Speaking of.30-30’s, someday the last elk will be killed with a .30-30. When will that be?


To put it another way, how many elk do you think were killed with .30-30’s last year?


Do you know anyone who killed an elk with a .30-30 last year?


How about in the last 5 years?


Ten?

My Uncle killed an elk with a 30-30 50 years ago. Other than that I don't know of one. I have carried a 30-30 for deer in the last few years with 170g NPT loaded just in case I came upon an elk.

What I want to know is how these elk are getting hold of a 30-30 in the first place.

I've been hunting over 40 years, and I have never seen a cervid possessing a firearm of any kind. Somebody must be pretty well cracked in the head for giving a rifle to a. . .



. . . oh, I get it. Nevermind.

I know of a Wyoming cowboy who killed his elk with his 30-30 last season, and I know a man and son who did it (again) in Idaho last season

I once shot an elephant in my pajamas.

Indigenous peoples killed big game with rocks and stone tipped spears, not always with great success and sometimes hazardous to the hunter.

Why would one use a spear or .30-30 for large game animals when far better implements are more effective and available? Asking for a friend….

yes my son shot a huge bull elk with his bow ,but i am still not using a 30-30 for deer or elk, i have better rifles and cartridges. as far as the cowboy who killed an elk with his 30-30 probably shot that elk by a hay stack out of the truck ? and this cowboy has all season to kill an elk from where he lives , most of us have a week or two hunt elk .

Seems the 30-30, is being sold short

I've found it does all that ever needs to be done to a deer at the ranges I normally shoot them.

I can be that friend !

a 30-30 leaves me stone cold .

Jerry

sometimes i need to make that one shot at 300 - 500 yards and it will be with my Ruger # 1 257 Weatherby mag. this cartridge with my handloads 30 feet or 500 yards it will get the job done on a good buck and i won`t have to follow a blood trail too far either or that buck might just drop right there dead, that`s why i no longer use a 30-30 . i still own my Win. lever 30 -30 and i also have bowhunted for now over 55 years so i know how to get close to deer and elk., so when i rifle hunt with my #1 i only shoot bigger bucks and that won`t be every year and to honest i have shot more big bucks with my bow in my lifetime.

Because a 30-30 just plain works. I've seen 30-06's not exit a deer, never seen a 30-30 not exit

The bullet construction works exceedingly well at 30-30 velocities

What bothers me are the ideas, not only of elk going extinct, but that the.30-30 will be the one to finish the job.

At the rate humans breed, Elk will be extinct in the wild within 200 years.

There will be no 30-30s or any guns by then as it will be a Solent green world.

Unless the Chinese perfect thier "kills all but Mongols" virus first.

A .30-30 is just a .30-06 startin' at b/t 200 and 250 yds, depending on the bullet shape.

Why wouldn't it work out to 150 yds.?




GR

I suspect because a lot of "modern: hunters haven't used it much--if at all.

When I take a walk with a receiver sighted .30-30, the rifle is is so easy to carry I can focus on the walk and not the rifle. It's as easy as carrying a stick; balances perfectly and fits well in the hand. And, I aint helpless.

I’d shoot any elk that walks the earth with a 30/30 and complete confidence out to 150 yards or so. Elk are made of blood and muscles just like everything else, put one in the pump house and get out your knife.

I’d guess you don’t hear about the elk killed with a 30/30 too often because the guy who uses one probably isn’t the type to post everything or even anything on a forum or other form of social media.

Maybe that guy with the .30-30 is a more skilled stalker and hunter than the guy in his Stika gear, Nightforce scope, and 6.8 Western. He didn't buy his skill.

Good point, TheKid. It does seem that for many in my area of the world, the scoped bolt action .243 or even a .223 has filled the niche of the carry everywhere, do everything utility rifle. More reach on coyotes and effective on deer. Know a few who use ARs in that role too. But for a walkabout, I sure like a little .30 WCF carbine with a receiver sight.

Never killed an elk with a 30-30, but not for lack of trying. As a kid I carried a Marlin 336 most always , no matter what I was hunting. In fact my only Couse deer and longhorn fell to it. At 12 I guess I didn't know anybetter, but sure had a lot of fun. Was never able to put the elk, me and hunting season all together in those days. I would gladly hunt elk again with the Marlin, and I am sure it will do the job if all the rest comes together.

You'll never see a deer from 300 yards where I hunt. I've killed over 80 deer with my .30-30's and never had one go more than 75 yards after the shot yet. Most go down in less than 50 yards and while I've rarely needed a blood trail, the few times I did it was always there. If I need/want one to drop right there, I shoot high shoulder, neck or head. That is regardless of what cartridge the rifle in my hands is chambered for because I've seen plenty run after being shot through the lungs with everything from a .22 mag. to a 338.

