Me personally would limit it to 100, YMMV.

 

Holy moly, here we go again!
John

 

Hahahaha, has this been asked before *Puts on his innocent face*

 

I've seen lots of the slightly smaller New Mexico elk killed with 170 grain 30-30s, but haven't heard of anyone trying a long shot with one. Why risk an elk permit by using a tool outside of its best utility?

 

I have dropped an Elk with my Marlin 30-30 using Hornady`s Leverevolution cartridge, but where i hunt 75 to 100 yards is going to be max because of the brush and trees. but my usual carry for Elk and larger game is my Marlin 336 in 35 cal or my Marlin 444.
Shot placement is more important then the cal sometimes.
Good Luck..:beer:

 

Take a peek at the 336 forum - I think there was a recent thread on this question there. If you hunted in a place where elk were always going to be encountered broadside inside of 100 yards, it would be a great cartridge for elk, with good shot placement. If you're willing to adhere to these parameters, you'll be just fine, although there might be times when you come home empty-handed that you would've scored with a different cartridge due to range, shot presentation etc. Hopefully a guy would be able to exercise the necessary restraint in marginal situations when carrying a 30/30. Although not critical at 30/30 velocities, I'd hedge with a 170 nosler or 150 barnes if I carried a 30/30 for elk, which I did, this year. No elk wandered by the day I had the '94 in my hands. I've taken 8 elk, and only 1 would've been possible with the 30/30 given the parameters mentioned above. I used to hunt relatively open country though, but less so these days. Most of my elk were taken with a 30/06, 2 with the 6.5 x 55. I'm no expert by any means - just my $.02. Good luck if you decide to chase elk - it's an awesome experience.

 

Why are Moose easier?

Sled

elk, moose, caribou, black and grizzly bear , polar bear have and still does take every game in north america , if a 45# bow can do it so can a 30-30

 

moose are fairly easy to kill. Elk not so easy.
my75 year old sister took her moose with a 3030 gummie tip with one shot.
i shot an elk at 139 yards with a 3030 170 hotcor last year drt.

 

Why are Moose easier?

Sled

 

No, a bull elk is a noble critter and a more powerful round would be appropriate.

 

My recommendation would go to Buffalo Bore's 190 grain 30-30 pill.

 

200 yards - probably not sensible. 30-30 for elk? - heck native American's killed 'em with spears just a few hundred years ago. Using Tater's recommended Buffalo Bore ammunition and Jim's 100 yard range you should be okay. However, some folks couldn't do it right no matter the weapon...

 

I have never hunted anything larger than whitetail deer but a guy I work with is from Canada and has killed several caribou with a 30-30. Not sure if they are any tougher than elk but are big game. Personally I would want something bigger.

 

A bigger gun won't make any difference you have to do your part. If you don't place The bullet correctly you won't kill the elk.

 

I know an old Norwegian farmer, there's a lot of Norske's up here, who has filled over a dozen Elk tags with one shot. He waits and takes the heart shot, laying quietly in the brush. His rifle is a .243 Winchester, and he's never lost one.

It's about shot placement. Not the typical Elk cartridge, or one we'd even consider, but I'm just reporting one man's results.


Rob

 

I killed a large red stag with my 30-30 shooting 170 grain Power Point ammo. Red deer are best described as smaller European version of North American elk. This stag weighed about 400 lbs but was no match for well placed shots into the chest organs. 30-30 did the job for me.

TR

 

People tend to forget -- or just have never heard -- that back when the .30-30 was introduced mammoth blackpowder cartridges like the .45-70, .45-90 and .50-110 ruled the roost -- and no one today would disagree that, properly employed, any of these could still do the job on elk. Yet, the lowly .30-30, fresh on the scene, was immediately accepted and hailed as an almost miraculous, flat-shooting, long-range giant killer, a veritable Hammer of Thor. If stacked, the elk killed with it might make a pile that would tower over Pike's Peak.

Yet, today the .30 Winchester is often regarded as barely enough for whitetail; and, in truth, there are more powerful, flatter-shooting cartridges available for the job. So, what has changed? Have elk become that much tougher in the 120 or so years since the .30-30 debuted? Of course not.

What's changed is mainly hunting styles. In the past, the mark of the hunter was getting close to his prey and placing his shot accurately; today, judging by TV hunting-show fare and gun-forum BS, it's glassing your quarry at 800 yards across a canyon, using a computer to figure your elevation and windage, and killing your elk in a manner more akin to video gaming than what previous thousands of generations would regard as hunting.

If you're a modern-style hunter, by all means, pick something a whole lot more than a .30-30, and good luck to you. But don't be fool enough to believe that the man who hunts like his forebears can't do the job perfectly well with his puny .30-30.

 

I have lots of different rifles/calibers, including a few .30-30s. I hunt elk and do not hunt moose (way bigger than elk). That of course does not make me an expert. I can tell you that when I squeeze the trigger on an elk, I want it to fall down - and for sure, a properly-placed .30-30 round at a reasonable distance will put one down. That said, I would not consider using a .30-30 for elk - in Marlins, I use my .450 (with a .35 as a backup) and I would never consider using either of them for a shot over about 150 on an elk. That's my "for what it's worth".

