30 Cody Express

Historical Notes:

The 30 Cody Express was originally designed and built by Vinton W. (Vint) Knechtges II and Peter J. (Pete) Edquist, both of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The cartridge is named after Vint's grandfather, Michael W. (Mike) Cody, one of the top salesmen for Federal Cartridge Co. for over 30 years. This cartridge is a very  long range varmint shooting and deer hunting round, and is probably the ultimate 500 to 650 yard prairie dog number. It offers an extremely flat trajectory with very little wind drift. Velocities of 4050 fps can be achieved with 110 grain, 30 caliber bullets. The parent cartridge for the 30 Cody Express is the 416 Rigby.

General Comments:

Vint's test rifle was a Remington Model 721 with the bolt face opened up and a Sako extractor installed. The barrel is a 34 inch heavy Douglas Premium with a 1 in 9 inch twist, with a muzzlebrake of Vint's design. This is a highly specialized cartridge with a narrow spectrum of use. Though capable of taking large game at very long ranges, the author does not condone this practice. On the other hand, 600 yard prairie dog shooting proved to be quite enjoyable. This cartridge is capable of driving a 150 grain bullet to a velocity of 3900 fps, producing over 8000 fpe at the muzzle. Firing a load such as this in a sporting weight rifle could prove extremely uncomfortable, so Vint's rifle weighs over 14 pounds to keep recoil down. Even when one takes into account that the approximately 300 fps of muzzle velocity advantage this chambering enjoys over the more mundane 300 Magnum's is due to increased barrel length, the 30 Cody is most impressive. However, the higher velocities can only be achieved with heavier bullets and the penalties paid for the increased performance; extreme recoil, muzzle blast and a very short barrel life, may offset any advantage.

Source: Cartridges of the World

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