I killed my first deer when I was 12 years old with a Win.94 in 30.30. It was a family rifle. I hated the 30-30 because of its limited range. Any deer beyond 200 yards or so was pretty safe. My own first rifle was a Rem.721 in 30.06 with a 4x Weaver. I was 15. Deer at 200 years were in lots of trouble. Loved that rifle. Have used lots of different rifles and calibers since then( I'm 78 now) but none have served me any better than that 30.06.