HOO-BOY-must be holidays,''is the 30/30 enough to kill a deer''?tell,ya,ANY of the deer I've shot would have dropped with virtually ANY of the common deer rifles-as long as you held it straight.MOST deer are shot well within 100 yards,so the venerable 30/30 will do just fine-and even the 303 is probably overkill
Is 30/30 a good caliber to hunt deer?
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whitetailwoodsarcher
CGN Regular
very good deer caliber, my grandpa used one for 60 years and has killed many deer! and the 336BL marlin very good choice of gun also! If you and your son get one post lots of pics!!
So ... after re-reading a bunch of this thread, and gettting quite a few good chuckles along the way, I've come to a certain conclusion.
30-30 is probably the best caliber for the OP's desires.
- Has a very managable recoil. Even your son should be able to enjoy some target shooting with it.
- Within the 100 yd range, is certainly an efficeint round on white tail. Can be safely stretched out to 150 if you know your sights.
More importantly in my opinon, is that this round does have it's limits - anything over 150 is stretching this choice, and from there to 200 is probably dubious without a lot of practice at that range.
Since you stated in one post that you don't want an underpowered choice wounding an animal in fornt of your son, this caliber will be a great choice - expecially if you happen to see an animal walking out at the 250 - 350 yard range. While a 30-06 could be used to take that shot, your son will probably learn more about what hunting means when you explain why you DIDN'T take the shot with your 30-30 then he ever would by watching you take any overly long shots with a larger caliber.
30-30 is probably the best caliber for the OP's desires.
- Has a very managable recoil. Even your son should be able to enjoy some target shooting with it.
- Within the 100 yd range, is certainly an efficeint round on white tail. Can be safely stretched out to 150 if you know your sights.
More importantly in my opinon, is that this round does have it's limits - anything over 150 is stretching this choice, and from there to 200 is probably dubious without a lot of practice at that range.
Since you stated in one post that you don't want an underpowered choice wounding an animal in fornt of your son, this caliber will be a great choice - expecially if you happen to see an animal walking out at the 250 - 350 yard range. While a 30-06 could be used to take that shot, your son will probably learn more about what hunting means when you explain why you DIDN'T take the shot with your 30-30 then he ever would by watching you take any overly long shots with a larger caliber.
I'd also make the same bet and replace 22lr with 12 gauge....
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
So why the hell did you answer it?
Plus one for calling this out... Lmao...
tactical lever
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Fox Creek, Alberta
Maybe, but during the last 112 years there has been many other cartridges introduced yet the 30 WCF has had a very devoted following. All those years where no one would think of wasting ammo or letting a specimen of the somewhat meager deer population go to waste and it was at or near the front the whole time, despite the introduction of newer rounds.
Perhaps you're missing something.
I've heard many accounts of this, also post depression as well.
Shotshells weren't any cheaper; the .22s were expensive enough and more commonly used for small game. Edge .22.
You sir, just lost the bet, before the cards were even dealt!
I grew up in the boondocks in the depression years, the youngest of quite a large family. Our family, as well as all the other families in the area, lived on wild meat year around and I never heard of a single case of anyone ever shooting a deer with a 12 gauge.
I would guess that over 90% of the families didn't even own a shotgun.
Dirty thirties bring out all sorts of debate every time they come up in a forum thread... We all know they'll do the job, but there's also better cartridges out there to choose from. I have one in the case, but have yet to take it hunting (it's a riot at the range).
Kinda like wearing rubber boots on a mountain hunt; comfortable, but not as effective as a good pair of leather lace ups.
Kinda like wearing rubber boots on a mountain hunt; comfortable, but not as effective as a good pair of leather lace ups.
+1, Bruce.
My father was born in 1936. He tells stories of my grandmother shooting deer out in the backyard(?) through the kitchen window with a .22LR. His stories were graphic but truthful. My grandmother was not worried about ethics nor cruelties to an animal. She worried about meat and the fact that the dang deer were in her garden!! She had a family to feed while grandad was working in the woods, logging for $2 a week, and she never had to track them.
By the time he was 5 or 6 years old (4th child of 5), there were 3 single-shot .22's in the household (quite a wealthy household back then), never mentioned a shotgun...ever.
My father was born in 1936. He tells stories of my grandmother shooting deer out in the backyard(?) through the kitchen window with a .22LR. His stories were graphic but truthful. My grandmother was not worried about ethics nor cruelties to an animal. She worried about meat and the fact that the dang deer were in her garden!! She had a family to feed while grandad was working in the woods, logging for $2 a week, and she never had to track them.
