alright I have read like 2 years of posts in the last couple of days researching this I am thinking of buying a 14" barrel for my contender and these are the 3 I am looking at. I know the 7/30 is great but bullet weight favors the 30/30 (more choices that expand at lower velocities) is the 30/30 AI that much better than the 30/30 and has any one tried to use the hornaday 30/30 FTX round in the AI? I plan on using it on deer, bear and maybe elk under the right conditions IE under 200 yards broadside and such.

thanks

carl

because of the bear and elk that takes the 7-30 out and if you reload the 30-30AI will definitely give better performance than the it's parent case but I wouldn't use the ftx bullets on either bear or elk from the feed back I've read on this bullet. A better choice would be one of the customs such as the 309JDJ or the 30 or 300 GNR but that is more $$ and use premium bullets.

Oh Yeah!

If I had to hunt deer, bear and elk, <200 yards, with the same tube the 30-30 AI would be the lightest I would go. Might consider the .35 Rem or .375 Win, or one of JD's.

I guess that I should have mention that I was talking about washington black bears when i mention the bear part 500 lbs is huge up here. I am thinking of working up to the 309 JDJ or 375 JDJ later but was looking for a middle of the road that might be good for larger game. most likely I would be using my g2 carbine until I work up to that level. what issues have you heard about the FTX on bigger game? I was hoping they would work well cause they do great on big deer out of the carbine. i know they lose some fps out of the shorter pipe but I was hoping for the best

huntinhick,

The real advantages of the AI cartridges are several. Once formed the AI cases rarely require trimming, the AI cartridges produce less case setback ( pressure against the frame ), they can be loaded to higher velocities with similar bullet wts. due to an increase in case capacity; and, you can fire the standard factory parent cartridge in the AI chamber ( only for "true" AI cases )in a pinch. To make the cases generally only requires a single "fireform" load, and then your set. With the availability of premium bullets and not being restricted to flat point or round nose bullet profiles in the single shots ( loading ONLY two, one in the chamber and ONE in the tubular magazine for a two shot lever gun ) you can load for most species in the US.

Doc

The problems I've heard of are weight retention and bullet integrity, basicly they come apart too easy for tough game. For bear and elk I'd look at Accubonds or of course the good old partition but you have to watch impact velocity which as I remember minimum is 1400-1600fps which should be fine out to about 300yds from the 30-30AI in a 14" tube. I'm shooting those numbers from the hip but I'm pretty sure I'm close. There are other good bullets out there but I've always had the best luck with Noslers and of course being here in Oregon I'm in the pro shop a few times a year and when I lived there my wife had the number on speed dial to track me down.

The .30-30AI and Nosler Partitions ought to cover your bases.

My vote is for the 30-30 AI.

IMO...the 30-30 AI.

Then another barrel for bigger game that is better suited the task. The .35 Rem, .375 Win or 45-70 would fit the bill nicely and not cost you a lot of money.

I agree. For your stated use the 30-30 AI is much better than the 7-30 or the 30-30. My recollection of the minimal impact velocity for the Nosler partition is about 1800 fps for most calibers. You can likely get a 165 gr to perform at 200 yds from the AI. That would be my choice for you given your restrictions on calibers.

Don't forget the 7-30 JDJ. It does more for the 7-30, than the AI does for the 30-30. SSK can rechamber your existing barrel and it makes a great long range number.

thanks for all the advice, I am thinking I might have to get a 7/30 and the 30/30AI then the 309JDJ I mean heck thats the fun of contenders right. I am taking a trip to the desert for uncle sam so I will be able to save up some money for toys might as well order the good stuff.

Now that's the spirit!!!! Life is too short to have only a handfull of barrels, GET THEM ALL!!!

Stay safe over there and thanks for your service.