There was a television program - hunting show - that was on a couple of years ago, when the hunting show program began - which was not a bad show - that bragged about the ethical harvesting of game.
It is not ethical to try to shoot a deer at 200 yards away with a 30 - 30 rifle.
Sorry - but that is my opinion.
I think you already knew the answer - but was just looking for someone to validate the fact that you are under gunned and you want to do something that is beyond the reach of a 30 - 30 rifle.
You already knew what the velocity of the bullet is at 200 yards and how much energy the load carries and how much energy is claimed to make a ethical shot.
In a month, when rifle season is here, you will be back here belly aching to us that you shot a nice buck and that it got away or that you shot at a nice buck and missed - and would want us to feel sorry for you.
I guess the goal needs to be - either for you to get a better gun or for you to become a better hunter and get closer to what you want to shoot.
One of the biggest bucks I ever missed was 300 yards away, and all I had was a 35 Remington - same ballistics, just a bigger diameter bullet. I kept shooting - till I ran out of shells. At one point - it was only 150 yards away.
If people wouldn't have told me to aim high or to aim over it's back, I would have got that deer.
The next year, that gun was no longer in my gun cabinet.
There is a big difference between 200 and 300 yds with the 30-30 and 35. You should be absolutely fine with the 30-30 at 200 yds if you put in plenty of practice time and get to know your rifle's trajectory. More importantly, get a good range finder or learn to accurately judge distance in the field.
Always remember that you are unique, just like everyone else.
No Duquensbeer, I did not already know the answer which is why I asked the question. I dont need any validation from you or anyone else that I am undergunnedor not and I dont know if 200 is beyond the range of 30-30 bullet performance which is why I asked the question. Yes I already knew the retained velocity and energy at 200 and how much energy is CLAIMED to be needed to kill BUT do know that a lot of things are CLAIMED and was just asking for first hand experience of bullet performance .Which by the way it sounds like you have none.Sounds to me like all you have is a smart ass reply. Our deer season opens in about a week and no I wont be back in a month or so saying that I shot a nice buck and it got away and I wont be asking anyone Much less you to feel sorry for me. What YOU think my goal needs to be has ABSOLUTELY no bearing to my question and furthermore I do have several 30-06 rifles and you have ABSOLUTELY no Idea of what kind of hunter I am. I am 50 years old and a very ethical hunter which ONCE AGAIN is why I asked for first hand experience and once again sounds like you have none. By the way I have killed deer with Handguns, rifles and homemade bows and suspect I have forgot more about ballistics and hunting than you know. As far as the comment about the 35 Remington at 300 yards is concerned remember I asked about a 30-30 at 200 yards and NOT a 35 A Remington at 300.AND if you knew anything about ballistics you would have known where your bullet was hitting because you would already have shot your rifle at various ranges.Sounds to me like you are the one Belly aching that someone else was to blame for YOU missing the deer. All in all it appears as though you have NOTHING at all to contribute to this post. Instead all you have offered a smart ass comments and also shown your ignorance as to a lot of things including my competency as a hunter .SO feel free to go away.
No Duquensbury, I did not already know the answer which is why I asked the question. I dont need any validation from you or anyone else that I am undergunnedor not and I dont know if 200 is beyond the range of 30-30 bullet performance which is why I asked the question. Yes I already knew the retained velocity and energy at 200 and how much energy is CLAIMED to be needed to kill BUT do know that a lot of things are CLAIMED and was just asking for first hand experience of bullet performance .Which by the way it sounds like you have none.Sounds to me like all you have is a smart ass reply. Our deer season opens in about a week and no I wont be back in a month or so saying that I shot a nice buck and it got away and I wont be asking anyone Much less you to feel sorry for me. What YOU think my goal needs to be has ABSOLUTELY no bearing to my question and furthermore I do have several 30-06 rifles and you have ABSOLUTELY no Idea of what kind of hunter I am. I am 50 years old and a very ethical hunter which ONCE AGAIN is why I asked for first hand experience and once again sounds like you have none. By the way I have killed deer with Handguns, rifles and homemade bows and suspect I have forgot more about ballistics and hunting than you know. As far as the comment about the 35 Remington at 300 yards is concerned remember I asked about a 30-30 at 200 yards and NOT a 35 A Remington at 300.AND if you knew anything about ballistics you would have known where your bullet was hitting because you would already have shot your rifle at various ranges.Sounds to me like you are the one Belly aching that someone else was to blame for YOU missing the deer. All in all it appears as though you have NOTHING at all to contribute to this post. Instead all you have offered a smart ass comments and also shown your ignorance as to a lot of things including my competency as a hunter .SO feel free to go away.
