Best .30-30 Winchester Ammo
Compare loads for defense, target, competition & more
The .30-30 Winchester stands as America's most iconic lever-action cartridge. Introduced in 1895 as the first American sporting cartridge designed for smokeless powder, it has taken more deer than any other cartridge in history. The .30-30's combination of moderate power, mild recoil, and quick-handling lever-action rifles has made it the quintessential woods gun for over a century.
While newer cartridges offer better long-range performance, the .30-30 continues to excel in its intended role: close to medium-range hunting in heavy cover. Modern ammunition developments, particularly the introduction of pointed flex-tip bullets safe for tubular magazines, have enhanced its capabilities while maintaining the cartridge's characteristic mild recoil and effectiveness. For deer hunters in thick woods and brush country, the .30-30 remains hard to beat.
All .30-30 Winchester Loads
Compare ballistics and prices across 4 products
| PRODUCT ↕ | GRAIN ↕ | VELOCITY ↕ | ENERGY ↕ | BC ↕ | USE CASE ↕ | BEST PRICE ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Federal Power-Shok .30-30 Winchester 150gr SP Ammo
150gr
• 2390 fps
• Hunting
|
150gr | 2390 | 1902 | .218 | Hunting | $1.24/rd |
|
Winchester Deer Season XP .30-30 Winchester 150gr Extreme Point Ammo
150gr
• 2390 fps
• Hunting
|
150gr | 2390 | 1902 | .215 | Hunting | $1.28/rd |
|
Winchester Super-X .30-30 Winchester 150gr Power-Point Ammo
150gr
• 2390 fps
• Hunting
|
150gr | 2390 | 1902 | .218 | Hunting | $1.30/rd |
|
Winchester Super-X .30-30 Winchester 170gr Power-Point Ammo
170gr
• 2200 fps
• Hunting
|
170gr | 2200 | 1827 | .241 | Hunting | $1.33/rd |
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- Very mild recoil, easy to shoot accurately
- Perfectly suited for deer at woods ranges
- Lightweight, quick-handling lever-action rifles
- Proven terminal performance on deer-sized game
- Affordable ammunition widely available
Cons
- Limited effective range (200 yards or less)
- Rainbow trajectory compared to modern cartridges
- Not suitable for long-range shooting
- Traditional flat-nose bullets have poor ballistic coefficients
- Not ideal for larger game like elk