ths78

If I were sitting about 200 yds. away from a nice buck with my .30-30, I' d simply put my crosshairs about 3" below the top if his back and fire. And then I' d go pick my deer up and drag him back to the car.

TScottW99

If i' m sitting 200 yards away from a deer with my 30-30 then I can' t see him! That' s why I like my 30-30 in certain areas. When you can' t see past 50 - 70 yards in 98% of the places you hunt and past 100 yards in the other 2% then the 30-30 is a nice gun to have for me

oldelkhunter

To me putting a scope on a 30/30 is defeating the purpose of it which is quick pointing at close range. If your going to put a scope on it just get a std bottlenecked case from the 243 and up ....MHO

kodiakhuntmaster

Oldelkhunter, I did read your post, I pointed out that you said it was an ill advised shot. Your post was a good one that brought up a good point, I was just restating that the 30-30 isn' t capible of reliable clean kills at that range (same as you did in your post).

I didn' t mean for that to come out like I was saying that you didn' t have good ethics, If I did I' m sorry. I was just talking about hunting ethics in general. And giving a few options on what to do if you' re in that position.

Now I will say that one reason someone might hunt with a 30-30 is because it' s more of a challenge. like hunting with a muzzleloader or a bow.

I hunt with a recurve, I could shoot 40 yards with a compound but I would rather my range be limitied to 20 yards and have a more fulfilling hunt.

oldelkhunter

Kodiakhuntmaster...sorry I jumped the gun on you

NE Hunter

My 30-30 has a reciever sight and is sighted in dead on at 50 yards I use it only when slalking and expect to walk up to the deer (usually windy days when the deer don' t move much). When I sit (my prefered method) I use a scoped rifle either .243,.270 or the .30-06 ( they take turns) IMHO that' s where the 30-30 shines.

kodiakhuntmaster

Oldelkhunter, it' s fine. When a thread like this one drags out, posts can start to come off wrong. It' s my fault.


on the subject of inexpencive options other than the 30-30,

A shotgun may be a better choice than a 30-30. It' s much more versatile. A fully rifled barrel (slug gun) and premium sabot slugs work very well. The range is about the same. A fair shotgun can be had for about the same price as a 30-30, and has a whole lot more knockdown power at close ranges.

I still think the best deal on the market is a NEF handi-rifle. They' re a good seventy dollars cheaper than a marlin lever action and they have a MUCH wider variety of calibers available.

Forestore

I own a 30-30, a 35, and a 32 special. They are all similiar guns and are right for the type of rifle hunting I do. I hunt in thick woods and sometimes semi open woods, but rarely have a shot over 100 yards. If I do some hunting that is more wide open or long distance, between my dad or brother I can borrow one of theirs, but that is a rare occasion. I' ve shot alot of deer in my years hunting and have never had a problem with the 30-30. If u practice and are comfortable with the gun and take a good shot, wounding a deer wont be a problem. I bet too say there are just as many deer wounded with other calibers and I would venture too say its not the gun, but the hunters fault.

James B

Forestore. You summed it up well and your statement says it all. The 30-30 was a good deer rifle when it came out and nothing developed since takes anything away from it. It is a great country we live in and anyone who does not want to use a 30-30 or does not have what it takes to use it has many other choices. Those of us who have used it for many years with none of the problems discussed here, will continue to use it and it will do the job that it has for over 100 years. New developments do not render old developments useless the old thought that it is out of date is hogwash. Deer are the same now as they ever were. G ood hunters will continue to have good success with the 30-30 and other old calibers in that class. You NEVER HAVE TO TAKE A QUESTIONABLE SHOT.

C. Davis

In the woods, it is no real feat to put a bullet out of a 30-30 in the boiler room of a deer. When you do, every deer will die quickly. It is really not much more complicated than that.
The only real feat is to put yourself were you need to be, and if you scout your hunting area, deer hunting is an all year sport.

Judging by the success rate of the guys I hunt with who sit on a pipeline with something more powerful than my Marlin in hand looking out across several hundred yards, I would say that it is much harder to hunt the pipeline with the magnum since I always have better luck in the woods with my Marlin.

C. Davis