.30-30 Winchester aka .30 WCF

I find it somewhat amusing that so many people believe the historic .30-30 Winchester cartridge is an under-powered, useless round. It seems that these days of most everyone being magnum-crazed, anything without the magic "M" word is obsolete. Nay-Sayers would panic you into believing that anything human or deer would be impervious to the .30-30 cartridge, and that the bullet would just magically bounce off the skin, leaving no damage.

First of all, the .30-30 was America's first smokeless powder rifle cartridge, but it got it's name because it was originally developed to be a .30 caliber round pushed by 30 grains of black powder. Synonymous with the .30-30 Winchester cartridge is the gun that was made to fire the first smokeless powder rifle cartridge, the Winchester model 1894, later to become known as simply the model 94. The Winchester lever-action repeating rifle, first chambered for the .30-30 in 1895, set the world hunters and lawmen alike on their ears. Never before had these men seen such a flat-shooting, powerful, recoil-friendly rifle in a compact, easy to carry repeating rifle.

Over the course of the smokeless powder cartridge, no other round can claim to have taken as much game as the .30-30 Winchester round. If it was good enough then, it is still good enough today. The .30-30 has more than enough power to quickly and humanely kill deer sized game, as is proven by the sheer numbers of deer taken with this more than adequate chambering. Most wounded deer that run off and are never recovered are normally blamed on the cartridge being too under-powered, but truth be known, it was most likely shooter error rather than bullet failure. When placed in the vitals, a 150 or 170 grain bullet from the .30-30 is just as deadly as any other bullet. The current crop of bullets, as has been for decades, are well engineered to provide adequate penetration and reliable expansion at velocities common to the .30-30 Winchester. Quite frankly, deer haven't evolved into bullet-proof hided animals, but are still relatively thin-skinned game as they have always been. And they sure don't strut around in the woods wearing ballistic body-armor. And speaking of such, read on...

The .30-30 cartridge is powerful enough to penetrate through any soft body armor, as well as some with steel trauma plates. This kind of kills the Nay-Sayers' theories about the .30-30 being a poor man stopper. I can assure you it is quite a bit more effective than most any handgun cartridge would be. It makes a perfect defensive arm where over-penetration is not a problem, such as on a farm, where neighbors are nowhere near.

Now I'm not trying to make the .30-30 sound like the perfect cartridge, for it is not. Like anything else, it does have it's limitations. At best for the average shooter, it is a 100 to 150 yard gun, while practiced and capable marksmen can stretch that to around 200 yards, which even at that range, the bullet has enough energy to kill a deer quickly and efficiently. However, much past that, it loses too much energy to expand or penetrate reliably, and it's more rainbow-like trajectory (compared to more modern cartridges) make hitting on target difficult for all but the most seasoned shooters. This is a woods or brush cartridge mostly, not best for a shot across the valley from one ridge to another. That's where the faster, flatter shooting modern bottleneck cartridges with spitzer tipped and boat-tail based bullets really shine. But anything under 150 yards, a shot in the boiler-room from a .30-30 will on a deer or, dare I say elk, make the critter just as dead as would a .300 Winchester Magnum.

Most rifles chambered for the .30-30 Winchester are lever action rifles, such as the recently discontinued Winchester model 94 series of rifles and the Marlin model 336 series of rifles. Available in barrel lengths ranging from 26" to 18", with 20" barrels being the most common. Both tradition straight gripped, and pistol gripped rear stock versions are available, and on average these guns weigh around 7 or 8 pounds. The Winchesters tend to be a bit lighter weight than Marlins, thus the Winchester offers up slightly more felt recoil. Having owned and shot both versions extensively, a 1964 Winchester 94 Antique, and a 1987 Marlin 336CS, I can tell you that both are quick handling guns, and the recoil is not unmanageable, nor unpleasant in either rifle. Either one would make a wonderful hunting gun for deer or hog where long range shots past 150 yards are not expected.

A few words on yardage, camouflage, and hunting skills: Most hunters do NOT have any type of range-finding devices with them on their hunts, and most stories about those 300 yard shots are greatly exaggerated. In the woods, when buck fever sets in, that 300 or 400 yard shot is more likely to have actually been around 100 or 150 yards. Even with a high-powered, long-range, magnum caliber, mega-scoped rifle, most shooters can't accurately hit anything deer sized from further away than about 200 yards maximum, and most shots at deer present themselves at under 100 yards. Another thing to consider, knowing and hunting with a limited-range rifle will make you a better hunter. You will learn to be quieter in the woods, you will learn how to approach and stalk your game animal. You will learn to use your senses more efficiently, and learn how to better control your body as a whole. In short, you will learn to do more than just align the crosshairs on your target, you will learn to actually HUNT, and for your effort, you will have experiences and skills that far surpass the average Elmer Fudd clomping through the woods decked out in the latest fashion-camo and blaze orange vest. Honestly, camo is a crock that makes the hunter feel better and more concealed, but it's downside is that extra feeling of concealment usually leads to a false sense skill in stealth. I've hunted in red flannel shirts, and denim blue-jeans all my life and have had deer walk right by me within arms reach, without paying me any mind. You really don't need all that over-priced fashion-camo stuff, unless you just want to blow your money on it.

Now back to the main topic: RCBS lists the .30-30 Winchester in the top ten among die sales. Wherever ammo is sold, .30-30 seems to be a good seller. Interesting, considering no one seems to want to admit to owning or shooting one. It seems almost taboo to speak of ever having or currently owning one. Over 5,000,000 Winchester 94's have been sold since it's introduction, and who knows how many of the other brands. For such a laughed at and scorned cartridge, sales seem to be rather brisk. Lots of people are buying them, but no one is admitting to it. It's time to get over the magnum cartridge fad and realize that just because it doesn't go 3 or 4 times faster than the speed of sound, doesn't mean it's useless and obsolete.