.30-.30 distance
 

How close do you have to be to an elk with a .30-.30 for the bullet to do significant damage? How about a black bear. I am thinking no more than 50 yards.

RE: .30-.30 distance
 

Interesting question ,cause I love my 30-30 Model 94. So I went to the Federal ammo balistics page and discovered the energy in foot pounds for a 150 gr 30-30 at 100 yards(2019), is about the same as a .300 Win Mag 180 gr. @ 400 yards! Quite a difference.
But don't fret! I also looked up our Wyoming G&F regs on legal calibers for big game. Interestingly, they require a black powder rifles to have at least 500 foot pounds of energy at 100 yards! That being the case, your 30-30 with a 150 gr bullet would be "legal" out to 350 yards!
So, shot placement with any caliber being of ultimate importance . . .
( I prefer the high shoulder shot on elk for immediate bring down), . . .
I would use my 30-30 with iron sights with confidence up to my maximum comfortable yardage. Which is 100 - 150 yards.

That was fun.

I prefer my .300 Win Mag for everything, but do use the 30-30 occasionally when I'm hunting heavy timber. Can't get much more than a50 - 75 yard shots anyway.

RE: .30-.30 distance
 

Check out the new Hornady ammo for 30-30 it has some kind of polyme tip for magazine rifles, its a pointed soft point and should add 100yards adn some energy to the effective range of the old 30-30

RE: .30-.30 distance
 

Goto Hornady.com and check out the new LeveRevolution bullet. As stated by Silvertip these rounds contain a flexibile polymer tip. I have purchaced a box a zeroed my Marlin 336c to shoot 3" high at 100 yards itis dead on at 200 yards and at 300 yards I can place 8 of 10 in a shoe box. I ordered mine from AmmoBank.com, after s&h it cost around $26. Cabela's is to supposed to start handling this ammo in the spring for about $16.

Good Luck !!

RE: .30-.30 distance
 

If you had to use a 30-30 to hunt elk I would definetly keep my shots inside of 150 yards and would use only Federals 170 grain Nosler partition or load my own with some heavy and solid bullets.

To give some reason behind the controled expansion bullets in such a slow cartridge is to maximize penetration even if I have to sacrafice some expansion. I want that bullet to go through as much lung and/ or heart tissue as possible.

RE: .30-.30 distance
 

I would go with the 170 grain bullet and keep my shots to 150 yards MAX. I would feel better at 100-125 yards. Many Elk have been killed with the 30-30 over the years. Its capabilities are DRASTICLY underestimated by most of todays magnumized hunters. Every species of big game animal in North America has been take many times with the 30-30. With the new Lever action loads from Hornady the 30-30 will be a easy 200 yard gun. This could even be extended more by the new Marlin Lever gun built for those loads. It has a 24 inch barrel.