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jwall Offline OP
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inland44: I'm glad too. My question, even tho not specifically worded, was/is WHY WOULD you choose the 30-30 INSTEAD of 308.

SOME have given a few good reasons they choose the 30-30 and I understand their point. I guess where I have been hunting for many years I encounter more open territory, either hunting or going to or from and I feel more PREPARED with a flatter shooting cartridge.

I'm NOT a 308 lover, JUST FLATTER TRAJECTORIES. I mentioned the 7-08,243,etc. in OP because they are/have been available in lever actions.

I have owned Savage 99s, & BLRs but currently don't own or hunt with ANY lever action. Win. 9422M exception NOT for deer. For my money the BLR 20" bll. is just as HANDY as the 336 or 94.

I'm surprised that the majority have spoken up for the 30-30 and ONLY a few even mentioned the advantage of 308,etc.

I SINCERELY thank ALL OF YOU for your serious responses.

JWALL
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Last edited by JWALL; 01/12/11.

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Jwall,

we all go through phases in life where our opinions change. If you live on the east coast and have been burning 70 grains of powder per shot to take a 100 yard deer you may reach a point that you grow some and then want to hunt just in order to hunt and not so much feel like you have to burn that much powder per shot to do it. Then the economy makes us all frugal these days and the 30-30 is right at the top of the list there. So the way I look at it many are always fretting about that 300 yard shot that they never seem to get a chance at because they are in the "gimmicks are everything" phase of their hunting lives. Others have passed that point and realize that lots of stuff is important not just how much powder your gun burns per shot.


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jimmyp: 10/4; Some years back I hunted open mature hardwoods. There a 30-30 and almost ANY centerfire would work. Unfortunately, I moved from that area and later the timber was harvested. I MISS IT to this day. I hunted a Ruger Ultra Lite 308 Win and/or BLR 358 among other calibers.

Since '86 I have been a member of two different deer leases, not at the same time. Both leases have had power lines, pipe lines, rr trams, CUTOVERS etc.

In 010 I made one shot at 260 yds >DRT lasered

In 09 I made one shot at 289 yds > DRT lasered

In 08 I made one shot @ 225-230 yds > DRT

DON'T MEAN TO BRAG seriously, IIRC at least 9 deer have been harvested including the 3 above in an area where any SHORT RANGE, SOFTBALL TRAJECTORY would have PREVENTED me from even taking a shot.

I'm 61 yrs old and have been hunting since childhood, handloading since '75. I'm still using calibers capable of making more than SHORT RANGE shots. I SERIOUSLY posed the O P question because of PRESENT & PAST hunting opportunities. FOR ME WHERE I HUNT a 30-30 would be a sevier limitation.

JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, no offense taken.

JWALL



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Why would anyone use a 308 when they could use a 30-06? Why would anyone use a 30-06 when they could use a 300WM?

Maybe the reason people use the 30-30 is because it works for the way they hunt, not the way you hunt. Maybe because for deer size game inside of 150 yards it kills as well as anything out there. Dead is dead, no matter the cartridge or caliber.

I'll be taking a 30-30 to Wyoming next year for antelope because it is fun to use. Is it ideal? No. Will it be fun? Yes.

I choose the 30-30 when I'm more interested in enjoying the hunt and less interested in killing something. I've killed many an animal and still do each year, but it's not just about the killing.


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Why would anyone use a 308 when they could use a 30-06? Why would anyone use a 30-06 when they could use a 300WM?


You took the words out my mouth. The classic magnumitis argument.

JWALL- You're asking the question looking for an answer to be given soley in terms of paper ballistics. What everyone is telling you is that they look at all kinds of other things besides paper ballistics when deciding to hunt with a 30-30.

My first deer rifle was a single shot 30-30 my dad gave me. Ballistics are the furthest thing from my mind when I take it out.

We all hunt differently. I like to hunt animals within bow shot so a 30-30 is more than enough gun. If you like to hunt pastures and powerlines then take a 308 and have a gas with it. Doing what makes you happy is what hunting is all about.

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KodiakIsland & Mar336; I am NOT trying to convince or convert ANYONE.. I don't think y'all have read the OP. I focused on lever action rifles comparable to M94 & Mar 336.

