The 100-year-old (plus) .30-30 Winchester needs no introductions. The cartridge has been getting the job done since 1895, mostly in handy, fast-handling carbine lever rifles. In this series, we will investigate .30-30 handloads for a Thompson/Center Contender G1 handgun; one of the first rounds offered by Thompson/Center (T/C) in its revolutionary single-shot pistol that was introduced in 1965. Noting that previous .30-30 T/C data on this website covers big-game bullets from 130 to 200 grains, I thought that filling the light bullet gap would prove appropriate. This also happens to mesh with my varmint shooting proclivities.

A .30-30 Winchester handgun may seem like an odd choice as varmint iron, but given deep thought, it makes perfect sense. My .30-30 tubed Contender has accounted for two cow elk during special late seasons (at 143 and 156 laser-measured yards), loading 30.5 grains of IMR-3031 beneath Hornady’s 150-grain InterLock. Both of those cows were one-shot kills that did not get out-of-sight after impact. More recently, I attached a SIG Sauer ECHO1 Thermal Reflex Sight to this pistol, a combination that proved both a hoot and deadly-effective on nighttime Texas hogs, seating Barnes’ 110-grain TAC-TX FB bullets over 35 grains of Ramshot TAC.

Yet small-varmint shooting is my most burning firearms obsession. While I own true varmint-cartridge Contender barrels, using them effectively on ground squirrels and prairie dogs out to 175 yards, I’m forever tinkering in the interests of keeping life interesting. It’s also difficult to dismiss the wide array of true varmint bullets offered in .308 caliber, most designed to help single-rifle owners expand the utility of their favorite deer rifle chambered in .308 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield – or .30-30 Winchester. And unlike popular T/C rounds like the 7mm TCU, the .30-30 Winchester generates ample velocity from a 14-inch barrel (used here) to assure bullet expansion on burrowing rodents. Another advantage introduced by the T/C single-shot design is an ability to utilize pointed bullets, off limits in a lever rifle’s tubular magazine. The improved ballistic coefficients help narrow the performance gap between carbine rifles and pistols.

Pistols chambered in .30-30 T/C are commonly disparaged for lackluster accuracy with detractors pointing to the essentially-defunct .30 Herrett as more efficient and inherently accurate (no doubt true). There is no doubt .30-30 pistols are maddening temperamental, yet I’ve found that 100-yard MOA accuracy is within reach – even with light-for-caliber bullets – through patient load development. This fussiness isn’t too surprising, considering case capacity in relation to barrel length, though the 14-inch barrel used for testing here (verses the common 10-inch) helps considerably. Selecting optimum powders for .30-30 pistol loads proved to be a juggling act of minimizing unburned powder and ear-splitting muzzle blast and creating decent load density to smooth out extreme velocity spreads and promote more consistent ignition. In general, powders that perform well in cartridges in the .221 Fireball to .223 Remington class proved optimal, better filling cases and burning fast enough to assure sufficient velocity to ensure bullet expansion and decisive anchoring of small varmints. Like other T/C cartridges, neck sizing only allows

headspacing off the shoulder, prolonging case life and improving accuracy (a full-length die backed off ¼-inch will suffice).

Once-fired Hornady cases were selected for all loads, lightly trimmed to square and uniform necks (trim-to-length specifications 2.029 inches), followed by generous chamfering. CCI 200 Large Rifle primers were used throughout, a spark plug that has proven consistently reliable in past load trials. As mentioned, all selected bullets are designated varmint designs, weighing 100- to 130-grains and manufactured with thinner jackets and softer core material. Every load was precisely measured on an RCBS beam scale and brass sized with Oroville, California, era RCBS Precisioneered full-length dies. An overall loaded length (OAL) of 2.550 inches is generally recommended for the .30-30 Winchester, though the break-action Contender typically allows longer OALs, up to 2.780 inches with sharp-pointed bullets. OAL compatibility is easily checked by dropping a loaded round into the chamber. If it drops into the battery under its own weight, it is within acceptable parameters – though care should be taken to seat bullets deep enough to assure adequate neck tension to promote accuracy.

T/C’s Contender G1 with a 14-inch, 1:14 rifling twist barrel was used to test all loads. Shooting was conducted at 100 yards from a portable bench, using an attached bipod and folded leather gloves beneath the pistol butt as a “squeeze bag.” Wind was highly variable, still one moment, gusting to 12 mph another. Targets were changed after every 5-shot string, during which time the barrel was allowed to cool.

