Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Deer hunting with a 30-30

My grandfather gave me a Winchester 1894, made in 1942, when I turned 12yrs old. I was born in 1942 so have always kept the gun. It has been a "safe queen" over the years, but I have recently loaded some of the new Hornady 160gr evolution (sp?) bullets and at the range it impressed me with its group. I will have to take that old rifle out this year for another adventure.

I've killed two with the mighty .30 WCF, both at shortish range.
First one with Imperial 170-grain factory ammo. The rifle was a vintage 1920 Model 1894 SRC my grandfather inherited when his youngest brother died in 1932. Shot was 15 yards facing me. The bullet entered between the chest and shoulder muscles and took out one lung and the heart. The doe did a 20-yard death dash and collapsed.
The other was shot with my 1958 Marlin 336A. The load was a 150 Speer FP over 36 grains of Reloder 15. She was broadside at 30 yards, maybe 40. Dropped to the shot, DRT, and didn't so much as kick.
Longest shot I've seen was in Alberta about 20 years ago. My buddy staked out a field, and I hung back in a clearing a ways away. I went out when I heard his rifle. He had shot a decent buck at 260-odd paces on level ground; we figured an honest 210 yards. Rifle was a Win 94 with a Williams 5D peep sight, using Remington 170-grain CoreLokt ammo.
My younger brother lives in Northwestern Ontario and has used our Grandfather's rifle (the one I borrowed to shoot the doe) to kill a whole slew of big deer and a couple of moose; until 5 years ago when he bought a Savage 110 in .30-06, it was his only centrefire.

Hunted with a 30-30 for several years, killed a few deer. My dad hunted with a 1954 Marlin 336RC and did very well with it. Got that one in the safe, almost took it out this year.

Did take out an old Savage 1899 in 303 Savage, like Dog Hunter says they are the same as a 30-30. This was loaded up with 150gr Hornady RN and H4895 and the little guy dropped like a rock.

I was kind of late to the game as far as using the .30-30 for deer. It wasn't that I didn't think it would work, just that my experiences led me to "better" rounds for the same job the .30-30 is so good at.

I grew up hunting in Deep East Texas where the woods were increadably thick and shots close. We mostly ran dogs in those days before the timber companies "raped" the land and opened things up. Shots were almost always 50 yards or less (100 yards was considered a loooooong shot) at fast moving targets. Shotguns with buckshot were the standard weapon of choice and the only rifles seen were mostly lever action carbines in .30-30.

I probably would have also started my rifle hunting career with a .30-30 except for one of my early mentors. A reclusive man who lived alone and hunted alone took a liking to me as a kid and taught me about still hunting, tree stands (unheard of in those days).....and "proper" deer rifles.

The first time I saw his personal rifle (he never used shotguns....said they wounded too many deer) I said something complementory about his .30-30 Winchester 94. You'd have thought I'd just cursed his mother!

He informed me that although the .30-30 "would" kill a deer...in a pinch....why would anyone use a "weaker" round like the .30-30 when you could get a much better round in the same rifle. His rifle, I learned, was the more powerful .32 Special!

He told me it hit harder, killed quicker and bled 'em out better than any .30-30. His motto was , "bigger is better' and said he'd shot a .35 if it came in the Model 94 (I learned later "his" dream was to find a .38-55 Model 94).

I was allowed to borrow that .32 Special to kill a few deer and when I bought my own carbine a few years later I naturally went with the .35 Remington (I chose the Marlin 336). I later switched to a Marlin 336 in .44 Magnum.

From my own use and seeing the results of others, I found my friend was right....bigger IS better. I agree that the .30-30 was effective on deer, but (even though ballistics "experts" say differently) there is a slight but definite edge as far as power and killing in the .32 Special....and the .35 Rem. and .44 Magnum are head and shoulders better at less than 100 yards.

I later moved on to "real" deer rifles (.30-06 and such) and used the brush carbines less. It was only when I found a Savage 99 chambered in .30-30 that I finally used the round on deer. I have killed a half-dozen with that rifle and, as my mentor said, it kills deer quite well.....just not as well as his old .32 Special.

