I agree with with most of you that the 30-30 is one of the oldest rounds for deer. I would absolutley take the 30-30 over the .44 mag. for deer. With this new LE ammo from Hornady a 250 yard shot is not out of the question. I have used the .44 for blackbear with great results using hollow point ammo. This spring, Hornady will be coming out with a LE for the .44 mag. and the .357 made for rifles. That should be intersting.