When I was a teenager I heard the same myths about the .30 -30. I was told it would be better to use a 270 or 30-06 caliber rifle. I am now a senior citizen -I appreciate the .30-30's weight, size, and recoil. I don't think the deer have any preference to caliber size.
@@mr.powell8817 Don't underestimate a .22... LOL Seriously though, a well placed shot with a .22LR will drop a deer. I've seen it done with Ruger target pistol loaded with Mini Mag round nose... right through the heart, the deer didn't even know it was hit. The whole group just stood there looking around after the "pop", then one fell over dead. I wasn't sure which one he shot at, in fact I thought he'd missed, until it started to "pass out" from lack of blood to the brain. When we field dressed it, we couldn't even find the heart, it had liquified most of the muscle when the bullet passed through. Granted, it was a whitetail doe, not a particularly large one, but certainly not small either. Would it take down a large buck in a similar way... probably not, and no, I don't recommend hunting deer with .22LR, but it CAN be done.
@@livewire2759 I completely believe you can kill a dear with. 22. You lost me at the liquefied hear part. I won't go as far as to say its impossible but I find that extremely hard to believe. Please don't take offense. I'm not calling you a liar or anything else. Just saying it's almost impossible for a .22 long rifle or magnum to liquefy a heart.
I am jealous. Where I live (in town), its not legal to hunt orange soda in my backyard with a firearm discharge. Hunting is only allowed at the local shooting range but they also prohibit hunting orange soda - only paper targets can be hunted. blahh.
Rabbit and squirrel, always bringing enough home. My deer hunting was kind of like Paul's experience, although I usually saw at least one on a hunting weekend but usually being pursued/shot by someone else. The only one I shot I hit twice with 12 gauge rifled slugs, dropped it to its knees twice hitting it just behind the front leg, it got up twice, and ran away, leaving a trail that looked like someone pouring out a 5 gallon bucket of red paint. Over an 1/8th mile later, the blood ceased, the kicked up leaves ceased, no prints in the dirt, and no deer. Three of us circled around trying to find it, tore every brush pile, walked through every stand of grass, and nothing after about 2 or more hours searching. It was the most frustrating hunts I have ever had.
"Taking our guns for a walk" Love it! We were 10-12 years old pockets of 22L going up the river valley on the west coast of BC hunting grouse. Some of the best Saturday's l ever had. Grouse breast on a stick makes my mouth water. I got a 30-30 at 15 great gun. At 18 l went to the big smoke (vancover) went to sleep on the beach got woke up by a cop telling me it was dangerous. I thanked him and scooped up my 30-30 in my blanket (good thing it was dark) and slept in my truck. My point? It's a short easy to carry all round durable gun love it.
Best thing about all lever actions, regardless of caliber, is the gun grabbers think they're just old dinosaurs only used in Western movies. They have no idea of how useful a lever action rifle is, and I hope they stay that ignorant.
I have a Marlin 22LR and 30-30...both lever action. Accurate as hell and never ever failed to shoot. Maybe not the "best" gun to many but to me they have handled the test of time and shoot every bit as good as the shooter behind it.
@@rvninnorthcarolina3377 My Marlin 30-30 is the same way. I'm looking for a Marlin 22 bolt action, hope to find a really good one soon, and may sell most of my other rifles and just keep the basics.
"Boring, outdated, obsolete, had it's day, way better modern options .............. blah blah blah". The same can be said of the K-Bar knife, the .45 ACP and the small block Chev V8. But they're all still around because THEY WORK.
3" pattern with open sights at 100 yards proves a very important point: Some guys can shoot and some can't. Buying a canon wouldn't help some boys because the can't f'ing shoot.
Amen. This reminds me back when I first started shooting handguns, and I bought several different models because I thought they were inaccurate. Turns out I just sucked. Now 10 years later my targets are one jagged hole. I’ve had people ask me at the range what pistol I have because they think there targets will look like mine if they buy one. lol.
I would always dog on dudes bringing super blacks to shoot pheasant as well. That $2K shotgun doesn’t make you shoot less like shit my guy lol. This mossberg 500 field will so just as well for a quarter the money
Paul Harrell is to guns as Bob Ross was to painting. I could watch and listen to either one of them all day and not get bored. They speak in a calming and relaxing manner that keeps your interest.
When I was a senior if High School I got a lesson in under estimating the 30-30 in the Big Horn Mountains of Northern Wyoming! I was told my dad's .257 Roberts was too light for Elk, so I borrowed a scoped 30-06 bolt action from an uncle! That night at the hunting camp this young fellow showed up with an older Winchester Model 94 with long octagon barrel. He took an awful ribbing about his "Red Ryder" BB gun. Next morning 4-5 of us, including him, were following Elk tracks in the snow when we came to a clearing in the timber. Tracks went straight across. About that time 8-10 Elk with a big bull in the lead came at a dead run from left to right in the middle of the clearing! While the rest of us were busy getting our slinged, scoped rifle off our shoulders this fellow dropped to one knee and fired that old 30-30! That big bull Elk went down and rolled like a ball! Head shot, 75 yards! Dead run! Rest of us never got off a shot! That guy knew that gun, and we had so much egg on our face we didn't need breakfast! A couple of years later I bought my own '94, and it has been my go to rifle the past 59 years! It has taken Mule Deer, Pronghorn and Elk out to 200 yards, never let me down. But I have never been as skilled with it as he was with his grandfather's old '94.
