Developed by Winchester for their lever action model 1894 rifle, the 30-30 cartridge was originally known as the 30WCF(30 Winchester Center Fire). When it was marketed in 1895, it became the first commercial centerfire cartridge that used smokeless powder in the U.S.
The thirty-thirty achieved widespread popularity and over the years several companies had rebranded the round as their own with such names as 30-30 Savage, 30-30 Remington, and 30-30 Marlin.
The 30-30 Winchester case was derived from the 38-50 Ballard case which was necked down to take a 0.308 inch bullet. The initial loading was a 160 grain jacket soft point bullet with a muzzle velocity of a little under 2000 feet per second.
Since this cartridge is primarily used in lever action rifles with tubular magazines, commercially manufactured ammunition will have flat point or round nose bullets. Currently the most popular 30-30 load used today has a 170 grain flatnose bullet with a muzzle velocity of about 2200 feet per second. The effective hunting range of this cartridge is considered to be 150 yards or less, which in most forests in the eastern U.S. is not much of a limitation.
| 30-30 Winchester | |
|---|---|
| Jacketed Bullet Diameter (Inches) | 0.308 |
| Rim Diameter (Inches) | 0.502 |
| Base Diameter (Inches) | 0.422 |
| Max Case Length (Inches) | 2.04 |
| Max Ctg Length (Inches) | 2.53 |
Some things to note about the loading data on this page;
- I am only relating my personal experience with the firearms and equipment that I own and that I am not making any loading recommendations. If you use the loading data here, you do so at your own risk.
- I never use Large Pistol Primers in place of Large Rifle primers for a variety of safety and practical concerns.
- I have never found it necessary to use fillers such as cream of wheat, polyfill or toilet paper to position the powder against the flash hole in a cartridge case.
- Unless stated otherwise, muzzle velocities listed on this page are from my own test data.
30-30 Winchester Reloading Data
| 30-30 Winchester | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | IMI 110 grain Round Nose Jacketed Soft Point |
| Powder | 30.5 grains IMR 3031 |
| Primer | CCI 200 |
| Cartridge Case | Winchester |
| Firearm | Marlin 30TK |
| Barrel Length | 18.0 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 2126 feet per second |
Single load only as there is no cannelure on these bullets to crimp into.
30-30 Winchester Cast Bullet Loads
| 30-30 Winchester | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | 158 grain Lead Flat Nose Gas Check Lee C309-150-F |
| Powder | 26.0 grains Accurate 2460 |
| Primer | CCI 200 |
| Cartridge Case | Winchester |
| Firearm | Marlin 30TK |
| Barrel Length | 18.0 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 1683 feet per second |
| 30-30 Winchester | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | 158 grain Lead Flat Nose Gas Check Lee C309-150-F |
| Powder | 20.0 grains IMR 4198 |
| Primer | CCI 200 |
| Cartridge Case | Winchester |
| Firearm | Marlin 30TK |
| Barrel Length | 18.0 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 1567 feet per second |
Target load about with about same energy at the muzzle as a standard 32-40 Winchester.
| 30-30 Winchester | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | 154 grain Lead Flat Nose Plain base, Lee C309-150-F |
| Powder | 8.0 grains Alliant Red Dot |
| Primer | CCI 200 |
| Cartridge Case | R-P Remington |
| Firearm | Marlin 30TK |
| Barrel Length | 18.0 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 1355 feet per second |
| Standard Dev | 18.6 feet per second |
Flash hole in cases enlarged to 3/32 inches.
| 30-30 Winchester | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | 154 grain Lead Flat Nose Plain base, Lee C309-150-F |
| Powder | 8.5 grains Herco |
| Primer | CCI 200 |
| Cartridge Case | R-P Remington |
| Firearm | Marlin 30TK |
| Barrel Length | 18.0 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 1372 feet per second |
| Standard Dev | 23.4 feet per second |
I enlarged the flash holes in cases used for this light load to 3/32 inches to ensure that the primer did not back out..
Some of the other cast bullet loads that I use for 30-30 can be found on the Reduced Power Rifle loads page.