RE: Winchester Model 94 30-30
 

The first deer I ever shot was with my Dad' s Marlin chambered for .32 Winchester Special, (a kissing cousin of the .30-30). The second buck I ever killed was with my father' s other " deer" rifle, a Remington 141 chambered for .35 Remington. A cartridge that nearly mimics the .30-30, (except with a bigger, heavier, slightly slower bullet). Being the oldest son of four, and having entered the military two weeks after I turned seventeen I bought the first centerfire rifle for each of my other three brothers. In order from oldest to youngest they choose: A Marlin 336 in .30-30. A commercial mauser bolt in .30-06. And finally a Winchester 94 in .30-30. Between my Dad' s .32 and those two .30-30' s I am sure no fewer than two dozen whitetails met their end. And contrary to what some here might think those rifles did not leave the woods full of " wounded deer" . Eventually my brothers all acquired other rifles and used in addition to the three above but those rifles went on to provide continued good service with various nephews and neices. And with the proper education those users didn' t leave the woods full of " wounded" deer either. It is amazing what a little practice, some education, and a little ethical guidance can do!

EKM: No, the .30-30 isn' t all of the above and a piece of pie to boot! But it doesn' t take a .300 Mag to cleanly kill whitetail either! (Lest you forget when I answered the question....If you could only have one gun? My choice was a SS .338 Win Mag with controlled round feed. Assuming we were talking only one rifle for hunting! Check the thread....) So I understand firearm development didn' t end with the .30-30.....but I also understand it doesn' t take a howitzer to cleanly dispatch whitetail deer in a responsible user' s hands!

RE: Winchester Model 94 30-30
 

Georgian,
I have always lived and hunted in the woods. I sometimes go out to the hill country in Texas, and I have a .270 for that purpose. If I lived out west, or in open country, I doubt I would even own a 30-30.
That being said, most of the people who criticise the 30-30 I would bet have never experienced how quickly a deer dies when hit by the " anemic" round.
If they truly have used the 30-30, and have wounded deer with it, I would say without doubt they are a very poor shot. If hit between the diaphram and anywhere in the shoulder blades,( a large target) every deer in the woods will die quickly. My last three shots went through both rib cages, and I wasted no meat in the shoulders.

I have never shot a winchester 94, but my Marlin has never failed me. If I could figure out how to post a picture, I would show you my latest Marlin victim. He is on the wall right above my computer.

C. Davis

RE: Winchester Model 94 30-30
 

The Winchester Model 94 .30-30 was the 1st rifle I bought. I bought it when I was 18 and have used it many different situations. My favorite is in thick brush, since it' s so light and has such a short barrel, it' s a great brush gun.

RE: Winchester Model 94 30-30
 

Nobody has to convince me about the 3030 Win.That was the first Rifle I ever owned.I bought a M-94 from my cousin along time ago.I never shot a deer with it but it was good shooting little rifle.For brush country it' s a great choice.As long as you limit your shots it will serve you well.Of the Winchester and Marlins I would prefer the Marlin.I' m not really a lever action fan to begin with.More deer have probably been killed by a 30-30 then anyother cartridge. Know it' s limitations and it will do fine.
Ruger Redhawk

RE: Winchester Model 94 30-30
 

Only shot one once but I like it, no where as cool as my 6.5x55 Swede though:)

RE: Winchester Model 94 30-30
 

I killed at least a dozen deer with one including my biggest deer, a 200 pound (field dressed) 8 point. I love the 94' and the 30-30. It's not a .300 Ultra Super Small Sniper Shoulder Breaking Magnum, and it was never meant to be. It does IT'S job and does it well.

(the sarcasim was for a certain 30-30 hater who hasn't posted yet ;) )

RE: Winchester Model 94 30-30
 

I have a Win. Model 94 made in the 40's i think the serial number is in the low 1 millions. It is a great gun and i have taken more deer with it than any other rifle i have every owned. It us unbelievably accurate for an older gun with iron sights. It has buckhorn sights, no scope and has never even been drilled for sling studs. I have taken deer from 10 yards out to around 140. I have had many offers from my friends to buy it but wont give it up for nothing. The 30-30 has been around forever and has probably taken more game than any other caliber in history. The only things i dont like about my trusty ol lever gun is the hassle of loading and unloading and that sometimes it just doesnt have the energy and knockdown that i wanted. I have made several good hits on deer and had little to no reaction and found them a hundred yards away dead. Currently the 94 is retired and im shooting a 7mm rem mag, it hasnt taken all the deer my lever has but when it hits you know you did something. But whenever it fails ol granddad comes out of the rack and shows the Rem. how it is done.

Dave

RE: Winchester Model 94 30-30
 

A little unclear, please give an example of what you mean....

EKM

RE: Winchester Model 94 30-30
 

Georgian,

For what it's worth, I to am from Georgia and I also have a 30-30 but it's a Marlin 336. I live in south Ga and hunt river swamps. I get mud on me and my rifles occasionally because of flooding where I hunt, I carry this rifle because of it's ease of handling and many, many, hogs and deer have fallen to it, never lost one shot with it.

Something you might want to try in your 30-30, if you haven't already, is the 125 grn hollow points, Win. and Fed. load them. I now handload mine and the 125 is excellent on whitetails and hogs. I've got other rifles but just love toting the old 30.

dog1

RE: Winchester Model 94 30-30
 

Not sure what it is about Georgians and 30-30s, but I just bought one a few weeks ago. Why? Heck, it's the novelty of the thing. I got a Winchester 94 Legacy (I prefer the pistol grip stock as well). And I plan to hunt with it. As soon as I can find a decent gunsmith in the Atlanta area, I'm going to have a Williams peep and front Firesight put on it first. Does the 30-30 shoot fast and flat? Heck no. But as others have said, I'd bet more deer have found their way to the grill at the hands of a 30-30 than any other round.

A 30-30 is perfect for most of my lease. Heck, all of our stands except one are set up as bow stands. There are several where you can only see 50-80 yards. Will I take my 30-30 to hunt the stand that overlooks the clear cut? Absolutely not. I have a 270 WSM for that. But I'm partial to the 30-30...