Is 30/30 a good caliber to hunt deer?

target

target

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Thinking about going deer hunting with my boy and I'm assuming most of it would be at fairly close range (under 100 yds.) and in the bush. I know everyone has their favourites (30-06, .223, 7mm, etc. etc.) and I see ammo. like Leverevolution from Hornady has improved the 30/30 calibre. It just seems I don't hear about many people using 30/30 for deer.

I've always wanted a nice lever in 30/30 and was considering a Marlin 336BL with some optics.

So is this a decent caliber for this purpose and is this a decent gun?
 
So why is it that it seems that most people seem to hunt with larger calibre bolt actions instead? I realize that many want a gun to take down moose as well but I don't see myself going that route.

And what of the Marlin 336BL? Any good?
 
Inside 150yds there is nothing wrong with 30-30. Outside of that, the low velocity and rainbow trajectory starts to make life more difficult. There are certainly many 30-30 users on this site and lots of deer still fall to it every season.


Mark
 
I have only been a member on this site for just over a year, but this has got to be the worst question ever posted. I would rather read bear defense threads for 1000 years than answer this question.
 
target said:
So why is it that it seems that most people seem to hunt with larger calibre bolt actions instead? I realize that many want a gun to take down moose as well but I don't see myself going that route.

And what of the Marlin 336BL? Any good?
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Marlin quality went down the hill about 2 years ago. Look for the older rifle instead, pre 2008 I would say. Some of the people are hunting with big calibers, because they can't place the accurate shot. 30-30 will do the job juts fine if You can hit what You are aiming for.
 
lilsurfer said:
I have only been a member on this site for just over a year, but this has got to be the worst question ever posted. I would rather read bear defense threads for 1000 years than answer this question.
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Then don't!

For me it's a legitimate question because it seems no one will ever give you a straight answer. All they ever say is "well I use this calibre, thus it must be the best and you should get that."

As for bear defence threads, the only 100% effective bear defence is avoidance. BTW, three years ago a black mauled a guy in his yard and the RCMP shot it dead with a 9mm handgun. Totally not what the "experts" say will do the job.
 
A 30-30 will work great at a distance of under 100 yard. I would not spend the extra money on the Leverevolution from Hornady; just pick up a box of the Winchester 170 grain cheap stuff. You will find it will shot well enough for deer and be better on the pocketbook.
 
Superbrad said:
Why is it that number of deer killed = best to 30-30 guys?.... the thing had been around since Christ was a cowboy.... of course it has killed the most....
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I'm just asking is whether or not it's one of the better choices for bush hunting deer not if it has killed more things than acts of God. Around here you'll be told that most deer are taken with .30-06 or even guys with their .303 Enfields.
 
The 170 grain bullet used in the 30/30 will expand and possibly offer complete penetration, you don't have to worry about too much or too little expansion because of the speed and generous lead exposed at the front of the bullet. It prolly is just as good on deer when using cast bullets as there are cast flat points at 200 grains and cast can be fired the same speeds or more then jacketed factory ammo. The exception to this is the Marlin with micro-groove, which i find requires lower cast bullet speeds.
 
target said:
Then don't!

For me it's a legitimate question because it seems no one will ever give you a straight answer. All they ever say is "well I use this calibre, thus it must be the best and you should get that."

As for bear defence threads, the only 100% effective bear defence is avoidance. BTW, three years ago a black mauled a guy in his yard and the RCMP shot it dead with a 9mm handgun. Totally not what the "experts" say will do the job.
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Let's get something straight here.

Is 30.30 the best deer caliber? = legitimate question
Is 30.30 a good deer caliber? = idiotic
 
oopswasthatyourdog? said:
3030 will kill deer just fine. The super ultra mega magnums are turning into a pissing contest and are accounting for a lot of wasted meat.
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those guys are just making up for what they are lacking in 'other' departments...:nest: .......

It's already been said several times; 30-30 is a fine caliber for taking deer and the Marlin 336 or Winchester 94 is a fantastic bush gun.
 
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