 mod. 94, 32 special I hope to own some day, but not too soon.
Take Care.


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## ENCORE (Sep 19, 2005)

I've got a "94" in the safe that was bought right after WWII. Its never fired a round at an animal. I've shot it a few times and had to replace the front sight, as the original was to low. I still have the original with it. Maybe one of these seasons I might give it a try. However, I'd much rather use the Model 1881, 40-60


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## Sib (Jan 8, 2003)

glockman55 said:


> Sorry if I seemed too harsh, it just struck me kinda odd..I love my 30-30, mod. 94..and my Dad has a pre-64 mod. 94, 32 special I hope to own some day, but not too soon.
> Take Care.


I hunted with, killed my 1st deer, and still have in my possession my Grandfathers Stevens 325A in 30-30. It's a bolt with a box magazine. It'll always be in my possession even though I don't see myself hunting with that gun.

I just picked up 3 boxes of LEVERevolution in 32 spcl to try, interested in seeing what it can do. That in my lever gun would make a nice throw back hunt next year. It won't be my go to set up for rifle season, but it might see some river bottom use in tight situations.


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## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

Burksee said:


> .....and you dont even have to wait for them to step out from behind the tree first! :yikes: :lol: :lol: :lol:


 
Meh, I can thread the needle with mine, if they're up close.

50-yard 3-shot group with 405gr soft points. Book says they should be moving ~1800fps :evil:


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