Do You Use 30-30 for Deer
- Thread starter cityhunter1
- Start date
I have a 30-30 winchester.
I have heard and open for comments that the newer ones have a aluminum lifter, so it is better to get an older one that has a steel lifter?
Mine is an older one and never jamed ever.
I also use 12 Ga shotgun w/ sabot slugs. both are great @ 100yds which is as far as any of my shots are anyways.
I have heard and open for comments that the newer ones have a aluminum lifter, so it is better to get an older one that has a steel lifter?
Mine is an older one and never jamed ever.
I also use 12 Ga shotgun w/ sabot slugs. both are great @ 100yds which is as far as any of my shots are anyways.
- Location
- Yellowknife, NWT
I'm on my sixth .30-30, I've owned two Marlins, three Model 94 Winchesters and a Savage 340 Bolt. All were accurate and fun to shoot, but I only took game with one of them; a post-64 Model 94. It killed one whitetail and a couple of bears quite handily. For virtually all practical deer hunting, they are really only limited by their sighting equipment, when one considers that about 95% of whitetails are shot within the .30-30's range of about 200 yards. If you have a decently accurate Mossberg, Marlin or Winchester lever, scoped, you have a fine deer rifle out to 175 or 200 yards. With the as-issued open sights, I'd say one can shoot deer-accurate to about 125 or 150 yards, and a bit more, maybe to 200 yards with a receiver sight and some practice.
The longest shot on deer that I can personally vouch for with a .30-30 was made by a friend of mine in Alberta several years back. One-shot kill on a decent 10-pointer using a Model 94 Carbine with a Williams receiver sight and small front bead, factory Remington 170-grain Core-lokt ammo. My friend used a boulder for a rest and had lots of time to shoot a broadside, grazing deer. We paced off the distance at about 250 paces, and figure the shot was an honest 200 to 210 yards.
The very few reviews I've read on the Mossberg indicate a rifle that should be on par with the Winchester and Marlin rifles.
The longest shot on deer that I can personally vouch for with a .30-30 was made by a friend of mine in Alberta several years back. One-shot kill on a decent 10-pointer using a Model 94 Carbine with a Williams receiver sight and small front bead, factory Remington 170-grain Core-lokt ammo. My friend used a boulder for a rest and had lots of time to shoot a broadside, grazing deer. We paced off the distance at about 250 paces, and figure the shot was an honest 200 to 210 yards.
The very few reviews I've read on the Mossberg indicate a rifle that should be on par with the Winchester and Marlin rifles.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I have posted this add-nauseum here on CGN, 260 honest yards, (just a coincedence KC) Pre-64 Carbine, William's peep sight, and Fire-Site bead.
Near Cold Lake, Alberta, about 09;15 AM, 22 November 2005. One single shot, offhand, no wind, 150 grain Winchester Silvertip (old style)
Sorry for the numerous re-posts guys!
Near Cold Lake, Alberta, about 09;15 AM, 22 November 2005. One single shot, offhand, no wind, 150 grain Winchester Silvertip (old style)
Sorry for the numerous re-posts guys!
Last edited:
Many years ago in homestead Saskatchewan, a farmer went to a distant field with his horses and hay rack on sleigh, to get a load of hay from a stack. Loaded the hay, got on top and saw on the edge of the field a moose. It was the farmers field and he knew the distance from the hay stack to the edge was 300 yards.
He lay on the hay to aim his 32 Winchester Special, which is virtually the same as a 30-30. He also knew his rifle well and held for a 300 yard shot.
One shot and the moose died.
He lay on the hay to aim his 32 Winchester Special, which is virtually the same as a 30-30. He also knew his rifle well and held for a 300 yard shot.
One shot and the moose died.
trubluscrew
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
My father in law swears by the 30-30 with 150gr ammo. He has shot more moose, black bear and white tail deer than I can count. He's had his Marlin for 40+ years and won't use anything else.
I personally don't use the 30-30 for two reasons. First one is, where I hunt deer is ML or shotgun only and the second is, Lever action confuses me (I grew up with a bolt gun). I just can't get the levering action into the muscle memory.
Buy the 30-30 and enjoy it. It's a great caliber.
I personally don't use the 30-30 for two reasons. First one is, where I hunt deer is ML or shotgun only and the second is, Lever action confuses me (I grew up with a bolt gun). I just can't get the levering action into the muscle memory.
Buy the 30-30 and enjoy it. It's a great caliber.
- Location
- Yellowknife, NWT
Brutus....here's another coincidence....my buddy's deer was also shot outside Cold Lake back about 1992.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Funny huh?
Well thats strange & funny....the one I got was shot just off the "Sun Corp's" road about two miles from the Primrose Range gate. Next to a open field of planted winter wheat reclamation land.
Well thats strange & funny....the one I got was shot just off the "Sun Corp's" road about two miles from the Primrose Range gate. Next to a open field of planted winter wheat reclamation land.
Last edited:
My grandfather homesteaded a ranch near Smithers, BC in about 1915. His only rifle was a M94 in 30-30. I don't recall if it was a rifle or a carbine.
He shot two moose almost every year for 50 years. One for the family (they canned the meat) and one for the local institutions (hospital, etc.)
The moose in northern BC are big guys, too.
When I commented about the 30-30 being kinda light for big moose, he said he only neeed a second shot, once. He said he almost always shot them just behind the ear. I don't know close he was.
Personally, I would not use a 30-30 on moose. It is great for deer, but I prefer something like a 7x57, or 6.5 x 55 or 308, etc, for a moose.
He shot two moose almost every year for 50 years. One for the family (they canned the meat) and one for the local institutions (hospital, etc.)
The moose in northern BC are big guys, too.
When I commented about the 30-30 being kinda light for big moose, he said he only neeed a second shot, once. He said he almost always shot them just behind the ear. I don't know close he was.
Personally, I would not use a 30-30 on moose. It is great for deer, but I prefer something like a 7x57, or 6.5 x 55 or 308, etc, for a moose.
leveractionjunkie
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, BC
the 30-30 works great. I would probably trade the mossberg for a marlin though, or a used winchester both of which have been proven reliable a million times over.
- Location
- Winnipeg,Man.
When you shoot the best ....why would you covet the rest ???
My 1906 - 30-30 Winnie rifle is my constant deer hunting companion. My son carries one made in the same year as mine. Just seems that they were made for the job..
My 1906 - 30-30 Winnie rifle is my constant deer hunting companion. My son carries one made in the same year as mine. Just seems that they were made for the job..
Tommorow Morning at Sunrise, I will be walking a trail in the mountains. I will be in bear country too. (Boogidy, boogidy)
As the sun starts to cast it's glow and shadows of the Morning, and the squirrels start chattering the frost will be glistening on the ground. Birds will start shuffling in the tree limbs above. And as all that is taking place, a whitetail deer will be rounding the bend, as am I. My rifle will come up, the shot will ring out and the buck will fall. And I'll place my .30-30 across it's chest as I take it's photograph.
As the sun starts to cast it's glow and shadows of the Morning, and the squirrels start chattering the frost will be glistening on the ground. Birds will start shuffling in the tree limbs above. And as all that is taking place, a whitetail deer will be rounding the bend, as am I. My rifle will come up, the shot will ring out and the buck will fall. And I'll place my .30-30 across it's chest as I take it's photograph.