My grandfather shot mountain goats with a 30-30 and sold them to the tavern in the Alaskan Gold Rush.

My copy of this newspaper is so yellow that it is orange
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/...95060032/00279526144/1911092301/0331.pdf

My grandfather is mentioned in the story. That story grew for 100 years until we read the paper.

^ ^ ^ ^ this ^ ^ ^ ^

The myth that a 30/30 runs out of steam at 100 yards
and turns down into the ground gets repeated and
recycled every year and every time a new hunter picks
up a magazine or watches a video.
The people killing animals with 30/30's are usually
busy cutting them up and getting them in the freezer
rather than posting them on their farcebook page.
I don't feel handicapped with one

I own a 30-30. It's a 336 Marlin. And I am not a new hunter. I am 55 years old and have been hunting whitetails here in Alabama since I was a child. Not sure how many I have killed but well over a hundred. Killed them with a recurve and a compound bow. Killed them with muzzleloaders. Killed them with buckshot back in the dog hunting days. Killed them with a 243, 25-06, 7mm-08, 30-30, 35 Rem, 7.62x54R, 8mm Mauser, 45-70, 30-06, and a 7mm Mag.

And my opinion of the 30-30's performance on deer is a resounding, meh. They die, eventually. Often a 100 yards away out through a briar thicket where you have to locate them with a flashlight and a scant or non existant blood trail in the dark.

Maybe this is the problem for me. My personal Marlin 336 will not group any 150 grain bullets worth a flip. It will however shoot 170 grain Winchester power points well enough. Nothing to brag about but more than adequate for a 150 yard cartridge. Our Alabama bucks typically weigh about 170 pounds and the does considerably less than that. Maybe these 170 gran 30-30 bullets at such a low velocity just don't expand very well on our deer. Because my experience has been caliber size exit holes and long sparce blood trails.

To me even a 243 leaves the 30-30 in the dust when it comes to deer. Never understood the love for the cartridge outside of nostalgia for using the same lever action rifle that grandpappy used to own. Whenever I carry a lever gun in the woods now I take my 45-70. A slow bullet doesn't need to expand as much when it starts out 15 calibers larger. LOL!

Try some different bullets or ditch that .30-30. It doesn't seem it shoots very well from your description. My own 336 consistently shoots sub MOA 3 shot groups at 100 yards. I too have killed a lot of deer. Well over 200 in total and with several different cartridges. My experience with the .30-30 has been very positive as told in my post above. I have not seen that the big bores I've used put them on the ground any quicker than the .30-30 either. That would include many killed with 12 gauge slugs, 44 magnum, .50 caliber muzzleloader and .35 Remington. I also have a .243 and have killed several deer with that cartridge over the years. In no way has it proven more effective for me than the .30-30. In fact I am more comfortable at woods ranges with a .30-30 as I have gotten more consistent exits and consequently more consistent blood trails with the .30-30 than with the .243. All of this is on NY deer which I would think would average heavier than your Alabama deer. If the .30-30 didn't work completely satisfactorily for me, my .308 and .30-06 would have spent more time in the woods than they have.

You'll never see a deer from 300 yards where I hunt. I've killed over 80 deer with my .30-30's and never had one go more than 75 yards after the shot yet. Most go down in less than 50 yards and while I've rarely needed a blood trail, the few times I did it was always there. If I need/want one to drop right there, I shoot high shoulder, neck or head. That is regardless of what cartridge the rifle in my hands is chambered for because I've seen plenty run after being shot through the lungs with everything from a .22 mag. to a 338.


i buck hunt near the Canadian border in Minnesota deep in a huge Tamarac WET swamp that i have cut 2 - 300 yard shooting lanes by hand with chainsaw and hand saw, the only way to get a bigger buck out of this nasty Tamarac swamp is with a J8 Bombardier track machine that most people have never even seen ,rode in and probably have no ideal how to use or drive, i have dragged bucks out by hand alone when i was young but not anymore. its no place for a 30-30 or a place to shoot little deer ,its cold, wet, snow, many times below zero and its best to kill the buck quickly and get the Bombardier ! but if you just wanna shoot a deer a 30-30 is fine, i no longer hunt just any deer when i go to the Tamarac swamp to hunt, i like a bigger cartridge to kill a bigger buck sometimes those old bucks die hard. i also won`t brag on how many deer,bucks or what cartridges or bow i have used or post pictures, i am just a hunter who stated my reason for not using a 30-30 i have nothing to prove but my 257 Weatherby mag. will kill
bigger bucks dang hard and farther away too than a 30-30 ever will , its a free world use what ever you want bow or rifle, i hate long blood trails at night and during the day when i should be waiting and watching for a nice buck. good luck to all,Pete53
.

