I'd like to hear from others about their experiences with how suddenly it kills.
How fast do you expect animals to drop when hit with a properly placed .30-30 bullet?
How much distance covered?
How effective do you find it on big bodied deer?
OP, please forgive the rebuild of your post.
But to address your questions clearly I want to be specific to each one.
As to how suddenly it kills, there is no way to calculate any sort of time frame. A calm deer, head down first thing in the morning may drop to a shot that a peaked nervous deer light stepping through dry leaves may bolt after.
To the speed of the drop and a "properly placed" bullet...your properly placed may be double lung, mine might be neck, someone else might try all shoulder... So 0-50 yards depending on eveness of terrain, vegetation and deer's attitude about the shot.
Here's my basic Tennant...
A 30-30 bullet is just a fast expanding 30 caliber, designed so as to provide expansion at lower than 30-06 or 308 velocities.
Every deer has a separate and distinct disposition built upon their exposures. Have they been shot at, hunted hard? Is it the rut, swirling winds, full belly, just rose from bed or out all night? Is it pasture or bottoms? Are there other deer around or is the deer alone?
All these variables weigh more heavily on the equation than that of a caliber.
Get as close as you can and pay attention to where the deer was when hit and listen to direction of travel. If you don't hear it crash wait a few minutes before tracking.
All pretty simple
