Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles When have you found .30-30 to be a poor choice?

Have never been let by my 30-30 WCF. It has taken several deer for me in years past.

The only reason it rarely comes out for Deer Camp, is that I no longer do well with iron sights (Eyes + Age seem to have a wicked effect when combined).

Just like absolutely every other cartridge ever made or will be made, “it works well, if used within its limitations.”

95 percent of the deer I have killed were in range of a good 30-30.

I have hunted and killed deer and elk with a 30-30, 44mag carbine, 45-70, three different muzzle loaders. Everyone of them I past up shots due to their range limitations.Then again, I have done the same with a .308, 30-06, 7mm mag.

It's not a big deal.

Only when I muffed the shot. Be Well, RZ.

Well every time I’ve been to Idaho Montana New Mexico Arizona eastern Oregon eastern Washington most of western Washington huntin, they are handy if a guy hound hunts bear or sits in a stand, I’ve got a few laying around but I never reach for em … carry on and keep the warm and fuzzy goin on

I was hunting thick timber bordering open flat country with a .30/30 and when I came to the edge and there were several trophy sized animals across the open field on the opposite end of the open field. That was 30 years ago and never carried a .30/30 again until recently when hunting limited timber areas or in tree stands for white tail. The smallest property I ever hunted in Oz was about 8,000 acres nestled between other properties of similar or larger size so the hunting landscape is larger than you find here in a lot of the US. Flat shooting scoped rifles were more apt there to the point that the only person I ever met hunting with a lever rifle there was using a Miroku (Browning) lever in .308.

They are always the right choice when I simply want to hunt with a .30-30. I went to Texas a while back specifically to kill a pig with an old 94 that had a lot of sentimental value. Worked great.



When I am serious about killing something the .30-30 stays home.

In lever action silhouette knocking the rams over at 200 yards were with the 30-30 wasn’t 100%.

when i walked onto a logging landing and saw 3 grizzly cubs on top of the slash pile. Momma not in sight. a 105 wouldn't have been big enough at the moment.

I guess my only 30-30 experience has been on several hogs and one blacktail deer. I have a 94 with iron sights and after a while I just needed better sights. I know mounting a scope on a 94 is possible but the ones I’ve handled just didn’t feel right when scoped. I guess for me it came down to ergonomics & IMO other rifles offer more comfortable platforms. Never had a problem with power of the cartridge, everything I shot was killed without fuss. No shade but just not my cup.

I have been knocking over deer sized animals since 1970 with a 30-30. Shooting distance has been about 50 - 125 yards of so. None got away.

Sherwood

Like I've said before I like hunting with lever actions, so be it..
Lots of times for deer season I used a muzzleloader instead of any number of rifles, so that pretty much says it all.
It's want I want to hunt with that day. It's no different than the times I went with a 454, Muzzleloader or a Winchester Trapper.
It's about the hunt, otherwise everybody would be using a 6.5 fat bag mag longstretch loudenboomer.
Have fun.