BlackPowderSmoke.. the 30-30 might well indeed be an older caliber as you said. But when I was a kid, the neighbor who had that .32 special as he called it... it was the first lever gun (high power) that I ever fired. It was balanced and very accurate. Funny thing is when his kids were old enough to own a deer rifle, they were bought Remington Model 700 BDLs in 30-06. I really threw them a curve and purchased a Remington 742 Woodsmaster Carbine in 30-06.
I also had a friend who passed away that had a Winchester Lever Action in 44-40. He let me shoot that one deer season when he hunted my property. I told him that as in good a condition as that rifle was, I would not even shoot it. But you had to know the guy. He was nuts. He also used to shoot an original Springfield 1861 .58 caliber rifle that had been passed down through his family after the Civil War.