 

I want to clarify that my previous post in no way advocates the .30-30 and the be-all to end-all for elk hunting. But the question was, "Is it enough for elk?" In my estimation, used properly by a hunter with a cool head and sharp eye the answer is a resounding, "Yes!" By "used properly", I mean used in about the same way I go about handgun hunting -- and when I say handgun, I mean, essentially, a revolver, as the long-barreled, rifle-cartridge-chambered single shots fall in to more of a "hand rifle" category. I use a .45 Colt Bisley with a red dot sight, and even though the gun is perfectly capable of killing accuracy to beyond 100 yards (as I have proven to myself on the range many times), staying within my own limitations I look for shots at 50 yards or less. This is really more like bowhunting than gun-hunting. I would use a .30-30 on elk in much the same fashion, except that I would probably stretch the range to 100 yards.

This sort of hunting absolutely requires skill at stalking and approaching game, serious marksmanship, and above all patience to wait for the right shot and a willingness to let the animal walk if the shot presented falls outside your self-imposed limitations. A higher-powered rifle may lessen the importance of the first two items on that list, but the last three remain essential whether or not your rifle is a .30-30 or a .300 Ultra Mag.

 

Great points Pisgah. I have seen hunters take distant shots without knowing their ability. Reading the ballistics of a certain round from the internet or side of the ammo box often gives the hunter a false perceived level of ability. They attempt a 200 or 300 yard shot kneeling or freehand but have never taken a shot longer than 100 yards from a bench at the range. Hunter shot error gets magnified tremendously as the distance to the target increases. Combination of the accuracy of the weapon plus the skill level of the shooter should dictate how far a shot can be ethically taken. Now I will carefully step off my soapbox!

 

Craig Boddington is a reknown long time hunter. He recommends a "fast 30" for specifically elk. Ten to twenty folks I have hunted (and sometimes killed) elk with in Idaho for 30 years would agree with that statement. One uses a 30-06 and another a 7 mag and another a 338 Win mag and another a 308 but all would agree with the fast 30 statement. Will a 30-30 kill an elk ? Yes Would experienced elk hunters recommend it? No.

 

Shoot him in the face!

 

The 30/30 Winchester® is a fine elk rifle. I use Federal® Vital•Shok® 170gr Nosler® Partition™ ammunition (#P3030D) .
Federal® Premium Vital•Shok® Rifle Ammunition - 30/30 Winchester®

 

Just my 2cts. but I would not use anything smaller than say a 308Win. If the shot is over 100 yards I don't think a 30-30 is the best choice. Here in Colorado I think most shots are over 100 yards, but I don't know where you plan to hunt elk. Like I said, just my 2cts.

 

Me with a .30-30? Yes at 150yds and closer. No beyond that distance. No if you don't shoot well. No if you aren't confident in your shot. No if you haven't practiced for weeks/months, taking cold bore shots, sighted in and know your hold overs, etc.

But I'd do it! And I'd use a 170gn, well designed cartridge that shoots the best out of my rifle. I'd also park at the end of the lot, set up my gear, walk back to the car, run to the bench, do 10, um 7, well 5 push ups, and then shoot. Then I'd call an ambulance. Just kidding. But that kind of prep made me wholly confident in my hand load, rifle, sticks I used and my shots out to 500yds.

Seriously, a recent WY antelope hunt made me appreciate sea level vs mountain elevation, my health, the months of practice and excitement shakes. I was laughing at myself because I've been in way more intense situations but MAN was I jacked up looking at that buck through the scope. Had to talk to myself about it as I went through the fundamentals. All I could think was, "What did PVT Jackson, the sniper, from Saving PVT Ryan say?"

I am sure if you do what is good for your hunt prep, using your .30-30 inside your range of comfort, elk will be on the menu.

I always review the anatomy before I hunt. If you Google "elk anatomy hunting" there are a dozen pics and pages of stuff to read and look at. Once I am sure I know what I am looking at, I search pics of "insert animal" and pick my shot placement from every GOOD angle of pics/videos I find. Some MO poster did that once, which is where I got the idea. He posted a pic and asked where would you aim?

Good luck and please write up your hunt afterward.

 

Forgot to add that once that Goggle string is entered, click on the image tab underneath the search bar.

 

Good post Kobeinu! [emoji106]



Vooch

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

No doubt a ton of Elk have been harvested using the 30-30 but I`d rather have/use something else. Say, an 30-06.

 

If I had no choice I would pick a suitable bullet and limit my shots to 100 yards. I always wonder why someone would make these choices unless they had no choice. And I am a big fan of the 30 30.

 

Ever wonder how many Elk, Bear of all kinds, Moose have been taken with the 30-30 and less.


Patched round ball in .50 cal muzzle loader is quite timid compared to a 30-30.

 

Swany........I think we minimize the energy and killing effectiveness of this 30 caliber projectile too easily.