Hornady’s 100-grain Varmint Short Jacket (approximately .64-inch OAL) includes an exposed lead nose with flat point and .25-inch copper cup with flat base. It was intended, I think, as a .30 Carbine bullet or reduced-load plinker from milder .308-calibers. This is a short-range bullet, given its .22 large rifle-like .152 ballistic coefficient (BC), which proved true during testing, groups ranging from an inch to slightly more than two inches – groups likely to improve at shorter ranges. Accurate A-2520 and A-2015, Winchester W-296, Alliant 2400, Vihtavuori N130, IMR-3031, IMR-4064 and IMR-4227 were sampled. Vihtavuori’s N130 posted the best group with 25.5 grains, printing an even inch with respectable 2,037 fps velocity. All other loads provided “minute-of-ground-squirrel” accuracy at 100 yards.

The single 110-grain Sierra Varminter HP load included is one I worked out long ago and included because I had several hundred loaded. I had no other bullets of this make on hand to offer a complete workup. This load has a field-proven track record on burrowing rodents to 125-150 yards, using 34 grains of Hodgdon H-4895 to push this aggressive hollowpoint to 2,071 fps. It posted the second best group of this test, at .56-inch.

The 110-grain Hornady V-MAX is a time-tested varmint bullet promising reliable expansion on small critters at moderate speeds, top-notch accuracy and improved trajectories via a .290 BC. Vihtavuori N130 provided both excellent velocity and accuracy, a .69-inch group its best showing using 30.5 grains at 2,198 fps. Alliant Reloder 7 produced the tightest group of all loads tested and excellent velocity, 31 grains pushing to 2,249 fps and printing .40-inch (which no doubt involved some bit of luck). Western Powder’s Ramshot TAC did its best – 1.15-inch at 2,134 fps – with 34 grains.

Nosler’s 110-grain Tipped Varmegeddon is another explosive varmint bullet offering a decent .293 BC. These are affordable bullets that regularly relinquish accuracy on par with more expensive options. Winchester W-748 offered 100 percent load density and top velocities, with the best groups hovering around an inch, so it deserves more experimentation. Hodgdon H-322 came through again, a maximum load of 34 grains pushing the 110-grian bullet to an impressive 2,352 fps and printing .59-inch, while also including very low extreme velocity spreads. Hodgdon’s BL-C(2) just broke an inch with 38.5 grains at 2,101 fps, so testing involving small seating depth and charge changes is obviously warranted.

The name says it all with Speer’s 125-grain TNT HP. These thin-jacketed bullets offer more punch and wind-bucking abilities on longer shots via a .341 BC, but can be relied on to open on smaller varmints. Accurate A-2460 provided great load density and low extreme velocity spreads, with 33.5 grains producing a .66-inch group at 2,149 fps with extreme velocity spreads in the teens. Western Powder’s Ramshot X-Terminator proved a poor choice for this cartridge/firearm combination, producing excessive muzzle blast and relatively poor accuracy. Hodgdon’s H-4198 did much better, with 26 grains at 2,178 fps nearly breaking an inch and 28 grains at 2,261 printing just less than an inch. All H-4198 loads provided very low extreme velocity spreads.

Speer’s 130-grain Varmint is a thin-jacketed bullet with large, open hollow point designed to expand aggressively, even at lower velocities. Alliant Reloder 10x showed the most potential with 28 grains at 2,065 fps, a sub-half-inch group expanded to 1.44 inches by a single flier. This is obviously the winner with this bullet. Hodgdon’s Varget did best with a maximum load of 35.5 grains at 2,028 fps, shooting about an inch and posting extreme velocity spreads in the teens. Shooter’s World Match Rifle (a ball powder with burn characteristics similar to IMR-4064) also posted low extreme velocity spreads, but produced groups in the 1.50- to 2-inch range.

General observations tell me that the best accuracy is delivered by powders providing high load densities, cases filled to near or full capacity. Though there were exceptions, such as Ramshot X-Terminator. Top powder choices proved Hodgdon H-4895, H-4198, BL-C(2) and H-322, Vihtavuori N130, Alliant Reloder 7 (Reloder 10x deserves more exploration), Winchester 748 and Accurate A-2460. The 110-grain hollowpoint and polymer-tipped bullets remain my favorites, providing excellent accuracy and milder recoil (.357 Magnum for 110s verses .44 Magnum for heavier bullets). These trials show there is indeed excellent potential for 14-inch barreled .30-30 pistols, and that light bullets shot from these fun and handy firearms can provide the accuracy needed for small-varmint shooting. The .30-30 might not prove ideal for small-varmint shooting, but since when did practicality factor into shooting fun?