.30-30 vs .308

G

garyo

New member
Hi Guys,

I'm new here, but have been poking around for a couple of weeks. You guys have a real nice board here; seem to be a lot of very knowledgeable people from all over. I would like to get a lever gun and am considering which cartridge would be better for me. Outside personal defense and maybe some whitetail hunting. Can't see shooting past about 200 yards. Some friends say the .30-30 would be just fine and some say NO, go with the .308. What do you guys think? I know for the .30-30 it's either a Marlin or Winchester and for the .308 it's a Browning.

Any help and advice would be appreciated!
Thanks much

------------------
Take Care
 
Marlin lever in .30-30.

Classic. Powerful. Handy. Great deer rifle with an attractive price and politically correct look. Microgroove barrel *could* make handloading tough for these rifles. On the other hand, some have claimed to have worked up some very good handloads for the Marlin.

Virtually any pawn shop should have an example or two of the Marlin lever actions.

Then, of course, there are Winchesters...but IMO you should look for the "pre-64" rifles.
 
Things to consider:

The Browning's action is smooth, with a better trigger than the Marlin or Winchester (but still not "good" by bolt action standards).

The Browning is heavier and more expensive.

The Browning's detachable box magazine means it can use pointed bullets (which may or may not make any difference at 200 yds & less). It also means you can lose it, in which case you've got a poor single shot. Replacements are about $40.

Do you plan to put a scope on it? The Marlin and Browning have solid-topped receivers, so their mounts are sturdier, and with their true side ejection, the scope can be mounted lower. Mounts for the Winchester are hokey. For the same reasons, the Browning & Marlin are better suited for receiver-mounted peep sights.

None of the barrel-mounted sights are particularly good, though the Browning has the edge with a flat-topped rectangular notch rear, rather than the semi-buckhorn (harder to align, IMO). It also has screw-adjustable elevation, rather than the stepped ramp type.

I don't know too much about the .30-30's ballistics, but the consensus is to stick with the 170-grain bullet. Muzzle velocity is lower than the 150, but the 150 loses its velocity faster. The 150-grain loading is relatively new; the .30-30 made its reputation with the 170.
 
You've a Win-Win situation here, all the candidates are excellent weapons. My choice was the Winchester.The handiness and light weight were selling points...

In open areas, the extra range of the 308 may be the ticket. If you're a brush country hunter where shots are oft in shotgun ranges, the Winchester or Marlin are the way to go.
 
My first deer rifle was a Winchester 30-30. It still is a reliable and "fun" gun to shoot. When I hunt with it I use 150 grain power lokt Remingtons and I have always dropped the deer with one shot. I had a 308 that I traded last year for a Browning A-bolt stalker stainless in 30-06 with boss. Yep, it is an expensive gun, but I just saved a little longer till I could afford it. I suspect my "old" 30-30 will sit in the closet during deer season from now on. I like working with the Browning to see just how small groupings I can achieve. I have much more to work with with the 30-06, but some folks swear by the 308. The 308 is much "cooler" because SWAT and sniper teams shoot the 308. 30-30's are totally "uncool." So if you want a reliable inexpensive deer gun that will perform, the 30-30 lever will fit the bill. If you want a gun that can get small groupings at extended ranges either the 308 or 30-06 are more what you're looking for.The price decision will have to be decided by how big a tax refund you have, or what you choose to spend. My experience when handing a Browning is that it is nothing but a pleasure. It makes me want to go out hunting. The action is solid,smooth, and crisp. I've handled the Remingtons but they seems lighter and less solid. If any of your friends have either try/beg them to let you shoot them. The 30-30 lever and A-bolt are really like comparing apples and oranges. Good luck.
 
An old timer once told me this about hunting: "Bring enough gun." Now, this simple statement means that you should bring a gun that is sufficient for the task at hand without being too powerful, heavy, or complex for the job. The real question is, "What does the gun need to do?"

Here in Florida, woods are thick, visibility is rarely more than 50-100 yards, and shots are likely to be at targets zipping through brush. In FL, a Winchester or Marlin .30-30 is definitely "enough gun". My Marlin model 30 loaded with 150 grain Winchester ammo was selected precisely for this situation. Frankly, I won't shoot at anything over 200 yards with it, but, heck, I won't have to!

Now, a .308 is quite a bit more powerful and versatile than the old 30-30. More bullet weights, more power, and greater range. A BLR or other strong lever action will handle a .308 fine, and will even allow shooting of pointed bullets (have to shoot flat-nose in a Marlin or Winchester, else the recoil will light all the rounds in the tubular magazine off at once!). If you plan on shots over 200 yards, then a .308, 30-06, or .243 BLR would be hard to beat.

