350 Legend Replacement for 30-30

[IronSkillet]

Growing up we used a lever action 30-30 to hunt woodchuck's. It was during this developing time frame my decision was made, I was not a lever action fanboy. Shopping today for a 30-30 bolt action has come up empty.

Online eduction has brought me to the 350 Legend, usually I avoid the latest and greatest chambering's. Several companies are manufacturing bolt action rifles in this caliber.

Any of you have experience with this platform both positive & negative would be gladly appreciated ?

 

[375hh1973]

Buddy bought one in a cheap Ruger bolt gun to hunt deer here in the southern part of Michigan where the regs prohibit bottle necked rifles.

Has a 2-7 Leupold on it.

He killed a couple does with it, both died quickly. The range was 70 and 110 yards respectively

 

[sigp220.45]

I too am interested in it. I have a Colt AR I almost never shoot and am considering a .350 upper for it.

Its like an updated .351 WSL, except the ammo is available and pretty cheap.

During the peak of the ammo madness I would often see .350 on the shelves.

 

[Drm50]

I would look a little harder for your bolt action 30/30. Most common is Savage 340 series. The Rem 788 in 30/30 is pricy and Win 54. There are some other older models that I can’t recall.
Before I bought a 350 Legend and couldn’t find a BA 30/30, I would look at some of the BAs chambered in 7.62 x 39mm. It’s about equal to 30/30
cheap ammo and will definitely be around a long time.

 

[Bald1]

The Ruger American in 350L is a fine gun. A friend has one , and another in 450 Bushmaster. With a Vortex 3-9 (I believe) he’s shooting nice groups at 200 yds. 350L ammo is always on the shelf at Walmart. Not much recoil either

 

[pharman]

Henry single shot 350 Legend

This rifle in 350 Legend with 3X to 9X Vortex Crossfire scope is awesome...flat shooting...an exceptional cartridge...very accurate...I harvested a deer last year at 100 yards with this...only 1 shot needed...this cartridge was a godsend to the whitetail hunters here in Ohio...it is accurate out to 200 yards...I believe that once you try the 350 Legend you will see no need for the 30-30...Roger

 

[ColbyBruce]

Don’t overlook the mighty Savage 170 pump .30/30.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

If you are looking for 30-30 performance I'd just go with an unmolested SKS. sights are good for me to 75 yards and ammo is cheap

 

[10Mad]

The 350 is an ideal deer caliber. The 30-30 is a classic, but if you want modern equipment and modern ammo the 350 can’t be beat. I’ve had one shot kills at 45, 85, and 125 yards in a gun with a 10.5 inch barrel.
I like to hunt, so I go with solid tools over nostalgia.

 

[Maddog 521]

Another is the 7.62X39 caliber. The Ruger RAR rifle is amazingly accurate with Academy Monarch ammo.

 

[444 Magnum]

I was not a lever action fanboy. Shopping today for a 30-30 bolt action has come up empty

The .30-30 Winchester cartridge was developed in 1895 for lever action guns with spring loaded tube magazines. Most bolt action rifles are chambered for cartridges with more pointed bullets for accuracy and trajectory. Accordingly, not as many bolt action rifles were chambered in .30-30 making them more rare and priced higher to collectors.

If you are looking for 30-30 performance I'd just go with an unmolested SKS. sights are good for me to 75 yards and ammo is cheap

My brother has taken numerous deer with his SKS. Cheap shooting. There are other chamberings like .300 Savage that are still produced, comparable to .30-30, and available in reasonably priced BA rifles.

The 30-30 is a classic...I like to hunt, so I go with solid tools over nostalgia.

The .30-30 and .30-06, were both developed over 100 years ago and are more than adequate for any North American game. My Marlin 336s, Winchester 70s, and my custom 1903 springfield are about as solid as solid gets. I'll take blued steel and walnut over synthetics all day long.

 

[BB57]

sjbrdn is spot on about 7.62x39.

It has ballistics near equal to the .30-30 at the muzzle and exceeds .30-30 round nose ballistics by about 325 ft pounds and 160 fps at 200 yards. There are a number of bolt actions available in 7.62x39:

- Zastava M85 Mini Mauser (as well as the older Interarms Mini Mk X, Remington 799, and Charles Daly Mini Mauser versions);

- CZ 600 (as well as the older CZ 527);

- Ruger American;

- Savage Scout; and

- Howa Mini Hunter;

Plus some I am probably not aware of.

——

Cartridge wise the .350 Legend has great performance for a 1.8” straight wall cartridge with .30-30 round nose ballistics. But it runs at 55,000 psi and has a bit more bark than the .30-30.

If you hand load, the .30-30 offers a much wider range of spire point bullet options that put it ahead of the .350 Legend in terms of trajectory and retained energy, as does the 7.62x39.

If I were choosing between the three in a bolt action rifle, I’d pick the 7.62x39.

 

[eveled]

The TC Contender with a 30/30 barrel is a lot of fun.

My main rifle cartridges are 30/30 and .308, I’m trying to keep it simple.

 

[Drm50]

350 is here for AR crowd. I’m not saying it’s a bad cartridge, it’s all they could squeeze out of case with AOL limitations. It’s marginal in power if it wasn’t accurate at 100yds it would be useless. It’s remake of the old 351W.
All in all about 357max dupe. It’s not a replacement for 30/30 and is a niche caliber. Popularity is because of low end bolt guns are cheaper than buying levers for straight case states.

 

[Bald1]

After posting earlier today about abundance of ammo I found myself at Walmart. 28 boxes of Winchester 180gr and 150gr. Without knowing ballistics I’d probably lean towards 150gr in hopes of a few more FPS.

 

[IronSkillet]

Thank you these replies have helped remove some brain fogging. Stopping in stores and shopping online the 30-30 pool is basically empty. The 350L ammo can be found stocked, personally still see it as a niche chambering. The 7.62x39 is something to sleep on, my experiences AK/SKS are long ago with steel-case ammo and a lot of dead 55-gallon drums. The Howa 1500 mini action is definitely a great idea, my 1500; 22-250 is by far the best centerfire BA rifle have had the opportunity to varmint hunt with.

 

[reddog81]

350 is here for AR crowd. It’s marginal in power if it wasn’t accurate at 100yds it would be useless.
Popularity is because of low end bolt guns are cheaper than buying levers for straight case states.

Those cheap, accurate bolt guns chambered in a round that also functions in an AR with with ammo that’s easy to find are terrible! Who’d want that?

 

[sigp220.45]

You can always keep your eye out for a Savage/Stevens bolt action .30/30. I found this one for $250 earlier this year at a Tactical Timmy store. Some young ‘un got $100 store credit toward a Springfield XD.

 

[1sailor]

A lot depends on if you have any intentions of reloading. The Legend will have a wider selection of bullets weights and styles compared to the 7.62x39 (or the 30-30 in a lever). If you plan on using your new rifle for any plinking, the Legend can be reloaded using relatively inexpensive 9mm bullets. The Hodgdon site is finally showing some loads using pistol powders. Another thing that will apply to some is the type of rifle. Not everyone is overly fond of hunting with military style rifles. Slinging an AK or SKS over your shoulder is not everyone's first choice. I also want to add that even if you don't reload, Winchester and Browning both make inexpensive practice/target ammo in 350 Legend with prices around $15 a box.

 

[DWalt]

Regarding the previous comparison made between a .300 Savage and the .30-30, that is incorrect. The .30-30 and the .303 Savage (now long obsolete) are ballistically near-twins. The .300 Savage is much closer in performance to the .308 Win. About the only significant difference between the two is that the .300 Savage has a somewhat shorter case neck.