Well we ain't allowed to cut 300 yard shooting lanes through our State forests and wilderness areas here. Neither are we allowed to drag them out with ATV's. I've killed some darn big bucks back in those woods with my .30-30's and brought them out by hand. I don't hunt from stands much and I'll be damned if I'm hauling around a magnum rifle with a pole vault of a barrel just to shoot a deer at 50 yards.

Within parameters there's nothing wrong with the 30-30.

I killed my first moose with a 336. I'd still have it if it wasn't sleeping with the fishes. I killed my first deer with a 94, in 1966. Nothing with it since, but I still have it, and use it for a walkabout rifle up here.

I should probably kill something with it again. It's majorly pouting.

As said, most of us prefer something upslope to the 30-30 for hunting, especially in more open country.

Actually, I used the 94 for caribou hunting last fall, opening day. Killed a wounded cow that came by us from up-valley at 294 yards with the .260 my son was carrying. Swapped the 94 out the next day for M70 in 7x57, and killed another caribou at 15 yards.

It's under consideration again for 2021... I know where I'll sit if I take the 94 for a 100 yard or so shot {aperture sight) at passing caribou.. There is a cave a few hundred yards away to spend the night before in, if I wish.

And the big guy is watching.

The Merriam's Elk was hunted to extinction and many were shot with 30-30s. This became a favorite cartridge of professional meat hunters shortly after it was introduced.

I like the 30-30 for deer and hogs and think it is just about ideal for a walking/stalking type rifle. It is effective all out of proportion compared to it's paper ballistics.

As JB points out in an article on the .30-30, it was considered a high velocity round when it was introduced....suspect as people doubted those little high velocity bullets could be effective. It may not be a .257 WBY, but it's no .44-40 either.

Back when we were young, a friend of mine acquired a 92 Winchester that had been altered to .44 Magnum. He thought that he really had something powerful until we compared its data to that of my 94 in .30-30.

Your milage may vary but a 243 with a 100 grain bullet has significantly more foot pounds of energy at any distance than a 30-30 with a 150 grain bullet does and has more foot pounds of energy at 400 yards than the 30-30 does at 150 yards. I know that energy levels aren't the only factor but the level of impact energy a bullet strikes with does directly affect things like bullet expansion and tissue trauma. More internal damage to lungs, heart and major blood vessels tend to cause more rapid death. Not to mention the 243 having a way flatter trajectory.

i own the land, so i can cut lanes i want and these bucks have a chance to grow bigger including the smaller deer ,i see no reason for me to shoot little deer anymore i let the ladies and kids take a few smaller deer.in my family. but i will always use my one shot Magnum no track`em rifle back in the Tamarack swamp. ATV`S can`t get back in my Tamarack swamp need a track machine like a J8 Bombardier and muck boots on to get a nice buck out. another thing big Whitetail bucks are dang sneaky and very nervous so stand hunting many times works best up here in the North/snow country. glad you shot some nice bucks,Pete53

A flatter trajectory doesn't count for squat in these woods. A .30-30 does plenty of damage to internal organs for quick, reliable kills and typical 170 grain .30-30 bullets reliably exit, even when put through both shoulders or at steep quartering angles. I can't say the same for ordinary 100 grain cup and core .243 bullets at typical woods ranges. I'm sure better/more reliable penetration could be attained with a mono metal or premium bullet from a .243 but I get plenty with ordinary core lokts or similar from my .30-30. In fact, the only 170 grain .30-30 bullet I ever recovered out of dozens of deer taken was from a lengthwise shot and it still nearly went through.

IMO & for my purpose that ^^^ is the most important
difference for the 243 and faster cartridges.

After all Elk & Moose have been killed with the 30-30
& other pipsqueek cartridges.

Now before ‘someone’ says..”learn how to hunt”,
I’ve killed deer from 12’ (feet) and nearly all other
distances out to 400 yds.

Slow bullets are not flat shooters.

Jerry

I agree jwall ! give me the flat fast cartridge like my 257 Weatherby mag. shoots 100 grain Nosler Partition 3800 fps, i have killed a nice buck out too 700 yards and that buck was witness by 2 VIET NAM Marine vets and one of them hunted with Carlos Hathcock in NAM too. i have killed many decent bucks 200-400 yards. the thing about this rifle 30 feet to 400 yards there is no guess work and very little tracking many times the buck just goes down dead . i am and have always been in good shape by hunting season so a heavier magnum rifle is no problem to carry many miles for me even at my age of 67 .

as was posted >> slow bullets are not flat shooters , Speed Kills , Pete53

I like the point early in this thread about the bowhunter kills. Many thousands of hunters kill elk with their bows and arrows every year (and I have been blessed to be one of them), and I bet there are very few of them that would not have been better served with a 30-30 loaded with a Nosler 170 Partition than their arrow. And how many more of them would have killed the elk they either lost or declined to even shoot had they been carrying the 30-30 instead? Thinking back, I can recall half a dozen fine bulls I would almost certainly have put in the freezer had I held my M-94 in my hands rather than my longbow.
This is just a thought game but it points out that in the hands of careful hunters being choosy about their shots, the 30-30 has all it takes.

