Shooting Skills for Hunters: The .30-30 Drill

This article comes courtesy of John M. Buol, Jr. of FirearmUserNetwork.com. Check out his site for more articles like this.

The effective range of the .30-30 is about 150-170 yards. Some of the wizzy new Magnums can outperform this by roughly 300 percent, at least on paper. But can the hunter outperform the .30-30? Can you?

The .30-30 WCF (Winchester Center Fire) was a hot little number when first debuted in 1895 but today’s hunters complain about this “obsolete” antique. Standard wisdom states this cartridge is best contained within a range of 100-175 yards. A .30-30 will push a 150-170 grain bullet out at approximately 2200 fps or so. With a 150 yard zero, the bullet will be about two inches above line of sight at 100 yards and around five inches low at 200.

Few hunters possess enough shooting skill that warrants better performance than this. Are you one of them? Find out with the .30-30 Drill.

Begin by getting a good 150 yard zero for that anemic .30-30 (or whatever your favorite hunting rifle is chambered in). Set up a Y-ring steel target at 150 yards. If you don’t have a quality, self-resetting steel target that is about 8-10 inches in diameter, a paper dinner plate at 150 yards makes an ersatz substitute. Get a shooting timer, or a buddy with a whistle and stop watch, to record the time.

Start from standing up. On the start signal adopt a sitting position and fire one aimed shot at the plate. Stand back up and repeat the drill for a total of three shots. After completing this three string/three round sequence from the sitting position, do it again adopting and shooting from prone.

We are shooting at the distance we zeroed giving point-of-impact at point-of-aim on a nice, level playing field with no intervening brush, trees, etc. All the shooting is done from the two most stable positions available in the field. Furthermore, the target is presented whole, as opposed to a large animal with the vital zone hidden somewhere inside, thus eliminating the need to estimate target angle. Just hold center and let ‘er rip!

Regardless of elapsed time, a hunter claiming to need something better than a .30-30 should get at least 5 hits out of 6 shots (83% hits) or better on this six MOA target every time. If so, our hero can actually make use of the ballistic capability provided by a .30-30 or equivalent for field shooting. If not, their maximum effective range in field shooting is shorter than 150 yards and the capability of a .30-30 rifle exceeds their present level of skill.

A more competent hunter-shooter who can get those same hits in ten seconds per shot or less just might benefit from a “better” rifle. They possess sufficient skill to warrant extended range.

Variations:

We can repeat this drill out even further. Use the same target and set at 200, 225, 250, 300, or out as far as you dare. Give the shooter an extra three seconds or so for every 50 yards beyond 150. Sight in appropriately and shoot. For example, .308/.30-06 and cartridges of similar ballistics can set their zero to 200-250 yards.

FUNshoot

John M. Buol Jr.
Director, Firearm User Network

I started my shooting career in my High School days, participating in local, unsanctioned Smallbore events.

After graduating Army IET (basic training) I realized that the Army does not know how to train marksmanship and began competing seriously, first starting with USPSA Limited class (iron sight practical pistol) and National Guard-hosted combat matches through college.

After graduating with a Bachelor's of Science in Management Computer Systems, along with a certificate in Gunsmithing, a Master classification from USPSA and IDPA, and a few Leg points, I eventually found the Small Arms Training Team and met members of the US Army Reserve Shooting Team.

I joined SATT in 1999 and would spend the next decade, and most of that on active duty, as a full-time small arms instructor. During this time I picked up conventional pistol (NRA bullseye) and conventional rifle (High Power), but my primary discipline was the combat matches hosted by NATO. I managed four big overall wins at All Army (2005, 2006, 2008, 2010) along with a host of trophies for individual and team matches there and at AFSAM (Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting.)

After completing active duty, I was hired as the Editor of American Gunsmith magazine and founded the Firearm User Network to promote organized shooting events.