Better Gun

[charliealley]

I have been hunting only a short time, second season. I have been using a Lever Action Marlin 30-30, because that is what I had. Where I hunt is pretty short range shots, 100-150 yd. max. several people have told me that I should get a 270 because it is a much better deer gun. Ya'll give me some of your opinions and why please. I wouldn't mind buying one but I would like to know it would better than my 30-30 before spending the money. Thanks, Charlie

[WisconsinDeer]

If you're only going to be shooting 150 yards max, then a .270 isn't going to kill a deer any deader than your 30-30 will. A 2-7 power scope (or something) and some Hornady LeverEvolution ammo and you have yourself a very effective deer rifle.

[onehorse]

Originally Posted by WisconsinDeer

If you're only going to be shooting 150 yards max, then a .270 isn't going to kill a deer any deader than your 30-30 will. A 2-7 power scope (or something) and some Hornady LeverEvolution ammo and you have yourself a very effective deer rifle.

This advice is right on! Only if you are going beyond that range would you have to move up to a flatter shooting caliber.

[Karl.Luhr]

Your 30-30 lever action will kill cleanly up to 150 yards for the rest of your life. Having said that I personally prefer shooting bolt actions at the range. I spend ten times as much time in a good year at the range compared to the hours hunting in the field. I like a clean, light trigger on an accurate rifle. I shoot better with a scope than with iron sights so that is what my rifles have on them. I have had a lever action Win 94 trapper in 44mag. It had a receiver sight and was accurate at 50 yards, but it wasn't that much fun to shoot at the range so I sold it to someone who would appreciate it. I think that getting out and shooting at the range is so important that I try to steer any shooter/hunter toward a bolt action scoped rifle.

Karl

Karl

[rdrader2002]

Originally Posted by onehorse

This advice is right on! Only if you are going beyond that range would you have to move up to a flatter shooting caliber.

What they said! I have a Marlin 336C in .30/30, Weaver mounts so I can still use the open sights, and decent optics (can't remember). Used the Hornady 160 grain Lever Revolution rounds last season for the first time and the results are in the Gallery. Nice TX 8 point.

RR

[Hunting Man]

Well they say more deer have been killed with a 30-30 over the years so there's something to be said for that. I do take a 30-30 as a fowl weather back-up rifle with open sights. However, I am with Karl somewhat here, I would add that pump action rifles are excellent deer getters as well as lever actions in calibers superior to the 30-30. I'm not beating up the 30-30 just saying there are much better choises out there performance wise. There are so many reasons to pick a particular rifle/caliber that its hard to say one is more suited to one's need more than another. There are times I want to use my 38-55 cal just for the fun! Purchase what you want after you factor in all your wants/needs/fun/game to be shot/ cost-budget/............

[Karl.Luhr]

I agree that the 30-30 is a solid caliber for Deer hunting. It is just that my level action/semi-auto carrying friends comment after they shoot one of my rifles what a difference a clean, and light trigger make. A dead Deer isn't going to be any more dead having been shot with a more powerful cartridge. The advantages of the more powerful cartridges are it is easier to get a clean kill. The shooter still has to put the bullet in the right place. I personally like single shots and bolt actions for Deer hunting. My personal experience is that the triggers on levers, slide actions, and semi-autos are not as clean and light as the ones on bolt actions or single shots. You can still shoot nice small groups with a heavy creepy trigger but you don't have to put up with it.

Karl

[Kreygh]

I have hunted with a 30-30 for over 20 years and have never lost a deer with it. Where I hunt in Georgia it is very hilly with lots of underbrush. I used a friend's Winchester for the first couple of years with only iron sights...I didn't like the top ejection. I bought a Marlin 30-30, weaver mounts to use the iron sights for close up shots and use 150 grain blunt tip cartridges.

I bought a .270 Remington cheap from a friend a couple of years ago and haven't notice any difference in the yardage traveled after the shot or the time of expiration. I also shoot 150 grain blunt points in this rifle. As said in an earlier post, I prefer the bolt action over the lever action.

I give a thumbs up for both guns.

[Karl.Luhr]

Looking back at my posts on this tread I think that I got off the mark. A lot of the guys that I have hunted with use Marlin or Winchester lever 30-30s and have killed a lot of Deer with them. There is a difference between fussing over small groups at the range, and not getting to bloody gutting a Deer. I have to admit I spend most of my time shooting not hunting. Some of my friends are better hunters than I, and they are quite happy with milk jug accurate sighted rifles(they can hit one at hunting range). They just might be right, but if I miss a Deer I know it's not the rifles fault.

Karl

[Kreygh]

I would like to add that I think it is a good idea to have a second gun...why not purchase a .270 if you are interested. I had an instance last year where I bumped my scope on the .270 and as luck was with me I got a close shot on the 8 point that morning but it ended up being gut shot. To make a long story short, I didn't have a chance to get back to the gun range to sight in the scope so I fell back to using the 30-30 the rest of the season.

If you are shooting over 100 yards I would recommend upgrading.