Cheers,
Rex

I've killed enough deer with enough different cartridges to know this much is fact. If you have trouble killing deer at woods ranges with a .30-30, it ain't the cartridges fault.

Agreed and just like the bow...within its range.

Jerry

QUESTION ?so your hunting with your lever 30-30 for deer and you happen to see a very nice buck but this buck is 250 - 300 yards away and there is no way to get any closer to this buck . will you pass or shoot ? most hunters will take a shot or two and most of the time with a 30-30 the buck will be missed or is wounded and probably lost. but for a HUNTER or myself with a bi-pod which i use all the time i take the one shot with my magnum or even a 30-06 or a 257 Roberts and kill the buck . so truthfully why would most hunters buy and use a 30-30 just to claim your the great white hunter ? We should all want a good clean kill with one shot ? i have a new lever in a Browning BLR 6.5 Creedmoor that` s even a much better cartridge than any 30-30 lever,plus this BLR has a clip/magazine for cartridges so the end of the bullets don`t get bent up either like a tube fed lever rifle .SO THINK ABOUT THIS ?

Hunting in a forest with no fields or power line cuts you are extremely unlikely to see anything 250 yards away. Years ago when I hunted farm land I killed several deer at ranges between 200 and 250 yards with my .30-30 and one at just over 300. One shot apiece and yes I had a witness to the 300 yard kill. It was the only centerfire rifle I had at the time and I learned to make it work. Schlep that magnum rifle around the state forest here and the only thing you'll accomplish over someone armed with a .30-30 is ruining more venison. His deer will be every bit as dead as yours.

Pete53, on a hunt where getting a deer was the main goal, see your point. But many times my reason for going out is to spend an enjoyable day in the country, and if I miss an opportunity because my rifle isn't up to the job, I'm ok with that. I've passed up deer I could have easily taken as well as deer a little out of range for that reason. I'm not talking about an expensive hunt, but a Saturday to get out in the hills 1/2 hour away and coulee walk. Might bring a deer home, might not......objective is to get away from this phone and my computer. And an open sighted carbine is perfect for that.

A 30-30 is most definitely ballistically capable of taking a deer at 200 to 300 yards

What if you see a very nice buck that is 100 to 150 yards beyond the comfort level that you have with your new Browning?

Touche'

JMHO- if I don't have enough personal discipline and
morals of an ethical hunter that I can't pass on an
obvious marginal shot whether it be a furry 4 footed
animal, or a fowl of whatever kind, well I probably
don't belong in the field
Who all tries 90 yard waterfowl shots ?
60 yard quail ?
If you let a big gobbler walk is life over and done with ?

Funny how the scope twidlers don't buy in on a thread like this.

We drown hours a week with 500-1000 yard expertise and choke on a deer at past 200 with a 30/30. I load Barnes 150gn cave points in mine and it is fine for its intended purpose in the lower 48. Never was intended for a Rocky Mountain cross valley shot so what's the issue here?

I can kill a deer with a 22. But is it the best tool for the job? Nope. Neither is the 30-30. It's a pretty anemic, unremarkable round that was surpassed long ago by calibers that don't kick any worse and kill much better. People used to drive Model T cars and they were quite the cats meow back in their day. But thankfully there are better options now.

My advice to anyone trying a 30-30 in the thick briar country here in Alabama is bring a good flashlight, some good briar britches and a machete. LOL!

LMAO. Anybody who can't kill deer very thoroughly dead quickly and dependably with a .30-30 either needs shooting lessons or deer anatomy lessons, one or the other. The .30-30 works about as well as anything at shorter woods ranges. Oh and BTW, I have killed numerous deer with .22LR and .22 mag. and trust me a .30-30 allows a much broader range of bullet placement options/angles than either.

A 30/30 blows large wound channels through deer and kills them grave yard dead

I can kill a deer with a 22. But is it the best tool for the job? Nope. Neither is the 30-30. It's a pretty anemic, unremarkable round that was surpassed long ago by calibers that don't kick any worse and kill much better. People used to drive Model T cars and they were quite the cats meow back in their day. But thankfully there are better options now.

