I am trying to help my nephew sight in his new rifle (Marlin 336 30-30 with a 20 inch barrel) and we are having trouble figuring out what distance to zero it in at. The ballistic data for Hornady LeverEvolution Ammo is -1.5 @ Muzzle/+2.9 @ 100 yds/ 0 @ 200 yds. I have zero experience with this cartridge, and the charts I looked up online recommended zeroing in anywhere from 25 yds to 60 yds. Can someone who has experience with this cartridge please let me know what worked best for you?
Help Sighting in 30-30 Marlin
- Thread starter BfloBill
- Start date
big al hunter
New member
That zero only works if you have a scope. That said, I zero for 100 yards. Anything inside 150 yards is hold dead on. Most of my hunting with a 30/30 is inside 150. If he has the possibility of a 200 yard shot it may be worth putting a scope on and zero at 200 yards.
If he will not be hunting, zero at his practice target distance.
If he will not be hunting, zero at his practice target distance.
Sure Shot Mc Gee
New member
Scope or open barrel sights? Which one are you using to site the rifle in with?
"...+2.9 @ 100 yds.." It's 3" inches high at 100 and 0.10" high at 200 for the 140. And a scope has nothing to do with it.
I'd sight in 3" high at 100 That'll put him on target out to 200. More than enough for a light bullet like that. Insufficient energy past 200 anyway.
The Leverevolution ammo is just ammo with a soft insert on the point so it allows pointy bullets in a lever action. 140 grains is kind of light for a .30-30though.
I'd sight in 3" high at 100 That'll put him on target out to 200. More than enough for a light bullet like that. Insufficient energy past 200 anyway.
The Leverevolution ammo is just ammo with a soft insert on the point so it allows pointy bullets in a lever action. 140 grains is kind of light for a .30-30though.
Hornady uses some deceptive numbers on their LeverEvolution ammo. Almost all other ammo companies shows a 100 yard zero, but Hornady does not tell us what range they zero. Only that it is still about .2" high at 200 yards. I'd guess a 225 yard zero would give you drops similar to what they show. FWIW, if you zero conventional RN bullets at 225 yards you will get 1" more drop at 300 than the LeverEvolution ammo. It is simply not nearly as good as it seems.
Actually it does. The the higher the sights are above the bore the more difference it makes. Iron sights are roughly 1/2" above the bore, most conventional scopes are 1 1/2" above the bore and it does make a difference when getting a rifle zeroed. AR's sights are 2" to2 1/2" above the bore and it makes zeroing interesting. A 25 yard zero with an AR will result in hits about 12" high at 200 because the angle between the sights and bore is so great.
I'd zero a 30-30 somewhere between 75-100 yards. If you zero 2-3" high at 100 you will be 4-5"high at 150. There is a good chance will could shoot over a deer, or hit brush in between you and the deer that you cannot see. With a zero at closer range the bullets path will be no more than 1"-1.5" above or below your line of sight out to 100-150 yards. That is the range you'll actually be shooting anyway. If you do have to shoot farther it is much easier and more natural to hold a little high, than to try to remember to hold low at close range.
Actually it does. The the higher the sights are above the bore the more difference it makes. Iron sights are roughly 1/2" above the bore, most conventional scopes are 1 1/2" above the bore and it does make a difference when getting a rifle zeroed. AR's sights are 2" to2 1/2" above the bore and it makes zeroing interesting. A 25 yard zero with an AR will result in hits about 12" high at 200 because the angle between the sights and bore is so great.
I'd zero a 30-30 somewhere between 75-100 yards. If you zero 2-3" high at 100 you will be 4-5"high at 150. There is a good chance will could shoot over a deer, or hit brush in between you and the deer that you cannot see. With a zero at closer range the bullets path will be no more than 1"-1.5" above or below your line of sight out to 100-150 yards. That is the range you'll actually be shooting anyway. If you do have to shoot farther it is much easier and more natural to hold a little high, than to try to remember to hold low at close range.
Jack O'Conner
New member
I often hunt where a 150 yard shot is plausible. I suggest sighting in 2 inches high at 100 yards to produce "dead on" groups at 150 yards.
Good shooting to you.
Jack
Good shooting to you.
Jack
He just got the rifle and is going to hunt the first year with open sights. It is rare to get a 100 yd shot where we hunt, and getting a 175 to 200 yd shot is virtually impossible between the terrain and density of the woods.
I understand what you are saying about the Hornady data, their numbers don't match what my .450 does in the real world.
Thanks for the input.
I understand what you are saying about the Hornady data, their numbers don't match what my .450 does in the real world.
Thanks for the input.
Blindstitch
New member
Start with 25 yards and see how far he can accurately shoot and adjust for that.
I suspect your area is similar to the areas I have hunted all of my life where most deer were taken under 25 yards.
Some people here have hunting land that justifies zeroing and practice at 300+ yards which is great but doesn't translate for heavy cover areas.
I suspect your area is similar to the areas I have hunted all of my life where most deer were taken under 25 yards.
Some people here have hunting land that justifies zeroing and practice at 300+ yards which is great but doesn't translate for heavy cover areas.
Use the Adirondack paper plate method! 
(its used many other places, too!)
Take your standard paper plate. Put it at the greatest distance you expect to shoot. Shoot. If your shots hit the plate in or near center, you're good for the vital area of a whitetail at that range.
If you hit the plate somewhere else, you either need more practice, or need to limit your shooting to a lesser distance.
If you put up two or three plates, at different distances, and sight in to be "on" for the furthest one, then shoot the closer ones, and see how much you are "off".
Learn to hold (where to hold) for the different distances.
When you are using the fairly coarse sights standard on these rifles, tiny differences in trajectory are immaterial. Can you see 1 inch at 50yds? Can you see 3 inches at 150? With the irons, you can learn where to hold to hit center at different distances. With a scope, you can dial in adjustments, if you so choose. All up to you.
(its used many other places, too!)
Take your standard paper plate. Put it at the greatest distance you expect to shoot. Shoot. If your shots hit the plate in or near center, you're good for the vital area of a whitetail at that range.
If you hit the plate somewhere else, you either need more practice, or need to limit your shooting to a lesser distance.
If you put up two or three plates, at different distances, and sight in to be "on" for the furthest one, then shoot the closer ones, and see how much you are "off".
Learn to hold (where to hold) for the different distances.
When you are using the fairly coarse sights standard on these rifles, tiny differences in trajectory are immaterial. Can you see 1 inch at 50yds? Can you see 3 inches at 150? With the irons, you can learn where to hold to hit center at different distances. With a scope, you can dial in adjustments, if you so choose. All up to you.
Go to one of the ballistics programs available, I like Norma's for its fast acting sliders, and play with the numbers. Hornady publishes the nominal ballistic coefficients and muzzle velocities on their web site and the sight height above bore axis is easily measured on the rifle.
I like the maximum point blank range concept (there are online calculators for that, too.) My .30-06 go to load is ±3" to 287 yards so any shot I am likely to take needs no holdover. It helps compensate for my terrible range estimating skills.
Keep in mind that real world performance generally falls short of manufacturers' published muzzle velocities and B.C.s and it is worthwhile to test the actual rifle and ammo combination and adjust accordingly.
I like the maximum point blank range concept (there are online calculators for that, too.) My .30-06 go to load is ±3" to 287 yards so any shot I am likely to take needs no holdover. It helps compensate for my terrible range estimating skills.
Keep in mind that real world performance generally falls short of manufacturers' published muzzle velocities and B.C.s and it is worthwhile to test the actual rifle and ammo combination and adjust accordingly.
