Topic: A Lever Action .30-30 Winchester Is Still One of the Best Deer Hunting Rifles (and Here’s Why) (Read 58 times)
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Topic: A Lever Action .30-30 Winchester Is Still One of the Best Deer Hunting Rifles (and Here’s Why) (Read 58 times)
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Winchester also has the Super-X .30-30 load topped with a 150-grain Winchester Silver Tip. That bullet leaves the muzzle at 2,390 fps carrying 1,902 ft-lbs of energy—identical to the Deer Season XP load.
Lever-action rifles may not be considered the most accurate long-range rifles, but they have plenty of other factors working in their favor. Made famous by western movies and television shows, they were carried by many of our childhood heroes. The quickness of the lever-action for back-up shots is better than that of a bolt-action, as shooters can keep their eyes up to the scope or sights when levering in another round. Rifles chambered in .30-30 also tend to be lighter than many other deer rifles, making them easier to carry and shoulder than their typically longer-range counterparts. They also are on the lower end of recoil for deer rifles, making them a good choice for beginners.
Generally, .30-30 rifles and ammo tends to be less expensive than most bolt-action hunting rifles. An average box of .30-30 ammo will run at least a couple of dollars cheaper than .308, .270, or .30-06 cartridges. And what’s not to love about a quick, light, low-recoiling rifle that can be bought and shot on a budget.
As for accuracy, much of the .30-30 lever gun’s perceived fault in this category was due to factors other than the cartridge’s actual accuracy. The big, round-nosed bullets of yesteryear weren’t very accurate to begin with when co*pared to their newer, pointed brethren, regardless of what gun fired them.
The fact that many .30-30s wore only iron sights led to additional criticism of the .30-30’s accuracy, as precise shooting at longer ranges is difficult with open sights. That’s not a factor anymore, unless you simply prefer iron sights. Quality optics now make it a no-brainer to put a good, low-power scope on your .30-30 for better shooting.
Additionally, with the higher-quality, more-consistent manufacturing practices used over the past three or four decades, nearly all rifles are more accurate than they used to be. In a nutshell, out to 200-250 yards—and most deer in the East are shot at closer ranges than that—if you can do your job, a good .30-30 rifle with quality ammo will do its job, too.
Many lever-action .30-30 models are still being produced today, nearly a century and a quarter after the original. One of those is the original .30-30—the Winchester ’94. That model, which many consider to be the “true” .30-30, is shorter than some co*peting models, but that’s not necessarily a disadvantage. And at 6.5 pounds without ammo and scope, the new iteration is a nice, light package to tote around the woods.
First introduced in 1948, the Marlin 336, has been produced on a continuous basis since then and has somewhat of a cult following. The newest 336, a 38.7-inch rifle weighing in at 7 pounds, sports a 20-inch barrel. Often priced much less than the Winchester, it doesn’t give up much in the quality department.
The Marlin XLR is another fine .30-30 lever-action rifle with a less traditional look. Featuring a laminate stock and stainless-steel co*ponents, this gun will take on all weather conditions. And its 24-inch barrel will let hunters get the most out of high-performance .30-30 loads that have beco*e so popular. It doesn’t look like John Wayne’s rifle, but the XLR will get the job done quite well.
The All Weather also has a more modern look than the Winchester and Marlin 336, and has been getting love from lever-gun fans. It features a wood stock and forearm with a weather-resistant, moisture-protected coating, along with a hard-chromed exterior finish on all surfaces except the stainless barrel, sights, and springs. It’s a nicely balanced rifle with a heavier, dark wood stock.
For an even more modern take on the lever gun, look no further than Mossberg’s 464SPX. This unique .30-30, with its modular-looking design and plastic furniture, might not be the gun you are seeking for your upco*ing deer hunting adventures. But for a home defense gun, you could do a lot worse than 5+1 rounds of .30-30 from a short-barreled, lever-action rifle.
Read Next: How to Make Your Lever-Action Rifle More Accurate
If you are going to argue about the merits—or lack thereof—of lever-action .30-30 rifles, you must take into account the many hundreds of thousands of deer that have fallen to this cartridge over the last 125 years. As in the past, one thing is still true today: A deer shot in the right spot by a hunter with a .30-30 rifle is going to be just as dead as a deer shot in the same place by a hunter using a .308, .30-06 or .270.
If you like lever guns and the .30-30 cartridge, take heart because right now, both are better than ever.
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