Buffalo Bore 30-30 Win 150gr Barnes TSX – Fantastic Lever Gun Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 30-30 Win 150gr Barnes TSX is a serious attempt to drag a 130 year old cartridge into modern company. A 150 grain solid copper bullet at 2350 fps produces roughly 1839 ft-lbs, and because the bullet holds together it hits considerably harder than that number alone suggests. Buffalo Bore states it is safe in any 30-30 chambered firearm in normal operating condition. Twenty rounds per box, item 28B/20.

• Buffalo Bore 30-30 Win 150gr Barnes TSX Overview
• 30-30 Lever Action Hunting Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 150 Grain TSX Copper Bullet Changes The 30-30
• Specifications
• Range Notes For This Lead Free 30-30 Winchester Load

Buffalo Bore 30-30 Win 150gr Barnes TSX Overview

The bullet is a Barnes TSX, machined from solid copper with relief grooves down the shank and a hollow nose. There is no jacket and no lead core, so it expands into four copper petals and keeps essentially all of its weight rather than shedding mass the way a cup and core bullet does.

That matters more in a 30-30 than in most cartridges. The classic 30-30 bullet is a soft round nose or flat nose designed to open at modest velocity, and it does that well, but it also tends to come apart on heavy bone. A TSX will not.

Buffalo Bore loads it hot. The Buffalo Bore 30-30 Win 150gr Barnes TSX runs a nominal 2350 fps, and that extra speed is what gives the copper bullet room to expand properly at the far end of its range.

30-30 Lever Action Hunting Ammo Ballistics

Real gun figures tell the honest story. A 1953 Winchester 1894 with a 20 inch barrel gives 2271 fps, a 1963 example of the same rifle gives 2247, and a 1993 16 inch Trapper gives 2198 fps.

Those work out to roughly 1717, 1682 and 1609 ft-lbs. The comparison worth making is like for like: factory 150 grain 30-30 is usually advertised at 2390 fps, but that comes from a 24 inch test barrel, and a real 20 inch carbine typically gives around 2200. Buffalo Bore is publishing 2271 from a 20 inch rifle, which is a genuine gain rather than a paper one.

The spread across forty years of Winchester 1894 production is only about 70 fps, which is reassuring. This is not a load that behaves wildly differently from one rifle to the next, and 30-30 lever action hunting ammo that is consistent across old and new guns is worth something.

Why The 150 Grain TSX Copper Bullet Changes The 30-30

The 30-30 has a reputation as a hundred yard deer cartridge, and with a soft cup and core bullet that is about right. Push one of those hard and it comes apart on the shoulder. Keep it slow and it runs out of energy early. Neither problem is the cartridge’s fault.

A 150 grain TSX copper bullet removes both constraints. It can be driven faster without fragmenting, because there is no jacket to strip and no core to separate, and it retains nearly all of its weight after expanding into four petals. That is why Buffalo Bore is comfortable listing this 30-30 lever action hunting ammo for elk and black bear alongside deer.

Their own description is a fair summary: it opens fast enough to be brutal on deer sized animals and still penetrates the way a TSX normally does on something bigger. Getting both behaviours from one bullet is the whole point of the design.

There is a regulatory benefit too. Non toxic requirements are spreading across public land and a few states, and heavy 30-30 deer and elk ammunition that is lead free lets you hunt those units with the rifle you already own.

Specifications

Range Notes For This Lead Free 30-30 Winchester Load

Sight in with this exact load. A copper bullet at 2350 fps will not share a zero with the soft point ammunition your rifle has probably been shooting for years, and the difference at a hundred yards is usually enough to matter.

Expect the trajectory to be a little friendlier than you remember. The extra velocity flattens the arc somewhat, but a 30-30 is still a rainbow compared with a modern bottleneck cartridge. Treat two hundred yards as the outer limit for this lead free 30-30 Winchester load and most shots as well inside that.

Old rifles need a look before you feed them anything heavy. Buffalo Bore says any 30-30 in normal operating condition, and normal operating condition is doing real work in that sentence. A well worn pre war lever gun deserves a gunsmith’s eye first.

Buy enough to sight in properly. A lead free 30-30 Winchester load like this is not cheap, and trying to confirm a zero with five rounds is how people end up guessing. Two boxes is a realistic budget for getting it right.

Heavy 30-30 Deer And Elk Ammunition Availability

This heavy 30-30 deer and elk ammunition is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If you need case quantities or another Buffalo Bore rifle load, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. For the same Barnes TSX bullet in a dangerous game calibre, see the 375 H&H 300gr TSX. If you also shoot a lever gun in 45 Colt, compare the 45 Colt +P 225gr Barnes XPB, or browse our full ammunition selection.