Marlin 336 30-30 need a good reload for white tail deer

[unclefish]

I order some of those Hornady FTX 30395.
Found 2 lb of the leverevolution powder. Going to shoot this gun with open sights. Which I have never done for deer. Always with scope. Have to wait till next season. Or maybe go practice on some coyotes.
Thanks for everyone's input. hopefully I Will post a pic with my first non scope lever action gun.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

I run my Win Canadian Centennial full length octagon barreled 3030 without a scope, even shoot a club running deer contest with it. When you test loads/sight in have at least 2 in the tube, just as you would hunt.

 

[Kurz]

I started hunting deer in the Upper Peninsula years ago with a Marlin 336 chambered in the .30-30 Win. The 170 gr. Core-Lokt bullets were all I shot in factory Remington ammunition. I switched to a T/C Contender because of the short distances and used the same ammunition for years. Reasonable accuracy and plenty of energy for properly placed shots. Not a miracle, just plain good ammunition. I never reloaded for either firearm, I just stocked up on the Remington store bought ammunition.

 

[arlaunch]

Roughly 30 grains of IMR 3031 with a 170gr Sierra FN is the holy grail of 30-30 loads. Just under 32 grains of W748 also works very well with that bullet. W748's velocity will lower than IMR 3031.

I have not seen Sierra 170's in 2 years... I am hoping they come out any day, as i am getting low.

 

[Lone Hunter]

Used to load H4895,CCI LR Primer, Sierra 170 FN. Used this in a Marlin 336C. Very accurate. Never did shoot anything with it though, just paper. This was in the early 70’s when I first started deer hunting.

 

[pintopete]

Larry has Speer 150gr FN #2011 Hot Cor bullets in stock, limit 2, $29.99. Get ‘Em while they’re in stock!

 

[David Milisock]

The 30-30 and the 336 are the meatloaf combination of short range deer rigs, tasty and filling!

Proper case prep, crimp the case, 4064 or even today Varget with 150 or 170 round nose. You can keep them shooting at spec but you really can't improve on a good 336 in 30-30.

 

[Full Chisel]

I order some of those Hornady FTX 30395.
Found 2 lb of the leverevolution powder. Going to shoot this gun with open sights. Which I have never done for deer. Always with scope. Have to wait till next season. Or maybe go practice on some coyotes.
Thanks for everyone's input. hopefully I Will post a pic with my first non scope lever action gun.

I worked up loads with the LVR powder and 160FTX in my 30AW (336). Interesting stuff. Took some patience to find a load that stayed consistent from 30-70* F. After the first attempt, I settled at 34.1 gr @ 2.535 OAL @ 2225 fps. It hits hard, even out to 170 yards. I found that in my rifle, though, that the node was kind of narrow, and when the temp changes too much and you get just outside the node, you can get some crazy verticals. For example, at 34.4 gr at 70* F it looks horrible out of mine. Seriously, it's enough to miss at 100 yd if you're not rock steady. I reworked with a new lot and settled on 33.7 gr @ 2.560 OAL and still getting 2200 fps, with better accuracy over a wider temp range. 20" micro groove barrel. YMMV.

Not sure how fast you're wanting to run, but I have worked up near Hornady's book max with this stuff, and it shoots lights out - like bolt gun accurate - over a wide temp range. We have picked this apart every which way, and everybody has given it the thumbs up, including Hornady who stands by their book max. Apparently this powder was created to run hot - huh, imagine that. Anyway, there's all kinds of disclaimers that go with it, most notably my generous chamber, so PM me if you're interested in discussing.