30-30 and Speer 130 gr Hot Cor bullets

[wilmsmeyer]

What do you guys think of this in terms of a bullet for deer? I have just loaded a bunch for target practice because I have a bunch of them. Speed should be somewhere around 2300-2400 with the load/powder I am using. If they shot good, do you think a front/quartering on shot would challenge that bullet? I'm sure it would be about perfect for rib shots.

This year I took my 1st 2 deer with a 30-30 and 170 FN bullets. They worked great. One deer took a quartering on shot and broke the front leg up high and the bullet kept a straight line and exited about 1/2 way down the ribs. Just not sure if a lighter and faster bullet would have done it.

I always have thought that the 150 barnes copper bullet would be ideal. However they are expensive. A big 170 gr bullet, lumbering along at 2000-2100 fps seems like it would be hard to improve on and they are cheap when you can find them.

Any opinions/experience welcome.

[dans]

Hey wilms, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[wilmsmeyer]

Dans,

Well said and I will do that. I just had a pile of these laying around. My step son and I love blasting cans and other objects at 50-100 yds with our 30-30's and I loaded up 100 of these with some powder I have no use for (and it can be used in the 30-30) except trying to burn it up on something "non-perfect" like target loads shooting at cans, clay pigeons, etc. Then I though, what if they shoot really really good? But like you say....so what...the 170's shoot really good and they are a proven load.

That's kind of the beauty of a cartridge like the 30-30. It will have great bullet performance at super close range with the standard bullets in 170 gr due to the lower speeds. And, as far as you can hit a deer reliably, the same bullet with plow thru a deer and some of his thicker/tougher parts.