The Classic .30-30 Winchester

[Lloyd Smale]

i limit head shots to about a 150 yards. After that its rib shots because like was said there isnt enough meat to bother with. Im talking a moa bolt action rifle. If i miss a deers head at a 150 yards with a moa rifle its lack of skill not an equipment issue. Id never try it with a muzzle loader or a 3moa lever action. Matter of fact in my opinion a 150 yards is about time to put away that wnchester 94 even if your taking rib shots.

Yeah, trying for head shots at long yardage is irresponsible IMO.
My longest shot at a deer was 50 yards shooting a .490 roundball out of a CVA left hand Hawken.
It was dim light in the woods and I shot high and took out about 8" of his backbone.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup and i cant count the deer that ive seen gut shot by someone aiming at the front shoulders too. What needs to be factored in is skill level. Theres many even here that do more talking then shooting and sure arent capable of shooting a deer in the head at even a 100 yards reliably. But what i get a kick out of is instead of admitting that they want to claim that nobody should even try it. After all that would just be admitting they cant shoot. thats what the internet lets you do. Shoot 20 rounds a year out of your deer rifle and shoot MAYBE ten deer in your life and your allowed to claim to be an expert. (those last two sentences werent aimed at you orerancher)

Watched a Guy shoot the Lower Jaw off a Deer Once....

I was able to Catch up with It about 4hours later and Put It Down....Without the Dog, Don't Think I woulda ever Found It....

[Drilling Man]

  I'm not in favor of head shooting deer either, and I think I've shot more than 10 deer in my life...  lol

  From my range days, dealing with the public, I'd say more than 99% of the hunters out there, couldn't "reliable" hit a deer in the head every shot under field conditions at 100 yards, maybe not even 50 yards.

  My dad was the greatest game shot I've ever seen, and even he wasn't a fan of head shots...

  DM

[Dee]

  I'm not in favor of head shooting deer either, and I think I've shot more than 10 deer in my life...  lol

  From my range days, dealing with the public, I'd say more than 99% of the hunters out there, couldn't "reliable" hit a deer in the head every shot under field conditions at 100 yards, maybe not even 50 yards.

  My dad was the greatest game shot I've ever seen, and even he wasn't a fan of head shots...

  DM

Given the size of a deers head, and their tendencies for quick movements of their head, I would consider a 100 yard shot at a deers head, a foolish shot. Blowing a deers jaw off, or something similar, is very possible and this could easily happen even at 50 yards.

My shot of choice is a heart lung shot. A a whitetail will usually hump up, maybe buck a little bit, but seldom cover more than 25 or 30 yards.

[Buckskin]

  I'm not in favor of head shooting deer either, and I think I've shot more than 10 deer in my life...  lol

  From my range days, dealing with the public, I'd say more than 99% of the hunters out there, couldn't "reliable" hit a deer in the head every shot under field conditions at 100 yards, maybe not even 50 yards.

  My dad was the greatest game shot I've ever seen, and even he wasn't a fan of head shots...

  DM

Given the size of a deers head, and their tendencies for quick movements of their head, I would consider a 100 yard shot at a deers head, a foolish shot. Blowing a deers jaw off, or something similar, is very possible and this could easily happen even at 50 yards.

My shot of choice is a heart lung shot. A a whitetail will usually hump up, maybe buck a little bit, but seldom cover more than 25 or 30 yards.

I completely agree with both of you.  Compared to the heart/lung area, a deer head moves a lot in a fraction of a second and only a couple inches is the difference between a kill and a God awful agonizing slow death.  Now most who take head shots won't admit that they've made a bad shot here and there, making it easy to defend.

[orerancher]

Lot's of guys with High dollar Rifles, Shoot SubMOA Groups....But make Em get away from the Bench....Some of Em Can't put 5 Shots on a Paper Plate at 50yds...

