30-30 or .308

Quote:
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.

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.

Click to expand...

+1. Personally, I'd say a peep-sighted .30-30 is beat day in and day out at 200 yards by a scope sighted rifle.

Don

CraigC said:

For a 200yd deer rifle, it's hard to beat a good peep-sighted .30-30 levergun.

Click to expand...

Unless you use a scoped 308.

Actually, THE "bang for the buck gun" is still the sks, but not nearly as much so as it used to be. Good Softpoint ammo can be had for it. 308 milsurp is considerably cheaper ammo than any 3030 load, so you can practice far more. Consider a used, sub $400 Remington autoloader, so that you can again hit a fleeing cripple, and it can also serve for riot duty, so to speak, given some 10 rd mags. I'd pick such a rifle for bears, even elephant, given a Barnes "solid" bullet, since brain hits are all that reliably stops any animal big enough to be a threat to a man.

Consider a used, sub $400 Remington autoloader, so that you can again hit a fleeing cripple, and it can also serve for riot duty, so to speak, given some 10 rd mags. I'd pick such a rifle for bears, even elephant, given a Barnes "solid" bullet, since brain hits are all that reliably stops any animal big enough to be a threat to a man.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a really good way to clean up the gene pool.

Don

The .30-30 is a great deer rifle and with the introduction of Hornady's LeveRevolution plastic-tipped ammo, this rifle can reach out to 200 or maybe ever 250 yards with enough gust-o to put down a deer humanely. Watch out for inaccurate .30-30's. There are many of them out there. I'm talking 4" or more at 100yds. If you get one, trade it back in for another.

The problem is :

Also I may use the gun to snipe Coyotes.

Click to expand...

Here is where the .308 Win. is a much better choice. Accurate bolt actions can be had for $300 - $500 and this caliber is known for it's exceptional accuracy and extreme popularity which translates into extreme versatility.

.308 would be my choice for everything except stalk-hunting in the woods - which is where the .30-30 was absolutely made for.

That's great natman.

Either one with a Leupold 3x9 scope, and you should be good to go.

The bolt gun will likely be slightly more accurate, but probably not enough to matter for deer hunting.

Scopes work fine in low light.
Iron sights are USELESS in low light.

Abel said:

A deerhunter should have both.

Click to expand...

Uh oh. I've got a 30-06 bolt and a .35 Remington pump rifle. What am I going to do?

Uh oh. I've got a 30-06 bolt and a .35 Remington pump rifle. What am I going to do?

Click to expand...

Brother, I'd say that you're set! The 35 Remington trumps the 30-30 & the ought-six trumps the 308.

336A makes a very valid point. What is the terrain you will be hunting like? Is it open plains or country, or is it wooded. Each particular rifle will have its adavantage and disadvantage. What is lifestyle? Do you shoot or hunt on a regular basis? If your shots are limited to 150 yards or less and it is very wooded a lever action is all you need. If you plan to go target shooting at longer distances or your hunting grounds are open fields and country than go 308.

well, here in michigan, they say that more deer have been killed with a 30-30 than all other guns combined. while that may have been true 50 years ago, i really doubt it holds true anymore. however, it does speak for the 30-30's popularity. if you buy the hornady levereveloution ammo, AND practice, y6ou should be able to get a kill shot out to around 200 yards with the 30-30. but realisticly, you will have a lot more power from a 308. besides distance, there is a much wider selection of ammo. which usually equates to better accuracy. if you have 20 different loads to choose from, you have a lot better chance of finding a load your gun likes, than if you only have 5 or 6 choices. whatever you decide on, do yourself, the deer, and everyone else a big favor. get out and shoot at least a few boxes of ammo through the gun and clean it before you hunt. the rifle needs to be shot, you will need the practice, and the only thing worse than a gut shot deer, is a gut shot person!

I am not sure where in New York you live, but shotgun only territories are increasing. That being said I would look at a good 12, or 20 gauge with a slug barrel and a bird barrel. I own rifles in both .30-30, and .308, they are both great rounds, but if you were to get a rifle I would take a serious look at the Marlin in their new .308 Express. It would combine the easy handling of a lever action .30-30, and the balistic abilaties of a .308. What ever you chose it will probably not be your last firearm purchase.

Guys-
Thanks for the input. I plan on hunting a 200 acre cornfield. I won't be in the woods stalking game. Probably use a duck blind that we built this Summer. I really don't feel comfortable taking shots over 150 yards but I'm gonna spend a few weeks with the gun at the range. I see doe every night about 600 feet in the field.
Tim

Click to expand...

