| .30-30 Winchester | ||
|---|---|---|
.30-30 cartridge (center) between 5.56×45mm NATO (.223 Remington), left, and 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 Winchester), right |
||
| Type | Rifle | |
| Place of origin | USA | |
| Production history | ||
| Designer | Winchester | |
| Designed | 1895 | |
| Manufacturer | Winchester | |
| Produced | 1895-Present | |
| Variants | .30-30 Ackley Improved | |
| Specifications | ||
| Case type | Rimmed, bottlenecked | |
| Bullet diameter | .308 in (7.8 mm) | |
| Neck diameter | .330 in (8.4 mm) | |
| Shoulder diameter | .401 in (10.2 mm) | |
| Base diameter | .422 in (10.7 mm) | |
| Rim diameter | .506 in (12.9 mm) | |
| Rim thickness | .063 in (1.6 mm) | |
| Case length | 2.039 in (51.8 mm) | |
| Primer type | large rifle | |
| Ballistic performance | ||
| Bullet weight/type | Velocity | Energy |
| 110 gr (7.1 g) FP | 2,684 ft/s (818 m/s) | 1,760 ft·lbf (2,390 J) |
| 130 gr (8.4 g) FP | 2,496 ft/s (761 m/s) | 1,799 ft·lbf (2,439 J) |
| 150 gr (9.7 g) FN | 2,390 ft/s (730 m/s) | 1,903 ft·lbf (2,580 J) |
| 160 gr (10 g) cast LFN | 1,616 ft/s (493 m/s) | 928 ft·lbf (1,258 J) |
| 170 gr (11 g) FP | 2,227 ft/s (679 m/s) | 1,873 ft·lbf (2,539 J) |
| Source(s): Hodgdon[1] | ||
The .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire/7.62×51mmR cartridge was first marketed in early 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle.[2] The .30-30 (thirty-thirty), as it is most commonly known, was the USA's first small-bore, sporting rifle cartridge designed for smokeless powder. The .30-30 is one of the most common deer cartridges in North America. Popular in Mexico and Latin America, it is known there as the treinta-treinta (Spanish for "30-30").[3]
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Although the original name used by Winchester on their firearms and ammunition was .30 WCF, the designation .30-30 was used by both Marlin and Union Metallic Cartridge Co., who did not want to put the name of rival Winchester on their products.[4] The added -30 stands for the standard load of 30 grains (1.9 g) of early smokeless powder, which was on par with current IMR/DuPont's 4064. Over time Marlin's variation on the name stuck, though ".30 WCF" is also used.
The .30-30 is considered to be the "entry-class" for modern deer cartridges. While it will take deer-sized and black bear-sized game, it is limited in effective range to approximately 200 yards (183 m) for that purpose. It is common to define the characteristics of similar cartridges as being in ".30-30 class" when describing their effectiveness. The .30-30 is typically loaded with bullets weighing between 150 and 170 grains (9.7–11.0 g), but lighter loads are possible. Bullets of up to 180 grains (11.7 g) can be used but the overall length restrictions of the lever action rifles used for this round limit their usefulness.
One of the primary reasons for the .30-30's popularity amongst deer hunters is its light recoil. Average recoil from a typical 150-grain (9.7 g) load at 2,390 feet per second (730 m/s) in a 7.5-pound (3.4 kg) rifle is 10.6 pounds-force (47 N) of felt recoil at the shooter's shoulder.[5] This, combined with the cartridge's ability to take the majority of large game in North America, as long as the game is within 200 yards (180 m) of the shooter, results in a highly effective hunting round.
Because the majority of rifles chambered in .30-30 are lever-action rifles with tubular magazines, most .30-30 cartridges are loaded with round-nose or flat-nose bullets. This is to prevent a spitzer-point bullet (the shape seen on the .308 Winchester above) from setting off the primer of the cartridge ahead of it in the magazine during recoil. Were that to happen, the gun would probably be damaged or destroyed and the shooter seriously injured. The Savage Model 99 was introduced in 1899 with a rotary magazine, in part to avoid that issue. When used in single-shot rifles or handguns, such as the Thompson Center Arms Contender or Encore series, it is common for shooters to handload the cartridge with spire-point bullets for improved ballistics.
A notable exception to the "no-spire point" guidelines for tubular magazines is the new Hornady LEVERevolution line of flexible memory elastomer tipped ammunition.[6] By allowing a more efficient bullet shape, it allows a lighter bullet, higher muzzle velocity, and flatter trajectory. Given the popularity of the .30-30 cartridge and the lever action rifle, the potential market for the new ammunition is huge. Early reports indicate substantially improved accuracy with the round and at good terminal ballistic performance.[7][8] However, the LEVERevolution cartridges have proven to be incompatible with Winchester Model 94s built before the mid-1990s, jamming in the magazine tube and requiring the rifle be completely disassembled by a gunsmith to remove the ammunition.
