I was thinking the same thing. I have a 30/30, .35, and a .450 and don't hestitate to use the 30/30 on anything. My grandfather used his for a elk. He only ever had one gun in his life and when he went elk hunting with my unclehe used his old 30/30. It is not perfect for elk but it did the job. It is like ANY caliber you need to hit them right or you will lose the deer or whatever you shoot. Just because you shoot a gun that has a bigger bullet or more power it doesn't make up for a bad shot.