The premise is DO YOU NEVER have the opportunity to see/shoot at longer ranges?

I'm NOT MAD or AGGRAVATED but don't ASSUME I'm pushing anything.
Rhetorical questions sometimes make us think or rethink.

JWALL


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I'm not sure why you would think I haven't read the OP. That is pretty much all I have read.

Again, I'll ask you, why stop at the 308. If more is better, then why aren't you using a 300 mag?

I have the opportunity to kill many animals every year at all sorts of distances. Killing is not my primary reason for being there. I enjoy the hunting part more than the killing. If I have to pass up a buck because I can't make the shot, then so be it. You'd probably faint if you could see me hunting with a 32-20, trying to get within 20 yards.

Anyway, I have many rifles to choose from. If I really don't want to come home empty handed, I will probably be using a 7-08 or 358STA. If I'm more interested in enjoying the actual hunt, regardless of outcome, I probably have some short range open sight rifle or pistol in my hands.

My freezer stays full, so something must be working.

Maybe in part it is the same reasoning that many prefer to bow hunt over gun hunt. Maybe its the added challenge of short range that adds something to the hunt.

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On any given day I might pick up my 30-30 bolt action, a 30-06, a 1917 Swede, or a very lightweight 308 carbine. Each has its limitations and advantages. Some days one pleases me, and some days another. I enjoy them all, or I wouldn't have them all.

Why would I hunt with a round nose cast bullet I made myself instead of a jacketed bullet driven to much higher speed? Because it pleases me.

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Originally Posted by JWALL
jimmyp: 10/4; Some years back I hunted open mature hardwoods. There a 30-30 and almost ANY centerfire would work. I hunted a Ruger Ultra Lite 308 Win and/or BLR 358 among other calibers.

DON'T MEAN TO BRAG seriously, IIRC at least 9 deer have been harvested including the 3 above in an area where any SHORT RANGE, SOFTBALL TRAJECTORY would have PREVENTED me from even taking a shot.

I'm still using calibers capable of making more than SHORT RANGE shots. PRESENT & PAST hunting opportunities. FOR ME WHERE I HUNT a 30-30 would be a sevier limitation.
JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, no offense taken.
JWALL


Put this one page 1, and it may have saved 15 pages (not likely though, and it has made for interesting reading :)).
By the sound of it, you've not hunted with a 30-30, which is your choice. Life is full of them. What works for you may, or may not, work for others. It seems like you went out of your way to say that you find the short range, softball trajectory 30-30 to be a sevier(?) limitation to your ability to your style of hunting, and in a roundabout way, question why anyone else would find it viable. There certainly are some posts from folks that find the 30-30 to be quite useful.
I'm always curious why people feel the need to start threads like this;, and find the need to say "seriously, no intention to brag, just for clarification, no offense taken"...... YMMV.... confused

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I've deer hunted in about 10 different states and the furthest shot to date has been @250 yards.


In the 3 years listed did you only shoot 1 deer each year?


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I had been getting an itch to own a Marlin .30-30 for some time. A couple months ago my Dad ended up giving me his .30-30 quite out of the blue. It is an old JC Higgins 45 which was a Marlin 336 rebranded for Sears. It was unexpected and very much appreciated.

Thinking back to when I was a teenager I had remembered that specific rifle as being very smooth and very accurate. Taking it to the range with some of the leftover 170 grain Federal ammo Dad had really opened my eyes. Just as smooth to operate as I remembered and the fit and balance was perfect for me.

When shooting it was a real treat to shoot a rifle with so little recoil and yet with power enough for its intended purpose. Accuracy was the really pleasing part. So far with a couple boxes fired the worst group has put five shots into 2.25 inches. Three shots typically go around 1". For an iron sighted rifle I find this to be remarkable.

This spring I plan on hunting black bear in Quebec with it. I have a 35 Whelen I could use but I will likely use the .30-30. Black bears really aren't that hard to kill, foliage will make distances short, and the .30-30 is accurate enough and has the trajectory for shooting up to 200 yards in my opinion. It is compact, handy and utterly reliable. If I shoot well the 170 grain Nosler Partitions I plan to use will take care of things.


