My first deer rifle was a Savage 330E bolt action .30-30. It is still the most accurate rifle I own (I also have a Savage 110 .270, Win. 94, 2 700's, Browning A-Bolt, BLR, and a Tikka T3). It's light and shoulders good. The only rifles I own that come close to the "feel" of that Savage are the 700 Mountain Rifles.

To mount a scope on that Savage, a gunsmith had to bend the bolt down. For long range shots, go with a caliber recommended above. For short range, look for an old Savage at a pawn shop or gun show and see how it feels to you.

I have an old Savage 340 in 30-30.JMHO ,But about the only advantage in the bolt gun is that you can reload your own and use a spire point bullet .I use a 150 ballistic tip in mine.I have had some magazine issues due to overall length.Also the 30-30 is not the easiest round to load,have to be careful to keep from colapsing the shoulder.

well i thought if the longer barrel of a bolt action would give it some extra range

A 30-30 is a great brush gun, but loses energy fairly quickly. Personally, I will echo what others have said and would suggest getting a bolt gun in 308 with some nice glass.

I too like the 30-30 round, but it has its limitations and distance is one of them. The neat thing about the 308 round is you can hunt hogs, deer, bear, coyotes, etc.. at great distances if need be.