My advice to anyone trying a 30-30 in the thick briar country here in Alabama is bring a good flashlight, some good briar britches and a machete. LOL! [/quote]

^^^ THIS ^^^

AGREED where i hunt in a wet cold Tamarack swamp bring your flashlight ,muck boots , machete and hand warmers if you hunt with a 30-30.

^^^ THIS ^^^

AGREED where i hunt in a wet cold Tamarack swamp bring your flashlight ,muck boots , machete and hand warmers if you hunt with a 30-30.[/quote]

Never ever had a problem dropping a deer with a 30/30

[quote/] where i hunt in a wet cold Tamarack swamp bring your flashlight ,muck boots , machete and hand warmers if you hunt with a 30-30.[/quote]


Gosh I killed a huge 9 point buck way back in a hemlock swamp with a .30-30 in 2011 and didn't need a machete or hand warmers. In fact, he never got out of my sight after a hard angling shot that entered the flank forward of the hind quarters, went through guts, liver, lungs and broke the off shoulder. Dragged him out of there by hand too. Had him done in a European mount that hangs in my living room now.

Yes and no.

Yes, it can blow large wound channels.

No. It doesn't necessarily kill them straight off.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to say a 30-30 is ineffective, but I did have an experience where I shot a small doe from a treestand with a Marlin 336. I put multiple shots into her while she just stood there. The end result was watching her walk off with a softball-sized hole in her chest and an 8 foot spurter coming out of her. She wandered about 40 yards, and finally keeled over.

The details are here: Ode to a 30-30 PT III

Another thing I will say is that 30-30 used to be the chambering of choice in my part of the world. Our camp is in SW Bracken County KY, in ZONE 1. We have unlimited antlerless deer permits. It is an opportunity-rich environment. The number of shot strings on the Rifle Opener is phenomenal-- 3/minute on a good one. Back 20 years ago the vast majority of neighbors shot 30-30 and you would hear multiple shots coming from the same place as somebody unloaded their mag at a deer. Over 20 years, those guys have retired from hunting or moved on. The weapon of choice nowadays is 30-06 and 308 and you seldom hear more than 2 shots coming from the same direction at once. Hunter numbers have gone down over the years. Harvest numbers have gone up.

Does that mean that 30-30 was ineffective? No. Did it mean all my neighbors were booger-eating morons? No. What I will say about these 30-30 arguments is that too often I hear pronouncements about 30-30's and various other over-discussed topics, and the guys poo-pooing a perfectly legitimate position come off sounding rather isolated and close-minded.

I've experimented with a bunch of deer rifles and chamberings over the years. Some have been spectacularly good. I'd say my latest, experiment, the 7mm08 was a hands-down winner. Others, like the 44 Mag, have been about what you'd expect. If you look in my reloading log, you'll probably find more experimental 30-30 loads than any other. Yes, I've taken deer with it, but I always found it a little wanting, and I have always figured I could do better.

Am I going to give up on 30-30? No, I'll keep at it. I dig my 30-30 rifles, and want to succeed with them. However, I had to finally admit that there were going to be better chamberings for me.

Those kinds of things can happen occasionally with any cartridge. Chances are that doe would have died just as quickly and gone no further if you'd have stopped shooting after the first shot. She was dead on her feet and just didn't know it. I had a similar experience many years ago with 12 gauge foster slugs. Pumped 4 of them through the lungs of a young buck from 30 yards before he finally figured out he was in a bad spot, trotted off 40 yards and keeled over. Another time I put a 12 gauge foster slug through both lungs of a broadside doe and watched her run 250 yards across a field before she went down. That's the farthest I've ever had a lung shot deer go with any cartridge. Do you suppose that means 12 gauge slugs aren't good deer killers at close range ? I have also used many different cartridges to kill deer over the last 44 years including .22LR, .22 mag., 5mm Remington rimfire mag., .222, .223, .22-250, .243, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7x57 mm Mauser, .30-30, .308, .30-06, .357 mag., .35 Rem., .44 mag., 20 gauge and 12 gauge slugs and I can't say any have really been more effective at woods ranges than the .30-30. Just last season I had a doe run 50-60 yards after taking a 150 gr. Federal Fusion bullet from my .30-06 through the lungs. I've had many others do the same with everything from .222 on up. The year before I shot a middling sized 7 point buck through both shoulders with one of those same bullets out of my .30-06 and recovered it from under the hide on the far side. That buck dropped instantly, just as it would have with the same shot placement from my .30-30 but I'm quite sure a 170 grain bullet out of my .30-30 would have exited as it has numerous times on even bigger bucks in the past. I am every bit as confident of making meat going into the woods with my .30-30 during deer season as I am with any other rifle in my safe. It has worked and worked well too many times in the past for me to feel any differently.

