Saw the posting so I had to reply. Don't reinvent the wheel if you like the 30-30 then I would go with the 30-30. Its probably killed more deer than any other round. Except maybe of course the beloved 30-06. You go with a .444 or 454 or 45-70 then you're going to be using over kill. I personally hunt with an 1894 Marlin. Its a 44 mag and it'll kill a deer just as dead as anyother. If you wanted to go witha pistol cartridge both the 44 and 357 are good choices. But I would stay away from the larger cartridges unless bear or moose would be in your future.