Shooting 30-30 at distance

[AZgeek]

Got a friend who wants to take his 30-30 out to distance with open sights. I keep telling him that depending on target size, it starts to get tough for us old folk beyond 300m. Anyway, can anyone recommend a bullet and load data where a 30-30 might excel from 300 to 500 meters?

Thanks gents and Happy Holidays.

 

[myronman3]

i had a contender 3030 a few years back. i can’t remember the load, or even the powder. what i DO remember is using 130 spitzer bullets. and i remember it was accurate as anything i’ve ever shot. change the bullet profile from the round nose and it’s a different animal. only thing to keep in mind is it becomes a two shot rifle when shooting them. do i believe the spitzers will set off the primer? no. am i willing to gamble on it? no. never had to worry about it with the contender

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

The Hornady FTX's may be your best bet. They're spitzers, but the tips are squishy so they shouldn't set each other off in the tube mag.

Could always put a target at 200 and keep him away from the rangefinder.

 

[Western Living]

300 Blackout bullets. They're the right weight and you can choose between high BC or hollowpoints that expand at the expected velocities, either way you'll get better BC than traditional flat-nosed 30-30 bullets. 300 is typically a bit slower than 30-30 at the muzzle with the same weights, but at distances the blackout bullets will still expand well at the reduced velocity. Just don't use in a tubular magazine.

If this is for hunting, I'd pick 110 grain TTSX (the 300 BLK version). It should do well out to 300 meters in terms of flat trajectory, energy and expansion.

500m with 30-30 and open sights is probably not good for hunting. For targets, you could try one of the higher BC match type bullets. I don't have any specifics.

 

[918v]

With a lever gun? Lol!

 

[myronman3]

^ my buddy was shooting at 400 with regular ammo a few years back at a veteran’s gathering. and he wasnt doing too bad, either. it wasnt his gun. he picked it up and started shooting it and rang steel more often than not.