Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Elk with the 30-30 Winchester?

I once read an article about a Winchester 1 of 1,000 1876 45-75 in a museum. It was presented to teamster of noted fame for heroic action in the protection of law and order. What was interesting was that the rifle was used to take elk seen along the road from the seat of a wagon. Elk used to feed a town.

Not sure how common such practice was. Likely not too common after 1895?

Pretty good point's been made about the extravagant demands of some types of hunts. Maybe a good argument for using a better suited rifle? I can't remember why the man I discussed in a previous post used his 30-30 for elk. I've seen hunters with lots of fancy shiny new gear. He didn't fit that discription.

One of my Grandad’s buddies brought a friend or cousin to camp one year in the 50’s. He says he was a nice enough young guy who’d never been hunting before.

He went to a sporting goods store and bought some wool clothes, a knife, pack, and a brand new 94 in 30/30. He got the 30/30 because it was cheaper than a bolt action and he wasn’t sure if he was going to like hunting and stick with it.

They sent him up to a clear cut that was starting to grow back over and suggested he sit on a stump and be still and quiet and watch the clearing.

He killed a deer, a forkie if I remember the story right. Got out his knife and got it dressed, threw a rope around it’s neck and started dragging.

When he got to camp he realized he’d forgotten his rifle up on the mountain. Looked for it for several days and never found it. Turns out hunting didn’t stick and he never came back.
So I guess not all old time 30/30 toters were the seasoned, meat hunting, Indian stalking, straight shooting, woodswise types.

Remember the Outdoor Life story where the guy in Alaska killed a charging, humongous, Brown Bear ( or was it an Inland Grizzly?) with his 30-30? Feet away, one shot between the eyes, ha. It "had" to work, ha ha

I never carried a 30-30 liking for elk.
A fellow I know that lives near the Black Hills carried a 25-35 and killed a n elk. He was a kid at the time and his dad had a lot of good elk hunting land. He lied in wait until his elk walked in front of him.
If a 30-30 was the only rifle I owned and I couldn’t beg, borrow or steel something bigger, I’d go with the 30-30 and would be careful to place the bullet where it needed to be.

It has been said before. There has probably been more game, including elk, killed with a 30-30 than any other cartridge.

I used the 170gr Remington.