I havent much use with the 30-30 however i have absolutely nothing negative to say about it, sure its as stated many times a shorter range gun but it depends on the shooter alot. my go-to gun is a 336 in .35 cal. I shoot the 200gr LeverEvolution ammo, given it consitantly holds a 1/2-3/4 tighter group than any of the competition. It has awesome knockdown power and the gun itself is compact. its abit high on recoil for the caliber IMO but I can deal with it. I trust mine to 200 yards at least and if given the chance to target practice at 250-300 i could be comfortable with that shot. same with a 30-30 if i had shot it enough to know its limitations.