ranch hunt...is .30-30 enough???

[kmrcstintn]

next year I am invited on a hunt to a ranch that imports animals and one of the animals I am contemplating on hunting is European Stag Deer (larger than whitetail & smaller than elk); the ranch is in PA and the website states that average shots are from 25 yards to 100 yards

I previously owned a Marlin 336 lever gun for my deer rifle and would like to acquire another one...is .30-30 enough for such a hunt (Hornady LeveRolution ballistic tip ammo)?

30-30 160 gr. Evolution 82730
Velocity (fps) / Energy (ft-lbs)
Muzzle 100 yd 200 yd 300 yd 400 yd 500 yd
2400/2046 2150/1643 1916/1304 1699/1025

Trajectory (inches)
Muzzle 100 yd 200 yd 300 yd 400 yd 500 yd
-1.7 3.0 0.2 -12.1



thanks

 

[B.D. Turner]

Yes the 30-30 is plenty of gun for the job without a doubt.

 

['Card]

Was hunting with a friend just a few weeks ago, and watched his 12-year old son shoot a fat whitetail doe from a treestand with a Marlin 336 .30-30, at about 120 yards, with open sights. Same 160-grain ammo, and she dropped like she'd been pole-axed.

So yeah, I'd say that'll do.

 

[NailGun]

kmrcstintn, The 30-30 IS enough gun. And FUN to shoot, I might add.

I always used 150 gr. rounds with my Marlin 336, with excellent results on whitetail. For bigger animals, the 170 gr. is more appropriate.

I have never personally tried Hornady's new stuff, mainly because I reload now. I bet they would work pretty slick too.

I had my Marlin sighted for 50 yds. with open sights, and 150 yds. for the scope (mounted on see through rings). With a 150 yard zero, I figger I could aim "straight on" out to about 175 yds. or so, and that was farther than my shooting boundary anyway.

Good luck with your hunt next year. Prepare your equipment early on, as time goes by fast.
NailGun.

 

[High Planes Drifter]

.30-30 is fine for your application. Let me say , I am NOT impressed with Hornady's new LeverEvolution. Thats for another topic tho. IMO stick with Remington Cor Lokt.

 

[mustanger98]

In my .30-30's, I generally use 150gr'ers in CoreLokt or PowerPoint, or a Hornady 150gr'er handloaded to run 2200fps. The buck I shot on Thanksgiving being the latest kill I've seen made with a .30-30, the deer was heavy-muscled, but the bullet went through the lungs and he ran out of steam real fast. I can't say it would've been too different if I'd loaded a 170gr'er that day.

 

[kmrcstintn]

I was thinking about the effect that the ballistic tip would have on initiating expansion vs the older and time proven exposed lead soft tips...think I might just stick with the older stuff since it is readily available and more cost effective to get back into rifle shooting with later this year...

on the other hand, my $$$ may be gone before I can get another rifle...I was unemployed for a while last yearand I opted to not have taxes taken out of my unemployment $$$...seems I'm gonna owe money this year

 

[Sunray]

Heavy bullets in a .30-30 have dropped moose up here for eons with no fuss. It's not the ideal cartridge, but it'll do. I wouldn't use factory ammo though. Not accurate enough.

 

[georgeduz]

i think everyone should own a 30-30,and yes reload your own,i really like to try those Evolution bullets,can you just buy the bullets?

 

[T.R.]

Many modern gun writers yawn at the 30-30 and 35 Remington as hunting cartridges. HO HUM. Ballistic charts appear boring and the fellahs that hunt with these carbines are hayseed peasants. But they are dead wrong.

30-30 is a very good hunting cartridge. The bullet factories have had over 100 years to experiment with jacket thickness and various alloys to produce absolutely lethal bullets that hold together despite crashing through heavy bones and hide. The Eskimo and Cree hunters I met in northern Canada were quite pleased with their 30-30 carbines. Several million caribou have been toppled by these patient hunters with their short but effective rifles.

Red stags typically weigh in just a little less than the average North American elk. Their hides and bone structure are identical. Any hunting cartridge that will kill elk will perform equally well on red stag. But hunting preserves offer shorter distance shots that the wide basins of the Bighorn Mts of Wyoming.

30-30 is a very good choice for taking a red stag trophy. Simply wait patiently for a good broadside shot and hit 'em in the crease just aft of the shoulder. Any good 170 grain bullet will smash through and damage the chest organs.

Good hunting to you!
TR

 

[grizz]

Plenty of firepower with the new Hornady LeveRevolution ammo.

Everyone's gun shoots differently with different ammo. My marlin 336 XLR groups < 1" with the LeverRevolution ammo at 100 yards. Actually, it's my most accurate gun at the moment.

--Grizz

 

[Geno]

.30-30 has killed more game animals than any other cartridge

A few years back I was reading an article and the writer stated, that while the .30-30 is frowned upon by some and laughed at by others, "....the .30-30 (.30 WCF) has killed more game animals than any other cartridge." Enough said? I have seen many deer and boar taken with single shots. In this case, given body mass, I would opt for a Core Lock or similar. Limit your shots to 150 to 200 yards. Try to keep your energy levels at or above 1,200 FPE. That seems to be the standard accepted as enough power to effectively dispatch a deer.

Doc2005

 

[Vern Humphrey]

i think everyone should own a 30-30,and yes reload your own,i really like to try those Evolution bullets,can you just buy the bullets?

I contacted Hornady on this when they first were announced and was told, "Not this year, anyway." I suspect it will be a while.

I've killed a lot of deer with the .30-30, and would never downgrade it. The key is, how well can you shoot it? If you put your shots where they should go, the .30-30 will handle anything within 150 yards or a bit more. If you can't, a .375 Magnum wouldn't do you any good, either.

 

[B.D. Turner]

I see so many hunters in the east who talk down a 30-30 and complain that the 30-30 does not have enough range. These guys buy .270, .280, .300wm,
7mag, and .30/06. These guys are still hunting and taking deer at 200 yds or less, many times far less. Apparently there is a degree of dead and death by a 30-30 is not as dead as with a .300wm.

 

[T.R.]

B.D. Turner:

I've never been able to perceive if one animal is "deader" than another. But I'm certain that modern magazine writers want us to believe that we'll be happier with a short magnum in hand. It's sad that Marketing & Hunting magazine articles are one and the same these days.

But FUR-FISH-GAME does not follow this trend.

TR

 

[ReadyontheRight]

IMHO, the best thing about a 30-30 is the GUN. A nice little Marlin lever-action carbine is just a plain old joy to carry in the woods. Quick to the shoulder, fast follow up shots and no need to care too much about a few scratches from busting through some brush.

Best of luck on your hunt!

 

[jtpickensj]

30-30 is plenty enough rifle for that range.