Thread: Hunting Rifles / Handguns - New, Old, Restored

Although I'm in a family of hunters I've never really been into it. Several years ago my parents moved to a small ranch with a hog problem. I knew my 22 Winchester wasn't going to cut it and looked around and it seemed a 30-30 was a good SIZE and I'd heard of it.

I grabbed my father in law (also a hunter) and went shopping. I fell in love with an A303, 30-06, and figured it'd probably work because it had a 30 in it and I know some people use them for deer. Sadly I don't have pictures of the gun with the cobbled together green light mount because I left it with my dad in case someone can use it.

First time I showed up with it, my cousin got a good laugh out of me when he held a 30-30 shell next to 30-06 shell. Needless to say anything near an accurate shot should hurt the hog.

Sad thing is that i can't mount a scope to it (without kinda ruining it) and I can't see through the peep site in the dark. So it is basically just a fun historical piece to me. Very expensive fun compared to the 22s I usually plink around with.

Once everything settles down I'll try to get me a Marlin 30-30 lever action with a scope and a light and try again. I'd love an old 30-30 Winchester to match my 22, but can't really justify the price in my covid economy.

I do hope yall get a kick out of this big city redneck's ignorance and semi-fail.

PS: Glen, I've enjoyed your thread, but don't think I should just go "like" all you posts.

Still waiting on the Pony Express to bring the Scope, Rings and Sling

Why to I even bother checking the Tracking, it is just an effort in frustration ***SMH***

I am REALLY glad I watched a few YouTube vids on the rifle, one of the biggest dings about it although a minor fix would have been frustrating.
Although I found the Barrel to be extremely well cut and polished, they do leave the cutting oil from the Scope Mount taps in the holes..
I took it down did my normal 91% Alcohol soak during mounting of the parts and cleaned out the holes with Alcohol and Q-Tips

I resized both 270 brass and 30-06 brass to test both out, I read that the 270 brass comes closer to neck length after resizing but it is more work..

One of the huge advantages of the caliber is the ability to use so many different pieces of Brass in a pinch.. Also to make it really a great SHTF / TEOTWAWKI caliber is the fact that it can be loaded light using .357 pistol bullets and handgun powder for a close range plinker and small game rifle.. The near Straight wall allows for this. I guess some of the Eastern States are allowing it in the new Primitive Straight Wall hunting seasons too.
I can't believe it took me over 4 decades of shooting to find it..


Oh Yeah,, I weighed it on my digital and in 35 Whelen it comes in at almost exactly 8 lbs just an oz under with the Brake on, by my calculations once I put on the Burris DropTine and the sling with 9 rounds I should be at just over 9 lbs so not a light rifle by my standards,,, but not bad for an Elk rifle

More Pics , can't wait to actually get to shoot it








It is good to have Family LOL just the ones I have on the bench

Finally everything in hand and mounted up

Ready to put in some trigger time

I went with the 3x9x40 with the BDC, looking at the charts I should be able to zero it at 140 yards and the pips will be on at 200 300 400ish yards


The rifle is a little heavy for a "Handi-Rifle" but she balances and points really well

Breaking in the barrel

I was using just the Posi-align inserts to move the zero I figured I would get as close as possible before touching the turrets on the scope

These were the first two groups out of the barrel at 25 yards, I kept messing with it and tweaking out to 100 yds ended up about 1 inch high and still left but the groups barely expanded..

Pretty happy with it considering I was cleaning after every 3 shots, not using fireformed brass and not using a fouling shot, basically everything wrong for best accuracy

First 21 rounds went better than hoped for

Plenty accurate enough for your game and distance. It’s nice when they come together like that, though I assume your background and experience had more to do with it than anything else.

Originally Posted by jfk742

Plenty accurate enough for your game and distance. It’s nice when they come together like that, though I assume your background and experience had more to do with it than anything else.

Only a little

I built the rounds and I had trigger control,,, but most of this is all on the rifle, I was just looking to break in the barrel and fireform the brass
I was impressed enough with the groups to do ROUGH adjustments using the posi-align rings, I wasn't even really drying the bore that well between cleaning, and wasn't using fouling shots before each group..

I am really looking forward to getting in the Hunting rounds and dialing in the loads, but yeah your right I have zero expectations for any shots over 400 yards more in the 100-200 yard range are likely

Just Saying

Worth a giggle, I actually stole it from one of the 35 Whelen groups I belong to