By the time he was 5 or 6 years old (4th child of 5), there were 3 single-shot .22's in the household (quite a wealthy household back then), never mentioned a shotgun...ever.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I enjoyed H4831's insight as well. The .30-30 is deer to my heart, and even a good case design when you look at it. I have my grandfather's pre-64, was his moose rifle, and it worked. There's better available with the money and choices we have today, but she does the trick and on deer, as well as anything.
Agree with H4831
I have to agree with H4831 on his comment. My grandad (RIP) being the other 10% would tell me of stories of how they would take thier "ration" of 12g shells and cut around the paper/plastic just above the brass, they would would then call moose in to spitting distance and WHAMMO!! Drop a moose or deer
I tried the same thing with a .410 shell and it went clean thru a newly made bird houseredface:- sorry Gramps, ya it was me but you knew the whole time), that was about 25yrs ago. I show guys at the range now and then.
-Sorry to Hi-Jak
30-30 All the way, newbie hunter or whoever. You can scope one and with the 160gr Leverevolution's your set for north america!! Bear hell ya but that topics been beaten to death already
I have to agree with H4831 on his comment. My grandad (RIP) being the other 10% would tell me of stories of how they would take thier "ration" of 12g shells and cut around the paper/plastic just above the brass, they would would then call moose in to spitting distance and WHAMMO!! Drop a moose or deer
I tried the same thing with a .410 shell and it went clean thru a newly made bird house
redface:- sorry Gramps, ya it was me but you knew the whole time), that was about 25yrs ago. I show guys at the range now and then.-Sorry to Hi-Jak
30-30 All the way, newbie hunter or whoever. You can scope one and with the 160gr Leverevolution's your set for north america!! Bear hell ya but that topics been beaten to death already
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Here's a story with that doesn't have anything to do with 30-30s.
I was about 13 or so, and in my age group in our tiny school I was about the best high jumper there. If I would have quit then I may have retained a shred of self respect, but nooooooooooooo I had to go on the the division meet.
Long story short, they set the bar about a foot higher than I had ever jumped in my life, and that was just the warm-ups.
You would have thought someone would have warned me?
If you want to experience exactly how I felt, just take your 30-30 hunting where we go, it will be a perfect example was what "hopelessly out of your league" means and if you are in search of life lessons thats a good one.. You will probably be happier staying in your little bushy corner of the world, but if not theres your warning.
I was about 13 or so, and in my age group in our tiny school I was about the best high jumper there. If I would have quit then I may have retained a shred of self respect, but nooooooooooooo I had to go on the the division meet.
Long story short, they set the bar about a foot higher than I had ever jumped in my life, and that was just the warm-ups.
You would have thought someone would have warned me?If you want to experience exactly how I felt, just take your 30-30 hunting where we go, it will be a perfect example was what "hopelessly out of your league" means and if you are in search of life lessons thats a good one.. You will probably be happier staying in your little bushy corner of the world, but if not theres your warning.
Wow... I have worked many farms in Southern Ontario and damn near every farmer has an old Cooey, Rem or other single shot 12 or SxS 12 gauge handy... and damn near all of them have used them to harvest deer.... around here I would definitely say they would have been a more popular choice than a .22..... but maybe that doesn't stretch nationwide.... hmmmm... good insight guys...
Seems out west everyone & thier dog had a .303Brit and a Cooey .22....
As for 30-30 good gun for all ages and all experience(s)
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Yes, there certainly were great differences in different parts of the country. My Mother had sisters and brothers in Ontario and they were not in the same class in the depression as were many westerners.
As a kid, I also heard about cutting the shotgun shells, but it was supposed to be so the shot would hold together better, for longer range of ducks on the water.
As a teenager I tried it, as our family was one of my small estimated number of people who had a 12 gauge. For me, the cut shell never worked the way it was said to work. The piece of cardboard casing that came out the barrel got mangled in the choke and the only result seemed to be a very ragged pattern.
i don't recall ever hearing about shotguns or seeing one in any old photos from the old days around here (interior BC). being outside of a flyway, guess there wasn't much use for one.
i wasn't around, but pre WWII i know my great-grandfather had a 30-40 and a .45 and my grandfather had a 30WCF. these guns where used on sheep, goats, and deer (maybe not the .45).
IMO within it's limitations (with a peep sight i'd say 200 yards), the win 94 in 30WCF is a better hunting rifle than many others currently on the market. i've taken deer with cartridges ranging from the 22 hornet to 9.3x57 (and 12 gauge) with about 10 or 12 stops in between, including the 30WCF, and the end result has always been the same. so in other words, at open sight ranges, whatever that means to you, the 30WCF is perfect for deer. of course this isn't new information.
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