@@Valor_73737 well most people shoot bigger game behind the shoulder blade so I don’t know that’s why I gave you a chance to explain in case I was ignorant but you answered my question with another question like a bit of a tool.
@@blakedavis2447 Most people shoot behind the shoulder because it is a bigger, surer target than a head shot, and requires much, much less skill! You won't find 1 hunter in a hundred skilled enough to apply head shots. Especially a moving target. A head shot is much more humane because it is instantly lethal. I have seen many animals continue for up to several hundred yards when hit behind the shoulder. The very few head shots I have witnessed, the animal is dead before it hits the ground.
My dad got an impressive kill with a 1978 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon (the sheriff deputy who had to finish it off with two .38 Special rounds to its head had absolutely nothing to do with it)!
Here watching Paul as he used to be. How I like to remember him. Happy and healthy. The man stayed true to himself, his word, his viewers, and to the 2nd amendment. Passing on his wisdom and strength, shooting til the very end. RIP brother.
I got a mule deer in Colorado (Jan. 1988) with a Datsun diesel pickup truck. Excellent expansion of both front fenders, but not the penetration one would expect of a 170 grain 30-30 round.
"That coyote was 60 yds away. How far did he think that 30-30 would shoot?" 59 yds. After that, the bullets just explode to prevent civilian casualties.
My first gun wasna 3030 marlin. I used from the time i was 6 till about 10. I ve personal shot many deer with this gun from ranges around 200 yards to 25 yeard.. I wouldnt hessitate or even think about not dropping the hammer on a deer at 2oo yards... Very effective gun the length make it good for thick wooded areas.. I will often take my 3030 over my 270 in thicker woods...
My Father grew up in the woods of northern BC Canada. They shot moose, wolves, black bears, grizzlys all the time with the 30-30. It was considered the best rifle and the distance they shot was not more that 100 to 150 yards unless wolf hunting. A single box of 20 shells would last for years of big game hunting. It was very important to have a handy, light, reliable rifle to pack around day in and day out. It worked back then and will work just fine now if you use it properly and know what you are doing.
When people would say, the book says a 30.30 is too small, my dad would say well ain't it good deer don't read......30.30 150 grn....works !!!! Thanks for the video
Boy I sure have killed a lot of deer for the 30-30 to be so “insufficient.” You are spot on here Paul. My Marlin is my baby. I’ve never seen a deer run more than 30 yards after a dinner plate shot. Also I am easily grouping less than 2 inches at 150 yards, which is more than enough for deep woods hunting.
There have probably been more deer harvested with a .30.30 than any other round. In Upstate New York the lever action .30.30 is the iconic whitetail rifle
Wow even NY has less restrictive laws about hunting than my state. Can't hunt deer with a rifle in IL :( I don't even hunt but I bet there would be way more rifles on the used market if you could deer hunt with them here.
Yeah, they're pretty popular in NM. I was lured in by the headline because it seemed strange to me. "Who underestimates these? Most hunters I know, know exactly what they are and aren't capable of."
A good friend of mine is a game warden..he said that the two calibers he sees deer taken with the most are the 30/30 and the 22lr (not legal...but he sees it often)
T Murray it is a shame people need a truck full of crap to go shoot a few Bullets from. Especially hunting weapons and loads. I can’t remember the last deer I shot from a bench
Although, it is a little light, I was standing beside my older brother when he took his first elk with a 94 30-30 carbine(20" barrel). One shot at 150 yds, the elk didn't seem to know the rifle was too small. I also watched a man kill a cattle chasing dog at over 350 yds with a 94 30-30 rifle(26" barrel). Earlier tonight, I was visiting with an elderly friend who told me that he killed moose for decades with his military issue Pacific Coast Militia Rangers 94 30-30 carbine. What you shoot is not nearly as important as how well you shoot.
Running dog at 350 yards. I know some people can do it. I’m just proud of hitting 2 out of 4 300 yard targets in Basic, prone, with 10 seconds to aim at a full torso target, which was smaller than the front sight post on my M16A1, circa 1983.
When I was a boy (10or11) some of the kids at school would hastle me for using my old 30-30 to hunt moose with. They said it was too light but the moose were just as dead as if I had been using a .375 or something like that.
@@CorePathway I used to average about 7 out of 10 in the black on a baker target from 500yds back in my Marine Corps days with open sights on my M16A2. I found it hard to miss from 200 and 300 yards on the 12" round target, or the head&shoulders "dog" target. Pretty sure there's no way I could repeat that today. Scopes spoiled me.
I see this is four years old but still very informative. I have an old 30-30 that uncle jokes came over on the Mayflower. He reloads for me. He says if you can't get supper with two shots you deserve to go hungry. He loads sharp pointed bullets in the casings and of course we can only put one in the tube and one in the chamber. They fly a lot farther than the federal store bought flat nose. We zero at 200 yards and they are 3 inches high at 100 yards but drop 12 inches at 300 yards. Uncles home loads are really close to the new Hornady evolution rounds with the plastic nose piece. Their website shows with 160 grains at 200 yards 1916 velocity and 1304 energy. At 300 yards 1699 velocity and 1025 energy but that is where the -12 inch comes into play. So uncles spitzers and the hornady evolution rounds can give new life to an ancient rifle.
I've wacked more deer with my "dirty 30" then I can remember. Once a friend asked why not get something faster simple I said the Frist time a deer out runs it I'll sell it
I had some friends dogging on me for looking at 30-30's and .270's for deer in W NY state. "My 30.06 will shoot a lot farther!!" Just how far away do you need to shoot to kill a deer? Or that you'll actually be able to SEE it in the woods? Most deer are killed at under 50 yards... And how far do you want that bullet to travel after it goes through that deer- not to mention the misses. This isn't the great plains or the rockies...
