.30-30 Winchester (Thompson/Center Contender)

The .30-30 Winchester (aka .30 WCF) cartridge is most famous for being chambered in lever-action rifles such as the Winchester Model 1894/94, but due to its modest case size and power, it has also become popular in single-shot pistols such as the Thompson/Center Contender.

Rather than using traditional flatnose bullets that are necessary to prevent cartridge detonations in tubular magazines, in single-shot handguns spitzer pointed bullets may be used.

In the 10-inch barrel of the test gun the extreme spreads with 110-grain Hornady bullets were huge, sometimes hovering around 400 fps, which naturally translated into poor accuracy. Vihtavuori N-135 powder gave by far the most uniform results with this bullet weight.

With Hornady 130-grain SP bullets, extreme spreads and accuracy improved , with Alliant Reloder 7, Vihtavuori N-130 and N-135, and Hodgdon H-335 producing the best overall accuracy. The Hornady 150-grain InterBond bullet gave the best accuracy and lowest extreme spreads. Top powders included Vihtavuori N-130 and N-135, Hodgdon BL-C(2), H-335 and Alliant Reloder 7.

Crimping is not necessary; however, some load combinations showed a significant accuracy increase when bullets were crimped.

None of the loads listed exceed industry maximum average pressure guidelines of 42,000 psi.