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I have to brag about my latest find. I have been wanting a 16" 30-30 Winchester for as long as I have been into guns. By the time I could afford one, Winchester had stopped making model 94 rifles. After months and months of lurking on Gunbroker.com, I finally found my 30-30. The thing is, every trapper on Gunbroker.com had been going for well over $500 and I was getting tired of looking. I began just looking at standard 20" carbines thinking that I could make due. I saw one that looked tempting as it was made the same year I was: 1981. I clicked on it and lo and behold it had a 16" barrel and was chambered in 30-30, an honest to God no-safety trapper. I sweated every night for the next 6 days until the auction ran out just waiting for someone to find it. About 5 hours prior to my rifle's auction running out, another 30-30 trapper made in 1979 sold for $680! With about 30 minutes to go, I placed a bid; the sole bid on this rifle and won! I don't know how it managed to slip through the cracks, but I stole this rifle for $300.
It is used with some of the typical bluing loss on the receiver, but over all its in good shape with an excellent bore. I can't wait to go to the range and try it out.
Probably not as exciting for you guys as for me, but I had to tell somebody. Reloading experimentation to follow.
Thanks,
Patrick
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"Till now man has been up against Nature, from now on he will be up against his own nature."
I am insanely jealous! I passed those up when they were affordable but don't think I will ever get one now. Even before they got so high it was hard to find one for $300!
Decided to overextend on the Christmas presents instead.
December did see me get a 1959 4 inch M-18 and picked up the Marlin 62 this week
so I'm good, lol.
Glad you got that trapper at a good price!
KI6WZU
NRA member
"When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'present' or 'not guilty.'"
--President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
“Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner”
Congrats on the Trapper. They are sweet little things aren't they?
I traded a Dan Wesson .357 with an extra barrel for mine back in 1980.
Put a Williams FP on it and had a trigger job done. When my finances crashed in 98 it is one of the two lever guns I refused to sell.
Enjoy it, it will serve you well.
Joe
***Be sneaky, get closer, bust the cap on him when you can put the ball where it counts .***
patrick_ford wrote:Reloading experimentation to follow.
Thanks,
Patrick
Excellent find and congrats on the excellent deal. However, might I suggest NOT experiment when reloading... Use loads as suggested by reloading manuals. Even the on-line versions from the powder companies will be adequate.
Griff,
SASS/CMSA #93
NRA Patron
GUSA #93
There is a fine line between hobby & obsession! AND... I'm over it!!
No I ain't ready, but let's do it anyway!
good on ya patrick,and great find! i tell ya i went to the public range this last w/end w/my new win. 30-30 and it was a blast to shoot! i actually wanted to shoot it more than my colt ar-15 i'd brought along also.i found the hornady leverevolution stuff to be very accurate just dang expensive to shoot though......post a pic of it when you think of it.we'd all like to see it!
badges?...badges? we don't need no steeekin' badges!
patrick_ford wrote:Reloading experimentation to follow.
Thanks,
Patrick
Excellent find and congrats on the excellent deal. However, might I suggest NOT experiment when reloading... Use loads as suggested by reloading manuals. Even the on-line versions from the powder companies will be adequate.
Now what linda fun is that? You killjoy you! While I would not suggest trying to hot rod the .30-30, working on light loads is a joy and there are all sorts of non-published loads which work great in the ol' thuty thuty. I'd be suprised if tehre are very many reloaders here at LeverGuns that don't have a "non-published" pet load or 2 they use on a regular basis.
Great find on the Trapper, wish I had never sold mine.
I have had two trappers and they are a joy to use. That 16" tube gives up little to a 20". My last one as many know was a lemon but the cross bolt safty model I had some years ago was a shooter.
Apart from numerous deer I can remember two off hand crows at around the 150yard mark and a jay shot in a tree that I had to shoot through a forked pine in the fore ground with just a 2" gap to shoot through at an estimated 75yds or so.
That gun liked the Speer bullets and Noslers and h322, wish I had not foolishly sold it
I was able to get to the range this morning, cold and all and it was well worth it. My trapper seems to like 170 grain bullets the most. Groups are about half the size of the 150 grain loads from multiple brands. I was only able to shoot at about 80 yards, but the deer next year are going to be in for it.
When I said experiment with reloading, I didn't mean that I would do anything dangerous. I just want to find the optimum load for this rifle to plink and one to hunt with. I think I love reloading almost as much as I do shooting. Working up loads, especially in a new to me caliber is half the fun of buying a new gun!
Thanks again guys!
Patrick
"Till now man has been up against Nature, from now on he will be up against his own nature."
"With about 30 minutes to go, I placed a bid; the sole bid on this rifle and won! I don't know how it managed to slip through the cracks, but I stole this rifle for $300. "
You were supposed to win that Rifle, that's obvious.
Congratulations! Now keep it with you, shoot it a lot, and make it yours.
Might want to look into a Lyman 311041 mold and a rock-chucker press, too.