I have this exact gun. It was my fathers. When I took the butt plate off to clean it I found the original receipt inside. He must have stored it there for safekeeping and considering that was before I was born and I’m now 42, that worked great. Awesome rifle and I love shooting it. Reloading it is a breeze too, even with the lee hand press. If this gets enough likes I’ll take the plate off and look up the details for you all. I think he paid something like $25-50 for it at a sporting goods store.
If only you could upload photos. Would love to see the recipt. I bought mine second hand 28 years ago for $75 and still love the thing. Its a 68 and very accurate.
My dad's came from Western Auto about 1970, so it says 'Revelation by Marlin'. It has a lot of miles on it, and it shows it. I don't know if it'd bring $100 in an auction, but I know I wouldn't take $1000 for it. And I'd like to know what that receipt says. I always assumed his cost $50-75 back in '70, but I sure don't know
@@mikehenry7018 ahhh yes, the good ole days when you could buy a gun just about anywhere, even your local auto parts store. (Yes, I know western auto was more than just auto parts, but its the thought that counts.) They had all the cool stuff, them and monkey wards.
Glad I bought a used Winchester '94 model at a gun show about 15 years ago- I remember paying ~$120 for it. Wise purchase, considering that they're going for upwards of $1k on gun broker currently.
I never understood some people's misconceptions about the 30-30. It was an exceptional deer round since its inception. There are bigger, faster rounds out today, but just because there may be something better doesn't mean that a 30-30 won't do what it used to.
I would like to acquire a 30-30 some day, although I done need one. I once overheard a salesman at a Dicks Sporting Goods arguing with a customer about a 30-30. The customer wanted it for deer hunting, the salesman didn't want to sell it to him because it would only wound deer. The customer went to the manager then left without buying the gun. I really don't understand where this negative stigma came from when it comes to the 30WFC. I tend to think of 30-30, and 20 gauge in the same category. Both are both capable of harvesting most game in North America, and they are both considered to be guns for kids or old people. If a American Indian can harvest deer with a sharp rock on the end of a stick, propelled by a string, tied to another stick, anyone should be able kill the same deer with a 150 grain bullet going 2,200 feet per second.
many say that the 30-30 has taken more deer in America than any other cartridge. Compared to the 7.62x39, the 30-30 typically has more muzzle energy, and people hunt with the SKS all the time.
I've heard .30-30 referred to as a "kids gun" many times. As well as, "it'll hit the ground at a hundred yards." and, "Maybe a .30-30 is OK for a kid." and on, and on, and on.
That stigma is bullshit. I'm fairly sure that if three generations of my family have all hunted with the exact same one. If my dad can kill a deer in one shot with it shooting down a pipeline, I'm fairly sure that stigma is bullshit. Actually I know that stigma's bullshit.
Miss you, Paul. Love my 30-30 and even though I am very familiar with it, I always learn something from your videos. While you are in heaven, you are living on down here. Glad we can pop in and see you whenever we want.
Hey Brother Paul, I inherited a Model 94 with a side mounted 4X40mm scope from a parishioner who died without an heir and wanted his guns to go to a good home. I went and bought some of that new-fangled Leverevolution ballistic tip ammo and sighted the gun in at 150 yards. I killed a nice 205-lb 10-point buck at 290 yards. He folded immediately as the shot went through his lungs and heart. Lucky shot? Maybe. Seems like I kill a deer every year at 250+ yards. Seems pretty darn good for being an outdated and underpowered cartridge. Thanks again for a great video and please keep the great videos coming! Grace & Peace!
Rev. Steven Taylor , a hunter and a preacher! Good for you ! A lot of people seem to have lost touch with reality in todays world . We all have to eat . Best of luck but I don't think you need it- the fix is in.
The leverevolution rounds really breathed new life into the 30-30. I don't hunt with the 30-30 anymore but my dad still does. Easily adds another 100 yards
Rev. Steve Taylor My first 2 deer were with my father's Marlin 30-30 (can't remember the specific model#). At seven years old, I killed a doe &a 9-point buck. I now use a 6.5 Creedmoor Ruger American Predator rifle with a 4×12 power scope. Last year my mother didn't shut the freezer door all the way & a lot of the meat went bad. The Lord blessed us &I killed a nice bodied & antlered deer (the one in this circle to the left), my father killed 3 total (1 before the door incident &2 after) nice bodied antlered deer, & my brother killed 1 nice bodied deer with fair antlers. The Lord gives & the Lord takes away, praise be to the Lord in all things.
That was a great group for open sights.. Scoped, it would not be that exceptional. I have several targets that a quarter can cover a 3 shot group at 100 yards. From a bench of course. And that's from the new issue Marlin that one hears horror stories about. True, the fitment could be better but it's a shooter plain and simple.. and most guys buy a gun to shoot and hit something with it... and then there are the safe queens which may or may not be good shooters..
The 30-30 might be the caliber that has killed more deer in North America and quite a few federales during the Mexican revolution. Among the firearms potpourri wielded by Mexican gerrillas under Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, the "treinta-treinta" as they called it in Spanish had such a special place among the rebels that it was immortalized in a song called "Carabina treinta treinta"
chapiit08 - Thanks for that info, very interesting. I'm from South Tx and I have never heard that song (that I can remember), granted I'm white but I have heard a fair share of Mexican music growing up in Laredo.