If I were looking at a .308 for hunting, though, it would be a Savage 110 or a Remington model 700 bolt action, not a lever action.

Just my $0.02. Only you can decide if its worth the price.
 
Consider the Remingtom pump in .308

Pretty handy all-in-all, probably not as light as a lever, full free-floated bbl & delivers some amazing accuracy for such an action, very very quick, very good range of bullet/game/defense bullets readily available (.308 IS much more versatile than the 30/30) - pretty much has it all.

Only thing I really don't like about the above shooter is that the foreend makes noise when trying to really sneak about in dark timber.
 
If you expect to make 200 yard shots, I'd pick the .308. The 30-30 is marginal at that range, and accuracy suffers a great deal when compared to the .308. It's a slower round, and the BC isn't nearly as good as the .308 round, so retained energy at 200 yards would be around half of the .308's retained energy. Finally, practice ammo for the .308 is much cheaper. :-)
 
Hello, there, Garyo:

Ever think about buying a Remington 7400 in .308? It is a very nice semi auto deer rifle, but in an emergency, it can be a devastating defense gun. I believe that 10 rounds magazines are available for it. It looks really innocent, but it packs a heavy punch. I had one many years ago (about 10 years ago), but I sold it to get an Enfield instead. Still kicking my head because of it until now.

You can instal a scope and it is also equiped with an emergency open sight which is more than adequate to take games out to 150 yards.

I think you ought to get a .308 gun, but you can't go wrong with a 30-30 either. Hell, after all, that cartridge's been around for more than 100 years!

Johannes
 
I have both and I can strongly recommend either.

Of the several Win and Marlin levers in the family, my favorite is a modern angle eject 30-30 Win 94 (centerline scope mounting). The standard 20" rifle plus 4X wideview scope minus a few ounces thanks to an aftermarket synthetic stock weighs about 6 lb 9oz. If you don't mind giving up 20 yards in usefull range the 16" version w/synthetic stock can scope out at barely over 6lbs.

The caliber is more than adequate for deer size game. With 150 gr Win factory hollow points, the gun is 6-0 in single shot kills, including a 9 and 11 point bucks which were as large as any whitetail you can dream of.

I like to carry a light lever and so does my 72 year old dad. I find I'm comfortable hunting hands on (important in brush country) all day long and I don't get caught with the gun slung over the shoulder at the wrong time.

I use my heavier bolt 308 as a bad weather gun. We sometimes have to hunt in single digit temps with sub zero chill factors and that's when I find the exposed metal in the grip area of the '94 to be a disavantage. My fingers seem to work better when I'm shooting the gun with the "warmer" stock. If you are going to be hunting in NC, the exposed metal in the grip shouldn't bother you too much.

Go for the lever.

Tom, Pa
 
.308 definitely. Good luck hitting the kill zone at 200 yards with a roundnosed 30-30! Most good quality .308's will shoot tighter groups at 200 yards than a lever action 30-30 will shoot at 100 yards. Your choice though. It doesn't matter what rifle or the caliber of that rifle if the shooter does not have confidence in his rifle!
 
Both are classic cartridges.

The .308 is the more versatile of the two. For hunting, the .308 allows for range that the 30-30 does not have, nearly duplicating the 30-06.

The 30-30 is more suited for general defensive purposes. Unless shots past 200 yards are what you consider defensive.
 
I could be wrong, but Savage makes the Model 99 lever action in .308 and has a box magazine, which means you can use pointed bullets. This would seem to be the best of both worlds. Terry
 
T2. The lever action Savage has been discontinued, more's the pity.
As to the question of the 30-30 or .308? As much as I like the 30-30, and I like it a lot, I would have to go with the .308. I like that one a lot too.
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The .308 is a much more versitale (sp) round. One of the deadliest loads I've ever used on deer was the 170 Sierra bullrt for the 30-30 loaded up to 2400 FPS in a .308. It dropped deer on the spot, like right now. Admittedly, it was a bit detructive on eating meat, but in the rain forests of Northern california where I hunted years ago, if you did not drop them on the spot, you stood a good chance of losing them. The .308 is a fairly good long range round as well. I have dropped a deer at 427 paces with one. Shot and distance were witnessed and pace off by three people. Normally I won't shoot that far, but the deer was wounded and getting away. In my opinion, the .308 is the better way to go. If you prefer the 30-30, I sure won't argue with you on that point either.
Paul B.
 
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