I'm a preacher and couldn't have done that a whole heck of a lot better than that, well played sir, well played.
Selmer
"Daddy, can you sometime maybe please go shoot a water buffalo so we can have that for supper? Please? And can I come along? Does it taste like deer?" - my 3-year old daughter
I took a small whitetail buck at a few steps over 200 yards with a 117 grain factory load in my .25-35. It went maybe five or six yards before it keeled over. Haven't hunted deer with a .30-30 since I was a young teenager, but if the .25-35 can do it, the .30-30 should have no problem!
Ben
Some days it takes most of the day for me to do practically nothing...
No Duquensbury, I did not already know the answer which is why I asked the question. I dont need any validation from you or anyone else that I am undergunnedor not and I dont know if 200 is beyond the range of 30-30 bullet performance which is why I asked the question. Yes I already knew the retained velocity and energy at 200 and how much energy is CLAIMED to be needed to kill BUT do know that a lot of things are CLAIMED and was just asking for first hand experience of bullet performance .Which by the way it sounds like you have none.Sounds to me like all you have is a smart ass reply. Our deer season opens in about a week and no I wont be back in a month or so saying that I shot a nice buck and it got away and I wont be asking anyone Much less you to feel sorry for me. What YOU think my goal needs to be has ABSOLUTELY no bearing to my question and furthermore I do have several 30-06 rifles and you have ABSOLUTELY no Idea of what kind of hunter I am. I am 50 years old and a very ethical hunter which ONCE AGAIN is why I asked for first hand experience and once again sounds like you have none. By the way I have killed deer with Handguns, rifles and homemade bows and suspect I have forgot more about ballistics and hunting than you know. As far as the comment about the 35 Remington at 300 yards is concerned remember I asked about a 30-30 at 200 yards and NOT a 35 A Remington at 300.AND if you knew anything about ballistics you would have known where your bullet was hitting because you would already have shot your rifle at various ranges.Sounds to me like you are the one Belly aching that someone else was to blame for YOU missing the deer. All in all it appears as though you have NOTHING at all to contribute to this post. Instead all you have offered a smart ass comments and also shown your ignorance as to a lot of things including my competency as a hunter .SO feel free to go away.
I'm a preacher and couldn't have done that a whole heck of a lot better than that, well played sir, well played.
Selmer, I am not a preacher but could not agree more that it is a great response to a guy that if you look up his posts, has issues to say the least.
bcraig,
I too am a fan of the 30-30. I agree with most here that it is perfectly good out to 200 yds but believe you have better options in load selection. The Hornady LE ammo is a good option and I feel the 170 gr loads from Rem, Fed, Win would be a better option then the 150's. They are a little slower but found that the 170's expand a bit better IME. When using factory ammo I use the 170's but handload the 170 Nosler Partition which is made for 30-30 speeds. It also comes down to what your gun shoots the best.
I took a nice fat whitetail doe one time with a .30/30 using factory 170 Silvertips at what I guessed was 150 yds., through the spine high up in front of the shoulder- dead by the time she hit the ground. Later, a buddy lasered from where I was sitting to the gut pile and it was 180 yds. Turned out to be the longest shot I ever made on a whitetail, and it was with a .30/30.
"You can lead a man to logic, but you cannot make him think." Joe Harz "Always certain, often right." Keith McCafferty
Anyone got any experience using a 30-30 on whitetail at 200 yards or so ? I would be using factory 150 grain loads(probably Rem corelokts).Although listed close to 2400 fps expect it is actually going about 2200 fps. Know what the round will do at 100 yards and less ,dont need quotations from ballistics tables as I have those, just needing some REAL world experiences with bullet performance at longer ranges.
Can't help a bit on whitetail never shot one that far with a 30-30, howsomeever tho... I have killed muledeer, antelope and elk at 200+ yds with the 30-30 and 150 gr bullets, and it works just fine. I saw somewhere thru this that you'll be using a scope and that will help with accurately placing the bullet. And if you do some actual field shooting with that combo you'll find that putting the bullet into the kill zone on a deer at 300 yds isn't out of the question.
the most expensive bullet there is isn't worth a plug nickel if it don't go where its supposed to. www.historicshooting.com