I'm 67 and have been around guns and hunting my whole life and I have learned more from this man than anyone in my life in a very short period. Thank you Paul and RIP!!!
Thank you for doing this video Paul! I have been defending the 30 30 for years against the 30 30 detractors. To this day it remains one of my favourite rifle calibers.
Hands down one of the top 3 and the Best overall technical shooting channel on You Tube. I think most gun channel viewers are PlayStation warriors and are looking for explosions. As far as a service to the shooting community, Paul subscriptions should be in the millions.
BMD #1 I hunted with a 30-30 for years. I’ve killed over 100 deer and a half dozen hogs with it. Longest shot was around 165 yds. It has plenty of energy to kill well beyond 100 yds.
BMD #1 People forget the 30-30 was a saddle gun, or the gun rack in your pickup. To me brush gun means I can stalk with it, it’s light & mounts to the shoulder quickly. The “long horn” wide back sight is made to put you on target fast and the lever action is nearly as fast as a semi-auto. Who in h*ll needs a .30-06 long rifle for conditions like those where the .30-.30 is proven reliable?
In PA alone! The model ‘94 in .30-30 is practically standard issue to each new bouncing baby boy where I come from. So many they can occasionally be had used for a Benjamin.
I used the 30-30 as a kid. It was my favorite rifle and still it in my top 5 list. at 12 years old I shot the biggest deer of my life. A 9 point with a 20" beam to beam spread. The deer weighed more than any other whitetail I've seen in my life and only 1 other whitetail that my grandfather has seen. My father hunts Mule deer and he said that it was similar in weight to a mature muley buck. I've never shot a deer that even came close to the size of that deer. (wish I could post pictures. Its one of my proudest moments but as a 12 year old I never fully understood the achievement). Moral of the story: I love the 30-30 PS: My sister shot her first deer with it too and now we are fighting over who gets the gun in the will. haha it's mine
Hey Brother Paul, the 1st long gun I ever bought & still proudly own is the Marlin BL336, Big Loop, 30/30. I have the iron sights trued up for the 150 gr & it's lethal up to about 200+ yds. I needed a 37" bush gun for living in Pa. It's my "Old Reliable". The first rifle I ever invested in & still gr8 4 harvesting venison,,, thanx 4 your honest assessment!!
I have a 30-30 Winchester. It's been a safe queen for years. Still one of my favorite rifles. The world being what it is,June of 2020,I thought I needed an AR-15 added to my arsenal. Seems like all I needed was ammo for my 30-30. I may not look like an "operator",but I'll have a damn good rifle in my hands. Loaded and good to go.
yep well when i got my hands on a 30/30 the biggest prob over here was ammo asx of that time it was not considered a hunting rifle?? but all 30/30 ammo or bullet heads were hollow or soft point ,so you could not actually buy them [this has now changed at last] however i got a 180 g mould from lee and made my own heads from lead and 15 percent tin loaded over 28 g of h4895 with a gas check good groups on paper out to 200 yards and i am guessing that on deer at suitable ranges out to 100 hit right it wasnt gonna get up again
be surprised how many people that are purchasing lever action rifle's for home protection. Many are buying the Henry and Marlin Dark series and dressing them out making tactical rifle's out of them, tricking them out.
My brother inherited my grandfather's Model 94 .30-30. According to the serial numbers it was built in 1954 & my father remembers when he was a kid the day the then new .30-30 came home. This rifle was so well taken care of that even today, minus a bit of bluing on the corners, it almost looks new. We were able to ping pop cans (soda cans in the U.S. I guess) dead center at 100 yards. The best story I remember from my grandpa (and my dad and uncles) was that during the old days, butchers could go on people's farms and slaughter cattle for them. Two large steers were getting readied for the chopping block, one had been whacked with what is called a "pin gun" a sort of tool that uses a blank cartridge to fire a pin out of this mechanism that goes into the animal's brain, stuns them so that the steer can be hung upside down so the steer can be exsanguinated for butchering. The second steer (and these were apparently big steer) smelled the blood from the first steer, decided he wasn't having none of that, ripped off the nose ring, busted through a fence into the first field, busted the second fence in the second field and was headed towards the tree line where if he had crossed the last fence into the tree line, he would have been impossible to find. By then, according to my dad and my uncles, grandpa had retrieved the .30-30 from the truck, put a bullet in it and shot the steer, running shot at about 100 yards and shot him where the skull meets the spine. DRT. (Hey! That's what I was told! I wasn't even DNA then) So the .30-30 was able to drop an 800 lb. steer. I also remember my dad and uncles saying that grandpa had even killed a few moose with it but they did say that he was REALLY close, like 10 yards away. I wanted a .30-30 so bad that I went out and bought my own, got a model 94 but mine was built in 1975. Love it to pieces. RIP grandpa, you are still remembered by a lot of people.
You have a face like a bad-guy from a Clint Eastwood movie, and better presentation skills than anyone Ive seen on TV this year. Please keep making videos because you are destined for success dude.
