30-30 Winchester

.30-30 Winchester
A .30-30 cartridge (center) between 5.56×45mm NATO (left), and 7.62×51mm NATO (right)
Type	Rifle
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designer	Winchester
Designed	1895
Manufacturer	Winchester
Produced	1895–present
Variants	.25-35 Winchester, .219 Zipper, .30-30 Ackley Improved, 7-30 Waters
Specifications
Case type	Rimmed, bottlenecked
Bullet diameter	.308 in (7.8 mm)
Neck diameter	.330 in (8.4 mm)
Shoulder diameter	.401 in (10.2 mm)
Base diameter	.422 in (10.7 mm)
Rim diameter	.506 in (12.9 mm)
Rim thickness	.063 in (1.6 mm)
Case length	2.039 in (51.8 mm)
Primer type	large rifle
Maximum pressure (SAAMI)	42,000 psi (290 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 110 gr (7 g) FP 2,684 ft/s (818 m/s) 1,760 ft·lbf (2,390 J) 130 gr (8 g) FP 2,496 ft/s (761 m/s) 1,799 ft·lbf (2,439 J) 150 gr (10 g) FN 2,390 ft/s (730 m/s) 1,903 ft·lbf (2,580 J) 160 gr (10 g) cast LFN 2,330 ft/s (710 m/s) 1,929 ft·lbf (2,615 J) 170 gr (11 g) FP 2,227 ft/s (679 m/s) 1,873 ft·lbf (2,539 J)
Source(s): Hodgdon

The .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire (7.8x51R) cartridge was first marketed in early 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle. The .30-30 (thirty-thirty), as it is most commonly known, was the USA's first small-bore, sporting rifle cartridge designed for smokeless powder.

The .30 Winchester Smokeless first appeared in Winchester's catalog No. 55, dated August 1895. As chambered in the Winchester Model 1894 carbine and rifle, it was also known as .30 Winchester Center Fire or .30 WCF. When the cartridge was chambered in the Marlin Model 1893 rifle, rival gunmaker Marlin used the designation .30-30 or .30-30 Smokeless. The added -30 stands for the standard load of 30 grains (1.9 g) of early smokeless powder, according to late-19th century American naming conventions for black powder-filled cartridges. Both Marlin and Union Metallic Cartridge Co. also dropped the Winchester appellation, as they did not want to put the name of rival Winchester on their products.

The modern designation of .30-30 Winchester was arrived at by using Marlin's variation of the name with the Winchester name appended as originator of the cartridge, though .30 WCF is still seen occasionally. This designation also probably serves to avoid consumer confusion with the different, yet similarly shaped .30-40 Krag, which has been referred to as ".30 US" and ".30 Army".

As originally produced by Winchester Repeating Arms (WRA) and Union Metallic Cartridge Company (UMC), it was manufactured with a "metal patched" (jacketed) lead bullet weighing 160 gr. One year later, UMC produced a 170-gr bullet offering, which is still the most popular loading for the cartridge. Both 150-gr and 170-gr bullets continue to be very popular, as seen in the number of these weights offered by current manufacturers, although the 160-gr bullet weight has reappeared in modern cartridges from Hornady, as noted below. Jacketed bullets for the .30-30 are .308 inches in nominal diameter. Cast lead bullets for the .30-30 are also popular, and usually are dimensioned to .309 inches in diameter for use in the .30-30.