Left to right: The .30 TC, .308 and .30-06. The .30 TC is based on the .308 case shortened about .1-inch, but it's loaded to slightly exceed traditional .30-06 velocity with 150-grain bullets.
The .30 TC is simply a .308 case shortened from 2.015 inches to 1.920 inches. With modern propellants and sound case design, however, it's loaded to slightly exceed traditional .30-06 velocity; the initial load is a 150-grain Hornady SST bullet at 2,950 fps. This is amazing performance from such a tiny case. It is the result of both new propellants and the increased efficiency of a shorter, relatively fatter, case.
On opening day in Kentucky I shot a very fine 11-point whitetail with this cartridge from a T/C Pro-Hunter single shot. The shot was about 150 yards, and the bullet entered behind the on-shoulder, exited the off-shoulder, and the deer made just a few steps before piling up.
Since we have a pretty good idea of how 150-grain bullets from a .30-06 perform on deer, none of this should be surprising. So, other than being a new mousetrap, does the .30 TC offer anything special? It does. It delivers exceptional performance for its length, which means it can be housed in short actions built into light rifles. Neither the Encore nor the initial Icon actions are the short, light actions ideally scaled to this cartridge. But stick around--there will be some interesting options soon.
Additionally, the .30 TC does what it does with less recoil than the .30-06 or the .308. Its efficient case design enables it to develop .30-06-like velocity while burning 25 percent less powder. (This is with 150-grain bullets; performance with heavier bullets is still on the drawing board at this writing.) More and more of us are coming to realize that recoil isn't as much fun we used to think. You can thus think of the .30 TC as providing performance similar to the .30-06 with the recoil of, say, a .300 Savage--a pretty darned good package.
Boddington used a Nikon-scoped Pro-Hunter to shoot the first buck taken with the new .30 TC cartridge. A 150-grain Hornady SST bullet exited the off-shoulder, showing perfect expansion.
I don't know what's next for T/C, but I'll make two predictions: With its machining capability, I suspect we'll see other configurations of the Icon--perhaps an extra-short one scaled perfectly to the .30 TC, or perhaps a .30-06-length version or even a left-hand version (hint, hint). I'm equally certain we haven't seen the last of the .30 TC case. Engineers and wildcatters are going to grab hold of it very quickly and neck it up and down, and, if possible, sideways. The .30 TC is just the beginning of a brand new family of TC cartridges, and some of them will make it into factory form.