Well since your not comfortable taking shots past 150yd go with the .30-30 and be done with it. Zero so that your about 2 1/2" high at 100yd this will give you a good 160ys zero. You will be able to hold dead on a deers vital area all the way to 200yd with conventional ammo. Be sure that you also try the Hornady LeverEvolution and see how the rifle likes that as well.

When zeroing a lever gun shoot 3 rounds then let the barrel cool with the lever open for at least 5 min at a minimum before shooting again. Otherwise you will get vertical stringing and larger groups. Also by following the above proceedure you will have a better representation of accurate your levergun will be.

You will also have to shoot as many different brands and weights of bullets to find what the rifle likes best, this is no different than any other rifle. Once you find the ammo the rifle like go stock up on it and be on your merry way. One of the other grerat benefits that no one has mentioned about the 30-30 is economicly priced and over abundance of ammo.

remington 7600 pump in .308 real fast repeat shot and gets all the attention at the rifle range

List of cartridges decisively better than the .308 Win for deer hunting out to 300yards:



[/list]

I am not sure where in New York you live, but shotgun only territories are increasing. That being said I would look at a good 12, or 20 gauge with a slug barrel and a bird barrel. I own rifles in both .30-30, and .308, they are both great rounds, but if you were to get a rifle I would take a serious look at the Marlin in their new .308 Express. It would combine the easy handling of a lever action .30-30, and the balistic abilaties of a .308. What ever you chose it will probably not be your last firearm purchase.

Click to expand...

Stan I'm not sure where in NY you are but that is not true. Not very long ago Otsego county (which was Shotgun only) which is where I grew up, and quite a few other counties which were shotgun only are now allowed to use rifles. There are a few hold counties that still mandate the use of shotguns and slugs only, but the majority of those are in western NY.

If you pick up the NY Hunting and Trapping regulation manual you will find a map of the state showing legal hunting implements. It will show that roughly 3/4 of the state is allowed to use rifles for deer hunting now. To be more precise it can be found on page 24.

Also while the .308ME is great round owners are limited mostly to only one loading and that is the Hornady load. I know Rem is now making it too but I've yet to see it. The ammo will also be more expensive than .30-30 ammo even the 30-30 Hornady LeverEvolution ammo. Where I'm at the Hornady 30-30LE is about $20 while the .308is roughly $28 a box.

As to the other posters talking about 200yd with the Hornady 30-30 LE, yeah it will do that and then some. It gives the hunter the ability to effectivly take shots out to 250yd plus yards provided the rifle shoots it well. As a general rule most 30-30 rifles do seem to shoot this ammo well. Of course there will be exceptions to this but they will be in the minority.

I am not sure where in New York you live, but shotgun only territories are increasing.

Click to expand...

actually they have been opening up alot of places to rifle.

take a look at a few different rifles in person. a few different 308's, maybe a few 30-30's, take the one that you like the best, and feels the best. chose your self, out to 150yds they are all about the same, not exactly but you arnt going to notice a big difference. also price ammo, then when you get the gun practice. then practice some more, and when you are confortable with everything practice some more. then chose your shots

Quote:
I am not sure where in New York you live, but shotgun only territories are increasing.

actually they have been opening up alot of places to rifle.

Click to expand...

Yep! My county opened up for rifles last year. Puts more meat on the table when you can head shoot them.

Don

I apologize for not completly checking the rest of the state, I live and hunt in south eastern New York, and went with second hand accounts for the rest of the state. I would still never give up my Ithaca's, as even when I hunt rifle counties I always grab the Deer Slayer.

my personal preference is pointier bullets

308

I think you will be happy with either one. But for a first rifle try the 30/30, you can carry it a LONG way easily and for east coast hunting (heavy brush, timber, short shots and lots of hiking) is a good go to rifle. Out west longer shots need more gun, I've used a Win. model 70 in .300 WBY for 30 yrs it hits with authority even in long shots. Have Fun and eat lots of venison.

The 336XLR has a long barrel, 24". The darn thing just doesn't handle as well as the 336C in my opinion. You can pick up a used 336 for $300 if you look, and they shoot very well out to 200 yards (600ft).

There is nothing written in stone that Hornady Lever Evolution ammo will group well from your 30-30. You may need to try some regular Winchester or Federal 170 & 150 grain. Most Marlin 336's that I have seen shoot the 170 better.

I somehow feel obligated to exclaim: .30-40Krag!...but assuming that you want a recently built, easily obtainable rifle and cartridge, that would probably not be the best option.

As scores of other folks have said, the .30-30Win. will handle deer at 150yds. with relative ease. FWIW I like the new LeveRevolution fodder, but all ammunition should be tested for reliability and accuracy before taking it afield.

OTOH the .308 is a better long range performer. That said, I never cared for it much, in fact I consider it a poor excuse for a .30-06Spfd. (which is also more than you need).