Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire M1 30 carbine for deer

I don't, but have thought about using my old 351 Win SL, iirc the 180gr Hawk bullet runs around 1800 fps over 4227 powder, may work on a close lung hit.

Had a Ruger Blackhawk in 30 carbine. Shot numerous jack rabbits and cottontails with it, using various loads and reloads. Could not get rid of it fast enough. 22 lr hollow points were far more lethal. Now, with the 110 gr bullets designed for the Blackout it maybe a better round.

30 carbine is a terrible deer round. Under 50 yards, maybe, but you better not make a marginal hit as the kinetic energy of the bullet impact is weak. Had a relative hunt with one for years, he was always losing deer and wasted a lot of people’s time trailing poorly shot deer.

Grandpa didnt like using them on folks from asia, he said they sure as hell weren't adequate for deer.

I've had only 1 experience with a 30 carbine, way back in Jr high. A friend and I were with our dads. He was carrying one. We hadn't even left the car when a doe ran by. I was closest and lung shot her with a 30-30 from about 40 or 50 yds. Then my friend cut loose with the carbine. He had a 16 round mag and I'm not kidding, when we skinned her we counted 16 holes besides mine. He hit her in any place a deer could be shot. It was a mess. Dad winked at me and said to him 'here's your deer'. I don't remember what bullets he was using, probably milsurp solids.

Must not have been them people from the Philippines.

In a firefight, a wound is often as good as or better than a kill. Not so much in a hunt. Same reason you dont hunt deer with hand grenades.

Funny how we're told the .30 Carbine won't work on deer, but the 32-20 has been used as such for almost 140 years, (Elmer Keith used a 32-20 revolver to take three mule deer and an elk (SIXGUNS pp.276)) and now the .327 Federal, either from a revolver or a Henry lever is said to be the berries for deer. Either of the aforementioned are less powerful than the .30 Carbine from a rifle.

I say, as with any cartridge, place your shots properly, go forth with a good bullet and load, and you'll be fine.

My uncle wants to hunt with his old military M1. I was unsure of the knockdown power of the .30 carbine but right now it’s trying to find a smaller magazine that’s the problem anyways.

https://vilda.alaska.edu/digital/collection/cdmg21/id/99

Bruce

That should work. Two girl cousins shot numerous blacktails with them. Use Remington or Winchester softpoint ammo and put them in their lungs.

I never used a .30 Carbine on deer but my first CF rifle was an 1892 24" octagon in .32-20. Those work pretty well at short range.

I tend to agree with that. I've got my fathers Carbine that he bought through the DCM back in the 1960's. I've deer hunted with it, even shot one, something that didn't turn out too well. Sure, it'll kill a deer, probably kill an elephant if you hit in the right place, but there are far better choices. If it's all you have, and you need to kill a deer, pick your shot at as close a range as possible, and it'll probably work just fine. But just remember, there are better choices in a deer rifle.

Sentimental reasons.
I guess are driving you wanting to hunt with it.

You might regret it if a nice buck presents a shot and you aint got a reach out their and touch something rifle with some power behind it.

Just saying.....

I had a good friend that used it once, his handle was thirteen shoots fired.

Because, in combat, no one is concerned with instantaneous drops or tracking jobs. Often times a wounded combatant takes two stretcher bearers and/or a medic out of the action as well.

Have to say a .30 carbine would not be my first choice for deer, but if it was all I had there would be no hesitation. Pretty much like plinkin’ hogs with CB Shorts, it’s all about placement.

a wounded soldier can sill fire back and kill you
once a shot a small finch with the 30 carbine the bullet bounced of it almost hit me and the little finch just flew away

My two eldest sons, 29 and 30, killed their first deer with one 20+ years ago. A borrowed, scope sighted rifle with Remington loads. Seem to recall 75'ish yard shots, through the lungs, a short run and down.

My Dad told me he traded his Carbine for a Springfield when he witnessed a guy riding back into camp laughing about a chest wound he received from a idiot sentry armed with a carbine.

Guy I used to work with used one exclusively. He wasn’t a gun guy... didn’t understand what the problem was when the gun guys would criticize it. He killed more deer than most of the gun guys.

It’s like any other cartridge/rifle combination: understand what it takes to kill what you’re hunting in terms of shot placement and penetration potential, use it within those parameters and you’re fine.

Sometimes we tend to judge a cartridge’s effectiveness by factors that have nothing to do with effectiveness.

The longest follow up I can recall on a deer was one hit marginally with a.30-06. I killed it wi my .44 magnum.

Just because somebody’s cousin Elrod loses half a dozen deer a year ass-shooting them with a .30 Carbine, doesn’t mean it’s no good. Elrod would lose just as many with a.30-06 because he’s a pisspoor shot. When he finally gets a.300 magnum because the .30-06 won’t put deer down fast enough, the problem will only get worse.