I've killed two deer quite dead with the SKS and 135 grain Sieera Pro Hunter handloads. That bullet is no longer available, but it was a .308 diameter bullet that shot about 3.5 moa from the SKS and it expanded well as it was designed for use in .30-30 Contenders. If I wanted to try a handload NOW, I think I'd work with the Nosler 150 BT as it works FANTASTIC in my 12" Contender. Bullets a might big for the case, but I've shot a couple of hogs with the Wolf 154 grain steel cased soft point and it works fantastic, 2.5 MOA out of my SKS and expands well on a hogs shoulder. I don't know that it would expand on a deer/lung shot, though, but I shoot shoulders anyway so they can't walk away even if they have some life left in 'em.
I might lose a tiny bit of shoulder meat, so what? It ain't worth nothing, but for sausage anyway.
That first deer I got a frontal shot on her (a doe) and the bullet exited the chest only messing up one lung. It ran about 100 yards before it dropped. I got out of the blind and it started pouring down rain for 10 minutes which washed away a blood trail. I finally walked back to my dirt bike thinkin' I'd get someone to come help scour the woods for the deer. When I got back to my bike, the deer was laying right next to it.
I have other rifles, of course, just wanted to try the SKS when I got it and the second deer I shot with it was 6 years ago when we were waiting to close on this house, living in an 18 ft travel trailer in Port O'Connor, Texas. I was hunting my place there, but didn't have any rifles as they were all in storage in Corpus. I had the SKS and a Rossi 92 carbine. The SKS didn't have a scope on it anymore, but I chose it anyway. The Rossi is in .357, so it was sort of a toss up, really.
I never bought a Mini 30. Things are expensive and from what I've heard, they aren't any more accurate than the SKS. The SKS was only 75 bucks when I bought it. I bougtht a paratrooper carbine, a range toy, for 115 back then.
I've put a scope back on the SKS now and a green laser and am using it for night hunting hogs. It makes a great hog gun. I like the looks of those mini 30s, just ain't gonna part with that kind of money when the SKS is just as good. It's a little heavier than a mini 30, but not a problem for night hunting from a blind.
Anyway, I've been impressed with that 154 grain wolf soft point on hogs. It clocks 2200 fps, as much as my 135 grain handload, and it's 2.5 moa accurate, which won't win any bench rest shoots, but it's plenty accurate for hogs, even woods hunting deer. I think of it as my little semi auto .30-30.
For that matter, you could load a .30-30 flat point. Of course, you'd need to handload, but those bullets work GREAT from a .30-30.
They're .308" bullets, not .311, but they'll likely be accurate enough to 100 yards in the woods. I know that 135 pro-hunter wasn't worthless for accuracy.
I may be one of the weird folks that likes the caliber, but hey, it's not bad with the right bullet. It's every bit as good as any .30-30.