.30 WINCHESTER SMOKELESS first appeared in Winchester's catalog No. 55, dated August, 1895. As chambered in the Winchester Model 1894 carbine and rifle, it was also known as .30 Winchester Centerfire or .30 WCF. When the cartridge was chambered in the Marlin Model 1893 rifle, rival gunmaker Marlin used the designation .30-30 or .30-30 Smokeless.[9]
As originally produced by Winchester Repeating Arms (WRA) and Union Metallic Cartridge Company (UMC, who dubbed the cartridge .30-30), it was manufactured with a metal patched lead bullet weighing 160 gr. However, one year later UMC produced a 170 gr. bullet offering. 150 gr. and 170 gr. bullets continue to be very popular, as seen in the number of these weights offered by current manufacturers, although the 160 gr. bullet weight has reappeared in the Hornady cartridge noted above. Jacketed bullets for the .30-30 are .308 inches nominal diameter. Cast lead bullets for the .30-30 are also popular, and usually are dimensioned to .309 inches in diameter for use in the .30-30.
The .30-30 is one of the relatively few currently popular centerfire rifle cartridges that have a rimmed case. The .30-30, like most other rimmed case examples, such as the 7.62x54mmR, the .303 British, the 9.3x74mmR, the .45-70, and the Nitro Express cartridges, were all old cartridges in wide use before rimless designs were introduced for bolt action rifles. The modern .307 Winchester, .308 Marlin Express, and the .444 Marlin are exceptions to the trend toward rimless but all of these are cartridges designed specifically for lever action rifles.
The .30-30 is by far the most common chambering in lever action rifles[10] such as the Winchester Model 1894, the Savage Model 99, and the Marlin Model 336. Mossberg also came out with quite a few lever action rifles in the chambering, the Mossberg model 472,479 and the newer 464 .You can also find these Mossberg rifles under the brands of Western Field[sold through Montgomery Wards as the M72]and through Sears and Roebuck under the name Revelation[model 200]The 472 was only produced from 1970 to 1979 and the 479 until 1983 both of which are rare and are often confused as the Marlin 336. The best way to tell is on the lever,if the trigger stays with the lever [like a browning BLR] you then have a Mossberg 472 or 479 if it stays with the receiver then you have a Marlin 336. There is even a sought after Roy Rogers edition with a gold trigger,butt plate and Roy Rogers signature on the stock. Rossi of Brazil has recently started offering what is essentially a clone of the Marlin 336 series in .30-30 as well. The cartridge's rimmed design, medium length, and moderate pressure work well for the typical lever action design. The rimmed design is also well suited for various single-shot actions, so it is commonly found there as well. Rimmed cartridges are chambered in bolt action rifles, but .30-30 bolt actions are uncommon today, despite being quite effective in the field. “At one time Winchester turned out the Model 54 bolt-action repeater in this caliber [.30 WCF], but it was a decided failure, chiefly because the man desiring a bolt action preferred to take one of the better and more powerful cartridges. However, in this particular caliber, the .30 WCF cartridge proved to be decidedly accurate.”[11] In addition, rimmed cartridges typically don't feed well with the box magazines normally found on bolt-action rifles.[12][13][14][15] Other examples of bolt action rifles offered in .30-30 Winchester are the Stevens Model 325, the Savage Model 340, the Springfield/Savage 840, and the Remington 788.
In the sport of handgun metallic silhouette shooting, the .30-30 has had some success. The Thompson Center Arms Contender pistol, with its compact frame and break-open action, is ideally suited for cartridges of the .30-30's size. With proper loading, the .30-30 will produce velocities of nearly 2000 f/s (610 m/s) out of the short 10 inch (25 cm) Contender barrel, though recoil and muzzle blast are strong from the short barrel. The longer 14-inch (36 cm) barrel results in significant reductions in felt recoil (due to increased weight) and muzzle blast, with higher velocities, especially if factory loaded rifle ammunition is used. Magnum Research offers their five-shot BFR revolver in .30-30.[16]
In addition to the most common factory derivations, the .25-35 Winchester, 6.5x52R and the less well known .219 Zipper, the .30-30 has also spawned many wildcat cartridges over the years. One of the more successful is the 7-30 Waters, made by necking the .30-30 case down to 7 mm (.284 inch). The 7-30 Waters eventually moved from a wildcat design to a factory chambering, with rifles being made by Winchester, and barrels made by T/C for their Contender pistol. Other .30-30 based wildcats are used almost exclusively in the Contender pistol. One of the more notable examples is the .30 Herrett, a .30-30 case necked back to reduce case capacity for more efficient loading with fast burning powders. The .30 Herrett produces higher velocities with less powder than the larger .30-30 case in the short 10 and 14 inch (25 and 35 cm) Contender barrels. Other examples are the .357 Herrett, developed to handle heavier bullets and larger game than the .30 Herrett, and the 7mm International Rimmed, a popular metallic silhouette cartridge. Bullberry, a maker of custom Contender barrels, offers proprietary .30-30 wildcats in 6 mm, .25 caliber, and 6.5 mm diameters.[17][18][19][20][21] In addition, P.O. Ackley used the cartridge as the basis for the .30-30 Ackley Improved.