.30-30 Winchester

.30WCF ammunition

The .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire/7.62X51Rmm cartridge was first marketed in early 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle. The .30-30, as it is most commonly known, was America's first small-bore, sporting rifle cartridge designed for smokeless powder. The .30-30 has established itself as one of the most common deer cartridges in North America.

Naming

Although the original name is .30 WCF, the -30 in the designation was added to the name by Marlin, who did not want to put the name of rival Winchester on their rifles when they were chambered for the cartridge soon after its introduction. The -30 stands for the standard load of 30 grains of early smokeless powder, which was on par with IMR/DuPont's 3031. Over time Marlin's variation on the name stuck, though ".30 WCF" is also proper.

Characteristics and use

The .30-30 is considered by many to be the "entry-class" for modern deer cartridges. While it will take deer- and black bear-sized game, it is limited in effective range to approximately 200 yards 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, but lighter loads are possible. Bullets of up to 180 grains can be loaded but the overall length restrictions of the round limit their effectiveness.

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 load in a 7.5 lb rifle is a little less than 12 lb of felt recoil at the shooter's shoulder. 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 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 .30-06 Springfield) from setting off the primer of the cartridge ahead of it in the magazine during recoil. Were that to happen, the gun would most likely be destroyed and the shooter injured, if not killed. When used in single-shot rifles or handguns, such as the Thompson Center Arms Contender or Encore series, it is common for shooters to hand load 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 polymer tipped ammunition.)

The .30-30 is one of relatively few popular surviving centerfire rifle cartridges that have a rimmed case. Most other examples, such as the 7.62x54R, the .303 British, the 9.3x74R, the .45-70 Government, and the Nitro Express cartridges, are old cartridges designed before the bolt action rifle popularized rimless designs. The .307 Winchester and the .444 Marlin are exceptions, being modern cartridges designed specifically for lever action rifles; the .307 Winchester is a rimmed .308 Winchester case, and the .444 Marlin is a .44 Magnum case stretched to fit in .30-30 length actions.

Rifles and handguns chambered in .30-30

The .30-30 is by far the most common chambering in lever action rifles such as the Winchester 94 and the Marlin 336. Since the cartridge was designed for the tube-fed lever action, nearly all commercial loadings feature flat-nosed bullets designed to prevent primer detonation under recoil. The cartridge's rimmed design, medium length, and moderate pressure also 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. While it is possible to chamber rimmed cartridges in bolt action rifles, the bolt action's design favors rimless rounds, so .30-30 bolt actions are uncommon, but still proved quite effective in the field. An example of a .30-30 Winchester Bolt action rifle is 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 fierce from the short barrel. The longer 14 inch barrel (35 cm) 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 [1].

Derivative cartridges

The .30-30 has spawned many wildcat cartridges over the years. One of the first was the 7-30 Waters, made by necking the .30-30 case down to 7 mm (.284 inch). The 7mm/.284 bullet offers higher velocities and better external ballistics performance, even with flat point bullets, and extends the effective hunting range of the lever action rifle. Wildcatter P. O. Ackley created the .30-30 Ackley Improved and .22/.30-30 Improved [2][3], both of which were chambered in lever action rifles.

The bulk of the 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.

References

• Barnes, Frank C; Skinner, Stan (Ed.) (1965, 1969, 1972, 1980, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003). Cartridges of the World (10th ed.). Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87349-605-1.
• http://www.chuckhawks.com/30-30Win.htm
• http://www.leverguns.com/articles/3030history.htm