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Originally Posted by Steelhead
the furthest shot to date has been @250 yards.


That has been about the distance of my furthest shot on deer, done with a .243. The second longest was 236 yards...with a .30-30 M94. All the rest have been typically under 100 yards.

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The premise is DO YOU NEVER have the opportunity to see/shoot at longer ranges?

I'm NOT MAD or AGGRAVATED but don't ASSUME I'm pushing anything.


I know you're not mad or pushing anything. Just asking an honest question. I should mention though that using all caps is akin to shouting on the internet. So when you type, "I'm NOT MAD or AGGRAVATED", people are reading that as though you actually are yelling at them smile.

To answer your premise question, eesentially no, I don't ever have the opportunity to see or shoot (while hunting, excluding the shooting range) at longer than 30-30 distances.

Growing up I lived in open country and back then longer shots were normal. Now that I hunt in heavily forested areas I don't want to hunt open areas anymore. Longer shots don't present themselves because I intentionally don't hunt where it's open enough to do that. I've only carried a high powered rifle once in the last two seasons. The rest is with a bow, black powder, or handgun.

If you typically set up on powerlines and bean fields then of course you're going to have more opportunities for longer shots and a 308 may make more sense than a 30-30.

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Mar336: Thanks for a civil response and explanation. I have only used upper case type for emphasis not anger.

I never itended for this thread to be focused on me! I posed the question because in nearly all of my hunting even going to or from my specific hunting area there are open areas where deer can be seen and shot or shot at. This discussion might register with one or more that a flatter shooting rifle can be used in close woods hunting as well.

There have been many questions or points raised that have already been discussed in this thread and for time & space I have not reentered those discussions. It indicates some have not read the thread, just jumped into the middle not knowing the previous discussion.

I am not trying to convice or convert anyone to my type of hunting or shooting. There have been several answers or perspectives about why people choose a 30-30 that I respect. For instance one fellow uses one in the area where he lives or works and frequently bumps into elk. That is totally understandable and appropriate. It's similar to people who live and or work in whitetail country keeping a 30-30 handy.

OTOH if anyone traveled from any other state, even a state next door, would you expect them to bring a 30-30 as their primary rifle? I would not.

It seems to me that with nearly every question there is always someone or more than one who make the discussion personal and you know it often turns into name calling, cursing, etc. I don't intend to participate in such.

It seems to me that ADULTS (emphasis) should be able to discuss the pros/cons of hunting, guns, handloading, etc. w/o insults, hatred, and even threats.

I have said already that I appreciate and have seen some new perspectives from others about using the 30-30. Also I'm surprised that so few have even mentioned the 308 or other flatter shooting calibers. I sincerely expected more pro & con about the two positions instead of the majority being pro 30-30.
Maybe people thot I was attacking or demeaning the 30-30. That was not and is not my intent.

I would like to make a humorous comment. I spelled severe, sevier in a post. That was a "fraudulent" slip.>grin< In the city where I live we have a street name spelled "sevier" and it's pronounced "severe". I didn't even notice I used that spelling, it's so common a usage.

I could elaborate more on this thread but I've already said more than I intended. I wanted to HEAR (emphasis) not speak. THANKS to all who have expressed your perspectives & reasons.

JWALL
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I have a .30-30 and a .308 in my cabinet. The .30-30 gets plenty of use every season while the .308 collects dust. All of my hunting is done in thick timber these days and the possibility of a shot beyond .30-30 range simply does not exist.

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OTOH if anyone traveled from any other state, even a state next door, would you expect them to bring a 30-30 as their primary rifle? I would not.


Hunting an unfamiliar area is a different ballgame. I would strongly take into consideration what the person you're hunting with recommends. Otherwise I'd take my 280AI and be confident it'll do whatever I need it for.

I lied earlier. I'd forgotten about carrying a 357 Maximum single shot carbine a couple times during the Mississippi PW season. When I was typing I was thinking of my longer range bolt guns. I took a deer last year with a 25-06 which was sort of a let down. A nice buck came out at about 25 yrds and I almost started to laugh when I put the cross hairs on him. A 300+ yrd gun with an expensive hubble telescope attached for an animal I probably could've killed with a hand-thrown spear smile.


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