Presentation==Plus one. Great job. BTW, I have been hunting deer for 43 years with a Win Model 94 30-30 (Dad gave it to me when I was 12). In that time, I have dropped about 35 deer. EVERY deer I have ever shot at with this rifle has ended up on my table. A few have run about 100 yards (no deer rifle can stop that--deer are amazingly resilient) but most have dropped where they stand. I have put less than 100 rounds through this rifle in my lifetime. Brought it to the range a couple times and "three-and-done" results so no need to waste ammo. Farthest I ever tracked a deer was 1/2 mile. That was ONE TIME and because I was STUPID enough to shoot at a running deer (I was 22 years old) and hit it high over the spine. After that I vowed to NEVER do that again. I STILL feel bad for that poor deer. Nice 10 point buck--he REALLY tried to fool me to get away. I had to use all the skills my Dad taught me to find him. Drop of blood, 15 yards and drop a glove, back to the last glove and look again, another drop--over a hill--through a field--into a swamp (I almost gave up in there--had to backtrack about 10 times looking for tiny bits of blood on branches with mud up to my knees)--over a hill--finally found him dead--trying to go back into the swamp!!!. So, the 30-30 is 100 percent capable of killing deer--dropping them where they stand. I have PROVED it over and over again.
@@lassiostefanzio9616 We are lucky for all the years of service he sacrificed to keep this Country free. His presentation persona is a direct outgrowth of his Army training as an instructor.
30-30 is an amazing round, especially with the improvements in powder and ammo. I’ve never had a deer take a step after shooting one with my 30-30, wild hogs on the other hand I’ve had some walk a little ways.
Depends where you got them. I’ve hit some a little low and they wonder 50-75 yards before giving up the ghost, but that’s Operator malfunction. I’m personally a fan of 30-30 (30WCF)
@@thisismagacountry1318 7.62x51, .308 is better for hog than a 30-30, but a 30-30 works long as you ain't dumb far. I use .338LM myself, you don't need the kinda range that can give you for hunting but it's my favorite rifle so that's kinda my go to for hunting anyway.
Another underestimated caliber is .243. There should be a lot of old .243 rifles hanging around. They were considered the ideal deer caliber for a 13 year old when I was a kid.
Agree 100%. Still got mine from when I was a kid in the 90s. Still use it to this day and have only upgraded the scope from time to time. It’s not nearly the most powerful caliber around but is more than adequate for deer where I hunt. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
There's simply a solid feeling that an old, well-loved, Winchester 94 gives the shooter. As far as usable range goes, the 30-30 isn't a match for many rounds that came afterwards. That being said, most deer taken east of the Mississippi are within less than 100yds of the hunter - iron sight distance! I understand guys who love the longer distance rounds like the 270 and 30-06 but a trusted old '94 is hard to beat on a 60-80 yard green field. A bonus about 30-30 rifles is that they just about all come with iron sights which means no expense for a scope! A 30-30 requires more practice at the range because so many of today's hunters have so little experience using irons, they've grown up looking through 6-18x50 scopes... A final note about 30-30's, ammo is always available and it's half the price of most of the rest of popular deer rounds. Great video about a great round!
AND I HAVE SEEN SOME AMAZING SHOTS WITH A OLD 1894 30-30 I WATCHED A FRIEND HIT A WATER JUG AT WELL OVER 400 YARDS WITH HIS OLD 30-30 BUT TO BE FAIR HE HAD BEEN SHOOTING AT THAT JUG FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND IT WAS HIS TRICK SHOT THAT HE HAD BEEN PRATICING ON FOR A DAY OR SO JUST TO WOW ME WHEN I STOPPED BY LOL SND I WAS IMPRESSED AS I THOUGHT HE WOULD NEVER HIT THE JUG AND WHEN HE DID I WAS AMAZED BUT IN ALL HONESTEY HE CAME CLEAN AND TOLD ME HE KNEW JUST WHERE TO HOLD OVER THE JUG BECAUSE HE HAD FIRED SEVERAL SHOTS AT THAT JUG OR ONE JUST LIKE IT STILL IT WAS A GREAT SHOTAND I DON'T KNOW IF HE COULD DO THE SAME ON A 8 POINT BUCK WHEN HE GOT BUCK FEVER LOL BUT TO BE HONEST MY 30-06 WILL DROP ALOT AT 400 YARDS NOT AS MUCH AS A 30-30 BUT STILL QUITE A BIT AND I HAVE KILLED SEVERAL DEER WITH SMALLER GUNS THAN A 30-30 AND BULLET PLACEMENT IS THE KEY FACTOR WHEN YOU ARE HUNTING NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL THE FIREARM IS .ALL THAT SAID THE 30-30 IS A GREAT HUNTING GUN AND IT IS EASY TO CARRY AND MOVE THEU THE FOREST WITH THE HANDY LITTLE 1894 OR EVEN THE MARLIN AS THEY ARE BOTH ALMOST THE SAME SIZE AND ARE GREAT IF YOU NEED TO SLING IT ON YOUR BACK SO YOU CAN GET A COUPLE OF BEAR HOUNDS LED THRU A THICKETAND HAVE PLENTY OF POWER WHEN IT COMES TIME TO KNOCK OL SLEW FOOT OUTTA A TREE. ONW 170 GRAIN FLAT POINT WILL DISPATCH ANY BLACK BEAR WITH ONE SHOT IF YOU PUT IT IN HIS HEAD BETWEEN THE EYES ,IT BEST TO MOVE THE HOUNDS BACK BECAUSE HE WILL HIT THE GROUND LIKE A SACK OF OATS AND BREAK A DOGS BACK IF HE LANDS ON HIM FROM 30 FEET UP BUT YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL UNDER THE TREE BECAUSE HE JUST MIGHT JUMP OUT AND BE ON YOU BEFORE YOU KNOW WHAT HE IS DOING AND THATS WHEN THE MARLIN 336 SHINES BECAUSE YOU CAN GET IT IN 35 rEMINGTON AND THEM 200 GRAIN CORELOCKETS PACK A PUNCH UP CLOSE LIKE THAT.BUT I LIKE THE 30-30BETTER THAN A 44 MAGNUM THAT ALOT OF FOLKS LIKE TO CARRY BECAUSE MOST TIMES THEY DON'T TAKE HEAD SHOTS AND THE BEARS DIE ANYHOEW BUT THEY WILL TEAR A HOUND ALL TO PIECES IN A SPLIT SEC IF THEY AINT DEAD WHEN THEY HIT THE GROUND AND IT DON'T TAKE BUT A SECOND FOR A BEAR TO DO ALOT OF DAMAGE TO A GOOD DOG.I HAVE SEEN THE HANDGUN HUNTERD HOUNDS AND SEVERAL OF THEIR DOGS WAS MISSING LEGS OR STICHED UP WHERE BEARS HAD GOT AHOLT OF THEM BEFORE THEY DIED AND SEVERAL HOUND HUNTERS I KNEW WOULD NOT HUNT WITH PISTOL HUNTERS BECAUSE OF THIS .SO THE 30-30 IS A GREAT LITTLE GUN AND IT IS EASY TO FIND BRASS FOR IT AT OUR LOCAL RIFLE RANGE ,WHEN I STARTED HAND LOADING i WOULD FIND SEVERAL BOXS OF BRASS THIS WAY AFTER WORK I WOULD JUST STOP OF AT THE RANGE ABOUT A MO. BEFORE DEER SEASON AND i GOT SEVERAL BOXS OF RIFLE BRASS THIS WAY AND MOST SHOOTERS WHEN THEY SEEN I WAS PICKING UP EMPTY BRASS WOULD JUST GIVE THEIRS TO ME WHEN THEY WAS DONE SHOOTING AND I GOT ALL I WOULD EVER NEED THID WAY OFTEN i WOULD FIND BOXS FULL IN THE TRASH CANS EVERYTHING FROM 243 TO 30-06 AND EVEN 45-70 SOMETIMES
I'm with ya, I never learned how to use irons until about 10 years after I started shooting. I still can't use buck horns to save my life, but I'm pretty solid out to about 200 yards standing with peeps.
I'd like to speak to someone who had to shoot a deer five times to kill it. I have so many questions. Things like, "how did you get it hold still for shots 2 through 5?", or "where did you place the second shot? How about the third?", or "Did it occur to you that since this deer has decided to hang out and let you do whatever you want, that you could have just slit its throat?", or my favorite "what video game was this on?".
Even though all sorts of 'specialty hyper' rounds have been produced over a hundred years since the .30 WCF was created, it still takes a sizable percentage of all kinds of game every year. That tells me a heck of a lot in favor of this round. It is the jack of most trades that will serve well until phasers become available to the citizenry.
I bought my girlfriend her first gun. It is a model 94 Winchester which turned out to be a pristine 1957 with a Sears buttplate. She has been my wife for 17 years and it is still her favorite. I just loaded up some FTX 160gr bullets with 34 grains Leverevolution powder tonight. I've heard good things. Paul is always a good reference for advice. The 30-30 is way underrated.
This is 5+ years old now, and should be revisited by Paul, using the newer Hornady LEVERevolution ammo. It's been many years since I hunted with a .30-30 but in my youth, I did, a lot. I only missed once, and that was because something out of my view spooked the deer at the last second, and I've NEVER had to shoot one more than once.
It’s a great cartridge for deer where I hunt. Where my average shot is less than 200 yards. I grew up hunting deer In a Shotgun only zone. So a 30-30 rifle feels surgical to me.
Could not agree more. Oddly, much like you indicated, it is/was the "old timers" that typically made such blanket statements about how "little power" the 30-30 had, or how it was just a "pop-gun". The 30-30 has probably killed more large game than any other rifle on the earth. Because it was AVAILABLE, and in the hands of a practiced hunter, it was and still is capable of very, very versatile harvesting. The ballistics of an AK47 are said to be close to a 30-30... and typically no one bashes on the 7.62 X 39 do they? Further more, from a 16" barreled SK47, you wont likely see as tight of groups as a 30-30 lever gun either. Well done, enough said.
I met an old hunting guide in Wyoming.We talked deer ,antelope and moose stories.I asked him what rifle he preferred for hunting moose.He replied a 30-30 and I went ,now what.He said when he first started guiding for moose in the 50s a long shot was 30 yards...So i'm shaking my head and smiling .He then told me a 30-30 wa an all around rifle for shots to 150yds .My late father was the same style as in brush hunting deer.The only thing is they kick way hard for kids.It was my first best rifle till the ripe old age of 18.I have my mothers Marlin 30-30 and its most precious to me.Thanks for the video!
Great video a marlin 336 stainless in 30/30 was the first gun i ever bought and cant wait to keep this timeless rifle to give to my son one day. I agreed 100% with your video and mine can be super accurate if the shooter does his part. Love loading with the lever-evolution powder and get some more speed out of this classic cartridge to put a little modern touch on the classic round.
I own a Winchester model 1894 (built in '57 so it is one of the good pre '68 units) .30-30 carbine...excellent deer and hog rifle...the Carbine is very quick to get the sight on the game. I can and have put two rounds on top of each other at 75 yds. using iron sights with Hornady leverrevolution ammo. Semper Fi.
