I grew up on my Grandad's ranch in Parks County, Wyoming. Grandad didn't read much and he never knew that his 30-30 was considered inadequate by so-called experts for elk hunting. I didn't read much as a kid, so I was equally ignorant.
I killed my first two elk with Grandad's long barreled Winchester with the flip up tang sight. Winchester SUPER X 170 gr SilverTips were used. Each bull req'd two shots but they didn't get away.
My Dad used a 300 Savage all of his adult life. He was blind in his "shooting eye" from a detached retina when a horse kicked him as a child. Dad had a smith custom build a side mount scope outfit so he could aim with his left eye and shoot right handed. My Dad killed a whole lot of elk in his life with that rifle and many of them were at the distance from his muzzle that his bullet speed was travelling like a 30-30 bullet much closer.
I hunt elk with a BAR Sporter in .308 simply because the 30-30 does not have the "reach" I prefer. But at distances under 175 yards, the old 30-30 still slays elk each and every Fall. Don't think its a wounder. This old cartridge is a very good choice for most big game hunting when the distance is not too great and the first bullet can be placed directly into both lungs.
Buck
