The problem is people get led into believing they NEED a .270 or 30-06 to hunt deer with. When in actuality they are a bit overkill. Unless you intend on shooting long distances or larger animals they just are not needed. The honest to god truth is deer just are not that tough. They have lots of stamina and can run pretty far if they want to, but they are not a tough animal. It doesn't take much to lethally wound one or put a bullet through one if you hit in the right spot.

People kill deer regularly with traditional and modern muzzle loaders, shotguns, and large bore handguns. Quite a few states will not allow anything else, I live in one of them. They work quite well on deer at average distances from 50-150 yards and many can be pushed to 200 yards or so if you have the skill and the gun is accurate enough. The power is there for sure to kill an animal built like a deer.

A 30-30 at the same distances is more than enough, as is a .243 and a 25-06. If you live in an area that has thick cover I really can't think of a better weapon than a 30-30 or a .44 magnum lever action carbine. Probably not the best weapon if you live out west or where longer shots will be likely. Like 200 + yards at larger animals like mule deer or elk or something. You could probably still do it if you were a good marksman though.

If I could use centerfires where I live there are two guns that would be on my short list to purchase. A nice bolt action .243 and a marlin 30-30 lever action. Heck I would even be happy with a .357 lever gun actually.

My opinions anyway.

Paul

By the way, read this study about dropping deer with a high powered rifle. Nothing guarantees dropping a deer where it stands. I have seen 20 ga slugs do it and 300 mags not do it. You are better off shooting a gun you enjoy and can shoot proficiently. There is a big difference in the handling and recoil of a 7mm mag and a 30-30. I wouldn't be shooting the former unless I really needed it.

If someone gave me a 30-30 as a gift I would feel inclined and proud to take a deer with it. It just wouldn't feel right leaving it behind and shooting someone elses rifle. That's me though.

South Carolina DNR Game Study
Good luck with what ever you decide to hunt with.
Paul

Paul: That's a really interesting article. I wish they could have done more with this part of the study:

With the small sample sizes among the various calibers, the statistics could be skewed by virtue of the hunters' shot selection (i.e. behind shoulder, through shoulder, etc.).

If you liked that read this one.


Shooting Holes in Wounding Theories
The mechanics of terminal ballistics

It is a bit long and technical in some places but pretty interesting on the whole.

Paul

yeah. i think it's a great rifle

\

I read the first study all the way through, it brought up a lot of good points in particularthat caliber isn't as important as we all thought. Shot placement is key, and a sure way to drop a deer in its tracks is to hit the spine. However, a well placed shot to the lung or heartwill only allow the avg deer to run at a max of somewhere around 50ish yards. Wow, I never realized how vital shot placement was. Ihave always been concerned about getting a cannon to knock them down with, turns out I was wrong (not the first time, ask my wife )

Now, the second study wasa little tootechnicalfor me. I am far from being a math genius and the data was jargon tome with the exceptionof a few things. I really appreciate you posting both studies, it really opened my eyes. I am gratefulfor my 30-30 and will proudly take a deer with that rifle.

That's the only rifle I use..I've never had a deer run past 3 yds after he's been hit. I lov emy 30-30 Marlin. The local range is only 50 yds and this baby has groups the size of a quarter.

Ask the non-believers if they will submit to this test..they take their favorite cartridge and you take your 30/30..since the 30/30 won't shoot 100 yards and will never kill anything, they give you the first shot in the dual...see how many will take you up on that bet...after all the 30/30 won't hit anything and it's not powerful enough, right!!!!

I saw this once ina bar when a couple of guys were busting on an ole' timer about his thirty thirty...NO ONE TOOK HIM UP ON THE OFFER..end of story!!

If we were to disect this thread and look at who loves the 30-30 and who has no time for it I'm sure we would see a pattern of where people are from.
I have an iron sighted Win94 30-30 that gets used just as often as my scoped stainless Tikka .308 bolt simply based on where I'm going.
In the bush = 30-30
Near water or power line = .308

I've posted this pic many times (lots of times on 30-30 argument threads), its a big Canadian deer (my 1st buck), and I wasn't sorry that I was carrying my lever gun.

Quote by Paul Mohr:

Very well said Paul!

I have always used my Remington 30-06 to Deer Hunt with and have never lost a Deer when I shot it,I have been wanting to get me a smaller caliber gun for many years and finally bought a Browning .243 Bolt Action Rifle because I wanted a rifle with less recoil than the 30-06.I must say that I love shooting the .243 so much better and have shot better groups with it then the 30-06.I have been hunting with my .243 with the Hornady 100 grain bullets for the past 2 years and have shot several deers with it and have not lost any because of the smaller .243 caliber.Shot placement is a big factor in Harvesting a deer.I have several friends that hunt with a 30-30 and they simply love their gun because of the versatility of the 30-30 Rifle!