popeye

I like the larger, heavier bullets used by the 44mag for use on hogs. Works great on deer also. If your contender is to be primarily a deer gun then I would lean toward the 30-30. If using the 30-30 on hogs then load a heavier bullet.

I would pick the 30-30 but the 44mag is not a bad choice. In fact, alot of 44mag fans would probably pick it first.

Give the 35 Rem a look. It' s an excellent short range round for both deer and hogs. Many people feel that it is superior to the 30-30 because of it' s large heavy bullets.

I' m not a fan of the 7.62x39 although, in terms of performance, it' s almost the same as the 30-30.