How far can you shoot the 30-30 on deer.

[jonbearman]

I would like to know what the extreme distance that a 30-30 will kill whitetail deer using my handloads with 150 grain round nose bullets at approx 2250 fps out of a marlin 336 carbine.I just want an ethical kill in essence.

 

[markr]

About as far as you can consistantly hit a six inch circle.

 

[Erik Cortina]

If you follow the 1,000 lbs. energy rule, then 150 yards would be about your max distance.

 

[stacy]

I SHOT ONE AT 165YDS W/A 160GR FLEX TIP BENCHMARK POWDER SHE TOOK 2 STEPS IT W/OVER.I SHOOT A WIN 94 CARBINE

 

[bheadboy]

if you switch to the Sierra 125 hp at 2500fps you will have a very effective and accurate load to 150yd

we have taken number with this bullet.

Bob

 

[jonbearman]

Thanks to all who answered my question.I will look into the 125 grain hollow points for next year as it is too late to change.

 

[Joe C]

if you switch to the Sierra 125 hp at 2500fps you will have a very effective and accurate load to 150yd

we have taken number with this bullet.

Bob

Been using that bullet for years. Great bullet. I've taken a number of deer out to 275 yards with my load.

 

[Lapua40X]

Assuming Sierra's BC claims for their 125 gr .308 Spitzer are valid, you should be able to do a good job out to 200 yards if, as markr put it, you can consistently hit a 6 inch circle at that distance. After 200 yards your velocity will drop off fairly rapidly and your energy loss would be about 50% of what it was at 200 so I wouldn't recommend trying to take game beyond 200 yards.

 

[dennisinaz]

I have killed deer to 200 yards with 150 Silver tips and elk to 90 yds with 170 Silver tips. Have killed a bear at 150 with 170 Hornady flat points. These were all out of a mod 94 carbine. My eyes tell me I can't do it anymore

 

[M14AMU]

Jon

It oughta put one down from about 4000 yards....iffen ya can hit it!! ;D

 

[2506]

If you want to flatten this out even more use the 125 Nosler ballistic tip and shoot your rifle as a two shot. One in the bore and one in the magazine. I use the 125 BT and it is a real deer killer. 200 yards is a good place to stop.

 

[Lapua40X]

If you want to flatten this out even more use the 125 Nosler ballistic tip and shoot your rifle as a two shot. One in the bore and one in the magazine. I use the 125 BT and it is a real deer killer. 200 yards is a good place to stop.

For those who may read that and wonder why, a tubular magazine should never be loaded with center fire ammunition that has pointed (e.g ballistic tip) types of bullets because the pointed end of one round could easily ignite and primer of the next round in the stack. Not a beautiful thing. :'(

 

[Joe C]

Have any of you tried the Hornady flex tip bullets in your tube feed guns?

 

[CaptainMal]

Jon,

Was going to post a picture of another deer I took this year with a 30-30. It was 180 yards, closer than my 200 yard kill last year.

Only thing is I don't use what you are asking about. I use the 160 Hornady FTX bullets with LeverRevolution powder. My 24" bbl gets 2380 fps. My 22" bbl gets 2260 fps with the same load.

According to my memory of calculations I can carry 1,000 ft. lbs of energy to just over 300 yards. I have tested to 400 just in case but with my 24" bbl rifle, 300 yards is very doable.

With your specs I would stop around 200 yards.

 

[284 lapua]

try Barns 130g very good in my 30br killed deer at 200yds

 

[jpretle]

I am surprised all you guys can even get on a deer----let alone w/ a rifle.
Montana deer aren't that accommodating.

 

[Brians356]

Question: Do you have a scope on the 336 (if that's even possible, I dunno)?

If you do, I'd say 200 yards if you practice and know how to use the bottom post (or a BDC reticle) to place the bullet beyond 150 yards.

If you are shooting open sights, I'd try to get closer. That "caterridge" has enough energy to kill at quite a distance, but the loopy trajectory and limitation of the carbine's accuracy make bullet placement the most critical variable.

Even with the aid of a scope reticle, you also need an accurate range figure (either from a rangefinder, using the duplex reticle as a range estimator, or the deer being in proximity of local trees etc. at known ranges) since the bullet will be dropping rapidly out there.

These aspects are why many guys take the conservative approach and just say "150 yards or less" and "hold in the hair" which is really the "point-blank range" method (wherein you might sight dead-on at 120 yards, and the bullet never rises above, or drops below, line of sight more than 3 inches or so out to 150 yards.)

 

[jonbearman]

Next season will be with a scope and I am trying the ftx bullet as well as the 125 grain hp to see if that cures the ills of a century old cartridge.

 

[Brians356]

What bullet will you be using this season? If you have a fair idea of the bullet's BC and the velocity, you can run a point-blank range calculation for a target size of 6 or 8 inches inches and it will tell you the max PBR distance as well as the dead-on sight-in distance.

Here's one such calculator, there are many others out there (this one tells you how high to sight in at 100 yds, as well as the dead-on "far zero" distance):

http://www.shooterscalculator.com/point-blank-range.php

 

[Brians356]

I ran a Point-Blank Range calculation for you:

Remington 30-30 Win Core-Lokt 150-grain ammo (typical.)

M.V. = 2390 fps
B.C. = .193
Target diam.: 6 inches

All else standard: (sight height above bore = 1.5", standard atmospherics, etc.)

Max PBR = 212 yds
Zero Range = 182 yds
Height @100 = 2.97" (i.e. the mythical 3" high for most big game, for most cartridges!)

So, out to ~200 yards, aim at the center of the breadbasket and shoot steady. Bullet should hit no more than 3" above/below the aim point.

You can go to a lighter, faster, rubber-tipped, higher-BC bullet as mentioned by others, but the increase in PBR will be negligible - within the margin of error in your range estimation ability. For example, increase the B.C from .193 to .300, and the M.V. from 2400 to 2600 - your PBR just increased 33 whole yards! Can you tell 212 yds from 245 yds when eyeballing a deer?

The whole idea of using point-blank range is to eliminate most of the guesswork. All you have to do is make a simple decision - Is the deer obviously farther away than about 200 yards? When deer hunting you don't want to be fumbling around with a rangefinder. In a lot of hunting habitat, especially where lever actions are endemic, you seldom ever actually see a deer farther away than 150 yards anyway - 75 yards is more likely.

Having said all this, with open sights and a lever action, most people would have no business shooting at a deer from 200 yards, regardless of the downrange energy of the projectile. It's probably not going to be an accurate strike unless you are a truly expert marksman under stress.

FWIW