Where I hunt in Elk neck state forest in MD, I always used a rifle, no problem. Now I'm going to hunt the area this year. Now Md dnr says you have to use a straight wall cartridge. So I look up the 30-30 win cartridge, It's listed as a straight wall cartridge. This isn't info from the state, it's what I found online. I plan on using my Marlin 336. Can anyone confirm that the 30-30 is a SWC. The articals had someting to do that 30-30 was made from a SWC the 38-55 . I know it's not a true bottle neck like my 30-06. Thanks.
troutbum1
Here in Arkansas, they started this year, an alternative weapons season instead of muzzleloader. You can use a non semi automatic strait walled cartridge weapon. 30-30 is not on the list. YMMV.
I don't think using a 30-30 is going to fly...and that article is suspect... when they mention straight wall cartridges they generally mean something like a 357 or 44 magnum, one of reasons gun manufacturers came out with the 350 buck hammer, it's a straight wall cartridge specifically for states with that requirement.
A new rifle sounds fun. There are a lot of straight wall cartridges. A rifle chambered in 45 Colt would make a handy companion to your Ruger and you will see a lot more velocity in a rifle. Would a 45-70 work? If you reload it can be loaded from mild to wild.
I would contact the MD. Game commission and ask them what is an approved straight walled rifle cartridge.
Padraig
Padraig
Let's not shoot into the bush to see what runs out. The judge might not see it as a straight wall cartridge.
Yes, I search it too and came with this. But how much or less of a bottle neck does cartridge qualifies as straight or bottle neck cartridge?
PS. come to think of it there isn't much of a bottle neck on a 35 Remington too.
Yes, the Winchester 30-30 is a straight-wall cartridge. It is based on the straight-walled.38-55 Winchester, necked down to hold.308-inch-diameter bullets1. It meets the legal requirements for a straight-wall cartridge case and provides ballistics similar to the.35 Remington2. The.360 is also based on a.30-30 casing that has been blown out to straight-wall and necked for larger.35-caliber bullets3.
Behind the Bullet: .30-30 Winchester | An Official Journal Of The NRA (americanhunter.org)
Make sure you check with the MD DNR before you buy another rifle! Straight wall cartridge regulations are not completely consistent from state to state at this point. If they don’t list specific cartridges, then there is likely an overall cartridge length restriction of some sort. I’m pretty sure some states will allow a 45/70, or similar, while others do not.
FWIW, the 30/30 is considered a shouldered cartridge, which is unfortunate since it is ballistically similar to the straight wall cartridges typically used in these areas.
FWIW, the 30/30 is considered a shouldered cartridge, which is unfortunate since it is ballistically similar to the straight wall cartridges typically used in these areas.
Each state is different. I skimed through the MD hunting guide and didn't see any specific restrictions other than "straight walled" and 1200 ftlbs of energy. The 30-30 has a shoulder and is not legal to be used in Michigans straight walled zone. I don't care what someone on the internet says or if it's legal to hunt with in some other state with straight walled case regulations. Look up the actual regulation restrictions the state you're wanting to hunt in uses and if you can't find them call/email the their DNR to get them. There may be diameter and length restrictions as well. In Michigans "limited zone" if using a cartridge rifle it must be .35" or larger, with a case between 1.16" and 1.8". I have several legal guns that I use. 350legend, 357mag, 357max, 357AR, 375FUW, 400FUW, 44mag, 44x1.6, 44x1.8, 44x1.8belted, 450BM ect I also have a 444 Marlin and 375 Winchester. If I hunt with those two I have to use cases that are cut to 1.8". The 444Marlin shoots a pattern with the short cases but the 375Win shoots just fine.
I'm in Texas and not limited to that goofy Straight Wall stuff. Yet. It seems like instead of saying Straight Wall it would be easier and more fair to put a velocity cap on the legal rounds. Say like nothing with a factory muzzle velocity of over 2400fps. Then you could use your 30-30, 35 Remington, 32 Winchester and 38-55 and many other of the older rounds that have limited range since the whole purpose was to limit the range in the first place.
I can use anything I want with no magazine limit either and I still like to just use a 30-30 or a 44 mag. Everything I kill is within 80 yards anyway. So no need for a hard kicking long range load.
