There was a television program - hunting show - that was on a couple of years ago, when the hunting show program began - which was not a bad show - that bragged about the ethical harvesting of game.
It is not ethical to try to shoot a deer at 200 yards away with a 30 - 30 rifle.
Sorry - but that is my opinion.
I think you already knew the answer - but was just looking for someone to validate the fact that you are under gunned and you want to do something that is beyond the reach of a 30 - 30 rifle.
You already knew what the velocity of the bullet is at 200 yards and how much energy the load carries and how much energy is claimed to make a ethical shot.
In a month, when rifle season is here, you will be back here belly aching to us that you shot a nice buck and that it got away or that you shot at a nice buck and missed - and would want us to feel sorry for you.
I guess the goal needs to be - either for you to get a better gun or for you to become a better hunter and get closer to what you want to shoot.
One of the biggest bucks I ever missed was 300 yards away, and all I had was a 35 Remington - same ballistics, just a bigger diameter bullet. I kept shooting - till I ran out of shells.
At one point - it was only 150 yards away.
If people wouldn't have told me to aim high or to aim over it's back, I would have got that deer.
The next year, that gun was no longer in my gun cabinet.
There is a big difference between 200 and 300 yds with the 30-30 and 35. You should be absolutely fine with the 30-30 at 200 yds if you put in plenty of practice time and get to know your rifle's trajectory. More importantly, get a good range finder or learn to accurately judge distance in the field.