I'd be the first to say that inside 50 yards, just about anything will work on a whitetail-- give or take.

We're pretty well in agreement. My point was that 30-30 is not always dead-nuts certain proposition, and it isn't necessarily the hunter's fault.

The only cartridge I ever used that put every single deer I ever shot with it down instantly was the .22LR and that's only because every one was head shot.

You can do better. And the 7mm-08 you mentioned is a fine replacement. Vastly superior to the 30-30 with little if any increase in recoil. I have one as well and it's about perfect for deer hunting in Alabama.



Odd that all the deer I shot with a 30-30 had a hole tight behind their shoulders when I found them. Always thought that was a perfectly fine place to hit a deer but apparently you know some secret place to shoot them that we newbies that have only been doing this for 45 years or more are unaware of.

Also odd that the deer I shoot with a 7mm-08, 25-06, 45-70 or a 30-06 tend to go one direction.....straight down. Weird track record with those calibers considering that I can't shoot for chit and apparently don't know where a deer's vitals are. LOL!

The last straw for me with a 30-30 was the day I shot a big doe while sitting over a green patch. She was one of 7 feeding in the patch. 70 yards broadside.. Put the crosshairs right in the crease behind her shoulder BLAM! Every deer in the patch hauled ass except the one I shot. She just stood there looking around like , "What was that" but showing no sign of being hit. So I jacked another round in the chamber and settled the crosshairs tight behind the shoulder again. Blam! This time she took off and ran straight out of the back of the patch. I gathered up my gear and climbed down from my treestand. Out in the middle of the patch where she had been standing...no blood. Followed her path from there to where she ran out of the back of the patch (about 40 yards). No blood. In the thicket behind the patch was a virtual maze of deer trails. Finally found her by just systematically following every trail. Finally about 50 yards out one of them I found a little blood and then found her about 20 yards farther on past that one patch of blood. She had two holes tight behind her right shouler you could have covered with a 50 cent piece. The exit holes on the other side were no bigger than the entrance holes. What little blood she had put on the ground back up the trail appeared to have been blown out her nose after her lungs finally filled up with blood. A less experienced or lazy hunter might well have thought he missed and not kept looking. I knew there was no way she wasn't hit however. If this were an isolated incident I would treat it as such. But this was the third hunt in which deer ran farther than normal without leaving much if any blood to follow. Hell, the deer I have shot with my compound bow typically only run 40 to 60 yards and leave a way better blood trail than the dirty thirty.

Now I'm not saying that the 30-30 is worthless. If you had a sick or crippled dog youn needed to put down then I'm sure it would do fine for that so long as you aim for the head. LOL!

Had the same thing happen using a .308. Maybe it was because they both had Winchester in the name. miles

Just the fact that you say all the deer you shoot with a .30-06, 7mm-08. .25-06 or 45-70 go straight down tells me you're either a praying man shooting at deer with a mighty sinful past, shooting them all CNS or a bold faced liar. You see, I have shot a fair number of them with a .30-06 and 7x57 {identical ballistics to your magic 7-08} myself and have seen a bunch of them run after well placed shots through the lungs with both. Just as I've come to expect with any cartridge, including the .30-30. Perhaps different bullets are in order for your .30-30. Maybe one of the 150 or 125 grain hp's would expand better on your little Alabama deer. I tend to switch when I see indications of poor bullet performance with any cartridge.

put it this way if you have a open mind ? my Ruger #1 - 257 Weatherby mag. in my hands will kill a big whitetail buck or a bull elk easier with my one single shot faster right behind the front shoulder at any distance much better than any 30-30 ever made can rather its 30 feet or 500 yards . > yes as a kid i used a 30-30 lever with no safety and killed deer , but for a kid these old levers are dangerous to use for kids and many adults with no decent safety when unloading, if you love your kids or grandkids buy them a rifle with a safety at least ! >and no you have not been trolled <

Hey Rip Van Winkle, they've been making lever guns with safeties for unloading for 38 years now. Bring that .257 Weatherby to the Adirondacks. The locals will get a kick out of it.

I said they "tend" to go straight down. A word that literally translates as something that usually happens but not always. Maybe they never covered such nuanced words as "tend" before you dropped out of school in the third grade. Perhaps a remedial English class at a local community college would help you to better comprehend the written word of the land you live in. LOL!

I'm not the one who has trouble killing little bitty deer with a .30-30 dummy. LMFAO.

Don't cry. No one is trying to stop you from masturbating to pictures of your grand pappy's leveraction. LOL! Now run along and find that community college.

