My young friend borrowed my Glenfield 30-30 and nailed this big doe with one shot. The 150 grain core-lokt bullet was perfectly placed just behind the shoulder. This doe bounded away at the shot but toppled over in mid stride after running about the length of one school bus.

How many of you have started out with a 30-30 carbine?

Sherwood

My first one was with a 30 carbine. Then a borrowed 222. Finally a 243. Didn't shoot one with a 30-30 (or, more properly, a 30 Winchester) until I was in High School. Heaven only knows how many of the kids I grew up with took their first deer with the 30-30

Never shot a deer with the 30-30 until I was 50 years old... and then it was a 30-30 AI...

I took my first deer, a fat doe, with a 22 WRF (extraordinary farmer's licence ).

And I killed my first half-dozen "legal" deer with a Winchester M94 in .30-30. Hey, it just plain worked well.

kd

first deer was a doe with a Marlin 336 in 30-30 with iron sights. It was made the same year that I was born. I was the first person to shoot that gun, and that doe was the first kill for the gun.

I started with a Model 94 in .32 Special. Moved on to other guns before taking my first deer. Now I've got an itch to kill a deer with a 30-30. Most of my hunts are behind me at this time, and I realized I don't have a 30-30 to hand down to my son, and every kid ought to have a 30-30. I'm looking for a Marlin to scratch this itch, and then I'll hand it off to him. Dang kid's all ready got more guns that I do.

My first one fell to a .30-30 Marlin Texan that belonged to my uncle. Shot at maybe 30 yards with factory open sights. Took me about four of five years to get the next one.

First was with a 30 Carbine. Next about two years later with a break action H&R in 30-30.

Winchester M94 30-30, doe at 72 yards, factory open sights. If I remember right I was 16.

i was 32 when i first shot a 30 - 30.

Great doe for the young man.

Started with a Md 64 with open sites my grandpa gave me at age 11. Missed a few (buck fever) before taking multiple small whitetail bucks with it. Used that rifle until I was about 17 years old. Took deer from 5 to 100 yards out with it. Great light weight rifle with little recoil. Can't wait until my son is old enough to start hunting with it!

I've never even hunted with one, let alone killed a deer with one. I will someday I suppose.

I still have my old Marlin 30-30 that I received for Christmas when I was 12. I'd already killed some deer at that point, but that 30-30 accounted for many more. I'd like for my kids to use it as well, but it's terribly inaccurate despite a low round count. They'll most likely be started off with bolt rifles and reduced loads or one of my ARs single fed.

Haven't gotten one with a 30-30 yet. Tried a few times last season but the deer decided they had other things to do. Got my first several with a 30-06. It was just a couple of years ago that I got my first with a 270. I've gotten deer with several oddball cartridges, but not with many of the more common ones.

If my memory serves, it was 2011 when I decided to hunt deer with a 30-30. The rifle was a Marlin 336 and I mounted an old Bushnell Banner 4x with a post/duplex reticle. 4ager and I had been talking about factory ammo for the 30 WCF, because my reloading gear was boxed up from a recent (at that time) move. 4ager recommended the Remington 170 grain Corelokt HP's. I happened to find some in a shop I was visiting and bought a couple boxes.

When the time came to hit the field, I took my first shot at a whitetail doe, standing broadside at approximately 90 yards. I held on the center of her shoulder and squeezed. She dropped at the report of the rifle and did not move. The bullet penetrated completely, and may still be going, for all I know.

The second one I shot was another doe. I was still hunting through an oak thicket when another whitetail doe jumped up to run approximately 15 yards in front of me. I shouldered the rifle, and when the point of the post in the reticle met her shoulder I fired. She rolled like a rabbit. That bullet penetrated completely as well.

I am more than a fan of the 30-30. It is easy to load for, uses very little powder, recoils lightly, shoots accurately, kills certainly, and isn't loud in so doing.


I believe more folks would benefit from hunting with the 30-30.