W
windflag
Guest
Any pro's or con's to shooting score matches with a 30-30 in hunter class?
L
Louis Boyd
Guest
Pros - perhaps you already have a rifle in 30-30 which shoots reasonably well. It might be fun to shoot in a benchrest match. Just about any cartridge in the hands of a good shooter will beat some shooters who can't dope wind.
Cons - Rimmed cartridges aren't known for being the best choice for bolt actions and from that comes a reputation for not being very accurate. Single shot (other than bolt) actions like falling blocks and lever rifles have their own set of problems for benchrest use, mostly from poor barrel support, small bedding area, and the lack of a one piece stock.
For a factory rifle a Rem 788 in 30-30 might be a place to start. I don't know of very many quality bolt actions which were factory chambered in 30-30. The 30-30 has 44 gn case capacity and a pressure rating of 42kpsi compared to a 30BR with 41 gn case capacity and a pressure rating of 60Kpsi. That isn't favorable for the 30-30 though they aren't too different. If you could get a skilled smith to make a quality bench rifle in 30-30 then do the required case preparations it might be competitive but I don't see any reason to think it would be better than a 30 BR and would requrie a lot more development effort.
Cons - Rimmed cartridges aren't known for being the best choice for bolt actions and from that comes a reputation for not being very accurate. Single shot (other than bolt) actions like falling blocks and lever rifles have their own set of problems for benchrest use, mostly from poor barrel support, small bedding area, and the lack of a one piece stock.
For a factory rifle a Rem 788 in 30-30 might be a place to start. I don't know of very many quality bolt actions which were factory chambered in 30-30. The 30-30 has 44 gn case capacity and a pressure rating of 42kpsi compared to a 30BR with 41 gn case capacity and a pressure rating of 60Kpsi. That isn't favorable for the 30-30 though they aren't too different. If you could get a skilled smith to make a quality bench rifle in 30-30 then do the required case preparations it might be competitive but I don't see any reason to think it would be better than a 30 BR and would requrie a lot more development effort.
A
AVanGorder
Guest
There are some 6X shooters that do very well with the 30 Ardvark, which is based on the 30-30 case. Take a look at some of the match results.
To make the 30-30 case competitive you should make a couple of modifications.
The two big ones are to blow the shoulder out to 30-35degrees while at the same time removing some body taper. A competent gunsmith can facilitate this by short-chambering the "improved" case such that it gets a secure jam fit on the bumped factory brass......this factory brass should be bumped (reset) with the new improved die. This will establish a solid butt-point for proper foreforming without excessive shortening. The other change is to give a little bit of extra relief (just a couple thou, there are safety issues) at the base so that the cartridge no longer touches at the rim.
A 30-30 shooter may would want to look for some 30 American brass......
al
The two big ones are to blow the shoulder out to 30-35degrees while at the same time removing some body taper. A competent gunsmith can facilitate this by short-chambering the "improved" case such that it gets a secure jam fit on the bumped factory brass......this factory brass should be bumped (reset) with the new improved die. This will establish a solid butt-point for proper foreforming without excessive shortening. The other change is to give a little bit of extra relief (just a couple thou, there are safety issues) at the base so that the cartridge no longer touches at the rim.
A 30-30 shooter may would want to look for some 30 American brass......
al
Two Hunter shooters come to mind...
Sam Weaver and Mike Turner shot competition Hunter rifles in 30-30 (standard Winchester brass, neck turned a bit) with terrific results. A few years ago their results motivated a few other competitors to switch. Unfortunately, Mike's work schedule prevents him from competing these days, and I don't know what happened to Sam. The "stock" 30/30 brass is difficult to control and keep on the edge, but these two guys did it just to prove that with todays excellent bullets, barrels, actions, and powders, "tain't the cartridge guys, tiz the rifle and shooter."
Me...I'll stick to my trusty 30 HBR, or maybe a 30/47, or maybe a nice 30/44. They're all proven winners, but...there's always another way, as these two guys proved a few times when they stated, "hell, I'll take on you guys with the ole 30/30 cartridge...and win." They did...and they did. Hell, look what's happened with the 30BR and that darn Jackie is even foolin with a 30PPC.
With all this turner stuff, new calibers being tried, frozen scopes,and no neck-turn brass, there's some interesting times ahead.
Even if you don't compete, stop by a benchrest match sometime just to see all the wonderful stuff on the line. You'll be amazed!
Sam Weaver and Mike Turner shot competition Hunter rifles in 30-30 (standard Winchester brass, neck turned a bit) with terrific results. A few years ago their results motivated a few other competitors to switch. Unfortunately, Mike's work schedule prevents him from competing these days, and I don't know what happened to Sam. The "stock" 30/30 brass is difficult to control and keep on the edge, but these two guys did it just to prove that with todays excellent bullets, barrels, actions, and powders, "tain't the cartridge guys, tiz the rifle and shooter."
Me...I'll stick to my trusty 30 HBR, or maybe a 30/47, or maybe a nice 30/44. They're all proven winners, but...there's always another way, as these two guys proved a few times when they stated, "hell, I'll take on you guys with the ole 30/30 cartridge...and win." They did...and they did. Hell, look what's happened with the 30BR and that darn Jackie is even foolin with a 30PPC.
With all this turner stuff, new calibers being tried, frozen scopes,and no neck-turn brass, there's some interesting times ahead.
Even if you don't compete, stop by a benchrest match sometime just to see all the wonderful stuff on the line. You'll be amazed!
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