I repeat what I say about very close range leaning heavily toward a ruger semiauto in .44mag. If I want a more versaitle rifle as far as possible range-I step up to 7mm08 and have never felt undergunned with it on deer-regardless what hunting range.

Don't forget the new LeverRevolution(???) ammo from Hornady. It sounds like it turns the 30/30 into a very respectebal round.

I got to go along with big country on this too. The 30-30 has killed a lot of deer and will continue to do so but it ain't great. From your post I assume you are looking into a lever action rifle. If that's the case you'd be better off with a 35 Rem. instead of the two cartridges you have given. Even the 32 Win Special is better than the 30-30 but these are becoming rare.
Out of all the levers I have and had, I like my Marlin Guide Gun in .45-70 the best. Its short, fast handling and has plenty of OOMPH for any deer, black bear, and then some.

I have a Marlin 30-30 and 44 Mag SS and both are very accurate and realiable. I think the 44 does a little bit more damage though.

This statement needs justification. Have you ever killed ANYTHING with a 30-30? What is not great about a 30-30 killing a lot of deer and continuing to do so?

Thats what I am using this deer season. 300gr nosler partition with 47gr of IMR4198.

I was thinking the same thing. I have a 30/30, .35, and a .450 and don't hestitate to use the 30/30 on anything. My grandfather used his for a elk. He only ever had one gun in his life and when he went elk hunting with my unclehe used his old 30/30. It is not perfect for elk but it did the job. It is like ANY caliber you need to hit them right or you will lose the deer or whatever you shoot. Just because you shoot a gun that has a bigger bullet or more power it doesn't make up for a bad shot.

It was yours friends' bad luck and poor shooting, and not the round (unless he was shooting at over 200 yards). The 30-30 is absolutely lethal on whitetail. Most I've shot with it dropped RIGHT THERE.

Between 30-30 and .44 - I'd opt for the 30-30. More reach, better ammo, more effective. What's not to like?

I like them both ,they both have something that makes them good.The 44mag will make a wound channel that is bigger then the 30-30 but the 30-30 has a bit more range. If I was to pick one for a 100 yard rifle it would be the .44 mag.I have seen several deer killed with it and it just impressed me how good it preformed.Man these pancakes are good.

Full disclosure: I'm not shot a .44 rifle, much less hunted with one, so I can't say how well the cartridge drops the deer. I have shot a lot of deer with a muzzleloader, using a .429-.452 JHP in front of 85-100gr of Pyrodex or TripleSeven. So far, my experiece has been... the 30-30 drops them faster.

Or it could be that I just shoot the 30-30 better!