Bigcountry - ditto here. The 30-30 will definately kill a deer. And dead is dead. Even with the new Leverevolution ammo out there, there are still much better choices for taking deer. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And for those of you that like the 30-30 - so be it. I myself, like I mentioned before, would prefer in a lever gun a 45-70, 35 Rem or 32 Win Spl. over the 30-30 any day of the week. This would be in a saddle gun like the 94, 336, 1895, etc. If I were to pick only a lever gun it would probably be a Browning BLR in a more efficient chambering or (if I could get my hands on one) a Winchester 88 in .284 or 358.