That special ed diploma you got obviously didn't help much when it comes to practical skills like hunting, shooting and the study of anatomy. LOL

Yeah the deer I kill with a bow require no hunting skill at all. Hell, I'm just climbing random trees and flinging sticks with my eyes closed. Miracle I have killed as many deer with it as I have considering I apparently don't know where their heart and lungs are. LOL! But I'd way rather climb a tree with my compound bow or recurve than a 30-30. If I'm going to handicap myself I'd rather use a bow. At least a broadhead leaves a blood trail.

This look like it's getting close to blackheart threatening to beat someone up.

He's gone have to whoop some ass if I keep trashing grand pappy's turdy turdy. LOL!

If you weren't a f a g g o t you'd hunt on your feet like a man.

[/quote] If you weren't a f a g g o t you'd hunt on your feet like a man.
[/quote]

Sorry I don't swing your way there Liberace. Try a San Francisco based website if you are trolling for a date.

Willto is living proof that even a retard can kill deer in a state with a season that lasts damn near half the year and has one of the highest deer densities in the nation. Even if he can't shoot worth a shyt and has to hunt from a tree. He has the Willto. LMFAO

LOL! You couldn't stalk up on a dead skunks ass. And if you managed to get in range of the dead skunk a couple of shots from a 30-30 would probably resuscitate it. We have BB guns here in Bama but grown men don't hunt with them. LOL!

If you cousin fuggin retards could tell the difference between a Red Ryder and a .30-30 you might kill some deer. LOL

Bleck Heart can bag three squirrels with a 500 brick of 22 LR ammo. LOL

Is that why you wear that head gear so Bleck Hart cannot hurt you again?!

Well in our defense the two do about the same amount of damage so it's easy to get them mixed up. Of course the Red Ryder BB gun does shoot a little flatter so that's one way to tell them apart.

And that's two more than Bobby can get per brick. LOL

It ain't that hard to tell the difference if you ain't a retard. Here's a hint. The BB gun says "Red Ryder" on the stock. LOL

Can you really blame your employer , Bleck Furt, for firing a Homer Simpson looking mouth breather that complains about everything ??

Well they are both 1890's technology that have been surpassed long ago so we don't spend a lot of time fooling with either one. But I'll take your word for it. You would be the expert on hunting with a child's toy.

Actually the Red Ryder didn't come out till 1938 and I have it on good authority it's still the most popular BB gun for deer hunting among cousin fuggin Alabama retards to this day. LOL

So the BB gun is actually more modern tech than the 30-30. That sounds about right. LOL!

And yet a cousin fuggin Alabama retard will show his profound preference for modern hunting arms by taking to the field with a pointy stick and string. It just don't get much better than that ! LOL

Your name is probably Lonnie. Lol

Have you ever seen someone more happy to be “retired” I.e. getting unemployment with full corona benefits LMAO?

This Bobby shoots lizards with an air pistol and plays golf and thinks that's manly sport. What a pussy. LMAO

No wonder you got fired with your lame azz comebacks. You were not even fun to bull schidt anymore. They can just laugh at your millennial replacement at 20% more pay than you made. LOL

You should get a job you lazy golf course roaming slob. You're not old enough to retire. LMAO. Dork.

I got your dumb ass pegged you scooter riding drunken pansy. LMAO

^^^^^Good sig line material for Fireballz. Aced it, Lonnie.

This Yankee buffoon thinks I’m DeFlave. What a Fugkin loser. LMAO

Have you seen Deflaves pic in golf shorts? He’s no slob, Lonnie.

Maybe but he looks so much like Steve Buscemi it's impossible to be sure.

We need side by side pics for proof .
You’re a boomer loser if you don’t lol

Theres nothing in N. America I'd decline to hunt if I was armed only with a 30-30. Its not the best but its far from being unarmed and helpless. A 30-30 carbine or trapper and my Ruger scout rifle are constant companions to me.

I dont have a lot of deer experiance, but mostly elk and and bear.

I've been nothing but impressed with the Winchester 1894 in .32 Winchester special my old man left to me.

It will shoot right about 1 MOA for 3 rounds at 100 yards with the standard Buckhorn sights and I can scare a 5 gallon bucket to death at 300 yards with the rear sight jacked up all the way.


41

I am not a deer hunter and have only shot six of Alaska's little island deer. The six 165 grain Nosler Partition's out of my 30-06 did the job. None of them was over fifty yards and I am pretty sure a 150 grain 30-30 bullet from about any maker would of had similar results. If I lived down south in America I would have me one of them there "thuty thuty" Mod. 94 Winchesters and fear no deer!

