For those who shoot 30-30

[Bone Thug]

Bone Thug, please don’t tell anyone else about this. All joking aside, I’ve used all variants of 30-30 to include reloads on maybe a thousand different animals over MANY YEARS and there is only one magic 30-30 bullet. All 30-30 does the job, but if you want a standout from the rest and know if something is hit right then...Powermax 30-30 150gr !

The other two standouts are Federal 125gr and Hornady 140gr GMX, not terminally but ballistically.

[SRK14]

Bone Thug, please don’t tell anyone else about this. All joking aside, I’ve used all variants of 30-30 to include reloads on maybe a thousand different animals over MANY YEARS and there is only one magic 30-30 bullet. All 30-30 does the job, but if you want a standout from the rest and know if something is hit right then...Powermax 30-30 150gr !

The other two standouts are Federal 125gr and Hornady 140gr GMX, not terminally but ballistically.

Is the power max still in production? I haven’t seen them in a long time. Winchester also made another hollow point that looked identical to the power max, but it wasn’t bonded

[mikebyrge]

Most of the time the Marlin micro-groove barrels will shoot the 170gr better than tHe 150. And they are finicky with the Hornady lever loads.

I've pretty much shot reloads w a Speer 150gr flat point for the last 15-20 years because I bought a bunch of bullets cheap at a garage sale. (Reloader 15 & h4895 powder)

It works well for the way I use it,

[SJP51]

Most of the time the Marlin micro-groove barrels will shoot the 170gr better than tHe 150. And they are finicky with the Hornady lever loads.

I've pretty much shot reloads w a Speer 150gr flat point for the last 15-20 years because I bought a bunch of bullets cheap at a garage sale. (Reloader 15 & h4895 powder)

It works well for the way I use it,

Agreed, in that my Marlin shoots 170's better than 150's.

[txpitdog]

Is the power max still in production? I haven’t seen them in a long time. Winchester also made another hollow point that looked identical to the power max, but it wasn’t bonded

I haven’t seen them either. The Powermax Bonded in 243 was awesome, but it seemed to be the first to go. The Powermax in 30-06 though was horrible. It would not make a clean kill on game. I don’t know what the deal was, but it was unreliable.

[SRK14]

I haven’t seen them either. The Powermax Bonded in 243 was awesome, but it seemed to be the first to go. The Powermax in 30-06 though was horrible. It would not make a clean kill on game. I don’t know what the deal was, but it was unreliable.

I bet it is being phased out by the deer season xp.

[Tony Pic]

Most of the time the Marlin micro-groove barrels will shoot the 170gr better than tHe 150. And they are finicky with the Hornady lever loads.

I've pretty much shot reloads w a Speer 150gr flat point for the last 15-20 years because I bought a bunch of bullets cheap at a garage sale. (Reloader 15 & h4895 powder)

It works well for the way I use it,

I need to add. When I bought my Marlin 30AS in the late 80's I bought and used 150gr Speer Nitrex with a Grand slam bullet. It was a deer dropper. But I was not reloading yet and Speer stopped making that load. The Lever revolution came out, it shot great. I never looked back. Bought a bunch of it. I do reload now and did manage to get a hold of FN 150gr Speer grand slam bullets and once powder is obtained. I will be rolling my own soon and back to the Speer Grand Slam FN.

[Johnny44]

I think they still make it for the 30-30. I’ll never have to worry about it because I have about 2,000 rounds of the original redbox and about 600 rounds black. After the first year when I used it I decided I’d go to the grave with that bullet. The only time using a 30wcf when I’d be skinning a deer that folk would say “what the heck did you shoot him with?”. I’ve only recovered 2 bullets, the rest blew big exit holes.

44 & 30-30 have always been my thing because the folk I hunt with are ballistic supremacist and *****holes so I’ve made it a point my whole life.

[Muddy Bud]

Most of the time the Marlin micro-groove barrels will shoot the 170gr better than tHe 150. And they are finicky with the Hornady lever loads.

I've pretty much shot reloads w a Speer 150gr flat point for the last 15-20 years because I bought a bunch of bullets cheap at a garage sale. (Reloader 15 & h4895 powder)

It works well for the way I use it,

This was the the case in my rifle. I could not get Hornady to group at all in my marlin. But it shoots the Winchester 170 grain SP extremely well.

[Johnny44]

The LeverE had some bad batches of projectiles too which is what made me go to the Powermax. Aside from that, On astrix **** barreled Marlins (ballard) it shot great, in microgroove barrels it would foul the shallow grooves so you had to keep it clean.

[sunsethunter]

I've always shot Remington Core-Lokt 170s. They shoot great and have put down every animal I've shot with them

[TacticalCowboy]

Either.

[grizzman]

Most of the time the Marlin micro-groove barrels will shoot the 170gr better than tHe 150. And they are finicky with the Hornady lever loads.

My son's and my 336s are circa 1971 with micro-groove barrels shoot the Leverevolution loads better than than anything else we have tried. I have read others that said their's don't shoot these loads very well so I have to wonder why the differences.

[Johnny44]

I've always shot Remington Core-Lokt 170s. They shoot great and have put down every animal I've shot with them

Thats the beauty of the 30wcf, it just works.

[Johnny44]

My son's and my 336s are circa 1971 with micro-groove barrels shoot the Leverevolution loads better than than anything else we have tried. I have read others that said their's don't shoot these loads very well so I have to wonder why the differences.

My personal opinion after talking with Hornady folk on the same issue is they get these batches that aren’t balanced for some reason.

I shoot the LeverE in about every other caliber and never had a problem except 30-30. I could take a particular box and shoot it in a winchester, single shots, bolt gun, and marlin and it would shoot off in every one. Then without touching a thing take another box and they all shot zero.

It has only been the 160gr too, the 140’s are great stuff