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That would be my pick also, I hunted for many years with a 99F in 358 Win. using factory Winchester 200gr. Silver Tips and it hammered deer.

and that tells you what ? Zwickey broadheads are stiil a great old broadhead that still draws plenty blood maybe better than any new broadhead when i sharpen a Zwickey ,plus everyone i know who was a older bowhunter seem to give me their old Zwickey broadheads . > but when you talk rifles i have never been impressed with a 30-30 and yes i killed deer with the 30-30 lever its just not my cup of tea. give me either my Ruger # 1 257 W. mag. or my BLR 30-06 these 2 cartridges kill bigger deer much better and faster . when it comes to what is my all time favorite it will always be a Ruger #1 257 Weatherby mag.. , its just a old reliable single shot lever that when i put the x hairs on a nice old buck within 600 yards with my handloads and squeeze my Timney trigger those horns will be mine .>> you have my blessing to use a 30-30 lever for any deer large or small , i could care less.

My .30-30 killed it's 83rd and 84th deer in my hands this past season. One went down instantly to a high shoulder shot, the other ran 50 yards after a double lung. Both bullets exited and the runner left a good blood trail, though it wasn't needed because I saw it go down. Typical performance that I've come to expect and not much different than I've seen with my .308, .30-06 or 6.5 Creedmoor with the same shot placement. I have a safe full of scoped bolt actions chambered for more powerful, flatter shooting cartridges. I have taken deer with all of them and am every bit as confident in success when I walk into the woods with my .30-30. It has proven itself for too many years over too many kills for me to question it's effectiveness.

I too would cast a vote for the ole Savage 99, might not be as sexy as a BLR but I have a post mil in 308 that's as accurate as most bolt guns and super reliable, handles very well too.
I've owned many lever guns, 99s, 88s, 94s, Marlins, a Finnwolf in .308, BLRs.
All I have left are some 99s, by far the best lever gun ever made IMO, IF they ever go back in production I will buy more.

you don`t have to convince me about a 30-30 lever rifle or how proud of how many deer you have shot, i have let 100`s of deer walk away , even some decent bucks that many people would have got mounted . but i just will use my single shot lever Ruger #1 and might sunday shoot another large buck some year . i am now teaching my 10 year old grandson how to use his Ruger #1 257 Roberts for next year and to make that 1st shot count again and maybe he can take 1 doe and hold out for 1 bigger buck if he wants ? in our camp we don`t kill every deer we see its fun to just watch what a deer does in our woods ,fields and Tamarac swamp. besides i buy a 1/2 of corn fed Angus steer every fall from a friend and there is no deer as tasty as this beef i buy !


i should mention my grandson will be getting a new BLR 6.5 Creedmoor S.S. I already have for him ,son gets my 30-06 BLR takedown someday too. both very accurate too.

A .257 Weatherby is about the last thing I'd want to haul around these woods to shoot a deer at 50 yards. Some of us don't sit on our ass all day in a stand on private land overlooking wide expanses of real estate. We do like to eat venison however and have found it more filling and better tasting than piles of unfilled tags. You don't need to convince me of how few bucks you kill or how far you need to be able to shoot on the rare occasion you pull the trigger. I have no trouble believing you rarely kill anything. Personally, I fully intend to kill shyt when I go hunting and often do and I know what works to get the job done, whether a meat doe or the biggest buck in these woods.

its wonderful you enjoy shooting every deer small and big and enjoy eating venison Good for you ! > myself i am on a little different plateau in life rather its right or wrong with a grin !

Different strokes for different folks. Nothing wrong with it. I've largely lived on wild game meat my whole adult life and enjoy killing and eating deer every year.

Please give more info on this rifle.

We’ll a bit off base and not cheapest option but I once bought a steel framed 7mm BLR and had it rebarreled to a .358 Norma Mag. It was a thumper and felt comfortable carrying it in Alaska.

Bet it thumped on both ends!

i always wanted a 338 WIN. MAG in a BLR , but a 358 NORMA MAG would be a real animal !