30-30 WIN Questions

Im fairly new to shooting (15 yrs old) and am getting a post 64 Winchester 30-30. Is this a good caliber? what effective range? Animals you can shoot. Can i mount optics on it?

Putting a scope on a Model 94 can be done but really not needed. Once you get used to the sights that come on it you will do fine as far as you can hit a milk jug. The 30-30 is a bit dated but is very capable on deer and hogs along with being very handy.

One great thing about the .30-30 is that good ammo is cheap and available everywhere. Take a look at the Hornady Flex-tip ammo, as it can be a game changer, if your rifle likes it. The 94 and optics don't mix particularly well, but you might consider having a Lyman peep sight installed, as it's an excellent upgrade if you have decent vision.

^ ^ ^ ^ this

if you scope it there's not too awful much you can't kill cleanly with a 30/30 most
everywhere in Texas, except for maybe the open plains. lotsa naysayers, but there's
as many that can capably use one for clean kills on game.
find a load that works. practice. use it. enjoy it. good luck

Welcome, it's a good round. Good brush gun, this gun has a lot of history to it. Good luck on hunting.

That Winchester IMO is about as close to perfect for a hog gun in the brush as it gets. It's light, a handy length, and a pleasure to carry all day. You could put optics on it but that makes it a little less handy. My favorite hog gun is my Marlin 336. I've mounted a scope on it, but only because of my old eyes.

BTW, that 30-30 caliber will drop them deader than easy credit on about anything inside of 150 yards. Good luck young man!

The venerable 30-30 is capable of taking almost any game animal in North America. Very effective up to 150 yrds. depending on the ammo used. The Pearson's No-Drill Winchester Rail Mount(mod94scoperail.com) makes it easy to mount any type of optic and return to stock later if wanted as no permanent modifications are necessary. I would suggest trying several different brands of ammo to see which one your rifle is most accurate with.

30-30 has probably killed more deer than all round except maybe the 30-06. Learn to shoot it with open sights. That is how it has been used for years. Out to 100 yds you should be good to go open sights.

Just my 2 pennies.

My son with my old Marlin 336 and some panhandle hogs.

30-30 is a great round inside of 100 yards. Yes you can hit something outside of 100, but the knockdown power is drastically reduced after 100 yards. I don't know how all these cowboys are making shots with iron sights past 50 yards? Either they have superman vision or they are BS'ng. Get yourself a scope, dont try to be john wayne, trying to hit somethign with open sights past 50 yards (and I dont care WHO you are) is difficult and often results in wounding something.

if you want a scope, that's your decision, its a great caliber, ammo is about the cheapest for any center fire round, set it up the way you want to.

That's a good rifle & good round. Was my 1st rifle also, a Win mod 94 .30-30 & love it. Got the lever bug, bought a Marlin 336 in .35 Rem 3-4 years ago & have shot 2 black bear w/ it. Then bought a Marlin 1895 GG in .45-70 but have yet to hunt w/ it.

30-30 is a very capable round and the Win '94 a very good rifle.

If it is an AE model (Angle Eject) mount a scope isn't much of a problem.
Higher mounts will help. If it is not an AE model the top ejection will not
allow for standard optics mount. I believe there are some off set mounts but
I'm not familiar with them.

I love my '94 and have not been disappointed in the 30-30 round.
Know the capabilities of the rifle but most importantly do a lot of
shooting with different ammo, find the rifle and your own capabilities.

Range extendable to 200 yards using Hornady LeverEvolution ammo (better ballistics, highest velocity, and bonded bullet) - I highly recommend because you never know if that big buck may not always come all the way in to your feeder at 100y. Also recommend a 4x12 power scope, if you are going to put one; 12x will be very handy for 150-200 yards with the LE ammo. . . and you 'can't hit what you can't see. . ..'

Funny thar is so many nay-sayers on the 30-30; it's come a long way since black-powder and cast bullits (which still will take down a grizzly and did a many); modern powders and bullets will take any game in TX at reasonable ranges, and no, you don't need to have 'brush' on your land to make it work . .

So your trolling again! Not John Wayne here but I can easily shoot 4 inch groups with iron sights at 100 yards. Try not to measure everyone else by your miserable shortcomings.

Exactly, 4 inch groups! That sucks! You can put a scope on that and shoot 1" groups, but you'd rather use iron sights? That's fine for target shooting but shooting 4" groups at 100 yards is pretty pitiful if you are planning on hunting big game and in my opinion it is unethical. I'm not trolling at all, just giving advice. I can even pull up the ballistics table if you'd like. Seriously, try not getting your feelings hurt.

Just for the record I love a 30-30 with iron sights, shot a deer at 30 yards with mine this year in-fact. It just doesn't make sense not to use a scope though if you are planning on shooting past 50 yards and hunting deer where you could easily wound it with a slightly off shot with iron sights. And in that case, I do judge a little, it's stupid.

I think a 30-30 is a fine caliber and will kill dang near anything you come upon.

That said if its not a hand me down, or a gift I would not buy one for a first/primary hunting rifle.

The Winchester 94 excels as a light, handy rifle that carries well and shoots naturally to point of aim. All these things are true of iron sighted 94s, whether they have open or peep sights. Once you stick on a scope, the balance goes down the tubes, the stock comb is too low for the scope to mount naturally and you've pretty much eliminated all of the qualities that make the 94 a classic.

