Why doesn't the 30-30 get respect?

[Bogie35]

For the gun writers, the 30-30 is the proverbial "white elephant in the center of the room".  It's huge, but they pretend not to notice it.   

Anyone who claims the 30-30 isn't "good enough" for everything in North America is simply showing their ignorance.  Of course there are better choices for the larger animals, but all of them have fallen MANY times to the 30-30.

I do, however, like the 35 Remington better.  But for no arguable reason.   

BTW, "pointy sticks" get even less respect than the 30-30, and they've most assuredly accounted for more large game than all gun calibers combined.   

bogie

[Ironglow]

  This is why I use a 30/30 for deer.
   I hunt deer in a hilly, mostly wooded area, so my shots are not normally over 125 yards, and about 90% of the time much closer. At these ranges any of the popular .30 cal rifles, 30/30, .308, 30/06 can go clear through a whitetail's boiler room.
   Of course, our desire however, is to have the bullet fall just short of exiting the far side..for efficency and safety reasons. If a .30 caliber bullet (e.g. .300 WinMag) goes clean through or (e.g. 30/30) stops just under the hide on the far side of the deer, which has done more damage?
   I don't question the place of the .300 WinMag, if I were hunting antelope at the usual ranges or grizzly at any range, the .300 would be the better choice, but in my eastern, hilly to mountainous hunting area, the 30/30 (IMO) does as well as any .30 cal, especially with the Winchester 170 gr CXP2 rounds for thin skinned game, which I usually use. I believe it will work as well on black bear, should I get one in my sights.

[gb_in_tx]

Of course, our desire however, is to have the bullet fall just short of exiting the far side..for efficency and safety reasons.

Personally, I don't feel that way at all.  I want an exit wound for tracking purposes.  I really don't care all that much about the efficiency thing since I'm not an adherent to the energy dump theories, and for safety reasons I feel that you should always be respecting your background in the first place.  If the background is iffy from a safety standpoint, you shouldn't be shooting at all.

[BlueStateSaint]

Of course, our desire however, is to have the bullet fall just short of exiting the far side..for efficency and safety reasons.

Personally, I don't feel that way at all.  I want an exit wound for tracking purposes.  I really don't care all that much about the efficiency thing since I'm not an adherent to the energy dump theories, and for safety reasons I feel that you should always be respecting your background in the first place.  If the background is iffy from a safety standpoint, you shouldn't be shooting at all.

Agree wholeheartedly. 

[Ironglow]

  Entrance wounds don't bleed? As it is, I have not had that many deer which were not down in the first 20 yards or so, The couple which did go further were no problem, since rarely is there not good snow cover during deer season where I live.
  BTW: I do check respect the background, but as I stated , I hunt hilly to mountainous terrain with heavy wood cover and one can never predict when someone can step from behind a tree, come round a bend in a ravine or be sitting totally hidden in thick brush or branches.
  But then, I don't have to prove the 30/30, it has proven itself for over a century...it has probably harvested more whitetails than any other caliber.

[good ole boy]

You know the way I see it who cares what anyone thinks.As long as we know the truth.

[gb_in_tx]

Entrance wounds don't bleed?

Yes, they do.  But not as much as exit wounds, nor as reliably.  And even if an exit wound bleeds as much as an entry wound (which it doesn't -- it bleeds much more), that means that you have 2 blood sources for the trail instead of 1.  Instead, what I've seen (especially with smaller calibers, although it happens with .30s as well), is that under exertion the skin shifts the small entry wound in the skin from over the rest of the wound under the skin and seals itself off from the pool of blood that forms in the heart/lung cavity, and thus you don't get any meaningful blood trail at all.  That big exit wound is too large for this to happen so you'll get a good reliable trail even if the skin does shift around some.

As it is, I have not had that many deer which were not down in the first 20 yards or so,

Well, I sure have.  I've seen well hit deer (with rifles more powerful than a .30-30) run 100 or more yards (And then again, I've seen them drop in their tracks.  Odd things, deer are).  Add in thick brush which is common where I hunt and you had better darned sure have a good trail or you're liable to completely lose it.  The thing is, it is better to have the good blood trail than not have it.  The deer might drop right there, DRT.  And maybe not -- it might be a runner and make it a good long way before dropping.  Ya' just can't tell.

since rarely is there not good snow cover during deer season where I live.

