Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

I just aquired a Winchester model 94, made in may 1955. Do I have to be carefull about my amunition choices because of the age of the gun? Thoughts on stopping power, & maximum distance for a clean kill, use a scope or open sites?

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

That rifle will handle any 30-30 load made today. The 30-30 is a low pressure cartridge with low recoil.

For whitetail deer it will cleanly kill them to about 200 yards with no problems.

As far as sights goes you are pretty much limited to open sights due to the fact that the older 94's were not angle eject. They eject straight up out of the receiver. I would suggest a tang mounted peep sight if you really want to change it up. Personally I would not go messing with it since it is a pre 64' model 94. I would leave it the way it originally was built. Unless, of course, it has already been messed with.

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

Bigbulls- Couldn't have said it better.

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

30-30's and hunting deer and eating apple pie appear to be the American thing to do.

Good Luck,
EKM

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

A bow will kill a deer and many hunt with a bow. A muzzleloader will kill deer better at farther ranges and many hunt with muzzleloaders rather than bows. A 30/30 will kill deer better and at farther ranges than muzzleloaders and so many hunters use a 30/30 rather than a muzzleloader. There are many cartridges that are better than the 30/30 and extend the range at which deer can be shot.

If you know your limitations and stick within them you will have to give up some opportunities but you can hunt deer successfully with a 30/30 or a muzzleloader or a bow.

Robin

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

For woods hunting, the 94 in 30-30 is pretty hard to beat.
Its a gun meant for hunting in the woods, or still hunting where your shots will be fairly short.

The 30-30 drops off pretty quick after 150 yards, but has plenty behind it to make clean kills at least out to 200.

If you don't like the buckhorn sights, you can get a Williams receiver sight that screws right into the receiver using holes that were drilled and tapped into the receiver from the factory.

Don't bother with a scope- the 94 isn't made to take a scope though one can be mounted in a goofy offset mount. A scope does nothing to add to the rifle, but does screw up the rifle's nice balance and light weight.

Have fun with the old rifle, they used to make them a whole lot nicer than the current crop of 94s.

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

Like Briman says, you can put a side mount on there, my buddy has one they look a little strange, hey whatever works.. More importlanly dont use and ammo that is pointed, most 30-30 ammo is rounded and that is because your next shell is pushing against the primer of the one ahead of it so if you had a pointed round and it hit a hard jolt it could fire in the storage area.If you use round ed bullets this is not supposed to happen. BTW I have a 94 and a 336 Marlin in 30-30 and they are o.k. to deer hunt with...

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

I have a model 94 made in 1947 that i used for years and took alot of deer. Most of my kills were around 25 yards but i took a few out past 130. It still has the old buckhorn sights and i wouldnt change a thing, it is very accurate for such an old gun. I have had several people want to buy it off me after they see how i can shoot it. Mine was never even drilled for sling mounts, which kinda makes it a pain carrying it through the woods for long distances. As far as ammo, i have tried several diffrent makes and loads. My rifle prefers Remington Core-lokts in 170 grain, i have also shot federal high shocks, PMC flat noses, remington hollow points and winchester power points. The winchester ammo shot the worse of all out of my gun. You fiqure since it has been around since the 1800's the 30-30 probably accounts for more deer than most popular calibers. Like Briman said you can put a new set of sights like the williams on them, my friend has a set of peep sights on his and he is deadly accurate with it. I carried his gun one day and i didnt much care for the peeps, especially with a deer in heavy cover. You definetly cant go wrong with the old 30-30 for close to medium range deep woods deer slaying.

Dave

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

For most deer hunting especially in the heavily wooded Northern states it is the handiest, most practical gun for that purpose. Shooting deer inside 100 yards all the gun one needs. Most however see it as inferior and choose large mags for the same purpose, they are simply overkill in this situation unless there is a powerline one is watching or a very large field.

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

I had a 30-30 marlin loved it kinda heavy good brush gun. I have a 32 WINCHESTER SPECIAL mod 94 love it weighs 7 1/4 lbs. can hit milk jug or deer at 100 big paces...buck horn sights is all it needs..[8D]

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

My Winchester model 94 30-30 was made in 1938 and I shoot Winchester silver tips with it. This has to be one of the best short range rifles ever made. I personally would not push it past 150 yards and have never taken a shot with it over 60 yards.

For the sake of the creatures you hunt, if you think there is a chance that you might need to shoot 150 yards, then practice at that distance. You will find with open sights this is a hard shot to make. I have seen scopes on them but always felt if they wanted a scoped 30-30 then get a Marlin.

I can not understand why, but the 170 grain silver tip Winchesters I shoot out of it seems to take deer right off their feet. Others have complained about lack of knock down with this caliber but I can not say that.

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

The gun has had a scope mounted on it, & to tell you the truth, I'd like to remove it. It doesn't have strap mounts on it, (which is just fine w/ me) I like the "classic look" myself & want to keep it looking as it was meant to be. I hunt in the deep woods of the Upper Pennisula of Michigan, & most of the shot I have will be less than 75 yards.

Thanks to all who have responded,
Dale

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

It has been estimated that more whitetail deer have been killed in the US with a 30-30 than any other caliber over time. That many kills can't be wrong. I have a Marlin and use a Williams rear peep sight with a slightly higher front blade, best drive and brush gun setup I have ever used. I found that with the rear mounted peep that the increased sight radius allowed me to shoot more effectively with open sights. I can hit a coffee can at 100 yards over and over.

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

Have killed one deer with a Winchester 30-30. Shot it at approx. 40 to 50 yards away - iron sights - shot it through the neck. That deer went down without taking a step and didn't even twitch!

RE: Your opinion on using a Win. 30-30 for Whitetails
 

As far as the pressures go, I wouldn't worry about it, As far as things go, the gun isn't really that old, not to mention that the .30-30 isn't what you'd call a high pressure round. Basically, the only problem people really run into with over pressuring old guns is running smokeless rounds in a gun made before smokeless was around, however, in a .30-30, you're safe on that.

The maximum range of any centerfire rifle is mostly dependant on it's accuracy before it's power...I might own a .416Rigby, or .470NE, PLENTY powerful enough to be used on deer, however, if I can't hit anything past 20ft, I'm not going to use them, however, if I've got a .308win that I could hit a deer in the head for every shot at 800yrds, I'd ethically feel confident taking heart shots at that range. I've had .30-30's (Marlin's mind you) that shot under 2" at 200yrds, VERY VERY good accuracy for a leveraction factory rifle....and I would willingly take a shot at a deer at that range with a .30-30. Sights basically only change the accuracy of the gun, so regardless of whether you shoot open sights or a scope, your accuracy should dictate your range.