I don't dispute the effectiveness of 170's in a .30/30. Hell when I'm feeling lazy I just grab a box of 170 Silver Tips and go for it. If nothing but that bullet weight was available I would still be loving life.
As for the .303, I treat it as any other .30/30. Not enough difference to sneeze at. My point is, a 190 gr. bullet loaded to full performance with safe pressure compared to a 170 loaded likewise has the edge ballistically- which may, or may not, matter in real world scenarios. As for modern technology giving "an edge" to old tried-and-true technology, great, but who really cares? Aside from advancing the general state of the gunning art (which is a good thing) in reality it is an answer to a problem that doesn't exist. (But does allow an ill-informed guy to believe his old M94 now has the "killing power" -whatever that is- of a .308.) Advances in the ammunition technology is wonderful, as long as one doesn't buy into it myopically and devolve into a "dedicated follower of fashion", ie: technology for technology's sake.
I will stick with my "heavy for caliber" cast bullets in all of the .30s. They give me great flexibility in load development simply by jockeying the lead alloy makeup- and I won't go broke buying the "latest and bestest" bullets and ammo that hit the market. Obviously you have never killed deer with a soft 190 grain flat nosed cast bullet launched at 2000fps. It's something to behold. Talk about tissue damage and "way over penetration"!