If you want a scoped rifle, then buy a rifle that's designed to be scoped. You can certainly scope a 94, but it's like putting mud tires on a Camaro.

I love my 30-30
Always get's the job done!

Any rifle carries easier and handles better
without the extra weight and bulk of a scope
and mounting hardware. If a rifles purpose is
to hunt with then IMO appropriate sights should
be used. That might be glass, might not be.
But if it's an AE model then there's no reason
to avoid it especially if it's your primary.

Just so it's clear I'm not just typing what I've
read somewhere, my primary hunting rifle is a
model '94 in 30-30 topped with a 4X scope.
Most of my hunting has included full day still hunting
and it is very easy to carry and kills whitetails
as dead as they can be.

I have both a Marlin and a Winchester 30/30. The Leverevolution ammo really does extend your range. They are perfect hog guns and my two leveractions would be the last guns I would ever get rid of.

Just because you can't shoot irons doesn't mean we can't. 100 yards isn't a hard shot. What a ridiculous statement.

I have 7 leverguns. Some with scopes, some without. Do what you want with it and enjoy, but practice.

When I was 12, my dad gave me a Winchester 94 .30/30. Fifty years later, I still have it. I hunted with it a lot when I was a kid, and up until I was 21, that's the only gun I killed a deer with. Most of the places we hunted were very wooded, and a shot over 50 yards was very rare. My longest shot was 75 yards, and the deer dropped without taking a step. I didn't hunt for about 40 years, and when I got a chance to go, I took my trusty .30/30 and killed a 7 point cull buck at 70 yards. But I saw deer anywhere from 100 to 400 yards away, so I decided to get a scoped gun. That sort of started a collecting habit, and now I have several guns in calibers from .22-250 to .300 Win Mag. I have bagged deer with the .22-250, .30-06, and .303 British.
Guns are like tools. Use the right one for the job. When I go somewhere expecting long shots, I usually carry a .30-06 with a 3-9 scope. If I'm going tromping through the Sam Houston National Forest, where there is rarely an open area 100 yards wide, I take the .30-30. It's light, short, and with open sights, I can be on target in about a second.
Whatever you use, remember the strengths and weaknesses of the gun, the ammo, and especially yourself. Just because someone else can plug an apple at 100 yards, doesn't mean you can. But the reverse is true. If you practice and get used to your gun, and find a particular ammo that works for you, you'll be deadlier with your .30-30 than the guy with the 7mm Mag that doesn't practice.
Good Luck!

i can't imagine where everyone gets their info that after a hundred yards
that a 30/30 makes a 90 degree turn into the dirt. i've used one extensively,
lever, single shot and contender and have never been underpowered for any deer
or hog i shot.

i've never been one for ballistic tables and such, so the only one i
could find here is for federal factory 150 grain loads from 1988,
wayyyyyyyyy pre leverevolution
Federal 150 grain 30/30
velocity at muzzle 2390fps energy 1900 ft. lbs.
at 100 yards 2020 fps energy 1355 ft lbs.
at 200 yards 1680 fps energy 945 ft lbs.
at 300 yards 1400 fps no figure listed for energy

i haven't used factory ammo for several decades so i don't
know how it performs now, but i'll go out on a limb and say
my reloads will do somewhat better than a factory load.
i killed pigs and deer with arrows moving considerably slower
that listed above and with round ball loads in a black powder
muzzle loader. i've never had any problems with a lack of
power or had any cartridge guns plow up dirt past 100 yards.
modern hunters need to quit watching so many "hunting" shows
and reading "hunting" magazines and get out and shoot a lot
and gain some familiarity with their firearms.
you can't spend your way to being a good hunter any more than
buying an expensive guitar will make you a rock star.

The 30-30 is a 300 yard rifle, it will take everything on the planet, ammo is perfected, they deserve a decent scope, as accurate as most bolt actions, and easy to carry.

The 150gr Powermax is the best performing 30-30 bullet thats easy to find in my opinion and usually clocks faster than factory specs. The 125gr Federal bluebox HP (2570 fps) is awesome. The 140gr Full Boar Hornady (2500 fps) is awesome. You are shortchanging yourself if you choose 170gr instead of the extra velocity of the lighter rounds in the 30-30. Wait until you hit an animal at 200 yards with one of these three and you judge knock down.
Powermax 30-30 has to be experienced to be believed.

Its a cartridge that still gets much appreciated love from manufacturing development.

Its here to stay and it works.

The scope rings you want are Talley extra lows, and the only two scopes you want are Leupold's 2-7x28 UL or FX-II 4x.

My primary is a 30-30 too!

Thanks for all the replies. I bought Hornady Custom Lite , we will see how it shoots. Thanks again!!!

go get em

You would be better suited with the Fed 125's if you are worrying about recoil.

Forgot about recoil, I can handle a 308 well, it shouldn't recoil much than that? BTW I can shoot with good form not like some pansies I've seen, lol. Some say its like a .243 100gr load out of a regular pound rifle.

A 30-30 is pretty mild in recoil regardless of the load. Enjoy your rifle.

Christian, your the one who wrote "Hornady Custom Lite" which is only 2100fps.

Recoil is subjective, a Win 94 can have the felt recoil of a 308 Win bolt action.