30-30 or .308

Gus McCrae said:

There is nothing wrong with 30-30, but I think you'd be better served in the long run with the 308. It will allow you more opportunity to hunt, target shoot, plink or anything else you might want to try.

Though you can't go "wrong" with either one.

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My feeling too. A .308 will do most anything that you could need a rifle for.

The .308 will do everything the .30-30 can do and more.

The 30-30 is adequate for what you're asking. The 308 is going to give you more range and more ammo choices. So do you like levers or bolts?

Tim,

Like you, I hunt deer here in upstate NY. While the .30-30 will work, you will be much better served by a boltgun in .308 or .30-06, either of which is more versatile than the .30-30. And should you decide to reload, there is a better selection of bullets and brass available to you. Just MHO.

Don

I hope you check out the Savage bolt actions, I have two in .308 and 2 Mod.99s in 300 Savage. I had a Ruger Lt weight .308 it is gone now.
The new acutriggers work fine and prices are fairly low, I have seen Savage/Springfields
GO for $375 NIB
Not at Walmart please.
Wally world has raped us enough wothout paying for it.
They have driven many FFL dealers out of business and are anti handgun.
Check gunbroker.com for a dealed in your area.

So, how long would your longest shot be? 30/30 is a very popular rifle down here in south Louisiana where distances are usually pretty short. Ammunition selection has gotten better too with the introduction of the Hornady LeveRevolution ammo.

If all you're going to need is a relatively short range rifle, the lever gun should do you nicely. If you think you might need more, the bolt gun will do everything the lever gun will do and more.

I have nothing against a .30-30 either, but give me the choice and I'll take the .308 instead. It just has more of the same thing really. More ammo options, more range, more velocity. You can also get them in lever actions, pumps, autos and bolts. Whatever you fancy.

I highly recommend the .308. Rifle just depends on your preferences and budget. Make sure it feels good to you and has a great trigger. A few great rifles at low to moderate prices would be the Savage with accu-trigger, marlin XS7, and the TC Venture.

TML how do you hunt? Do you overlook open fields from a tree stand, box stand, or ground blind?, or do like to stalk and still hunt? How far do you feel comforatable shooting at game seriously. I know a lot of folks who swear they shot a deer over 200yd when in reality it was closer to 150yd. How compitant are you shooting from various field positions, such as off hand, kneeling, sitting and prone? Also how are you at judgeing distance in various light conditions and terrain?

If you like to hunt from static positions in blinds or stands over looking wide open fields then go with the .308. If you like to stalk and still hunt like I do in the woods where the action is then go with the .30-30.

As far as versatility goes if you hand load then yes the .308 has the edge. But if you buy your ammo then this is really a mute point as you can get ammo with bullet weights from 125gr up to 190gr in the .30-30. The most popular bullet weights being the 150gr, 160 Hornady LeverEvolution, and 170gr bullets. For the .308 it is 150gr, 165, and 180gr.

I grew up in the Southern Tier and hunted back when we were mandated to hunt with shotgun and slugs only. I now live and hunt in the Northern Zone. I used to hunt with a 7mm mag as I always thought that I was going to get 200yd plus shots. Guess what my longest shot to date was only 140yd and my Marlin 336A .30-30 was more than up to the task. I also found that over the hunting seasons the average distance that all my deer were taken has only been about 80yd.. I found that I like to hunt the big woods where stalking and still hunting is the name of the game. I haven't hunted nor shot my Savage 7mm RM in 8 years.

IMHO I feel leverguns chambered for traditional levergun cartridges have the advantage over bolt guns for this type of hunting. Whatever you do decide on though take the time to become proficient with it based upon your hunting style. In the end as hunters it is our morale and ethical obligation to cleanly harvest what we're hunting, and not take shots beyond our limitations regardless of the equipment we're using.

Opening day here was Saturday. I out witted this little 4 pointer and along with my Marlin 1894SS .44 magnum finally coaxed him into my truck with one shot from 30yd

I think .308 caliber will have a lot more range than a 30-30. I just recently got a Tikka T3 Lite in stainless barrel and a Nikon Monarch 4-12x50 scope. It's a great rig and spent less than a 1,000 for it. But a 30-30 lever action is on my wish list for hog hunting.

A deerhunter should have both.

Once Horandy introduced the LeverEvolution so you had 2400 fps pointy bullets for the old 30-30, they idea that it was a dead cartridge went out the window. 30-30 is the number one selling cartridge bigger than 22 world wide. It works in most situations unless you are out west on a pronghorn hunt and need the extra reach.

Either gun will do the job. With a decent scope and pointy bullets, there is only a few inches of drop between the two. Either will cover that bean field. So buy what's most comfortable and comes to shoulder easiest - then enjoy

Oh, and I agree - deer hunters need to have both, I do

For a 200yd deer rifle, it's hard to beat a good peep-sighted .30-30 levergun. In reality, very few hunters ever need to shoot beyond that.

The truth is, .308 is the absolute superior cartridge. It's flat out more powerful, and there's lots more options, both in ammunition and rifles, available for it.

The choice is easy for me. I still use a 50 year old Marlin 30/30 that was handed down to me. I've used that as my primary hunting rifle for 18 years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

I have both, and if you can't get both, I'd probably go for the .308. I have been using my dad's 1960 Winchester Model 94 for the last several years, and re-tuned it for Hornady's LeverEvolution ammo last year.

But I think it is time to retire that classic rifle to a place of honor and occasional hunts (I couldn't live with myself if I did something stpid with it and busted it up or something), so I'm switching to a .308 this year. It is a fun cartridge to shoot, and isn't punishing in the recoil department. I find it to be very similar, recoil-wise, to the .30-30 even though it slings it's lead quite a bit farther.

For the starter hunter the 308 is the better choice that will serve you in ALL realistic terrains and ranges. Remember it's a lot easier to make a 30 yd shot with a 350yd rifle than it is a 300yd shot with a 150yd gun.

Simply put a deer hunter with a good shootin 308 or 30/06 doesn't need another gun to be able to hunt ANYWHERE in the USA

Despite whatever rifles I might have in my safe, I still find myself reaching for my 24" Marlin 336 every deer season.

Even though I love my 30-30, and believe they are underrated; I would get the 308. The advantage in case capacity alone makes it more valuable to have. It will shoot a heavier bullet that is more aerodynamic.

A bolt action rifle my be a bit more accurate than a lever action rifle . I have a Win 94 and Marlin 336 30-30s . Both are less acccurate than my bolt action big game rifles. If you go hunting in areas where there will be longer shots the bolt action 308 Win rifle with a 3-9 scope would be the set up to have. The 308 Win round is eazy to reload and there is a larger quanity of bullet types and weights available for the 308 round.

For now, get the .308. Personally I've got both and they're both nice cartridges, but .308 will give you more more versatility. Better range, better knockdown. Slightly higher recoil but .308 certainly isn't bad to tolerate at all.

Put it this way:

There are NO shots that can be made with a .30-30 that can't be made with a .308 instead. The reverse isn't true.

For a 200yd deer rifle, it's hard to beat a good peep-sighted .30-30 levergun. In reality, very few hunters ever need to shoot beyond that.

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I would be willing to bet that the VAST majority of hunters could not make consistent clean kill shots at 200 yds without the aid of optics. I know it's doable, and if you can then that's great. But I would be most cannot pull it off with any consistency.