A lot of people knock the 30-30 and think that it is good for nothing but whitetails, but my grandfather took his elk hunting and killed the biggest bull in the group. Everybody was telling him he needed to buy a nre rifle before he went but he said he knew how his shot and was comfortable with it. He shot his bull 200 yards from camp at about 75 yards away. I missed the biggest deer I ever seen in my life because I borrowed a friends gun instead of using my Marlin lever action. The deer was 75 yards away walkig off slowly but when I tried to chamber a round in the gun the gun jammed and by the time I got it unjammed the deer was gone. If I would of taken my rifle it would of been an easy shot.