So the type of hunting that I do appears to be changing and I will be doing more brush hunting than in past. This isn't a bad thing and I'm sure that I will have fun. Right now I have a .30-30 that I've shot a lot but never used on game. It is smooth, reliable and very accurate with 170 grain Hornady round nose bullets. I have no worries about the ability of the .30-30 to effectively kill game. I also have no worries about my shooting ability. But due to my inexperience I'd like to hear from others about their experiences with how suddenly it kills. How fast do you expect animals to drop when hit with a properly place .30-30 bullet? How much distance covered?
Hunting with the .30-30, how fast does it drop them?
- Thread starter Chuck
- Start date
I hunted with a pre '64 94 Win 30-30 for many years from day one until I finally updated my rifles. It a great bush gun for what you are doing and a joy to carry. Not to worry it kills quick, but you do have to learn how to! Sounds like you have it aced already, so happy hunting!
Some of the fastest kills I've had with deer have been with 170 grain bullets from a Marlin 30-30. I remember two distinctly. The first was a perfect broadside shot through both lungs at 50 yrds. The deer went 25 yrds and dropped. The second was a head-on shot at 35 yrds with the deer walking towards me. I aimed low on the neck and held dead-center between the shoulders. When I squeezed the trigger, the deer went over backwards and died instantly! The 30-30 is the most under-rated deer cartridge, but truth be known it has taken every form of big game in North America. Good luck in your hunt!
So far with my Marlin Model 1936 I've dropped a calf moose, a doe, and 2 bucks. With the exception of the calf moose every shot was between 5 and 75 yards or so. The first buck went 35 yards at the most with a great shot to the lungs, the first buck dropped on the spot with a 5 yard shot to the neck. The doe crashed for about 20 yards after a double lung shot at around 50 yards. The calf moose was about 180 yards away, took one to the back of the ribs and she didn't run so I had a chance to reload and put one behind the ear using a tree as a rest, dropped on the spot. The recovered bullets did not have much penetration and I will not attempt a shot that far on a calf moose with the 30-30 again. That being said, I've had nothing but good success using the 30-30 on deer, as well as many others I have hunted with. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on moose again, but I'd opt for a closer shot if the chance arose.
Switched to a 30.06 quite a number of years ago for deer/moose, but hunted a number of years with my pre-64/mod 94 30-30 before that. It was always on dog pushed deer from a ground blind (or what passed for one in the 70's, not the new-fangled things).
Shots were typically in the 25-75 yard range and if Bambi didn't drop in his tracks he usually layed down within 50 yards - certainly never had to really go looking.
A heavy round nosed bullet, at close range right through the vitals tends to mess things up and the "shock" alone is usually enough to put them right down.
The 30-30 is a great "close range" gun - if you use it that way, it will drop them quick.
With the advent of the Lever-Revolution line from Hornady (just recently picked up a box of 170 grain FTX on sale - kinda the SST line for tubular magazine lever guns), I have gotten "nostalgic" and may take the 30-30 out next season. I expect that round would do mean and nasty things - lose a little more meat maybe, but turn everything inside to "blender mush" on impact.
Shots were typically in the 25-75 yard range and if Bambi didn't drop in his tracks he usually layed down within 50 yards - certainly never had to really go looking.
A heavy round nosed bullet, at close range right through the vitals tends to mess things up and the "shock" alone is usually enough to put them right down.
The 30-30 is a great "close range" gun - if you use it that way, it will drop them quick.
With the advent of the Lever-Revolution line from Hornady (just recently picked up a box of 170 grain FTX on sale - kinda the SST line for tubular magazine lever guns), I have gotten "nostalgic" and may take the 30-30 out next season. I expect that round would do mean and nasty things - lose a little more meat maybe, but turn everything inside to "blender mush" on impact.
The .30-30 has been the standard for on game performance on deer here in North America since 1895. In my experience I have never had a relaxed deer hit where it should be, go far whether shot with a .223, .30-30, 270 or 30-06. A deer that is stressed, on high alert or already running, will often go further even with a well placed shot unless you damage the CNS.
I got my first moose with a 30 30, using cheap win ammo. It was a timber moose ,,900lbs. Shot it in the neck ,from about 100 yrds. It was on the run when I hit it. It ran about another 100 yrds,then just stood still. One more in the heart finished it. I've seen my father in law take a few with the same gun, 200 yrd shots,he never misses. Open sights only.
I killed my first animal (A medium sized bull moose) when I was 14 years old with a model 94 in 30-30. If I remember, it was about 90-100 yards out. I hit it in the lungs, it traveled maybe 40 or so yards into the bush and dropped.
I have killed many many animals since then with the 30-30 round. It is all about shot placement as you have already pointed out. More than enough power to kill ANY animal that resides in North America.
