30-30 questions

[Rag Horn]

A few months back my grandpa passed away. After his passing I was given his old Winchester 30-30. After doing a little research on its serial number I found that was manufactured in 1916. The gun was given to my grandpa by my great grandpa. As all the family lore goes this gun has killed more deer than I have ever seen.

After having received this beautiful rifle I have wanted to add a buck of my own to the pile of bucks this gun has taken over its life time. I have some questions that maybe you fellow coueswhitetail.com members can help me with.

1) Due to this guns age do I need to special load 30-30 cartridges that are not as “hot” as some of the older cartridges of the time when this gun was manufactured? Kind of like is done with the M1-Garand rounds.

2) This question is much like the first. Do I need to take into account the powder charge and burn rate evolution from 1916 to today? Should this affect the structural integrity of the gun?

Thanks for any help I just do not want to get some rounds that will compromise the safety and performance of this gun.

 

[firstcoueswas80]

A few months back my grandpa passed away. After his passing I was given his old Winchester 30-30. After doing a little research on its serial number I found that was manufactured in 1916. The gun was given to my grandpa by my great grandpa. As all the family lore goes this gun has killed more deer than I have ever seen.

After having received this beautiful rifle I have wanted to add a buck of my own to the pile of bucks this gun has taken over its life time. I have some questions that maybe you fellow coueswhitetail.com members can help me with.

1) Due to this guns age do I need to special load 30-30 cartridges that are not as “hot” as some of the older cartridges of the time when this gun was manufactured? Kind of like is done with the M1-Garand rounds.

2) This question is much like the first. Do I need to take into account the powder charge and burn rate evolution from 1916 to today? Should this affect the structural integrity of the gun?

Thanks for any help I just do not want to get some rounds that will compromise the safety and performance of this gun.

 

 

I also have a ancient M94 30-30 I got from my gradpa when he passed. I have shot it and used normal rounds and they worked just fine, and were shot quite well.

 

I think that if anything, the barrel would be better than now. Granted, the technology was nowhere near what it is, but they made things correctly and how they were supposed to be made.

[.270]

as long as the action, especially the bolt, is reasonably right, you should be able to shoot anything you want in it. contrary to the old cartridge designations, the 94 was always made to shoot only smokeless powder. i use 125 grain hollowpoints in mine. i reload them but you can find factory loads. they are a lot flatter shooting than the 170's and 150's. you have a heck of an heirloom there. take care of it. Lark.

[catclaw]

30-30 ammo is loaded appropriately just for this reason. You can use any factory ammo that I am aware of. I have killed two elk with 170 Winchester Silvertips and more that several deer with 150 grain Silvertips and Hornady Frontier ammo- the old red box stuff. The barrel is probably a nickel steel but was proofed and safe so don't fret about it.