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Compared: The .30-30 Winchester and .32 Winchester Special By Chuck Hawks These are the two most popular cartridges ever offered in the Winchester Model 1894/94 rifle, the best selling sporting rifle in history. In addition, the .30-30 has been the mainstay of the Marlin Models 1893/36/336, the second best selling sporting rifles in history, which for many years were also offered in .32 Special. After being absent for many years, in 2018 the .32 Special returned to the Model 94 cartridge line-up, joining the .30-30, .25-35 and .38-55. Every one of these are excellent cartridges for their intended purpose and they are all based on a necked-down and otherwise altered .38-55 case. Both the .30-30 and .32 Special are outstanding deer cartridges and entirely adequate for larger game within their range limitations. For example, Winchester used to advertise the .32 Special as, "perfect for black bear." (It still is!) Rifles for both cartridges have literally sold in the millions and this spurred a debate that has been going on for generations between partisans of the two cartridges. Today, although there is absolutely nothing wrong with the traditional flat-point bullet loads for these two cartridges, which are ideal for deep woods and brush country hunting, Hornady has upped their performance with LEVERevolution loads for both calibers. These use soft-plastic-tipped spitzer bullets with special powders to flatten trajectory and increase hitting power downrange, without exceeding SAAMI pressure limits. I have owned Model 94 and Model 336 rifles in both calibers and I like them both. Nothing I can write will quell the ongoing debate about the relative superiority of the .30-30 and .32 Special, but at least this article will get some facts on the table. The Comparison I will compare the .30-30 and .32 Special with both flat-point and LEVERevolution factory loads. Winchester Super-X loads with 170 grain Power Point flat-point (PP/FP) bullets will represent the former in both calibers. Hornady LEVERevolution ammo is loaded with a 160 grain FTX bullet in .30-30 and a 165 grain FTX bullet in .32 Special. These four loads will be compared in ballistic coefficient (BC), velocity, energy, trajectory, bullet cross-sectional area, sectional density (SD), killing power and recoil. I will conclude with remarks about the availability of rifles, ammunition and bullets for reloading. Ballistic Coefficient Ballistic coefficient (BC) is a measurement of how efficiently a bullet passes through the atmosphere. It matters because the higher the BC number, the better the bullet will retain its velocity as it flies downrange. As we will see in the "Velocity" section, the bullets with the lowest BC shed their velocity the fastest. Here are the BC figures for the bullets in question.
The Hornady FTX bullet in .30-30 features a boat-tail, while the .32 Spec. FTX is a flat base design. As you can see, both FTX bullets have considerably higher BCs than their Power Point flat-point counterparts. The superiority of the FTX bullets should be reflected in improved performance downrange. Velocity Velocity is important, because it flattens trajectory, reduces wind drift and is the most important factor in computing kinetic energy. Higher velocity is almost always an advantage, at least until you get into the area of greatly increased barrel erosion from over-bore cartridges and impact velocity so high it causes bullet failure. Neither of these cartridges operate at such inflated velocities. Here are the velocities in feet-per-second (fps) of our comparison loads at the muzzle (MV), 100, 200 and 300 yards.
The .32 Special starts slightly faster, but due to the superior BC of its bullets, the .30-30 finishes somewhat faster. Basically, there isn't enough difference in velocity to make much difference. Kinetic Energy Energy is an important factor in killing power. It powers bullet penetration and expansion. The more energy a bullet is carrying when it hits the target the more damage it can, potentially, do. The generalization for bullets in this caliber range is they should have at least 800 ft. lbs. at impact for Class 2 game and 1200 ft. lbs. at impact for Class 3 game. Kinetic energy is essentially a function of mass and the square of velocity. Here are the figures for energy in foot-pounds (ft. lbs.) at the muzzle (ME), 100 yards, 200 yards and 300 yards.
Once again, there is little to choose between the two cartridges. With conventional flat-point loads they are essentially tied at 100 yards, after which the .30-30 is slightly superior. With FTX loads, the .32 has a minor advantage at 100 yards and they are essentially tied at 200 and 300 yards. With the 170 grain Power Point loads, they are 200+ yard deer cartridges and 100+ yard elk cartridges. With LEVERevolution loads they become 200 yard elk cartridges. Trajectory Trajectory is important, because a bullet that shoots flatter is easier to place accurately as the range increases. Bullet placement is the most important factor in killing power and statistics clearly show that when hunters start "holding over" to hit the vitals the percentage of wounded and wasted animals increases dramatically. The following catalog trajectory figures are based on a 200 yard zero with scoped rifles having the line of sight 1.5 inches above the center of the bore. Here are the trajectory figures in inches for our comparison loads at 100, 200 and 300 yards.
The .30-30 shoots slightly flatter with both flat-point and FTX spitzer bullets. However, these are all medium range loads with maximum point blank ranges (MPBR) between 215 yards (.32 Spec./170 grain FP) and 232 yards (.30-30/160 grain FTX). Zero about three inches high at 100 yards to take maximum advantage of the MPBR (+/- 3") for all loads. Cross-Sectional Area Bullet cross-sectional area is an important element in the killing power of bullets. Other factors being equal (bullet expansion, penetration and so forth), the bigger the diameter of the bullet, the bigger the diameter of the bullet hole. The actual bullet diameter of the .30-30 is .308 inch, while the actual bullet diameter of the .32 Special is .321 inch. Here are the bullet cross-sectional areas in square inches.