I can use anything I want with no magazine limit either and I still like to just use a 30-30 or a 44 mag. Everything I kill is within 80 yards anyway. So no need for a hard kicking long range load.
Quite a few states have gone to the "straight wall cartridges". The idea is to limit deer hunting fire arms to a certain power and velocity range. My state of Ohio went that way a few years ago and it was seen as progress, as we were limited to shotguns and slugs prior to that.
The usual concept of "straight wall cartridge" means no bottle neck. It does not mean whether or not the body of the case has a taper.
The DNR of most states will have a list of acceptable calibers posted somewhere. It may be, but I doubt it, that the power level of the 30-30 falls within the power range that is allowed. And I wouldn't count on it, unless I could find it posted somewhere. And I'd carry the list with me while hunting.
The list of acceptable calibers is not consistent for power levels, except that generally, "straight wall cases" do not generate the velocity that bottle neck cases calibers are capable of. This seems to be an effort to limit bullet flight in flat and populous areas. For example...
List of Legal Straight-Wall Cartridges for Ohio Deer Hunting
As of the latest information available up to November 2023, the following straight-walled cartridges are legal for deer hunting in Ohio:
I did find this site which has a video that claims to explain "straight wall cartridges" for Maryland. I didn't watch it, so I don't know if it answers your questions.
Straight Wall Cartridges in Maryland
To confuse the issue even further, I found this statement at Maryland Deer Season 2024: All the Information You Need! - DeerSeason.Org
Can I use rifles to hunt deer in Maryland?
During firearms seasons, deer hunting is permitted statewide in Maryland using straight-walled rifle cartridges. Bottlenecked centerfire rifles, however, may only be used in a few places, mostly in the counties around the western and eastern shores.
According to this, you may need to check with the individual counties you intend to hunt.
The usual concept of "straight wall cartridge" means no bottle neck. It does not mean whether or not the body of the case has a taper.
The DNR of most states will have a list of acceptable calibers posted somewhere. It may be, but I doubt it, that the power level of the 30-30 falls within the power range that is allowed. And I wouldn't count on it, unless I could find it posted somewhere. And I'd carry the list with me while hunting.
The list of acceptable calibers is not consistent for power levels, except that generally, "straight wall cases" do not generate the velocity that bottle neck cases calibers are capable of. This seems to be an effort to limit bullet flight in flat and populous areas. For example...
List of Legal Straight-Wall Cartridges for Ohio Deer Hunting
As of the latest information available up to November 2023, the following straight-walled cartridges are legal for deer hunting in Ohio:
- .357 Magnum
- .357 Maximum
- .38 Special
- .375 Super Magnum
- .375 Winchester
- .38-55 Winchester
- .41 Long Colt
- .41 Magnum
- .44 Special
- .44 Magnum
- .444 Marlin
- .45 ACP
- .45 Long Colt
- .45 Winchester Magnum
- .45 Smith & Wesson
- .454 Casull
- .45-70 Government
- .45-90 Winchester
- .460 Smith & Wesson
- .50 Action Express
- .500 Smith & Wesson
- .450 Bushmaster
- .50 Beowulf
- 10mm Auto
- .350 Legend
- .360 Buckhammer
- .400 Legend
I did find this site which has a video that claims to explain "straight wall cartridges" for Maryland. I didn't watch it, so I don't know if it answers your questions.
Straight Wall Cartridges in Maryland
To confuse the issue even further, I found this statement at Maryland Deer Season 2024: All the Information You Need! - DeerSeason.Org
Can I use rifles to hunt deer in Maryland?
During firearms seasons, deer hunting is permitted statewide in Maryland using straight-walled rifle cartridges. Bottlenecked centerfire rifles, however, may only be used in a few places, mostly in the counties around the western and eastern shores.
According to this, you may need to check with the individual counties you intend to hunt.
There is absolutely no way .30-30 is a straight walled cartridge. It just plain isn’t. If a certain states DNR wants to allow it in a SWC season, well, that’s on them. But is not a straight wall cartridge. The definition that claims it is derived from a necked down 38-55 may be correct, but as soon as you neck down any SWC it will lose its SWC designation.
And that reminds me, I gotta go site in my fresh barrel (and new scope) on my .44 mag. Deer season opens on the 1st!
