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30-30 Win 160 gr FTX� LEVERevolution�

According to Hornady's ballistics table, grandpa's 30-30 is a viable 300 yard deer harvesting machine.

Buy one. Lay in a supply of the Hornady pointy ammo, and spend the summer shooting at groundhogs, coyotes and crows. When deer season rolls around, you'll be deadlier than anthrax.

+1 and put an aperature rear sight and a smaller blade sight on it. The aperature will get you on target faster and, atleast for me, became a "must have". Much easier to hit at distance with a little finer front sight, particularly on smaller targets than deer, ie when you try it for varmints. Try the factory sights then try the upgraded sights on targets out to 200 yards or so. You will be surprised at the diference.

For me anyway, scopes belong on bolt guns. They ruin the balance and easy of carry of the M94 that helped it become a classic.

Just before New Year's I took my Winchester '94 to Georgia to harvest my last deer of the season. As mentioned above, I have a peep sight and a big orange front sight that helps 61 y/o eyes. I was shooting those new flex tips that I had reloaded using 160 gr FTX over 32.0gr of AA2520 at about 2300fps (IIRC) Here is the surprise. I shot a doe at about 50 yds, broadside just behind the left shoulder, thru the heart, and out the edge of the right shoulder. I was not prepared for the devastaing tissue destroying holes, especially the exit. Wowzer, that little bullet did more damage than my 7STW!! My first and only deer with a 30/30 (couldnt afford one back in the day) and a salute to the old ways I guess. Just don't think it is a pipsqueak load, especially with these new hornady bullets.

I hand load for my .30-30s, my .32 Special and my .25-35s and would not hesitate to shoot a deer out to 200 with any of them. With my Model 94 .30-30s, I would go out to 300 under the right conditions. One wears a Williams Foolproof receiver sight and the other a Lyman tang sight. Both have gold beads up front. One of my .25-35s also has a Lyman tang sight and an ivory bead up front. I have killed coyotes dumb enough to stand around out to well beyond 200 yards with it. I have yet to try any of Hornady's new ammo or components, but will get around to them eventually.

according to historical account, Tom Horn shot rustlers with regularity beyond 500 yards, of course he used a rifle, not a carbine, the 30-30 model 1894 was his preferred long range rifle

Just remember one thing! Their have been more deer taken down with 3030 then any other rifle.

Well, any other centerfire cartridge, anyway.

Thanks for the correction crimson tide your right.
what the heck was I thinking . I just got caught up in the moment

That would be pretty gol-dang hard to prove and I personally doubt it. The .30-06 has been around almost as long as the .30-30 and has out ranked it in yearly ammunition sales since it first displaced the .30-30 from the #1 spot back in the 1960's.

But, the 30-06 is so fast that most of the time, the bullet just zips through before it can expand...

I agree, the '06 would be close competition, but the good ol' .30-30 has certainly taken it's share. On a personal note, I have killed more with a .30-30 than anything else, but that's me.

I've killed more with the .30-30 than any other cartridge myself. I've owned several .30-06's over the years and still have one in my cabinet. I've killed deer with the old '06 in the past but it's been nothing but a dust collector for the last 10 years or so while my old Marlin .30-30 still collects venison every season.

I've got an '06 I built in May of last year. Zero'd it, and put it away.

This year, a close friend of mine's rifle was being flaky, so I told him to use that '06. He killed 3 deer with and and now wants me to sell it to him. I told him he's welcome to use it, but I'll keep it.

About half the deer I kill is with a .30-30, the other half with all the others I own, combined. That is generally split between my .308 and my Guide gun.

Let's see I think the 3030 centerfire has been around since 1895. That's a lot of deer.

A muzzleloader bullet killed a girl 1 1/2 miles away , so I imagine a 30-30 would do nearly as good.

A 30-30 with a 150 gr. bullet has a remarkably flat practical trajectory.

That's just because them .30/06 scope users have to shoot their scopes in all the time....on the other hand seven million Win 94's, however many Marlins, plus Savage 99's in .30/30...all of them still out there working at it since 1895..

Verg, I live in eastern Montana so my country isn't that much different than yours. I've been shooting and killing deer and antelope (and elk, moose, bighorn, a wolf, etc...) with lever actions for going on 50 years. I started with a .25-20, then carried a .25-35 for years, and have had several .30-30s. My present truck gun is a Model 94 cut down to 18" with a William FireSight on front. I filled my deer A and B tags with it this year. I have several Marlins including the new .308ME. Even with open sights if you practice and get to know the load you are shooting you can be pretty confident out to 225 yards. Just look at it as the challenge of "hunting" as opposed to the skill of "shooting." There is nothing more satisfying than cleaning taking game with a firearm you have an affection for. With the new gummy-tip bullets you can certainly be confident to 200 yards, so, go for it!

And antelope, and sheep, and goats, and elk, and moose, and bear.

Despite all the talk of long shooting with a 94 and irons, probably 125 yd. would be my max distance with the 94..NOT from lack of power but due to the iron sights...while it is possible to hit at a much greater distance, a misque and the animal suffers..I have used my old Marlin 24" half mag. with a 4x scope quite a bit..due to the better sighing I have taken antelope and deer out to 175 yd' with little problem..the cartridge can do it, but the sights on the old 94 leave much to be desired for me...as for the cartridge, I found the old .30-30 to be a much more reliable killer than the newer 243 or even the 250 savage..it is a great rifle and caliber if we use it responsibly....