Grandpa’s 30-30 Ammunition

Above, new .30-30 Winchester (left) and traditional. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

First introduced to the gun-buying market in 1895, the .30-30 Winchester cartridge revolutionized ammunition.

It is the first small-bore sporting rifle cartridge designed for smokeless powder.

But, is it relevant today? According to an article and two videos in Ammoland.com, new technology has given it new life and fans. I have purchased some new (introduced around 2005) Hornady .30-30 LEVERevolution ammo, but haven't shot any yet.

They begin with:

Nostalgic. Old-school. Underpowered. The 30-30 gets called a lot of things, but new technology and a rabid fan base are breathing new life into this venerable round.

Does Grandpa’s 30-30 Winchester still have the juice to get the job done by today’s cartridge standards? Mark Boardman and Ryan Muckenhirn hit the range to find out. They fire three loadings – one old and two new. Will they be impressed or let down by the results. The gel blocks, an old rifle, a few shells, and these fine gentlemen tell the tale in this episode of — Cartridge Talks.

In this episode, Mark and Ryan put this new technology to the test, compare it to traditional rounds, and answer the question, “Is Grandpa’s 30-30 better than ever?”

To see the videos and read the rest of the article, go here. 

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. 

Hornady's LEVERevolution .30-30 Winchester Ammo

The other day while in Albuquerque, I picked up some ammunition for my Winchester 94 .30-30 rifle at Omni Arms.

The ammo is Hornady's LEVERevolution ammo with a pointed flex-tip. It is not the traditional flat-nosed .30-30 ammo normally used in lever-action rifles to prevent "chain-fire" accidents in the tubular magazine as the nose rests against the primer of the cartridge in front. 

The reason being (according to ChuckHawks.com):

The key to the LEVERevolution ammunition, two years in development, is a new Evolution spitzer (pointed) bullet with a red elastomer Flex Tip. This tip flattens enough to cushion the primer of the cartridge in front of it in the magazine during the acceleration of recoil, yet returns to its original shape instantly thereafter. The Flex Tip has been tested at temperatures from -40 to +130 degrees F, and also passed 15' drop tests in full magazine tubes and many rounds of proof loads. The Flex Tip eliminates the possibility of a magazine chain-fire, the bugaboo that has prevented the use of pointed bullets in rifles with tubular magazines.

 I decided to give a box of the LEVERevolution rounds a try.

Here's a comparison of the Hornady LEVERevolution .30-30 Winchester cartridge (left) and a flat-nosed Hornady .30-30 Winchester cartridge.