Another great PH vid. I used my Dad's 7.9mm Mauser that he brought back from Yurp during WWII for the first few years of hunting the wily whitetail in Northern Minnesota as a kid back in the early '70s, but then won a Mod. '94 Chet 30-30 in a shooting meet and was very happy for three reasons: 1) the shorter and lighter carbine was easier to whack through brush and trees, 2) the 2-movement lever-action is much faster than the Mauser's 4-move bolt action, and 3) every wild cow I hit died of acute lead poisoning. It got even better when I moved to MT and the saddle-gun functionality of the 30-30 paid off in spades during trail and open range hunts for Elk and mulies on the back of Miss Barbie. I never needed a scope on either the Chet or the Mauser in the north woods as I never had a shot further than 50yds anyway, and the few times I used a rifle with a scope (a 7mm Rem and a .243) it was always cold, damp, and usually raining in Minnesota in November, and so the scopes almost always fogged up and I ended up sighting through the scope mounts with the iron sights. I do like the .243 with a scope for plinking prairie dogs in SoDak, though, which along with shooting pheasants, is about as much fun as one can have in SoDak with one's clothes on.
I've made every deer hunting mistake going after you can think of except shooting myself or someone else. The .30-30 is underappreciated, I agree. The .30-30 is a perfect caliber/cartridge for the Indiana box woods and the fields that tend to occupy the territory between them. The only real "long range" rifle we could use here was a muzzleloader and, though accurate with practice, it was one shot every twenty seconds or so. A wounded deer can cover a lot of ground if your bullet placement is off, and poor trigger squeeze, nerves, and a mismeasured powder charge can happen. I really enjoy your videos and pragmatic approach linked with the dry humor. Keep up the good work, sir.
Thank you sir for a very good video. I have loved the Winchester 30-30 since I was 9 or 10 years old. I have 2. One is a 1959 Winchester 94, 30-30, that is UNfired. I believe the Winchester 94, 30-30, is the best rifle ever manufactured. Premium ammo is available that raise the usefulness of the cartridge up a couple of notches. Anyway, thanks for a good video.
God how I wish Paul would "Bore us for an hour with anecdotes" again. Greatly missed. Thanks so much for all you've done for us, Paul and crew! Good luck, Roy!
Depends on what you're hunting and where you hunt. I have taken deer out to 300+ yds with my Browning BAR 308 Win but I would be reluctant to take the same shot with a 30/30 loaded with a 150 gr. It looses velocity fast and starts to drop at longer ranges; just a fact based on laws of physics. So if I hunt with my 30/30 I keep my shots closer if possible.
It depends on what and how far you are hunting. If you're hunting out west, you are not taking a 30-30. If you're hunting in the midwest, a 30-06 is overkill.
Rusty Shackleford What do you mean by "Out west"? The steppes? Here in southern Oregon, the woods are very dense and a .30-30 would probably be perfectly adequate for deer out here.
I got my first elk a 30-30, my first deer with a 30-30 and had many years of successful hunts with my 30-30. I dont have any plans on buying another caliber. And for the people who take 5 shot to kill a deer, its not the gun, its the hunter.
Lever guns in general are very fast to point and shoot. The 30-30 is still an extremely effective round. I have seen old Marlins shoot 1" groups at 100 yards with a scope and bolt actions deliver sub MOA groups at 100 yards. In areas where there is a lot of brush and trees and shots are limited to 150 yards or less, the 30-30 is perfect. Still, I shot a Marlin with a scope out to 200 yards and believe me, that gun could easily do head shots on deer at that range. Thank you so much for proving that the 30-30 is a very accurate cartridge. The 30-30 still has taken more game in North America then any other cartridge...
The 30-30 is probably the most underrated caliber out there. It's more than adequate for deer at 200 yards and devastating at under 100. In a SHTF situation I'd go for a high capacity semi-auto (AR 15, AR 10, AK, etc.) but I'd happily settle for a lever-action 30-30 if I couldn't get an AR or AK.
I've been hunting deer here in WV since 1962. I've used several of the popular calibers and always go back to the 30-30. Never have I had to shoot more than once and have used a single shot for the last 30 years and have made 3 kills at 200+ yards and 1 round fired.
The most venerable Col Jeff Cooper RIP stated, long ago, a well made 30-30 lever action is a rifle one can make war with. Think about the veracity of this statement by the Col.
I Colonel Cooperized my 1968 Marlin 336 as he proposed in his design ethic for the "scout rifle" idea ... forward mounted LER 2-7 scope in quick release rings with back-up fiber optic iron sights. I have a 20 round sling that locks it into my shoulder when raised. It has a MPBR of 225 yards with no holdover (sighted in zero at 25 yards) and that's about all anyone will ever need if they aren't playing long range sniper. Shoots both eyes open and is super fast to acquire a sight picture with the long eye relief scope over the barrel instead of the receiver. Red dots weren't a thing back then but maybe today it would be a nice option. Here's the range performance sighted in zero at 25 yards. FNSP 30-30 .308 150 GR. .268 BC Range Muzzle 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 Trajectory (inches) -1.5 0 1.1 1.7 1.9 1.6 0.7 -0.7 -2.7 -5.4 -8.8 Come UP in MOA 0 0 -2 -2.2 -1.8 -1.2 -0.5 0.4 1.3 2.3 3.4 Come UP in Mils 0 0 -0.6 -0.6 -0.5 -0.4 -0.1 0.1 0.4 0.7 1 Hornady 160 grain Leverevolution FTX extends this performance by the following margin. 160G FTX 30-30 160 GR. .330 BC Range Muzzle 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225 250 Trajectory -1.5 0 1.1 1.7 2 1.7 1 -0.3 -2.2 -4.6 -7.6 Come UP in MOA 0 0 -2 -2.2 -1.9 -1.3 -0.6 0.2 1 1.9 2.9 Come UP in Mils 0 0 -0.6 -0.6 -0.5 -0.4 -0.2 0.1 0.3 0.6 0.8 This flatter shooting round has it's long zero POI a further 15 yards out around 170 yards. At 225 yards you have almost the same POI as a 170g (-5" but chart not included) flat point at 200. Also of note is that at 275 yards, the FTX bullet delivers energy equal to what the FNSP bullets can manage at 200 yards. I don't want anything more than my 30-30 lever action and it's easy to get good shots on whatever I need it to. Others will differ and that's perfectly fine with me. I'm not shooting anything more than 2 football fields away. No holdover to stay within a 5" POI variation over anything from 25 to 200 yards ? That'll do fine I reckon. Easy to carry easy to shoot.
