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[Lever-action-lover]

I have heard before that a 30/30 and a .308 have the same caliber size. SO would it be possible to use .308 bullets in my 30/30?

I might be wrong on the "same caliber size"

[ChesterGolf]

30/30 and 308 are both 30 cal.(.308inch) bullets so if you reload you can interchange only the bullet part back and forth. Be aware though that your 30/30 is probably a tubular magazine and you should never use pointed bullets in a tubular magazine because the point can detonate the primer from the cartridge ahead of it. The bullets are interchangable because of the diameter of the bullets are both the same as is any other 30 cal. cartridge(30/30, 308, 30-06, 300 win mag, 300 wby mag, 300 RUM, etc). None of the cartridges are interchangable but if you pull the tips out(ie, bullet) then they are the same.

[PeterM]

Yes both the 30-30 and 308 is .30 calibers. Some manufacturers choose to measure the diameter in between the riflings (or what it’s called) and then end up with .308 and some manufacturers choose to measure the diameter on the riflings and then end up with .300. So all .300 (30-30 win, .300 Wheterby, .300WM) and .308 (.308NATO, .308NM) uses the same bullet diameter. But like ChesterGolf says you have to be careful if you have a tubular magazine.

[butler1850]

Can you buy these .308 equiped .30/30 shells over the counter?

I have an old Savage Bolt-Action 30/30, so the tubular mag isn't a problem with them.

-Butler

[donmillion]

All .30-30 cartridges use bullets that are .308" in diameter. Because most of the .30-30 rifles out there use tubular magazines, no one sells .30-30 shells with anything but a flat point bullet--it would be too much of a liability risk.

[Darkhorse]

Not "ALL" .30 30 bullets are or have always been .308. Many years ago some bullet makers sold a .307 dia. flat point designed and marketed expressly for the 3030. This bullet was 170 grains and even had its own page in the loading manuals.
It has been literally decades since I have loaded for a 3030 and I have not looked at that part of the bullet manuals for years. But I do have at least one older (speer I believe) manual that lists that bullet. And that is the only bullet they have 3030 data for.
I don't think an extra .001 of an inch would be dangerous and I know people who have loaded pointed bullets of .308 for single shot use with both levers and bolt guns with no problems.
I would never load them or have them around. Not because of potential pressure problems but because of what might happen if a pointed bullet was accidentally loaded into a tubular magazine.
Meaning the point could set off the bullet in front of it and cause a dangerous or fatal chain reaction.

[snowbound]

Just about every place that sells ammo carrys 30-30 cartridges. If you have a bolt action 30-30, it sounds like you have the old Savage 340 or RP 788. Both are fine rifles. The best off the shelf ammo I have found for the 30-30 (for my rifle) is Winchester 150 or 170 grain. Very accurate.

[.300 Win Mag]

.30-30 isnt .308 its .307 but .308dia. bullets will work in it.

[M99ER]

Who's been feeding you guys horse manure?!?

30-30 bullets are .308" Don't let anyone tell you different. It IS a 30 caliber round PERIOD!

It uses the same diameter bullets as any magnum in Remington or Winchester or even Weatherby.

All 30-30 bullets are in the same row as the other 30 caliber bullets on any bullret board I've ever seen...



And when ordering them, they are in the same column and even say .308" on the box!!!

Look here

[donmillion]

I believe the original specifications for .30-30 called for a .307 bore. For some years now, however, all available .30-30 ammunition and reloading components have used .308 caliber bullets. Hornady, Nosler, Sierra, Winchester, Remington all list .308 as the diameter of their bullets for .30-30 use.

I am not certain about the rifles being made in this caliber, since the websites for Winchester-guns and Marlin do not specify that information, but my guess is that they're being made for the ammunition available--.308 caliber.

One thing I can tell you for sure is that I've fired .308 caliber bullets from a .30-30 and had no problems whatsoever.

[M99ER]

Bore and caliber are interchangeable and in this case they are both 30 caliber bores. That is the hole drilled prior to 'rifling' the barrel.

Rifling can be done in several ways. Some of these include button, cut and hammer forging. When the barrel is made, the hole is bored first. Then the rifling is applied. Then the chamber is cut. Then the outer diameters of the barrel are formed (target, mountain, featherweight etc). Why would any factory have the dangerous situation of having some almost imperceptible differences in barrel dimensions laying about? As far as I know and until proven otherwise, it is safe to assume that all 30 caliber bores end up having rifling installed to bring it to .308 inches. To do anything otherwise would be foolish.

The one instance of 'other' dimensions that I am aware of is, Savage invented the 303Savage to compete with the 30-30W. It was back in the black powder days and the Savage round was slightly smaller than the 30-30 in case capacity. In order to compete successfully with the Winchester round they needed to do some fast thinking.

What they did was bore it out normally as a 30 caliber with .308" rifling BUT they used .311" bullets designed for the 303 British instead. It was a ploy to increase pressures and get similar velocities in a smaller case. This was done because black powder is one burn speed only. With all the different powders that came along after the turn of the century or better yet by the 1920's, the need for .311" bullets to increase pressure was fruitless. And as should be, the 30-30 won out in velocity because, simply, it is a bigger round.

The only 307 I know of is in name only. It is the rimmed version of the 308 for use in lever action rifles but it uses the same 30 caliber 'heads' as the rest.

[Captain_Obvious]

But like a few of you have said, no pointed bullets. Not a smart idea to load those into a 30-30.

[cdhunt]

all replys are good points to remember

[wtman]

i still have some .307 bullets from sierra i believe my father-in-law gave me. 170 grainers and they are flat nose. Maybe souvenirs now i guess. ;)

[rambo]

My grandmas boyfriend has a 30-30 savage, the bolt action kind, but the saftey dosnt work, still a good gun. Also I have a rimfire 30-30 bullet, my dad gave it to me a year ago it looks quite old? but i was wondering when these were last made?