Taking elk with 30-30?

303carbine said:
Next thing ya know, people will be a sayin' ya cain't shoot moose critters with a .303
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I'm willing to bet that more moose have been shot with a .303 than any other caliber..
 
with an elk tag in my pocket i would feel much more comfortable with a 30WCF in hand than any rifle below 6.5mm, in fact, i would much rather have a 30-30 than a 270 with 130 grain bullets that a lot of guys pack.
 
It is Funny that alot of Folks that turn up thier nose at the Thought of Moose hunting with a 30-30 and respecting the ranges it's best for, (say under a 150 meters) would think nothing of shooting a Moose at 300 plus meters with thier 30-06 because it has plenty of Power........:rolleyes:

30-30 will KILL anything if used with some brains ;)
 
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303carbine said:
Next thing ya know, people will be a sayin' ya cain't shoot moose critters with a .303
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Seen it said on an American gun board, ".303 British is considered marginal for moose, 300WM or more recommended" (or something to that extent).

My local gravel pit is full of 30-30 and 303 casings every fall, the butchers are always busy, and we don't have any deer.

Like others said, know it's limitations and you'll be fine.
 
thanks for the pics.

That doe is not so big, until you try the Robin Hood trick..... remember Eroll Flinn? they are so tasty.... My wife tells me "only does from now on... :) "

the moose looks nice... but why in the world did you get it that high up?
 
Winters said:
You mean in Canada, right? Worldwide I'd say 6.5x55 and 7.62x54 would give it a good run for the money...
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Yes I mean Canada...back in the 60's you could buy an enfield for $19.95..lol

And I'm also willing to bet that most guys here have owned one at some point in time..I know I did..

But I'll stick to my .30-06 for moose..I'm not saying it's the best,I'm saying it my choice..
 
Well Super Scout, it was not an elk or moose but on the 22 Nov. 2005, I took a very big whitetail buck, at 260 yards with a 30-30 Winchester Carbine.
Using factory 150 grain silvertip ammo. The rifle has a williams FP receiver sight and firesite to replace the brass front bead.
One shot, right into the boiler room, deer dead right there!
(months target practice prior to season) Yes, lots of holdover.
Sorry, no witnesses, just my word,take it or leave it....
Cheers
 
I have never hunted elk but when I first started hunting here in Ont most hunters carried 30-30s,and 32 SPLs for everything.Hunting back then was done on foot and an easy to carry rifle a must.This is when a 30-06 was thought of as a canon.There are still alot of those old school hunters around and only a small handful of them has changed to a bigger gun.
It would be safe to say those old 30-30s have put down more moose here in Ont than any other cartrige.

I took my first moose with a 30-30.A nice chunk of a cow about 150 yrds with 170gr silvertips.Fired three shots.Two more shots than was needed because the first shot had already done the job.Now when I go moose hunting I do carry a bigger gun,but my back up gun that I always take is my old Win 64 with peeps.
 
As I have mentioned many times before allot of the old timers in our area hunt everything besides migratory birds with their 30/30's.

Their freezers are always full. :)

As others have said know you limitations, as well as the rifles.

I find the 30/30 a fun cartridge to reload, and I can crank out a whole bunch in no time. :)
 
We don't have any legal elk hunting up here, but I know quite a few guys who have killed many of our really huge bull moose and a few grizzly bear with 30-30s.

Now that I think about it, I know two very good professional guides who carry Model 94s for backup while guiding. One of them guided for 77 days straight this year. He killed a huge grizzly that a guy had wounded, and did it with two quick shots at 20 yards.

The really interesting thing about this is that he hunts with a left hand Rem 700 in 338 Win mag, but uses the 30-30 for backup when guiding. Think about this for a moment...........all his work is at short range, twice the number of rounds in the magazine, light, handy, points like an extension of your arm. Hmmm, Why not? ;)
 
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Why not? said:
The really interesting thing about this is that he hunts with a left hand Rem 700 in 338 Win mag, but uses the 30-30 for backup when guiding. Think about this for a moment...........all his work is at short range, twice the number of rounds in the magazine, light, handy, points like an extension of your arm. Hmmm, Why not? ;)
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i know a fellow who guides and does something similar, when hunting for himself he carries a 300 win mag and when guiding carries a 30WCF. i asked him about it and he said if he needs to shoot it will be fast and close and the the winchester 94 fits perfectly in a saddle scabbard, no scope to break, etc.
 
range

just wondering guys how many deer/elk/moose do u think are shot from each year from distances greater than 100 yards. this year my hunting party downed about 8 and ill say the guys that took there long range guns really wished they just would have brought there 30-30s think there was 3 of them that ended up saying that. not one deer was shot over 100 yards. although we did shoot at one that must have been 500 plus yards with my uncle's .308 he ended up shooting the deer at about 30 yards when it came out of the bush after we pushed it for him. sorry no pics.
 
MiG25 said:
i know a fellow who guides and does something similar, when hunting for himself he carries a 300 win mag and when guiding carries a 30WCF. i asked him about it and he said if he needs to shoot it will be fast and close and the the winchester 94 fits perfectly in a saddle scabbard, no scope to break, etc.
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It's almost like the rifle was designed for this. :p
 
Shot placement is key with any caliber, but with 30-30 especially on larger than deer sized game it is pretty important. But the low recoil and pointability of the 30-30 carbine lend themselves to accurate shooting in the field. My Marlin can shoot sub moa with barnes handloads.

Bullet choice is another factor. Basic 170 grain flatnoses will work and have worked for a century, but I believe that better penetration can be had with nosler and barnes bullets designed to expand at 30-30 velocities. A non-issue with most deer hunting, but it can be an issue with larger game where more penetration is required.

While I have not shot a moose or elk with a 30-30, I have no idea why a 30-30 wouldn't work at 100 yds or less. Lots of elk and moose are shot with bows each year, and the 30-30's capabilities are more than twice the range of a bow! :p Hit them in a vital spot and they die.
 
John Y Cannuck said:
As requested:
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Why so high? Do ya skin it from the ladder? Don't ya know it's sposed to be hung from the feet? Why do you look so grumpy?

So many questions, so little time. :D


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