My friend who is much braver then me carried a nifty little Interarm's Mauser in .223 Rem. and some factory 55 grain bullets and his two deer fell over dead to a lung shot with two of those little bullets. I would of used my 788 Rem. .223 but I figured it would be just my luck to run into a Montague Island brown bear, a real 9' footer like old friend and guide Maynard "Perk" Perkins and Duncan Gilchrist poured five rounds into from their .308 Norma and Winchester magnums on their deer hunt in the 60's. Old Perk said they started getting hits on the bear when it was about twenty feet away in the pucker brush. After it fell down he said they naturally just kept on shooting, as it seemed the right thing to do, crapola!
"

Kind of flies in the face of your assertion about my hunting skills. Way harder to kill them with a stick and string than a rifle. And yet I still prefer a bow over a 30-30. LOL!

A 30-30 should come with a kit when you buy it that has a pair of tennis shoes and a ball-peen hammer in it. Shoot; slip on the tennis shoes; run down your deer; and finish it off with the hammer. LOL!

Maybe throw in a nostalgic themed DVD talking about the last decade the 30-30 was relevant to anyone besides some Ted Kaczynski shut in that hasn't ventured into town for 40 years. Maybe throw in a coupon for 30% off on Metamucil. What a great 30-30 package deal. LOL!

Hmmm, I don't know. I never found it terribly difficult to kill deer with a bow myself, or a .22 rifle, or a handgun or muzzleloader or shotgun. Seems like a genuine Alabama retard is the only one having trouble here and is just too stupid to see it. LMAO

i seen the Deliverance movie ,you boys i mean boys are kinda busy with your banjo`s, that`s why you boys use that 30-30 .

Ahh yes, Deliverance. That was those cousin fuggin West Virginan's. The Adirondack's ain't in West Virginia dummy.

Funny as hell you think I need unemployment or "full corona benefits", whatever the hell that means but then you think riding a scooter and playing golf is cool. LOL

#cousinfugginretard

Deflave is possibly crushed cuz Bleck Furt is dissing him.

LMaO

Sure didn't take too awfully long for this to become a pizzing match.

I've killed a few deer with the 30-30 and none ran very far after being shot. These days I consider the 30-30 a fun gun; one I shoot for pleasure. FWIW, over half the deer I took with the 30-30 were shot with a 170 gr. cast bullet. These days the 30-30 goes on desert hikes usually load with my pet cast bullet load. Just fun walking around scaring the bejabbers out of running jackrabbits and taking an occasional coyote.

These days I do use more modern cartridges and like the .308, 30-06 .300 Win. Mag. and .35 Whelen, especially the latter if I'm after elk. However, I'm in the middle of a love affair with the 7x57 as far as pleasant shooting goes but have yet to hunt game. Stuff just keeps getting in the way.

My take on the .243 is I really do not like it. Years back when I lived in a small Nevada town, I took neighbor kids on their first deer hunts. They used the .243 Mauser I had at the time. Load was a near max and the 100 gr. Hornady. Four deer were taken. One dropped on the spot, two ran 50 to 75 yards before dropping and one easily 250 yards before running into a fence, then falling back and running into the fence again before expiring. Upon opening it up the heart and most of the lungs were Jello. I never could figure out what kept that deer on its feet.

Would I ever shoot another deer with on of my 30-30s? You never can tell. If the situation was right I see no reason why I shouldn't take the shot.

There's a story in an old Outdoor Life where a guy shot a grizzly bear that tied the world's record. He couldn't enter it in the books because he shot the bear though the head with his (GASP!) 30-30.
Paul B.

For the record I've just been having fun with Willto and have enjoyed it. I hope that goes both ways and he's enjoyed it too.

Same. Funny stuff.

Phaggs

Says the guy named after a Frank Zappa song about a transsexual. LOL!

We’re talking about 30-30’s here. You guys take your homo-erotic flirting somewhere else.

You and your boyfriend Francis need to lighten up.

Meanwhile, back on topic:
Every 30 WCF I’ve ever fired recoiled as much as a 30 Government with 200 gr bullets.

From an article on bullet calibre and killing on relatively fragile White Tail Deer: Why Rifle Calibers Don't Matter Much.

From the Article:

"Once you get to at least a .24 caliber bullet of reasonable sectional density (about .218), construction and sufficient impact velocity to destroy blood-bearing organs and quickly end circulation, the differences in killing power become minor on a light and fragile animal like a whitetail deer. We might like to think that at 150 yards, the maximum range at which an estimated 98% of deer are taken, there is a huge difference between a relatively low energy .30-30 and a more than double the energy .300 Magnum. However, there is actually no significant difference in killing power. Both are more than sufficient to take a whitetail deer quickly, cleanly and efficiently."

Randy Wakeman…… now that’s undisputed authority.