Here is what I found buried somewhere on Maryland's online regs. If Maryland is like most the published regs are just a summary of the actual laws. One thing I have found out is if a state law is not clear in Indiana and our DNR does not respond I contact my State Representative and complain to them. This usually gets prompt answers from the DNR.
www.eregulations.com
www.eregulations.com
- Shotguns or rifles and handguns that fire straight-walled cartridges may be used to hunt deer in all counties during the Firearms Season and Junior Deer Hunt Days.
- Rifles and handguns that shoot bottleneck cartridges may only be used to hunt deer during the Firearms Season and Junior Deer Hunt Days in certain counties and areas (see map and description, Hunting Regulations).
Maryland Deer Seasons & Bag Limits
View Maryland deer hunting seasons, bag limits, and region-specific rules. Learn more to plan your hunt and stay within legal harvest limits.
www.eregulations.com
Maryland General Deer Hunting Rules
Explore Maryland’s general deer hunting rules including tagging, harvest limits, and legal weapons. Learn more to hunt safely and stay compliant.
www.eregulations.com
.30-30 is a bottle-necked cartridge, not straight-walled. Some states may disagree, but all 50 are idiots, so who cares...
Well this is my opinion, the 30/30 Winchester is not a SWC. We have no restrictions on cartridges in Texas except that it must be " a Centerfire cartridge only" (no rimfire). There is some advice on here with some information about where the 30/30 was derived from and how that translates into SWC. Look at a 30/30 round, now look at the Game Warden that is looking at you, I doubt very seriously he is going to have an elongated history of where the cartridge was derived from to make a description of a 30/30 Winchester round into a SWC. This is common sense guy's, get a rifle that meets the requirement, because a 30/30 is not a SWC.
Just a thought comes to mind. It's easy enough to run a 444 case up a Redding 358/356 win. form and trim die and then a 358/356 Win. full sizing die. to form 356 Win. cases. I know because I have done it. The same can be done to form 307Win. cases and I believe 308 express cases too.
By reforming 444 cases to a bottle neck case, it is no longer a straight cartridge case.
If I lived in a state or hunt in one, I would follow its regulations so the hunt with a clear mind.
Tony.
By reforming 444 cases to a bottle neck case, it is no longer a straight cartridge case.
If I lived in a state or hunt in one, I would follow its regulations so the hunt with a clear mind.
Tony.
A straight wall cartridge has no shoulder, no change in angle, between the base and the neck. The .32-40, for example, meets that definition. The .30-30 has a shoulder and, therefore, is not a straight walled cartridge. If you read an article written by an "expert" who says the .30-30 is a straight walled cartridge he's ignorant, an idiot, or both.
.32-40:
![Image]()
.30-30:
![Image]()
What your state hunting agency chooses to include as acceptable under their rules is another matter.
.32-40:
.30-30:
What your state hunting agency chooses to include as acceptable under their rules is another matter.
I use .357, .44, .45 colt, .444 Marlin, .450 Marlin, .45-70, .405 Win and now the .360 Buckhammer. The latter is a straight walled cartridge made from the .30-30 case. Federal & Remington sell the ammo and Henry sells the rifle. Hoping Marlin will join the fun soon. The .360 Buckhammer is the closest in performance to the .30-30 so you may want to look into one of these. I love it.
note to self - re straight walled vs bottle necked cartridges:
remember to cover this with students in next Hunter Ed class.
it's something every rifleman should understand.
..
remember to cover this with students in next Hunter Ed class.
it's something every rifleman should understand.
..
Thanks all. I'm going to look at someriflesthis Saturday. You know , look and come home with one. Where I hunt it gets pretty thick. I'm liking the 45LC for there. I'll let you all know if I get one. Thanks again.
I love .45 Colt but I can’t say I would take it elk hunting…..grab the .45/70 or a T4, that would be my choice for a straight wall.
Pretty sure even though it and the 35 remington barely have shoulders including the 32 they are not considered straight walled cartridges IMHO it is just a way for anti hunters establish rules to limit hunting. Bottle neck cartridges Are associated with high power long distance rifles so to the un informed any bottle neck cartridge is bad MOJO to them. I understand that in high populated rural areas but if you look at list a lot of them out range the 30-30 by far.
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
