[Shooter 2.5]

"the Silver Tip 180 grain bullet with a velocity of 2850 fps at 100 yards." http://www.winchester.com/ammunition/store/cfrlist.eye?cartlist=MzAtMzAgV2luY2hlc3Rlcg%3D%3D&uselist=none&brandlist=none&image=on&summary=on&velocity=on&energy=on&shortrange=on&longrange=on

You better cut and paste that. When I read that you claimed that a 30-30 180 grain bullet can go as fast as a .223, I knew you didn't know what you're talking about.

[archy]

Try a Thompson Center Super Fourteen .30-30 for varminting. Speer's 110 grain Spire Point is good for 2400 to 2500 feet per second over 32.0 to 34.0 grains of Reloader 7. If not a 180-grain bullet, it's certainly a starting place for loads in that direction.

If you'd care to put your money where your mouth is, I think I could do a little better than that in a full-length bolt action, though certainly not with the usual round or flat-nosed ammo meant for use in lever guns. But the Savage 340 boltgun in .30-30 , among others, is very likely up to the task- I believe there was a George Nonte article on that very subject in Shooting Times back around Summer of 1975, though whether 2850 with a 180 was managed or not I don't immediately recall- and that was in the day of the .30-30 Improved too, so that may have been the subject of his experiments. But I'd hardly be surprised to see it done, though not from a levergun....