Based on information I received from NRA along with the new scorebooks, the .30 Remington is now allowed on CLA matches along with the .35 Remington. I guess I have a lot to learn about lever action rifles, because I was not aware that a lever gun, with tubular magazine was ever manufactured in this caliber. There must be one because the silhouette committee approved it. Can someone tell me who made one and what model is was?

Thanks,
Greg

Greg, I did a search and all I could come up with was a Stevens Model 425. They were made from 1910 to 1917, and they made 26,000 of them. Al Foust

Al,

Thanks for the information, I was unaware of this rifle. This certainly begs the question "Why would the silhouette committee change a rule to allow something this obscure?" One would think that someone with influence or leverage (pun intended) on the committee has one of these rifles, or has a buddy with one. Sure seems like an odd turn of events to me.

Just sayin',
Greg

I had a 425 Stevens in 35 Remington, Had plans to shoot it in CLA but a collector took it off me first. Sort of Marlin like but made better. I can't imagine the Silhouette committe would have changed the rule to allow one in .30 Remington. It's a rare bird at best I think most of them were 35's On the number produced lot of controversy, some published data said 25 thousand, Most Stevens Collectors say less than 6000. Mine was numbered under 6,000 and one of the last years of production before WW I

Might have been other rifles chambered for the .30 Remington I don't know about. Could they be allowing the Remington Pumps ?

Boats

PUMPS!!!! Don't even go there. We lobbied for three years to get pumps allowed for PCLA. No how No way, say the committee. It would be kind of cool to see some old Colt Lightnings on the firing line. Al Foust

Why are pumps allowed at the .22 line? Always have been curious about that.

The way it was put to us at a competitors meeting a few years ago, there was quite some discussion about allowing them at the onset. I suppose one of the founding fathers had a nice 61 Winchester he wanted to use. Al Foust

Just opened my 2014 Silhouette book package and there it is .30 Remington allowed. Nothing else that gives a clue what somebody intends to shoot. One thing sure .30 Remington is no advantage over 30/30, ballistics the same. Non issue for me.

Committee works in strange ways.

Boats

I thought pumps, Colt Lightening clones, WERE allowed! If not - why not? They don't offer an unfair advantage over a lever gun. Gotta 'splane this one to me.

M

Let me be clear about my original post. I do not have a problem with the caliber. As boats mentioned, it's about the same as a 30-30. I just wonder why the committee would make this rule change, when it clearly will affect only a handful of shooters. Once Al informed me of the make and model, I have done a little research as well. Starting back in 2008 or 2009, a fellow started trying to determine how many of these rifles were actually produced. The Blue Book indicates around 26,000, but his research puts the number closer to maybe 1,000. Like Marlin, this Stevens rifle shared serial numbers with at least one other model of rifle, so lowest and highest numbers may not necessarily indicate production numbers. His research method appears to have been to post his questions on as many forums as possible and have folks send him serial number and caliber info. The latest numbers I was able to find indicated that only about 60 or so rifles in .30 Rem had been turned up. This method is far from fool proof, but considering that its been 100 years since the rifles were made, it's not too bad. It has always been my understanding that it is a BIG DEAL for the silhouette committee to make changes to the rules. So why this one?

Greg

30 Remington is rimless, and doesn't fit the general description. Why, if we let this scoundrel in the next thing you'd know someone would want to shoot .351...things would just go to hell and we'd never hear the end of it.
M

snaketail2 wrote:I thought pumps, Colt Lightening clones, WERE allowed! If not - why not? They don't offer an unfair advantage over a lever gun. Gotta 'splane this one to me.

M

I can only speculate as to the reasons, but according to the rules, pumps are only allowed in SBCLA (along with tubular magazine fed auto-loaders). The way the rules are currently written, anything in PCCLA and CLA has to have a lever.

With the committee now considering specific calibers by exception, perhaps they'd entertain specific pump guns such as the Colt Lightning in PC calibers?

-Tim

Like I stated before, we persued allowing pumps for PCLA for like three years. Our contention was it would be good for young shooters, as there are less expensive guns out there chambered in 22 mag. and it would be more economical for them to get into the sport. The committee shot us down 2 years in a row, and I for one will not bring it up again. There is a traditional ideology at work here, and they can not be swayed on this issue. We have gotten them to compromise their principals in other areas such as sights, vests , ect. They are not going to budge on guns.
All I can think of on the 30 Remington exception is someone must have one of these Stevens lever guns, and sent documentation to the committee and they have allowed it. It's a good thine the Browning BLR's don't have a tube magazine, or we'd have a real mess with calibers.

Al Foust

"There is a traditional ideology at work here..."
Is this a euphemism for "Old Fart?"

In 1989 I was shooting at the Hunter's Pistol Nationals in Raton. A young lady was shooting SB chickens two stations down from me. She got hit by a bullet splatter during the .22 match - it scared her, she ran to daddy (who was "on the committee") and the next year we moved all the chickens back to 40 yards. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but there was some insider influence there.

It seems things haven't changed a lot in 25 years.

M

It's a committee and things that come out of committees are not always fair or reasonable. No doubt allowing .30 Remington was a good old boy rule change, considering how few there are.

I have been petitioning for several years CLA rule change that would help older shooters sight picture, allowing any insert you want to put in a front sight. Would help hundreds of Senior shooters pick and chose what's best for them with no advantage given to any one shooter 17A comes with a dozen inserts let them use anything that fits inside the hood, and it gets turned down every time.

Seems to get something approved you either have to raise internet ruckus or slip though with a inside deal. Next time will buttonhole an insider, that's how things are done in DC why not Fairfax

Boats