[BUGEYE]

  I'm not in favor of head shooting deer either, and I think I've shot more than 10 deer in my life...  lol

  From my range days, dealing with the public, I'd say more than 99% of the hunters out there, couldn't "reliable" hit a deer in the head every shot under field conditions at 100 yards, maybe not even 50 yards.

  My dad was the greatest game shot I've ever seen, and even he wasn't a fan of head shots...

  DM

Given the size of a deers head, and their tendencies for quick movements of their head, I would consider a 100 yard shot at a deers head, a foolish shot. Blowing a deers jaw off, or something similar, is very possible and this could easily happen even at 50 yards.

My shot of choice is a heart lung shot. A a whitetail will usually hump up, maybe buck a little bit, but seldom cover more than 25 or 30 yards.

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^
A tiny whiff of man scent, coyote scent, or even another deer scent, can cause that deer to suddenly jerk its head up or to the side, or even take off running.
But if you're an ace shot with a moa rifle those things don't happen to you, just us rifle klutzes whose knuckles drag when we walk.

[Eddie Southgate]

I would never have owned a 94 except a friend gave me one quite a few years ago. It should qualify as a classic. It is a saddle ring carbine with an octagon barrel and if the serial number information is correct it is 102 years old. It doesn't have a speck of blue left but the action is smooth and tight and the wood is in good shape with a little figure in the fore end. Now if someone hadn't shot corrosive ammo and not cleaned it, it would be a nice old gun. I have never shot it and doubt it would shoot a six inch group at 25 yards.

  Drop it off at my house, I'll shoot it for you .

[Eddie Southgate]

thats one thing ill argue. The 3030 is the only round (i know of) that has bullets made specifically for it and there thin jacketed and expand EASILY. Some of the most shot up deer ive processed were shot with 3030s. They tend to do alot more damage then an 06 shooting 180s or even a 270 shooting 150s. Its why the 3030 kills better then it should. Only gun i played with that was worse up close was a 300 wsm i had. It was finicky and only liked 150 hornady sst's. They were absolutely like bombs hitting deer under 200 yards. That gun lasted one season and i sold it.

The only thing holding back a 30-30 is effective yardage, otherwise it's a 30 cal just like the 300 win mag, 300 ultra mag, etc.  At 100 yards or less, it's better than the big boys as it doesn't destroy as much meat.

  Lots of good Lead bullet loads that don't do all that damage . They still kill just as well as they did before jacketed bullets were a thing , not to mention they are cheaper to load by a good bit.


Or your shoulder.

[Eddie Southgate]

I load for 3 '94 Winchesters , two in 30-30 and one in .32 Special. One 30-30 will be going to JES for reboring to 38-55 , hopefully before too long . Gonna get a valve job on the 29th of this month so it will be a while before I can get it done. Both 30-30's are newer guns . one from 1964 and the other is I think a 1972 . The .32 is a 1911 and is a far better built gun than the others, I prefer the .32 anyway . All of the lever gun posts seem to be dying of old age , are all of the lever gunners on here doing the same ?

[Graybeard]

Most of our posters are from mid 60s to mid 80s in age. I'm in the soon to be 80 range as I'll be 79 next month.

[Eddie Southgate]

I'm in the won't be too long till 70 but not there yet hardly group.

[jedman]

 I was just rereading all of these old posts and realized how much I owe to the versatility of the 30-30 brass case.
First I have never paid for 30-30 brass as every year I pickup some that’s left at the range and I use it for these calibers that I own, 219 Zipper, 25-35, 7 x 30 Waters, 32 Win SPL, 375 Win., 38-55 not ideal for these last 2 but for cast bullet loads you will never no the difference.
 The 30-30 is really a gem.
 jedman

[Dee]

I recently got my old Winchester 3030 back from my oldest son. Dad bought it new in 1958 and shot 7 rounds through it then gave it to me.

