Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 30-30 win

Is it just me or has anybody else found that the 30-30 is one of the best deer killing rounds inside 100 yards.The 30-30 works as good or better then the small and fast kids or the big and fat slow guys,with less recoil,muzzel blast,the use of expensive bullets.The rn or fn bullets kill with out a lot of blood shot meat I cant think of a better woods round.

The 30-30 is a fine hunting cartridge, a fact proven by over 100 years of success.

I don't know that it kills game any better than a bunch of other cartridges, but putting a properly constructed bullet into the vitals is the key, regardless of the caliber, bullet weight, and muzzle velocity.

When I was a kid, we hunted deer in ME, NH, and VT. More of the hunters in the group were WW2 USMC buddies of my Father and of Bearrr264's Father and they, as a group, mostly shot Remington 740/742s in 30-06, Ruger 44 Carbines, and Winchester 100s in 308. In contrast, most of the "locals" with whom the group hunted were Marlin 336, Remington 141, and Winchester 94 shooters. My Father, Bearrr264, and I were the bolt gun shooters, as was one "local" who shot a sporterized Krag.

What I have found is that the choice of bullet and where you put it seems to be the big factor. To me, it kills no faster nor slower than even the fire-breathers.

I can recall three very dramatic DRTs. Two being upper shoulder shots at about 40 yards, one with a .30-30, one with a .300 WinMag, so I attribute the fast kills to where the bullet hit. By the way, I did end up with way more usable meat on the .30-30 kill. The third was this past year, with a .243 and screaming a TTSX as fast as that rifle could sling it through the lungs, and the range was 35 yards. I'll give sheer speed the credit there.

I use a .30-30 every year, and have killed numerous deer with it. The bullets are designed for a specific velocity range, and unless loaded in another case and pushed too fast, they do a grand job. My rifle's favorite is a 170 grain bullet at about 2150 fps at the muzzle, and I've never recovered one.

I also enjoy the light, handy rifle the round is chambered in, mine being a Winchester M94, and it's only shortcoming would be that I cannot mount a scope on it. But, I did install a Williams FP, and that is a huge improvement over factory sights. I do give up a few minutes at dawn and dusk, but I know this and accept it when I hunt with this particular rifle.

A .30-30 will be part of my battery for as long as I hunt deer.

I agree that it works great but I don't know if I would claim better than a host of other common deer rounds. However I will admit I have never shot a deer with anything else that I couldn't have handled just as well with my 30-30.

When my Dad was old enough to hunt (around 1959) my Grandpa let my Dad use his Marlin 30-30 and bought a 300 Savage '99. Since then, my Uncle, his four boys and myself have used that 30-30 to shoot our first few deer(I have three nephews that have carried it but not shot deer with it yet). My Uncle has it now, my Dad bought a Marlin himself and my Dad and I purchased a Winchester 94 together when the New Haven plant shut down. Personally I don't like the Winchester and would hunt with the 30-30 more if it was a Marlin. Now we use 270's, 280's, 308's, 7mm Rem Mag's and my 30-06 for our deer hunting unless we do deer drives. Then the drivers carry the 30-30's.

The first deer I killed was outside the range of a 30-30, but every one since, a 30-30 would have been fine. One of my favorite cartridges, only the 30-06 is more beloved to me.

the old .30-30 is a good caliber.. We have used it on coyotes, p.dogs, antelope, whitetails, mulies, and mt. lions.. Have two a 94 carbine that belonged to my neighbor, and a 336 with a half mag. and 24 in. barrel.. It is my favorite, but I still carry the 94 pretty often..

ok we agree its a good round the greatness comes from the guns that we shoot the round out of when I shoot my lever guns I just check the zero then start shooting in real hunting conditions no worry if I can make my one inch gun into 3/4 inch gun.The 30-30 bullet has long since been perfected killing but not wasting a lot of meat.

30-30 was the WSM of the 1890's. I personally prefer the Marlin version or the old Savage turn bolt to the Winny but I need optical help. If I didn't any good clean thutty thutty is fine by me for collecting venison.

The .30-30 is my primary rifle for deer, and it will be that way as long as I hunt.

The 30-30 works just as well as it ever has. Of course the same could be said of muzzle loaders firing round balls, flint tipped arrows and stone tipped spears.

But the 30-30 had been obsolete 3 years before it was invented. The fact that it has been used for over a hundred years doesn't change that. People still kill stuff with muzzle loaders, arrows, and spears just because they choose to do so. Doesn't make them better.

What makes it better cheap factory that can be found any where ammo is sold.It is a low recoiling round that with its RN or FN bullets kills deer way better then you would think.I shot three deer this year with 170gr hornady FN reloaded with LVR powder the range of the deer was 20 yards to 80 yards.The deer died like they do when their shot in the chest run a short distance and fall over.The wound cannels on those three deer where very impressive and all the same.So is it better then others I would say yep...It does more with less

Nothing wrong with the 30-30. It is a long proven commodity.I would honestly have to take a count to know how many I have here at any given moment. They come and go. Think I have 4 right now. All different models, and all Winchesters.

I also have Marlins in 444, 356, and 375. (Sold my 35 Rem and 30-30).

And some 348s, 45-70s, 35 Rem, etc.

I prefer a little more under the hood than the 30-30 offers. JMO/preference. Some of the others will equal or surpass 30-30 velocities, and do so with larger bullets. I like that, whether it is actually needed at the time or not. But then again, the 44 mag is too small of a handgun cartridge to hunt big game also, IMO Again, I like a bigger hole in the end of the barrel.

As far as doing more with less, there is no such thing. Cartridges are cartridges, powder is powder, bullets are bullets, and physics is physics. No cartridge performs any different than it should IMO, given the particulars. But many like to feel that some do. And that's okay. If it makes one like their favorite gun/cartridge even more, then it's all good in the hood.....

I have had lots of 30/30's but I like this one the most

I like the Winchester 64, longer, but better balanced and quicker on target than the 20" carbines for me. I have one in 25-35 somewhere.

Aside from the superb hunting characteristics of the .30-30 (and others of its ilk, like the .303 Savage), for the deer woods of America, due in no small part to the excellent guns chambered for it, a lot of guys ignore the fact that it makes for a darn fine target cartridge too. I can't think of a non-wildcat .30 cartridge I would rather have in a good heavy barreled falling block single shot or a bolt gun made specifically for sitting on my butt at a bench and punching holes in paper- especially for cast bullet experimentation.

Every deer i have shot with the 30-30 was dead right there . Within its range deer can't stand it . I will always have a rifle chambered for the 30-30 .

I'm guessing by the driftless tag we hunt in the same general area. That being the case, the 30wcf works very well for most of my hunting. Seeing a deer out past 30-30 range is pretty rare.

After shooting 8 deer and a Moose with the .30-30 I can vouch that it works. But its no miracle cartridge and I'm more impressed by the .243 to be honest. And I find the .270 and .30-06 to be a lot more effective.

That is interesting. My experience with the .243 has not been all that good. Never know, I guess?