Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 30-30 vs 44 Mag

Used the Speer 130 grain fp in my 24" 336 A the last two years-8 shots from 45-221 yards have killed 6 deer and 2 coyotes. Going to try the 150 grain Barnes this year-like the looks of that big hollow point.

Believe me. I quite agree with you. It's a bit more complicated than that. I had some bum experiences with 30-30. The biggest contributor to all this was Mooseboy. He used my Marlin 336 as his yute gun. Although he swore to the contrary at the time, #2 son finally admitted 10 years after the fact that he'd been shutting his eyes before pulling the trigger. He's now grown up and he's a good solid deer hunter. However, early on. . . well. . .

If you read the article, you'll see the reason I finally swore off 30-30.
Here's the link again:
Ode to a 30-30 Part 3

A 60-lb doe came by the stand and stood broadside to me on The Opener. I plugged her, plugged her again, and again. She sauntered away with an 8 foot arterial spirter going up into the trees. This was all happening inside 20 yards. Accuracy was not the issue. I had placed 3 into the boiler room and not only left her standing, but seemingly unaffected.

Back in 2002, when this happened, I wrote about it here on the 'Campfire. I got all sorts of advice. In fact, the 150 WIN PowerPoint idea came from a fellow named Adobe Walls. I think he passed some time ago, and I have to say it was a good suggestion. When I tested PP's against the new Hornady FTX's, the 150 grain WIN PP did better than the FTX inside the normal operating range of the 30-30. That's what I'm picking for the Marlin 336. The Savage 340 really didn't like either bullet. That rifle is going to take some more work before I find what's best for it.

The 30-30 jinx was finally broken when #3 son bagged his first with it in 2009. Since then, I've played with the Marlin quite a bit, but I just haven't taken it deer hunting. When I got the bad news that the Model 44 carbine wasn't going to be ready, it made me rethink things. 18 years is a long time to hold a grudge.

BTW: This was not the last time I saw a deer take a direct hit in the boiler room and just stand there. It's happened a few times since. What I've learned is that it happens to a lot of deer hunters. It isn't an accuracy issue, but it is unnerving. In one instance I watched a buck put his head down and go back to eating, despite having his heart and lungs blown out. There is a trick to getting the animal down: on your second shot, don't go for the same hole. There's nothing there. What's been blown away is gone. You need to move your point of aim enough that you're hitting something else. I didn't know this in 2002. A few years later I saw Mooseboy take a shot at a buck and saw the impact. Nothing! This was a broadside shot with a bit of an angle to the front-- dead center in the boiler room. The deer just stood there. Mooseboy asked me what to do. I told him to aim elsewhere. He picked a spot 2 inches further back and the animal went down. This was with an M1 Garand and 165 grain Hornady IL's inside 50 yards. There was nothing left in the chest cavity.

Shaman sorry to hear about your 44 carbine. I plan to use mine in Ohio in Wayne National Forest this fall.
That said I used a 3030 for five years down here in Florida. Specificaly out of a Marlin 336cs lever gun. My two hunting buddies used the same. We kills trucks loads of hogs many big old tough boars during that time period with no issues. II woukd like to tell you we used premium bullets but likely back then we used what was on sale at the Walmarts which was probably Remington green box 150gr coreloks. Your bad luck with the 3030 is just that. Bad luck.
Grab that thing and go kill some deer. Look at it as a challenge to put that bad luck behind you. Good luck this season and getting your prized 44 back in action.

I saw a 340 at a gunshow yestiddy, for an I chit thee not, $500. It did have a scope on it. I was so stunned by the price I didn't even look at the scope. Madness, utter madness.

That is pure madness Ratsmacker!

There are a number of people around who want Savage 340's. It surprises me. I picked two of them up recently for around $150 each and sold them for $280 and $300. And they weren't hard to move at those prices either. I'd like to keep one but hey when you can double your money why not?[/quote

I had a Savage 340-C .30-30 my dad gave me for Christmas around 1959. I never killed a deer with it While I was working overseas in 1969-1970 my dad and/or my brother inlaw somehow managed to lose it or get it stolen. But I was like clwg97, Young and Dumb and didn't appreciate what I had. The last 10 years I've been looking for another one. I do have a .30-30, a Win. '94 Angle Eject.From 1964 until 1982 the '94 recever was made of sintered steel but when the Angle Eject came out it went back to making them with High Carbon Forged Steel. The only deer I ever killed with a .30-30 was with this one. It's just sweet. I've got the old Redfield 4x scope that I bought with my .270 back in 1966 mounted on it. I upgraded the scope on the .270 in the early '80s and put that old Redfield 4X to good use on this '94 AE. That one deer I killed with it impressed the heck of me. Yeah one in a row ain't much of a road map but it was . DRT at 80 yards with a 150 grain Remington Core Locts. That bullet performed perfectly and barely any loss of meat. I haven't hunted with it much because where I've hunted since then has been much more open with longer shot opportunities(although most of my kills have been well within in a .30-30s range. I am a believer.

I think I got mine back in 2018 for $325 shipped off Gunbroker, and I was happy to have found it. Originally, I had toyed with the idea of one back in the early 2000's, but it turned out my sons were all big for their age and went to 30-06 early in their careers. Back then it was easier to find one cheap. Nowadays, they're much more scarce. $500 seems steep, but I can believe it.

I'm back from the farm having tested a bunch of loads in both the Marlin and the Savage.

The Marlin likes 150 gr Win Powerpoint over LVR. It's good to go.

The Savage 340 didn't like 150's at all. That is still going to take some work, but Mooselette is still young. I've got time.

I hunt with both 44 carbines and model 94's walking... I have never lost a deer or hog to either one in 45 years... in fact, only one ran 60 yards... they all are DRT

practice with it...

I am 73 Killed Deer with both guns The 30-30 kills them just as fast as a 44 or 300 mag out to 200 yards. With a 150 or 170 Bullet from Winchester or Federal,Hornady Both work great

I've killed with both too and still hunt with both. The 44 mag has shown me that it's more effective than the 30-30 under 100 yards

Got my 30/30 Marlin in '78 when stationed at Ft. Lewis. I have shot the crap out of it and it harvested most of my elk and deer, iron sights to boot. All my shots except my biggest bull was under 100 yds. and most of those were under 50. The last time I hunted deer with it, was freezing my ass off in a tree stand , first week in December, I was surrounded by deer at last light, snow cover, dropped two, freezer replenished!

Load up the .30-30 with any of the bullets you mention, they will all work at those ranges. Nothing to worry about. I've had the bullet argument myself many times, but it doesn't really matter, 150 or 170, they both will work great on the biggest whitetails, especially within 100 yards.