Lever-Action Ballistics: .30-30 vs. .357 Magnum | The Truth About Guns

Good write up, but I would have liked to see some bullets fired into gelatine, recovered and checked for expansion.

Or, setup a box o truth and see how the expansion does between the 357 and the 30-30.

I would not expect the 357 to really compare with the 30-30 at 100 yard ranges, but for close in hog hunting, I suspect the 357 would get the job done nicely.

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shooting sports forum

I've got a 30-30 Winchester Trapper, great gun but accuracy is a real issue after 100 yds. Now that does depend on what you're shooting too!

It's a great gun for the front seat of my pick-up and out the window shooting at pigs or coyotes.

I think a Trapper would pretty much be the same for what I do if it was in 357 or 44 though as accuracy can be your limiting factor aside from caliber.

If it's very far away, or a deer, I'll grab a bolt gun

With the appropriate handloads you can beat the original .30-30 loads in the .357 Mag carbines/rifles.

However you don't want to use the same ammo in handguns, they aren't built for that.

Using an appropriate bullet, the penetration and expansion are quite similar on deer and hogs. The 180gr XTP works extremely well atop a mess of 2400 or H-110.

However personally, I'd prefer the .30-30, I've used both and gotten similar results. For whatever reason, I just prefer the lower pressures of the .30-30.

A very good read. Thanks.

I own both and for close in work I'll perfer the .357. More rounds in the barrel.
For ranges out past 50 yards, the .30-30.

I like both!

Lateck,

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A Proud Ruger owner.
10/22-TD, Mini-14, M77-GS, LCP, LC9, SR9c, SR40c, GP100, SR1911.

It would be nice if they would have tested some real .357 loads. As is it's a nice comparison of what the rifle will do compared to the handgun, but it's a rather poor comparison of the .357 to the .30-30

Original handgun loads for the .357 magnum were loaded to 45,000-47,000 PSI. It is the reason the L-frame is in production, they will handle those loads. A Ruger or Dan Wesson will also have no trouble with such. Granted an 1892 would probably handle much higher pressures than the 47,000 PSI I don't believe any book has a load that even comes close to that pressure limit and there is no factory load that comes close, a nice warm load in either the 158 gr or 180 gr bullet will match a .30-30 velocity. It still won't have the trajectory that the .30-30 does. I'd happily take a 180 gr. .357 out of a 20" barrel at 1600-1700 FPS will definitely do a whitetail deer in at 150-200 yards. This load is still under 35,000 PSI accord to all reloading books, so I'd say there is still quite a bit of potential left in the cartridge. The reason for the 35,000 PSI standard now is do to small frame revolvers and older designs or both revolvers and rifles such as the 1873 lever action.

For factory ammo the .30-30 will always beat the .357 but handloaded the .357 definitely closes the gap. The .357 has a lot of options for the handloader to load up, however the .30-30 mostly has options to be loaded down compared to factory ammo.

Regards,

JP99