The .30-30 Winchester / 7.62×52mmR (officially named the .30 Winchester Center Fire or .30 WCF) cartridge was first marketed for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle in 1895."Load Guide" data from Accurate Powder. The .30-30 (pronounced "thirty-thirty"), as it is most commonly known, along with the .25-35 Winchester, was offered that year as the United States' first small-bore sporting rifle cartridges designed for smokeless powder. Since its introduction, it has been utilized alongside the development of flatter shooting cartridges, most prominently those derived from designs subsidized by interest in military expenditures. (Examples: .303 British, .30-06, and 6.5x55 Swedish) The .30-30 has remained in widespread use almost entirely because of reliable effectiveness in civilian applications, particularly for hunting game animals.Rick Jamison, "The Winchester Model 94 .30-30", Shooting Times August 1989.G. Sitton, "Lever Guns and Iron Sights," Hunting April 1997.Layne Simpson, "The Sights and Sounds of the .30-30," Shooting Times September 1992.Grits Gresham, "The .30/30" Sports Afield August 1980.
The .30-30 is by far the most common cartridge shot from lever action rifles.Chuck Hawks. "The Deer Rifle". ChuckHawks.com. Accessed January 26, 2022. The .30-30 is substantially more powerful than the Magnum handgun cartridges (e.g., .357, .41, .44, etc.) also often paired with lever actions, and produces that energy with about 14% less recoil than .44 Magnum.Chuck Hawks. "Handgun Cartridges in Rifles". Chuckhawks.com. Accessed January 25, 2022. While its old rival .35 Remington produces more muzzle energy and recoil, the .30-30 will often retain more terminal energy. The .30-30 is not commonly used for extreme long-range shooting across wide-open spaces, but modern innovations in ballistic tipped bullets for leverguns have moved the long-range capabilities of the .30-30 somewhat closer to parity with higher-velocity cartridges. In any case, a hunting-specific advantage of the .30-30 over those cartridges is that it leaves lower volumes of spoiled (destroyed or bloodshot) venison after a kill, leading to less waste.Ron Spomer. "Choosing Your Best Deer Cartridge", Ron Spomer Outdoors on YouTube [3:30 mark], August 10, 2021. Accessed January 26, 2022.Ron Spomer. "30-30 Winchester Is a Joke". Ron Spomer Outdoors, October 20, 2021. Accessed January 25, 2022.
Naming The .30 Winchester Smokeless first appeared in Winchester's catalog No. 55, dated August 1895. When chambered in the Winchester Model 1894 carbine and rifle, it was also known as .30 Winchester Center Fire or .30 WCF. When the cartridge was chambered in the Marlin Model 1893 rifle, rival gunmaker Marlin used the designation .30-30 or .30-30 Smokeless. The added -30 stands for the standard load of of early smokeless powder and is based on late-19th century American naming conventions for black powder-filled cartridges. Both Marlin and Union Metallic Cartridge Co. also dropped the Winchester appellation, as they did not want to put the name of rival Winchester on their products.Leverguns.com article on History of the .30-30.
The modern designation of .30-30 Winchester was arrived at by using Marlin's variation of the name with the Winchester name appended as originator of the cartridge, but .30 WCF is still seen occasionally.
Characteristics and use
Ballistics and early performance When the .30 WCF was introduced, it was seen as fast and flat-shooting: 160 or 165 grains at 1,900 to 2,000 fps and a 4 inch drop at 200 yards if sighted in for 150 yards.H. V. Stent, "The Winchester Model 94," Gun Digest 1980. However, a vintage ad reproduced by Winchester suggests the velocity was 1812. Layne Simpson, "The Sights and Sounds of the .30-30," Shooting Times September 1992, says 1795 fps. Sources such as Stent and Simpson differ on the amount of drop at 200 yards. In any case, both say it was significantly flatter than the .44-40 Winchester it replaced. The cartridge's common loads are a 150 grain bullet (MV 2,390 fps from a 24-inch barrel) and 170 grain (MV 2,200 fps from a 24-inch barrel).Layne Simpson, "The Sights and Sounds of the .30-30," says the 150 grain load was increased to 2,370 fps in the 1920s and the 170 grain load to 2,200 fps just before World War Two. Remington ballistics tables.
