Hunting with the .30

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ajshoots

ajshoots

Member
Apr 1, 2015
2,054
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Uniopolis, Ohio, United States
After a season with the .30 hunting a variety of animals, I am rather impressed. First off, I have a custom .30 bottled Marauder using a 1:26 TJ barrel. It is setup shooting 850fps with the 44gr JSB's. For the sake of experimenting, I have tried another .30 TJ barrel which shot equally as well as my original, and I also have tested as low as 800fps up to about 910fps. Minus trajectory and small BC changes, accuracy was very good and of very little difference at the range of velocities I tried. I settled in at 850 because of the larger shot count and tight ES I was able to obtain at that speed. I really liked shooting at 900fps, but the shot count was too little for my liking and I couldn't get the ES as low as I did at 850.

In the field, the larger diameter .30 has proven itself as a killing machine!! The larger wound channel created by the .30 makes for very quick kills and proved more forgiving than a .25. The only downside I can see to the .30 is the expense of pellets. With power ranging from 70-80fpe with 44gr pellets, the .30 just plain hits hard!! Since my .30 is still producing over 40fpe at 100 yards and does it with precision, long range shots have been rather easy. Yesterday, I had a pest squirrel at 110yards that was no match for the 44gr jsb with alittle holdover and a very slight windage correction!! I have taken animals further with the .30, but it just continues to impress me how easy it makes the longer shots!!

On top of its on game performance, the level of precision that the .30 gives is amazing!! I have shot more sub MOA groups with the .30 than all other calibers combined. It might not be the most cost effective choice for some people, but I think the advantages for hunting far outweigh the cost.

I had thought that if I could only have 1 gun it would be a .25 shooting heavies, but I no longer feel that way. The .30 is one bad MFer!!
 
Agree with you on this one Aj. I had the bobcat and man that gun would hit hard at 100 yards. Whacked the target like no other. Also found the gun and the caliber to be super accurate. No flyers, hardly any impact due to the wind...all in all a superb combo. Since hunting isn't allowed here, I used to use the cat for long range plinking and target shooting. MOA accuracy and a heck of a destroyer of anything worth plinking for. 
 
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I have considered getting a .30 air rifle.... now hunt with .25 for the power .. I used to think .25 was over kill until I started noticing that
.25 is very forgiving for me over the .22

I think I would like a even more forgiving hunting rifle.... sometimes those squirrels move just enough and I do not hit the mark while walking around hunting...

Two things bother me... cost of ammo.. ( but I am sure I can get used to that)
The biggest problem I see is the selection of ammo..... you may as well say there isn't any... 
I don't know... but maybe a .35 is just to darn much for gray squirrel... am I wrong.
 
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In regards to pellets, there used to be the same argument against the .25. Not enough selection and too expensive. Well, cost is going to be a personal choice, but in regards to pellet sellection, I only shoot JSB's out of almost all my guns. The JSB 44gr .30's and even 81gr .35's shoot so well out of my .30 and .357 that I don't need any other pellet choices!!

One of the reasons I like the .30 over the .25 with heavies is the increased FPE. I have found that for the different animals I hunt that there is a certain FPE that I feel comfortable with for humane kills. The .30 gives me over 40fpe at 100 yards and that is just at my current tune. Crank it up and watch the FPE climb. Even if you can push the .25 heavies to 900fps which alot of guns can't, you still are roughly 10fpe less than a .30 at 850fps. Don't get me wrong, I love the .25 and think the heavies are an awesome pellet, but a larger diameter harder hitting pellet that can equal in accuracy is a recipe for DEATH!! LOL, for critters that is!!

I do put alot of merit into the larger diameter theory. I have a .22 and .25 that both shoot 25gr jsb's at close to the same fpe. The .22 is 48fpe and the .25 is 53fpe. Both guns do a fine job, but it is very evident that the .25 has an advantage. I also have another .25 shooting 43gr eunjin at 70fpe. My .30 is set at 70fpe also. While the 70fpe .25 is a hammer, the .30 just puts animals down harder and causes more damage. I have to attribute that to the larger diameter. Even though my .357 makes over 150fpe with 81gr JSB's, it may be hard to compare to my smaller calibers, but when you look at the size of holes it makes and the fact it turns starling into feathers, I have to put some of that on my larger diameter thought.

I love pushing the limits with airguns and do enjoy the challenge of using say a .177 to hunt squirrels as far as 100 yards, but as my time becomes more limited, my ability to stay on top of the skills needed to do that ethically is hindered. So, I find that my .30 and .357 have more appeal as they are very forgiving due to the FPE levels and the larger hole they both make. For the record, I still think a .25 shooting heavies around 900fps is one of the best combinations you could have!!
 
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I agree, .30 is just more forgiving. Some would call it over kill, I tend to call it almost sure kill. I mostly pest hunt, so I don't have to worry about damaged meat when making a shot. I do make most shots head or heart/lung but if anything goes wrong....sudden wind shift, last second movement, pulled shot, little less than ideal shot placement, ect...the pest animals will die right there or very soon after by a quick bleed out. 98% are DRT "dead right there" whether they know it or not. When it comes to something I'm going to eat or give away, then a much higher standard and restrain is used even though both are in the ethical Realm .
 
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Oh yes I love the sound of the whack, Pow, POP That's what drove me to the 25, I have not made it to the 30 cal yet,
With my 22 Cricket and 25 Cricket I said I would never buy another gun smaller than a 25 cal, Never say never the Mutant pulled me in and its a 22 short
I was waiting on the 30 cal Cricket and the Mutant with the CZ barrel just pulled me in,
I should get it in the next week,
And this is coming from a guy that would never own anything but a 177 cal for 30 some odd years,
Mike
 
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