I’m shooting the lever evolutions 160gr. and they’re holding a tight pattern at a 100yds. (1956 Win94 peep sights ~ 2-3”group some touching) 1 coyote at 75yds 1 deer at approx 135yds with that bullet. The coyote was dead before it hit the ground the deer went 10yds.
@Hallowedpointdtp - I know it isn't the same firearm or cartridge, but lever-guns - "cowboy guns" - were used in World War One by the Czar's Armies, which for a time used Winchester M1895 rifles in 7.62x54R! Strange but true. The rifles had been ordered when Russian factories could not turn out enough Mosin-Nagant bolt-actions for the Czar's soldiers. True, the late Colonel Cooper would probably have grabbed his Garand or FAL first, but I don't think he'd have complained if he'd had a lever gun instead. Firepower, whether in the field hunting or at war, is hits per minute, not shots (misses) per minute. The guy who really knows his rifle and load will likely come out on top against a guy armed with the latest and greatest, but who hasn't trained with them enough. As the old saying goes, it isn't the tool, it is the craftsman!
@@q-man762 - Not surprised to hear that. The barrels aren't varmint or heavy profile to resist heat, nor are they free-floated, so you would expect the groups to open up some as the barrel heats up. Your typical Marlin 336 30-30 holds six shots, so after you have expended those, you have to reload and the barrel gets a chance to cool a bit.
I inherited my late uncle's 30-30. My dad told me he once saw my uncle bag a trotting coyote from 100 yards with that gun. I grew up with a lever action BB gun, so the lever action 30-30 feels natural for me to shoot.
I love the .30-30! Man when I hit a wild hog with a .30-30 it just falls over. We play headshot only. Don't want to ruin the sweet baby hog meat. Learned that lesson on first hog kill. They are so tasty at about 85 lbs. We call them smoker size.
@@bobbychub9991 that's a good thing. We had some frackwit(s) let some hogs loose in the wild. Fish and Game was talking about selling tags for the frackwits, and was very clear that anyone with a hunting license was clear to shoot those hogs.
I grew up on a ranch here in Montana. My boss used a 30-30 exclusively. He is not a boaster and I was talking about his preference for his Winchester. He said he never felt the need for anything else. He has shot everything we have here, except grizzly bears. Elk, deer, antelope, black bear, and many others. I watched the man drop 1800 pound steers with a .22 LR with just shot placement. You know he is a very good shot and hunter when you can get close enough to an antelope to take it with a 30-30. Great video as usual!
I have used the 30WCF for years, successfully, on deerin Wyoming, Colorado and Wisconsin. If you have taken the time to sight it in properly, it will put meat on the table every time. Those who think it isn't a good deer rifle are probably millennials, raised by i-phones, who wouldn't know something good if they were bitten in the kiester with it.
I had a Marlin 30-30 and was living in Virginia. A friend knew of an old cabin that his family used as a hunting camp sometimes during deer season. We went and met a 73 yr old uncle of his. He immediately asked what rifle I was using and I told him to which he replied, "well, that's a good brush gun but I never had one that I would hunt with". From the front porch I could see a target out at 75yds and (knowing my rifle since I owned it for over 15 yrs) I said, " I'm pretty sure that I can shoot as good as anyone here at a target on that post" to which he replied, "anyond can shoot a target but around here we test our guns by shooting a short brass 20 gauge shell on top of the frame". I accepted and after his nephew placed 3 of them on top of the frame I sat at a picnic table, benched up the best I could and fired. After the third shell went flying and they were retrieved I had hit all 3 in the brass. The old man said, "that's pretty good" and looking at my wife, ex-wife now, said, "if you really have it set up right, she should be able to do the same thing". My wife, who had never fired my 30-30 accepted and again the 3 shells were set up at 75 yards. After I showed her how and where I was aiming she fired and 2 of the 3 shells went flying. The old man immediately said, "well I'll be damned but if I were you I would take that gun and that woman home and let them sleep in the bed and you should sleep on the floor". A prediction, probably but my point is that, it's all about knowing your firearms. I would have no doubt about shooting a deer 200yds away because I know exactly how to shoot that gun. I am following you now and appreciate your "long winded" explanations. Keep up the great work.
My old Winchester 94 30-30 was sold in a time of poverty at Christmas time. I still miss it. It was a fun gun to shoot. My brother said it still is. He has used it for about 30 years. I now have a different lever gun and I like the feel and the action. Thank you Paul Harrell.
