Even with it's limitations the fact that it is as popular as it is today is a testament to the respect it gets. Lets face it, almost any round is a better choice. But lots of guys(including myself) just plain like hunting with it.
agreed
you guys are adamant about the merits of you 30-30's. as I am about many of my favorite cartridges.. okay...I'm going to try this one last time.. you guys stated that the majority of deer are under 200 when taken, it was also said that most shooters basically stink from what is observed at local ranges. I would tend to agree with all that.. but if most hunters aren't capable then that would explain why the deer taken are not any farther. I'm in north central MO for deer season, and I can attest to the fact that there are many shots that present themselves at ranges far greater than I or most can shoot.. just in our group this year three deer were taken at 350+/- a few yrds I shot one at about 180, and another at about 160, and had shots at several I ranged to be 400, but I didn't shoot because the hunter I was with had the lease and he got first dibs from our elevated blind.. so for me and from my experience these type of shots over hay fields are very common whether mens capabilities or equipment can do it is another story..
there is a trend in our country and it can be seen on this board, and a few involved in this discussion have even commented on it, and that is to practice the skills of longer range shooting. I'm not really speaking of the mall ninja "snipers". I'm more speaking of serious hunters and shooters.. whether this is your opinion, and it is not obviously the attitude of many in thread, or whether you even like, or agree with it, it is still a very big trend in shooting over the last decade or two.. this attitude has moved away from conventional lever type rifles, and heavy slow calibers. the existence of all these new super duper uber short magnums is proof that people for whatever reason, good or bad, are looking for the most performance out of their rifle. the 30-30 does not fit into that mindset.. I like the 45lc, though I load it to nearly 44 mag velocity and I like the 45-70, though again I load +p for hunting. but the fact still remains that many are looking for the peak of performance, and as even some here have stated they know this is not the 30-30,but they still love it..
occasionally encounter 400 yard shots the vast majority of game taken is inside of 200 yards.
again I think there is a big difference in what people are capable of and what they encounter in the field... no one usually comes home and says "I shot ten times at a deer 500 yds away, but I can't shoot that far so it walked back into the woods unscathed".. though I've seen it with my own eyes more than once!
No one is arguing that it doesn't have limitations. Everything has limitations. However, if you can operate within its limitations, as I've been saying all along, you can do no better for the game animals given
again the original topic is not whether or not it is better or worse in it's capable range. it was why do people hate on this legendary cartridge.. I'm merely offering the point of view of those that do not get excited about this caliber. you don't have to agree or even think it's a relevant view point, it just is the view point of some..