Not so where I hunt.  Snow is a rare thing around here, even more rare where I hunt, and even when we do get it, it rarely stays for more than a day or 2.  So no, we can't rely on snow tracks or blood trails in the snow to aid us in our tracking efforts.  It takes a good blood trail or you just might not ever find it.

One other thing about the exit wound is that since it is always accompanied by a large blood & tissue deposit just behind where the deer was hit, it gives you a definite starting place for the track.  Not always have I walked up to where I thought the deer was hit and found that blood track, because I misjudged where that actually was.  Without that big, easy to spot pool & tissue, it is all that much harder to accurately spot the beginning of the track.  And if you don't spot the beginning of the track you are likely to not be able to latch on to the trail at all -- especially with the much lighter trail that an animal that has only the 1 entry wound would leave.

[Ironglow]

GB;
  As a side note;
  One of the 2 or 3 I had to trail was one I shot at about 250 yds with a .44 mag rifle, and did not get a vital hit..caught the top of his left front leg. Snow cover was very helpful, not always a lot of blood..but that deer was clever.
  I would have let him go for a few minutes to lie down & bleed out...but my son was with me, and at about 14 years of age, just couldn't stand to wait..so we chased after the deer.
  That buck took to mingling with other deer to mix trail, then he broke ice and waded for 3/4 mile in a fairly deep brook which was no more than 1-2 ft wide, trying to throw me off...some smart deer.

[Buckeye]

Its works....time after time....the 30-30 (30WCF) round is accurate... no fuss is easy to hand load..comes in light quick handling rifles and carbines...bullets are produced to work at there velocities...

Joe Public  believes what rag writers say ...speed kills ! (maybe in a car)

they buy these super Magnums that kick hard and ammo is almost impossible to find and is $$$ ...So they spend alot less time at the range ..and think they are going to shoot a whitetail at 400 YDs.

I have wondered away from the 30-30 over the years but recently began to realize the 30-30 wether in a levergun ,Single shot , bolt gun or a pump ..are just about the perfect combo for Whitetail ,Black Bears and Hawgs..

these super zip magnums of the week , are falling aside to the oldies ,30-30, 35 Rem. ,270 and the 30-06

i mentioned to some of my buddies i was looking in to purchase another deer gun ..i was looking at a 7.62 X51R  they where all ears when I was explaining it seemed like the perfect cartridge ..short able to fit in a levergun ..low pressure ..low recoil and has gained quite a reputation all over world..

they will fall over when i show them my H&R Handi chambered in 7.62X51R  also known as the (30WCF)

[shootrj2003]

I certainly do respect it!The 30-30 is the most respected medium size game cartridge judging by the sales!I love and have hunted with it for 40 years.

[Ironglow]

  I wouldn't be surprised if the old "Thuty-thuty" will still be collecting deer & black bear when many of the hot-shot rounds are rattling around in collector's boxes. It has outlasted some of them already!

[NCHunter79]

Not sure, but it might have something to do with insecurity.  The whole, "mine is bigger than yours" issue.  Some people have NEED to have a rifle that shoot 4 million feet per second to take game.  Maybe they don't know how to get in range, maybe they don't know how to track and they must have a DRT or the world ends.  True hunting I think is begining to be a lost art.  Me personnally, DRT is great, but tracking the blood trail (or god forbid, hoof/paw prints) is one of the best and most satisfying parts of the hunt.  There is just something about tracking your kill.....what do I know, I'm just a country boy from NC.  Then again, the deer or bear here don't really care what round pierces their heart and lungs.     

[Elvis]

Not sure, but it might have something to do with insecurity.  The whole, "mine is bigger than yours" issue.  Some people have NEED to have a rifle that shoot 4 million feet per second to take game.  Maybe they don't know how to get in range, maybe they don't know how to track and they must have a DRT or the world ends.  True hunting I think is begining to be a lost art.  Me personnally, DRT is great, but tracking the blood trail (or god forbid, hoof/paw prints) is one of the best and most satisfying parts of the hunt.  There is just something about tracking your kill.....what do I know, I'm just a country boy from NC.  Then again, the deer or bear here don't really care what round pierces their heart and lungs.     

What is DRT?

[Nematocyst]

DRT = dead right there.

[CoryD]

Ive shot 4 deer with my 30/30, all four dropped on the spot, bullets goin clean through. 30/30 is a fine round for most hunting purposes(well, maybe not so much for rabbits an' such)