Other factors being equal, the .32 Special should punch a bigger hole in the target than the .30-30, which is probably the most persuasive argument in its favor. Sectional Density Sectional density (SD) is calculated by dividing a bullet's weight (in pounds) by the square of its diameter (in inches). It is important because, other things being equal (such as bullet design and expansion percentage), higher SD means deeper penetration. The principle is simple: a longer projectile with less frontal area penetrates better than a shorter projectile with more frontal area. The longer the wound channel, the more tissue is destroyed and (hopefully) the quicker the kill. The total area of the wound channel and the total amount of tissue destroyed are a function of both the cross-sectional area of the wound and the depth of the wound. Here are the SD numbers for our four bullets.
While the .32 Special is superior in cross-sectional area, the .30-30 is superior in SD with bullets of the same weight. In practice, the two factors tend to cancel each other in terms of a larger wound cavity. Killing Power Killing power is crucial for any hunting cartridge, but it is the most difficult performance parameter to estimate. Innumerable methods have been devised to estimate the killing power of cartridges and loads. A few have shown a positive correlation with results in the field, while most have proven to be worthless. At Guns and Shooting Online we tend to use the G&S Online Rifle Cartridge Killing Power Formula, which can be calculated for any distance and experience has shown corresponds rather well to reality. This formula multiplies kinetic energy (at the chosen impact distance) by SD by cross-sectional area to arrive at a Killing Power Score (KPS). (For more information about KPS, see the article The G&S Online Rifle Cartridge Killing Power Formula and List.) The KPS is a comparative number, not a scientific unit of measurement. It is intended to be useful for comparing cartridges and loads at a given range and it has proven to be successful. I generally consider a KPS score of 12.5 adequate for medium game (such as deer) and a KPS of 15 good. Here are the KPS scores for our comparison factory loads at 100 yards.
The 100 yard KPS scores are the same with traditional 170 grain flat-point bullets; no wonder the debate about these cartridges' effectiveness has gone on for so long without resolution! Hornady LEVERevolution loads are superior to conventional loads in both calibers, but the .32 Special is somewhat superior to the .30-30 in 100 yard killing power. Recoil Increased killing power is all well and good, but if the hunter does not put the bullet into the vitals it is wasted. By far the most important factor in quick, humane, one shot kills is bullet placement. This is where recoil comes into play, for anyone can shoot more accurately with a rifle that kicks less, a fact that has been repeatedly demonstrated. A reasonable maximum recoil energy for the average hunter is about 15 ft. lbs., before developing an accuracy destroying flinch becomes likely. Here are the approximate recoil energy figures in foot-pounds for our various loads, calculated for 7.5 pound rifles.
All of these loads are safely below 15 ft. lbs. There is only 0.3 ft. lb. between the standard 170 grain loads and only 0.5 ft. lb. between the LEVERevolution loads, in both cases favoring the .30-30. Having considerable experience with Winchester Model 94 carbines in both calibers, I will testify that there is not much difference in subjective recoil, although the .30-30 does kick slightly less. (For the recoil sensitive hunter, try shooting traditional 150 grain flat-point loads in a scoped .30-30 rifle; better 100 yard KPS than a .243 of the same weight with similar recoil.) Summary and Conclusion The .30-30 and .32 Special score very similarly in most categories. The primary differences are evidenced in cross-sectional area, which favors the .32 Special and sectional density, which favors the .30-30. Killing power is essentially equal with traditional loads using 170 grain flat-point bullets, but slightly favors the .32 Special with high performance LEVERevolution loads. The .30-30's biggest advantage over the .32 Special is in the availability of ammunition and rifles. While .32 Special ammo is generally available in both specialty gun shops and big box stores, the only two loads commonly seen are traditional 170 grain flat-point and Hornady LEVERevolution 165 grain FTX. The .30-30 is one of the top five best selling cartridges in North America and .30-30 cartridges are produced by virtually all manufacturers of centerfire rifle ammunition. Consequently, .30-30 ammo is more widely available and in more loads, with bullets weighing 125, 150, 160 and 170 grains. While both cartridges are reasonably popular in North America, the .30-30 is a world cartridge and ammo is usually available where ever game animals are hunted, including in South America, Europe, Africa and Australia. Any store that sells centerfire rifle ammunition probably carries .30-30 cartridges. I have, for example, been in tiny general stores that sold only .22 LR, .30-30 and .30-06 cartridges. In addition, because it is so popular, .30-30 ammo is frequently available at sale prices, sometimes as an advertised loss leader. In terms of ammo availability, the .30-30 is a clear winner. The situation is similar in terms of rifles, both used and new. While used .32 Special rifles are reasonably available, particularly Winchester Model 94s, used .30-30 rifles from Winchester, Marlin, Mossberg, Savage, Rossi, H&R/NEF and others are much more common. New .30-30 rifles are available from any Henry, Marlin, Mossberg, Rossi, or Winchester dealer. As far as I know, new .32 Special rifles are currently (2018) only offered by Winchester. Reloading data and dies are commonly available from all of the usual sources and widely distributed for both calibers. Both cartridges are easy to reload. However, bullet weight and design choices favors the .30-30, which is not surprising since the .30-30 uses .308 inch bullets and there are more of those than anything else. Common .30-30 bullet weights for hand loading in round nose and flat-point form include 100 grain, 110 grain, 125 grain, 150 grain and 170 grain. In addition, Hornady offers their 160 grain FTX pointed bullet to reloaders. The bullet choices are more limited in .32 Special. Most bullet makers offer only a 170 grain flat-point bullet to reloaders, while Hornady also offers their 165 grain FTX pointed bullet. These are the only common bullet choices. Despite the .30-30's advantage in ammunition, rifles and bullets choices for reloaders, the .32 Winchester Special retains lots of fans. Now that Winchester is again offering .32 Special rifles, we can expect the century long debate between proponents of these two fine cartridges to continue without any clean winner. |
Copyright 2018 by Chuck Hawks. All rights reserved.
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