RE: Why do you like/dislike the 30/30? And more.
Dislike.
If you live in the east or south where “deer is the game” and the woods offer 30 yard brush busting or tree stand squatting then I would imagine the 30-30 in a lever carbine would be good medicine as deer kill pretty easy..
Living out West where generally the ranges can be longish combined with the fact that I don’t hunt deer anymore (elk yes, deer no) the ole thutty thutty is just a little too pokey and whimpy for my hunting mission..
I’ve got a fair range of weaponry and the 30-30 is one them. It was the first center fire rifle I shot as a kid of about 10, it now sits in the far back corner of the safe and hasn’t been fired in 25 or so years. The 30-30 just doesn’t turn my crank at all. If I was going to specialize in Black Timber elk hunting, then I’d probably go for a Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70.
Whether a cartridge is or isn’t a magnum makes no difference to me, performance is what I am after. The last three additions to the family have been 416 Rigby, 458 Lott, and a 50 BMG…. not one of them a magnum. Magnum, not magnum, just words.