7 Best Rifles Chambered For The .30-30

Above, the Hornady LEVERevolution flex tip .30-30 Winchester
cartridge (left) and a flat-nosed Hornady .30-30 Winchester cartridge.

The .30-30 Winchester cartridge may not be the most powerful round out there with limited reach, but it is still popular to use in rifles.

According to a Field & Stream article, it is the oldest as modern American cartridges go.

Field & Stream posted an article on the best seven .30-30 rifles. 

They begin it with:

As America’s first smokeless cartridge, introduced 1895, the old .30-30 is not just old—it’s the oldest, as modern American cartridges go. And yet it remains as effective as ever. In fact, with today’s loads, the .30-30 is a better coast-to-coast big-game cartridge than at any other time in its history. I’ve even used it on African plains game. So why not get a rifle in .30-30? Its only real limitation would be reach, as the cartridge is best used inside 200 yards. But if you know how to hunt—and shoot—that’s rarely a problem. The .30-30’s combination of lethality, low recoil, and the fact that it is usually chambered in handy guns is what has made it one of the most popular and trusted big-game cartridges of all time.

When most people think of the .30-30 Winchester, lever-action rifles pop to mind. The cartridge did, after all, get its start with the Winchester 1894. But .30-30 has also occasionally been offered in bolt-action and single-shot rifles. These days, with Marlin currently rebuilding under Ruger management, you’re options for buying a brand-new .30-30 come from Winchester or Henry. Those are both fine options, but there are also thousands of great used .30-30 rifles out there. It’s almost impossible to look on the Internet or visit a gun shop and not see several for sale. But before you buy, take a close look at this list of the best .30-30 rifles.

Above, yours truly with the Winchester 94 .30-30 rifle. Photo by Larry Lucier.

To read more, go here.