30-30 Winchester

[Creeker]

I planned to hunt this year with my HR Handi Rifle but have developed a misfire problem. So yesterday I went to the range with my faithful 06 to check sighting. Love that rifle but this is about my 30-30.

I have another 30-30 so I took it & some loads to try. The rifle is a Winchester 94. The gun was made in 1964, one of the first post 64's off the line. It's been a friend for some time.

My load is an old one using the RCBS 30-180-FN & 22 grains of IMR 3031. I shot the rilfe at 25, then 50 & finally a 100 yards. I shot off my bench set up using the rifle's Lyman 66 sight. The target is my standard Corn Chex box painted black.

I fired 2 shots & after looking through the spotting scope took a picture. I fired the 3rd shot & walked to the target. Can't do this every time but it does show what the rifle & load are capable of.

The rifle


The 100 yard target



The rule

 

[yodogsandman]

Those deer are in serious trouble!

 

[Creeker]

Those deer are in serious trouble!

I love your avatar. Caught this one 2 weeks ago.

 

[Ian]

I've only worked with one Winchester 30-30 in recent years, and that was a 1966 commemorative edition with gold-plated receiver that was loaned to me to salvage from being stored in an attic since new. It had a "dirt dauber" nest in the barrel, capped at the crown, and some sort of bug poop spots had corroded through the plating and damaged the stock finish. After cleaning it up and finding no damage to the bore or chamber, I loaded up some of my Marlin fodder and took it to the range. Over the next several weeks I kept going back to check the load, because I couldn't believe how well it shot with no flyers, no problems whatsoever. Wish I'd photographed the stack of targets I gave back with the rifle and a few boxes of the hand loads, lots of groups just like yours.

 

[yodogsandman]

I'd like to think that I let those go back down your way to get bigger! Nice catch!

 

[Chris]

On occasion I hear from younger guys at the range about "old school" and "iron sights" where they openly wonder why anybody in their right mind would shoot them. I tell them that a good rifleman shooting an accurate rifle with receiver sights will probably outshoot them and their whizbang short magnum with expensive glass.

That's good shooting right there.

 

[smokeywolf]

You and that model '94 are made for each other. Mfg. in 1964? It's almost new.

 

[Intheshop]

Beautiful rifle Creeker.Agree with above...those deer are in trouble.Nice work!

 

[Creeker]

I'd like to think that I let those go back down your way to get bigger! Nice catch!

I did release that one but kept 2 smaller at 27 inches or so. They are certainly fun to catch. I use 6" flukes mostly & 10 lb XL Trilene.

As to the rifle, I love the little gun. I purchased the Lyman sight & have never been sorry.

 

[fiver]

that rifle is in good shape.
I really like peep sights on lever guns.

 

[Creeker]

Fiver the rifles of that year were said to have a poor finish on the receiver & it left quickly. My receiver is pretty much bare of any finish but I love the look.

 

[Creeker]

Ian thanks for the report.

 

[fiver]

it looks a bit better than the purple receivers from the 70's.
I wish they would have just done those and the barrels in brown and got them matched up.

 

[Ian]

I remember a certain burgeoning young self-taught gunsmith discovering something about metallurgy upon removing a post-'64 Winchester barreled action from the bluing tanks. Not sure how he ended up handling that one with the customer, but I thought the phenomenon of sintered receiver material was pretty common knowledge.

Meanwhile Marlin was still chiseling them out of solid steel billets and selling them for less money. But the Winchesters did shoot alright, no doubt about that.

 

[fiver]

I have a few of the nickel steel purple receivers on my DW revolvers.
they don't seem to wear off the finish like the Winchester purple does.
they had to have put something down like an anodizing or an acid etch or electroplating [something] first to get that blue to stick on the 94's.

 

[freebullet]

Nice rifle.

Nice group.

Nice shooting.

Nice fish.

Nice!

 

[KHornet]

Have a 94 that looks just like yours. I put a side mount scope on it when I first
got it, and it shoot well, but looked like hell, so put a receiver on it, that looks
right and shoots right when I do it justice. Everybody ought to have a 94.

Paul

 

[yodogsandman]

Saw a scope mount on a 94 one time that would swivel out of the way of the ejecting shell when the lever was opened. Nifty!

No, it didn't "look" right either.

 

[Brad]

Might be one more reason I prefer Marlins.......

I do own a single 94, in 375 Win. It isn't much fun off the bench.

 

[Pistolero]

Much better accy than my W94.