Use on big game in North America
In Canada and the U.S., the cartridge has likely, at some point, been used on all big game species.Clay Harvey, "30-30 Winchester," in Popular Sporting Rifle Cartridges DBI 1984. Bert Stent, "A Small Wonder—The .30-30 Carbine," BC Outdoors July 1988; Bob Milek, "The Old .30-30 is as good as ever!" Guns & Ammo July 1985; Grits Gresham, "The 30/30" Sports Afield August 1989. More recently, it has been used on whitetail, mule deer, pronghorn, caribou, elk, moose, and black bear.H. V. Stent, "The Model 94 Winchester" Gun Digest 1980. David O'Farrell, "The Lever Guns of Our Grandfathers" The Outdoor Edge September/October 2014. W. P. Williamson, "Charmed Three Times!" The Outdoor Edge November/December 1997. Wayne van Zwoll, "Adrift in Alaska," Petersen's Hunting May/June 2006. Charles Farmer, "Black Timber Elk" 1987 Sports Afield Deer. Grits Gresham, "The 30/30" Sports Afield August 1989. Kevin Steele, "Deer Cartridges East vs West," Guns & Ammo December 1989. It is commonly said that in the U.S. and Canada more deer have been killed with the .30-30 than with any other cartridge, and perhaps this was true for a time in the U.S. Although military surplus rifles in .303 British were widely available in Canada, the .30-30 was so common that for many years the Hudson Bay Company and other stores in remote areas stocked only .30-30 ammunition.Cary Rideout, "The Providers," Outdoor Canada Hunting 2011. Grits Gresham, "The 30/30," Sports Afield August 1989, says the .30-30 has killed "more deer than any other caliber in history". Jack O'Connor wrote decades ago that the .44-40 had likely killed more game than the .30-30. A vintage Baker & Kimball ad selling Model 92 Winchester rifles said they were "Chambered for the popular 44/40 which has killed more American big game than any other cartridge made." Reproduced in Duncan Dobie, "Dawn of American Deer Hunting" Krause Publications 2011. The .30-06, popular around the world today and only 11 years younger than the .30-30, has likely surpassed the .30-30 for top spot as a deer killer in the U.S. today. The .30-30 is commonly seen as usable on deer up to 150 to 200 yards.Wayne van Zwoll, "Quick-Handling Carbines," North American Hunter November 2003. Russell Tinsley, Hunting the Whitetail Deer Outdoor Life 1977.
Moose hunting and international legal considerations
In Canada, the .30-30 has a long history of use on moose—one writer calling it "a standby for moose" in Canada's northern forests.H. V. Stent, "The Winchester Model 94," Gun Digest 1980. However, the 303 British likely has killed more moose in Canada because of the wide availability, for a time, of inexpensive military surplus rifles (Cary Rideout, "The Providers," Outdoor Canada Hunting 2011). In some circles, it continues to be used, yet modern opinions on its suitability for moose are mixed: Paul Robertson, a Canadian hunting firearms columnist, says, "Too many moose have been taken with the 30/30 to rule it out as good for this purpose as well.""The Immortal 30-30," Western Sportsman Oct.-Nov. 1990. However, while the .30-30 is legal for hunting moose in Newfoundland, Canada, provincial authorities do not recommend its use.Newfoundland hunting regulations. The cartridge, with flat- or round-nosed bullets and 20th century powder charges, does not meet minimum energy standards required for moose hunting in Finland, Norway, or Sweden. Modern propellants which produce more energy with less pressure may be used in ammunition to exceed legal requirements for those who wish to hunt across Scandinavia from rifle length barrels without fear of consequential arbitration.Lee Loading Manual - By Lee Precision Inc.
