Is 30/30 a good caliber to hunt deer?

migrant hunter said:
.30-30 has been comdemned by the guns it is chambered in, like the .7.62x39.
I have a winchester 94(in .32 spec, but it's almost the same thing) and my wife has a savage 340 bolt action in .30-30. I have been playing with her .30-30 with 110 grain and 125 grain spitzers(box magazine) and it is amazingly accurate. I did some bedding work and am shooting neck sized brass loaded to max mag length. I got some 2 1/2-3" groups at 200 yards and I'm still working on loads. .30-30 has the power to easily take deer, if it is fired from a decent gun with decent sights(not buckhorns!)
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When I first acquired my Winchester 30-30 I tried out a handload from Ken Water's book entitled Pet Loads. Using the Sierra 110 grain hollowpoint,called the Plinker, it was pretty decent accuracy using the load recommendations. For the bullet profile it looks like something Super Vel would have loaded in thier 357 Magnum ammunition line. I hesistate to call this any kind of deer bullet though, more for low recoil varminting.
You should try it out with the IMR 4198 powder.
 
Ardent said:
Sounds like Oz...? I'm chomping at the bit to go, but we won't make it til 2016-2017+ by the looks of it. I have a Leopard with my name on it and I'd love to go to Mozambique for Lion, and these may get in the way of the Oz dream for the time being. I'll be playing catch up to ya for decades to come. :redface:
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You and me, both! One day...Good thing I'm on that freedom 85 plan!

migrant hunter said:
.30-30 has been comdemned by the guns it is chambered in, like the .7.62x39.
I have a winchester 94(in .32 spec, but it's almost the same thing) and my wife has a savage 340 bolt action in .30-30. I have been playing with her .30-30 with 110 grain and 125 grain spitzers(box magazine) and it is amazingly accurate. I did some bedding work and am shooting neck sized brass loaded to max mag length. I got some 2 1/2-3" groups at 200 yards and I'm still working on loads. .30-30 has the power to easily take deer, if it is fired from a decent gun with decent sights(not buckhorns!)
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Those are varmint weight bullets. What are you gonna shoot with those? I think the twist would favour 150s; work up any interesting loads with the heavier bullets? In a newer gun you should be able to improve the velocity a bit as well.

Dogleg said:
If you calculate it as price per shot, it is probably the cheapest non-rodent hunting trip in existence.
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Ok, curious! Where and how much, roughly?
 
Forgoy to mention that I took a nice moose with it again this fall. Hornady FTX at 220 yrds. The bullet performed flawlessly. Found it against the hide on the far side.

I bump ed into a grizz this fall, as many up this way do. Now I can get off 5 shots off this 30-30 Marlin 336 RC in under 1.5 seconds, but only one was needed to send the bear running with his ass tucked. Additionally, a lot of groundd can be covered by a bear in 1.5 seconds.
 
Funny thing. I see more people hunting deer now with 7mm and 300 magnums then 30-30's.

Nothing wrong with a 30-30 up to 150 yards as long as you can hit a pie plate with it.

But my next deer hunt will probably be with a 6.5x55mm.
 
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