I have killed many many animals since then with the 30-30 round. It is all about shot placement as you have already pointed out. More than enough power to kill ANY animal that resides in North America.
The .30/30 is a great short to medium range round for deer sized game. These days a lot of people are enamoured of high velocity and disparage the older "woods" cartridges. There are also a lot of guys running around with belted magnums who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if they were in the barn. The medium velocity cartridges have an advantage that it is relatively easy to make a bullet that penetrates and expands reliably at 1800fps-2500fps. A good deal harder to make one that performs at 2000fps up to 3500fps. Even some of the premium bullets will blow up at close range when driven at high velocity or fail to expand much when velocity drops a great deal at long range.
The 30-30 was the velocity king of hunting cartridges when it was introduced, the deer or moose haven't become bullet proof over the years.
Newer offerings only extend the range at which you can hit and reliably kill your game.
Velocity helps on close hits, but its not everything. Better bullets, optics and shooters help and higher velocity extends the ranges.
Unfortunately we dont find all the ingredients in the same package to often these days.
Newer offerings only extend the range at which you can hit and reliably kill your game.
Velocity helps on close hits, but its not everything. Better bullets, optics and shooters help and higher velocity extends the ranges.
Unfortunately we dont find all the ingredients in the same package to often these days.
Pravdivost
New member
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- Parksville BC
Hey guys, I just inherited a pre-64 winchester 94 and am thinking of putting a scope on it but I'm not sure how that would work with the top eject. Has anyone done this or come across a half decent guide for someone who has?
I've taken 3 deer with a 30-30.
1st was broadside @ 30yds with a 170gr Fusion, I hit him right behind the front shoulder, bullet went right through and he dropped right there dead. Little to no meat damage, but the shock mushed everything inside.
2nd was slightly raking away @ 90yds with a 170gr Fusion (love this round), hit him behind the shoulder and it exited through the other shoulder right at the joint. He hobbled ten paces and piled up. Pretty much lost the exiting shoulder to meat damage.
3rd was broadside @ 150yds with a 160gr Leverevolution, grazed the shoulder and exited through the rib cage. He dropped right there like he was hit by lighting. Lost more meat than I would have liked to with that one, but that seems to be the nature of the FTX bullet.
Love my 30-30's, just keep em under 200yds IMO
1st was broadside @ 30yds with a 170gr Fusion, I hit him right behind the front shoulder, bullet went right through and he dropped right there dead. Little to no meat damage, but the shock mushed everything inside.
2nd was slightly raking away @ 90yds with a 170gr Fusion (love this round), hit him behind the shoulder and it exited through the other shoulder right at the joint. He hobbled ten paces and piled up. Pretty much lost the exiting shoulder to meat damage.
3rd was broadside @ 150yds with a 160gr Leverevolution, grazed the shoulder and exited through the rib cage. He dropped right there like he was hit by lighting. Lost more meat than I would have liked to with that one, but that seems to be the nature of the FTX bullet.
Love my 30-30's, just keep em under 200yds IMO
I have a friend who fed his family with moose shot with a 30-30 for, probably 25 years straight.
I asked him once: J........, why don't you buy a 30-06? His answer: Why? Dead is dead. Lesson for me.
He told me he never took a shot over 100 yards, and always tried to put that 170 grain bullet through the lungs.
Don't believe he lost any moose, either.
I have now taken several animals with the 30-30, and it's big brother the 38-55, and have a profound respect for these older offerings.
Regards, Dave.
I asked him once: J........, why don't you buy a 30-06? His answer: Why? Dead is dead. Lesson for me.
He told me he never took a shot over 100 yards, and always tried to put that 170 grain bullet through the lungs.
Don't believe he lost any moose, either.
I have now taken several animals with the 30-30, and it's big brother the 38-55, and have a profound respect for these older offerings.
Regards, Dave.
My friend has this; ht tp://www.opticsplanet.com/kwik-site-side-mount-for-winchester-94-27047.html
Looks a little odd as it mounts the scope off to the left side of the bore, but it works great! You won't be able to purchase it there, but I'm sure you can find one in Canada
Good Luck
Another option to consider is putting a red dot or mirage type sight further forward on the gun/barrel to get clear of the action. Dig around, and you can find a no-gunsmithing mount for just about anything. I sorta disagree about destroying value. Value is subject to a lot of conditions, and a decent drill and tap job, done well, on a gun that has seen a bunch of use and is not ever going to be a shiny mint example for a collection, is not going to drive the value down as much as it will add to the usefulness.
Do note, however, that this excludes tack welds!
And I agree with the guys that say there is nothing to worry about. If you can hit the critter, where the critter should be hit, it'll be a dead critter! Deer and moose without internet access do not know that they are supposed to walk it off when hit by a non-magnum caliber!
Cheers
Trev