[Ranger99]

I ought to say it again
One can ethically take wt deer out
to 200yds with a scoped 30/30.
My buddy's late father used to regularly
when we'd go on cull hunts west of
here. No special ammunition needed.
Plain Remington Corelokt 150gr
from wallyworld.
Of course, he did shoot regularly
in his back cow pasture, and was
a capable marksman
He'd take his limit with one round
expended for each animal.

Even today in 2025 I'm still hearing
those who declare that trying to
kill a deer past a hundred yards
with a 30/30 is unethical.

[Lloyd Smale]

just got another its some commemorative 1894-1994 marked angle eject ugly safety gu the son in law got for some work he did on someone's truck. it has a nice checkered walnut stock but theres rust speckle on the receiver and barrel. had the wife pick up some 0000 steel wool so when im dne restoring the 45acp ar ill try to remove what i can. other than the rust specks its like new, had to chuckle. the bubba who owned it mounted a 3x9 tasco on flipping see through mounts!!!

[Lloyd Smale]

watched my buddy who makes my ability's with a gun look like a pimple faced teen ager shoot a 4x5 mule deer at 275 yards off hand while sitting on his horse. gun want his it was the ranch owners horse and gear. loaded with the infamous 150 corelocks. i had a 280 with me and offered it to him because i wouldnt attempt a on horse shot with it at even a 200 yards, he said nope the rancher told him it was dead on at a 100 yards so he knew where to hold, he shot and the deer went about 30 yards and fell dead. when we got to it he had hit it just a tad high in the chest, 5 inches lower it would have been a text book shot. he looked at it and grunted and said i sure muffed that shot!!!!

I ought to say it again
One can ethically take wt deer out
to 200yds with a scoped 30/30.
My buddy's late father used to regularly
when we'd go on cull hunts west of
here. No special ammunition needed.
Plain Remington Corelokt 150gr
from wallyworld.
Of course, he did shoot regularly
in his back cow pasture, and was
a capable marksman
He'd take his limit with one round
expended for each animal.

Even today in 2025 I'm still hearing
those who declare that trying to
kill a deer past a hundred yards
with a 30/30 is unethical.

[Lloyd Smale]

had to chuckle the idiot that gave it to the son in law said it was a poor shooter. i could stomach the see through mounts and tasco on it anymore so i pulled them off. the back mount screws were barely snug and the rear 2 were so loose it took at least a full turn to even feel friction. lucky it didnt shear off and hit him in the face!!

[Land_Owner]

With the woods adjacent to my 300 yard hunting lanes, being thick, so thick and swampy as to requiring hands and knees to search for a blood trail, I no longer allow my guests to hunt the tree stands with long shooting lanes (> 100 yds). I'm not going in there on hands and knees searching for their potentially wounded hog (a hog full of fight or flight). If I can catch up with said hog  and it is alive, it will assuredily have reached the end of its forward travel and we'll be looking to either die there or reverse its course directly at me on my hands and knees. That certainly is a recipe consistently.

You are talking deer (lucky you). I am talking hogs (a LOT of hogs). After three hundred plus (300+) hogs shot in the neck, DRT, from rock steady rests, I just use what I know and can execute consistently on hogs and deer.

I won't take a gun hunting that I have not shot to test MY accuracy. In particular to test my reloaded, premium bullet, ammo for that rifle. If I can't make it shoot, it can't go with me on a hunt.

[Ranger99]

. . . If I can't make it shoot, it can't go with me on a hunt

And you should not.
Different regions and conditions sometimes
require alternative methods and equipment.
One lease I hunted farther west of here was
all mesquite thickets and cactus.
Your shots were the senderos cleared
with a dozer, and pipeline and highline
right-of-ways .
200 and 300 yard shots 50% or more
of the time
The right-of-ways usually went to the
hierarchy of the lease, because they
were cleaner and way wider and the
cattle had grazed a good bit of the year
and the deer and turkeys were used
to coming out among the livestock
to feed alongside