150 Grain - Max Velocity: 2512 FPS
170 Grain - Max Velocity: 2332 FPSSweden and Finland expect a load for moose to retain 2,000 joules at 100 meters (1475 fpe at about 110 yards). Norway expects 2,200 joules (1622 fpe) at 100 meters. Hornady's LEVERevolution 160-gr flex-tipped spitzer ammunition might meet the standard in Sweden and Finland especially if the rifle's barrel length is beyond 20 inches (reviewguns.com). Thor Strimbold, a Canadian who has made more than 20 one-shot kills on moose with a .30-30, advises most moose hunters to use more than minimal power if they can handle the recoil.H. V. Stent, "The Winchester Model 94," Gun Digest 1980. Stent says Strimbold came to advise nothing less powerful than the .308 Win. "for inexperienced hunters" on moose. Stent put the 303 British and 300 Savage in the "same class". Stent said, "I myself would be a little happier with a heavier caliber" than a .30-30 for moose and elk, indicating, "My own choice might be a 7x57." H. V. Stent, "Of Power and Placement," Gun Digest 1989. It is generally agreed that large game can be struck by the average marksman at distances that exceed the capacity to bring them down cleanly. Therefore, depending upon precise implementation it is appropriate for a practical limitation with room for error in such tasks should be kept in mind accordingly for game such as elk and moose.H. V. Stent, "The Winchester Model 94," Gun Digest 1980, limits it to "150 yards or so" on moose and elk, though he later said he would prefer a heavier caliber on such game. H. V. Stent, "Of Power and Placement" Gun Digest 1989. Some people will say 150 yards is too far on moose and elk for a cartridge that, in a standard round-nosed load from a 20-inch carbine, might retain only 1,000 fpe. Sweden and Finland expect a load for moose to retain 2000 joules at 100 meters (1475 fpe at about 110 yards). Norway expects 2200 joules (1,622 fpe) at 100 meters. Hunting technique and style, as well as law and culture, influence cartridge choices.Bob Milek, "What determines 'maximum effective range'?" Guns & Ammo December 1989.
Recoil characteristics
Average recoil from a typical 150-grain load at in a rifle has been calculated to be felt at the shooter's shoulder. For point of reference, that falls roughly between that of a .410 and a 20 gauge shotgun. Ordinarily recoil feels similar to slightly greater than a .243 Winchester, and about half that of the .30-06 Springfield."Chuck Hawks" article IDEAL DEER CARTRIDGES.
Affordability, rifle availability, and cultural persistence
For a period of time, the Model 94 in .30-30 was relatively inexpensive, which helped its popularity. Today, the cost of a .30-30 is matched by some entry-level bolt-action sporting rifles. The .30-30 remains popular, though, among some hunters who value a short, handy rifle used at ranges that will likely not exceed .Clay Harvey, "30-30 Winchester," in Popular Sporting Rifle Cartridges, DBI 1984. John Wootters, "Winchester's Model 94—The First Hundred Years," Hunting December 1994. John Wootters, "The New/Old .30-30," Petersen's Hunting May 1989. Rick Jamison, "The Winchester Model 94 .30-30," Shooting Times August 1989. Mlllions of rifles have been produced in this caliber, with many passed on to a new generation of hunters.Rich LaRocco, "Picking a Deer Rifle That Works for You," Hunting Guns 1984. The practicality of hunting with an inherited rifle and cartridge, especially if the combination has been seen as effective at modest range,Sam Fadala, "America Meets the .30-30," in Book of the Winchester Models 70 & 94 Shooting Times 2007. is an important factor in some circles. The widespread availability of .30-30 loads, which can cost less than some other calibers, is another factor. New rifles continue to be purchased and cartridge sales are strong.
Bullet design and magazine safety