So as not to hi-jack this thread about ammo carried in a pistol belt. here
A Wiki article stated that one of the reasons the .30-30 was/is so popular is its low kick.
Ummmm. IMHO, for an entry range high caliber round. It kicks big time. I thought that was one of the reasons people sometimes shun them. Not enough bang for the buck as it were. Has a lot to do with the weight of the rifle I guess. But sheesss. 20 rounds and you will remember it for a day or two.
It seems to kick more than a 30-06. I also have a 336 marlin in .356. I’m familiar with kick.
A 12ga is more of a push. The .30-30 is more like a punch.
The .356 is a full out beating.
Any other .30-30 owners out there? What’s your opinion?
The .30-30’s of my experience are light & short barreled (which will increase felt recoil), but the standard description I hear of this caliber is “light”, something like 10 to 12 foot-pounds at shoulder, whereas a .30-06 can be nearly double that with 17-20 (cite). My own personal favorite caliber is .308 that kicks nearly half-again as much as the .30-30.
If you’re comparing a 10+ pound .30-06 with a decent recoil pad to a standard mdl 94 carbine with the steel butt, the .30-30 is going to have greater felt recoil. But if you find a .30-06 “Mountain” gun (plastic stock, short barrel, 6 pounds or so) the .30-30 might feel pleasant in comparison.
Well, I have a marlin .30-30, a Ruger .30-06 (all synthetic stock, very light), a Winchester 300 magnum, a 12 gauge, a '98 8mm mauser (modified for shorter barrrel), and a 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser. (note: i have limited this list to firearms I hunt deer and other medium to large game with.)
Anyway the .30-30 has a mild to almost painful kick depending on the bullet size. When using a 150 grain bullet i find the recoil to be almost non existent, but anything over 200 grains will certainly remind you that you are not firing a .22. That being said the .30-06 with a 180 grain bullet has a noticeable recoil, but its not unpleasant, nor does it “kick” like the .30-30 its more of a steady push with more energy. But i must say that either the 8mm or the 300 mag take the cake in terms of pain inflicted upon the user, both rifles will kick the crap out of you and really hurt if you are not ready for them.
For the most part anytime you purchase a new rifle before you take it hunting you should take it to the range and shoot it 20-25 times, this will acclimate you to its various intricasies (including recoil) and lead to more clean kills
I always figured that I really needed to have the stock modified on my 30-30 because it was painful to go through a box of ammo on the range. I figured my arms were a tad too short to snug in it & that was what caused it. Maybe it’s just that after all.
I used to have a Winchester Model 94 in .30-30, and I hated it. It kicked a LOT- to the point of almost being painful to fire- and wasn’t a lot of fun to shoot. I’d purchased it as a scrub gun, and ended up trading it and getting a Lee-Enfield No. 5 Mk I “Jungle Carbine” a bit later- a decision I’ve been very happy with.
No kidding? I thought the .303 carbine kicked far worse than my trusty old (1943-1947) mdl 94.
Could be because it’s the first gun larger than a .22 that I fired, so I’ve been shooting that same gun for 25 years. Also, I’m used to a .300 Win Mag so the .30-30 still feels gentle to me. I still dislike the recoil on my 1903 Springfield, there’s just something about the .30-06 that I’m not fond of. Much like the 9mm, the recoil is … different.
Those old military bolt actions all seem to have stocks designed to accentuate recoil. I had an Australian-made .303 that I very seldom fired because it was unpleasant. Ditto on the various 8mm Mausers that have passed through my hands over the years.
The only military bolter I ever fired that was actually pleasant to shoot for long sessions was my Kennedy Killer Carcano. The 6.5mm Carcano cartridge is pretty mild compared to the .303, 8mm, .30-06, and 7.62 x 54R. Ballistically, it compares pretty well to cartridges like the 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 Remington SPC designed for use in select fire “assault rifles.” Cost for a box of ammo in those days approached the cost of the rifle, so sold it off. Wish I still had it.
To address the OP, I’ve never found the recoil of the .30-30 out of a Marlin lever action to be particularly unpleasant. Out of a TC Contender pistol, it can be somewhat brisk.
A lot of people think the .303 carbines kick more than the .30-30s; I’ve always felt the opposite. Then again, the No. 5 Mk I is a fairly heavy rifle (as are all military-issue .303 rifles) and absorbs a lot of the recoil. I guess it’s what you’re used to; I’m not a particularly recoil-sensitive person and I like the way the various .303 rifles handle, so it’s not a problem for me.
Yep. One of the hardest kicking guns I own is my SMLE. It’s nothing compared to my Moisin-Nagant carbine, though. That sucker will dislocate a shoulder if you aren’t careful. The 8mm Mausers aren’t so bad, and the 6.5 Swedish is a sheer joy to shoot. Of course, to really tame the .30-06, fire it through a Garand.
Oh yeah 6.5x55 swede is by far my prefered hunting rifle, excellent gun to start youths out on as well, mild recoil, good accuracy, and the bullets big enough that even if they miss a little it will still take down a deer.
The amount of “kick” a gun has is a strange subject:
My buddy owns a .25 caliber pocket pistol. I can shot maybe 10 rounds through it before my hand gets sore. It’s downright painful to shoot that damn thing. OTOH, I have another buddy who has a Ruger Redhawk in .44 Mag. I can shoot that thing all day.
Some people think a .50 BMG has a lot of recoil. Baloney. My Mossberg 12 gage shot gun (when shooting slugs) has more recoil than a .50 BMG rifle.
Bullet weight, as well as the weight of the rifle or shotgun, makes a big difference. The 12 gauge slug, the heavier long round-nosed bullet used in most 30-30 loads, all weigh significantly more, hence give one much more perceived “kick.” I’ve shot a lot of different things. I got into black pwder shooting and hunting. I shot a lot with a .490 patched ball, then wanted to try “Maxi-balls,” which are great hunks of lead with a raised groove to catch the rifling. After pfooming a few of these monsters down range – I think they weighed about 2.5 times the round balls – I decided that the patched ball would do just fine. Same thing with shotgun loads. My father and I were loading down to 7/8 of shot to conserve shot, which was the most expensive reloading component at the time. I got used to the light load of shot, and I had a buddy loan me a few of his ounce and 3/8 duck loads when I ran low on shells on a particularly good day and I could really feel the difference, even in my gas gun.
Hey Scumpup – My buddy had a Contender for metallic silhouettes in a wildcat cartridge --.375 CJMK. The brass had to be fire-formed from .30-30 casings. It was magna-ported and shot flames out of the ports with a vengeance. I had to make you wait for the best part – CJMK stands for Crowley Jones Mastadon Killer.