The first rifle I ever bought was a 336c, for $159. I beat the crap out of the stock, and re-finished it a couple years ago:








I'm glad I never sold it, on the new ones the wood is nothing like the older ones.

Over the years the old .30-30 has been used on p.dogs,rockchucks, coyotes, mt.lion, antelope, whitetail and mule deer..most use a Marlin with a 24 in barrel and half mag.with 150 WW ammo..also used a 94 carbine some..for under 200 yards, i like it better than 243 cal. rifles...also used a 32 spl. some...my best animal with the Marlin was a nice 3x3 mulie with a 150 grain WW Silvertip..

The Marlins are sweet, and not particularly complex mechanically. I had an opportunity to buy a 336ADL made in the '50s in 35 Rem in like-new condition for $400 but declined. I regret that decision.

Is the 336ADL the one without the floorplate...?

Yeah, yeah...that's the one. No floorplate. Uh huh. :rolleyes:

I'll only point this one at myself, since I know that none here suffer under the same delusion.

I have hesitated so long to hunt with the old .30 WCF because deep down, everytime I go off into the woods with a rifle in my hand, I want to feel connected with the legendary riflemen this country has seen over the years. Daniel Boone, David Crockett, Billy Dixon, and Carlos Hathcock.

Now, in order to do that, you gotta be able to hit stuff far away. Am I right? Well, in my feeble mind, you can't perform the stuff of legends without the proper tools. Meaning, at least in my mind, that the .30 WCF was out.

So I hunted with lots of other stuff. Mostly "Modern" stuff, such as the .243, 257 Roberts, 7mm/08, .280, .308, and .30-06. I sprinkled in a .25-06, .270 and .270 WSM just to be able to say I was an equal opportunity shooter, but the truth is that I am an inveterate "experimenter". I like using different tools to do a job and see how each of them work. I found that all the cartridges mentioned above work in a ROUGHLY similar fashion.

But a nagging reality has bounced around in my head for all these years. Out of 40 or so deer I have taken, only one stands out as a shot I couldn't have realistically taken and made with the .30-30. I could have been kicked less, had my ears ring less, carried a lighter rifle and paid less for ammunition and components all this time.

I wouldn't take anything for the limited experiences I have gathered so far, but I have learned something this year that will definitely stay with me if I am fortunate enough to see future hunting seasons.

The old .30 WCF (or .30-30)is a very practical deer killing machine.

Have dispatched a few via the 30-30. Including my first buck five years ago. Its a great round that though not the most popular these day likely will never die.

just took a addax with mine. hornady lever ammo. in one side out the other. never took a step.

You know, since you mentioned it, I can only think of 2-3 antelope, an impala and 1 deer I could have not killed with a 30-30. Coyotes/fox excluded. There have been times a scope was needed (dawn/dusk) but as far as range goes very few critters I have killed couldn't have been killed by a 30-30. That doesn't mean I am about to go sell everything else but it is interesting.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I'm not ready to give up my other stuff completely, but I did enjoy a show on the outdoor channel a week or so ago, where some dude bumped off a moose with a Marlin .30-30. Good show.

I'm not too good at taking pics, but these are the last 3 deer I shot. All were taken with a 30-30, shooting handloaded Hornady 160 gr Flextips.

My Marlin 30.30 is my favorite hunting rifle. It was made in 1953 and shoots great. I have neen using the new Leverevolution ammo since it came out and I continue to get great results with it. I can't imagine a better rifle for N.C. mountain whitetails than a levergun in 30.30. I will be toting one this Saturday!

Got both my 1st deer and elk with the 30-30's identical twin - the 32 Win Spcl in model 94. It was a pretty good little gun.

In any camp. Don,t mess with the man that ownes only one gun.

My first time hunting I used the ever classic pre-64 1894 Winchester in 30-30.

It was light to carry and the top eject was way cool. Maybe I should ask if I can shoot it again.