.30-30 Winchester for deer in England and Wales?

For woodland deer hunting w/peep sight, a 30-30 in a lever action is probably my absolute favourite deer rifle. Back in 1992 I saw my father take a bull moose offhand with an 1894 in 30-30 at 250 paces. This was an exceptional shot with open sights, but goes to show you what the cartridge/rifle is capable of. With leverevolution bullets and a scope the cartridge is good out to 300 yards.

I've taken deer and moose with my 30-30 on multiple occasions. Farthest shot was about 150 yards on a cow moose. Did as all moose do when shot in the boiler room regardless of cartridge--ran 25-30 paces and dropped.
 
For woodland deer hunting w/peep sight, a 30-30 in a lever action is probably my absolute favourite deer rifle. Back in 1992 I saw my father take a bull moose offhand with an 1894 in 30-30 at 250 paces. This was an exceptional shot with open sights, but goes to show you what the cartridge/rifle is capable of. With leverevolution bullets and a scope the cartridge is good out to 300 yards.

I've taken deer and moose with my 30-30 on multiple occasions. Farthest shot was about 150 yards on a cow moose. Did as all moose do when shot in the boiler room regardless of cartridge--ran 25-30 paces and dropped.

It's funny isn't it , you've described every Moose I've shot ( with two exceptions , neck shots up close ) It doesn't matter what caliber you hit them with , they always run abit before they drop .

AB
 
Apologies if sacrilegious but has anyway ever moderated one?!?
Matt

Not me , it's illegal to use a moderator in Canada , But it would definitely look a little odd . It would also destroy the balance of the rifle , which is 90% of their appeal IMHO .

AB
 
It's funny isn't it , you've described every Moose I've shot ( with two exceptions , neck shots up close ) It doesn't matter what caliber you hit them with , they always run abit before they drop .

AB

Thanks for the welcome in the other thread. Yes, I've shot and seen moose shot with everything from a 6mm to a 375 H&H and there really was no difference in so-called "killing power," whatever that means. They all ran 20-30 yards and dropped. I've only seen one moose drop on the spot and that was because of bad shot placement, which ended up working in the shooters favour. It was an upper shoulder partial spine hit and the cow needed a second follow-up shot. Ultimately, though, it was a bad shot.
 
Apologies if sacrilegious but has anyway ever moderated one?!?
Matt

Yes it has been done but it often involves shortening the magazine tube to do so. To my mind it just looks wrong and spoils the balance of a small light carbine. On top of that getting the thing to fit in the rifle scabbard on your horse can then be a problem. :rolleyes:
 
I would think the 30-30 would be very effectively suppressed, maybe a bolt version...
 
Not sure if he has moderated his but Brithunter has posted photographs of his bolt action .30-30 several times.
 
I would think the 30-30 would be very effectively suppressed, maybe a bolt version...

A suppressed 30-30 bolt action?

The joy of a 30-30 in a compact lever carbine is its handling and speed (shouldering a straight stock 94 is like shouldering a fitted shotgun). Perfect brush gun. Ideal for driven boar too. The design has remained essentially unchanged since it's introduction.

if you are going suppressed bolt you might as well just get a .308. Same caliber, download it if you want 30-30 velocities (trajectory between the two cartridges is of no practical difference under 150 yards).

Between my father and I we have over three dozen lever actions in different model/caliber configurations. A 30-30 in a 94 is as classic as it's gets for a woodland deer gun in Canada/USA. I have harvested moose and bear with the combo too with no issues.
 
It's usually a toss up every day on the farm as to wether I carry an old 30 30 on the front seat of the ute or on the front of the bike or a on old 270 Parker Hale, even though I have many other rifles to choose. I wouldn't choose a 30 30 for longer shots or most recreational hunting but the 30 30 lever excels at general work & a rugged life. Mine is an old winchester with Lyman sights with the back aperture removed to just leave the big hole. Its just a working gun & gets treated accordingly. I don't often shoot it much further than 50m but it can still bowl rabbits & foxes over at this distance if they cross my path. On deer. I've killed a few, from a few species including some around the 200 kgs with this chambering, though it wouldn't be my first, second or third choice for sambar. For culling I like it for its easy carry & fast second shots. Last year I had to cull some chital & clearly remember dropping two stags running flat out, left two right at a bit less than 100 m, one after the other, just swing through the animal & slap the trigger when a bit past the nose, simples, both spectacular pile up's, & shots I couldn't or wouldn't have made with a scoped bolt action. On mobs of running pigs its even better, & this is where this particular rifle & set up shines.

I never used to think much of the 30 30 or the Winchester 94 until I was given this one a bit over a decade ago. I took it on the tractor one day when clearing some scrub so that it would take the bumps instead of abusing another rifle, & after rolling half a dozen pigs attracted by the freshly turned earth, I quickly fell in love with its function. I prefer the 94 over the Marlin because its slicker & easier to use IMO. I guess if I was to put a scope on a lever, instead of the basic aperture sights then there wouldn't be as much difference in the function between the Winchester & a Marlin & I would most likely choose a Marlin if a scope was to be used. Then again, I'd just use a bolt action instead of a lever when I require a scope.

Cheers Sharkey
 
It is odd that the 30-30 discussion here attracts nothing but praise, but if the subject were the scout rifle, which was conceptualised from rifles such as the model 94, 336 etc, it would cause nothing but outrage if previous posts are anything to go by...
 
It is odd that the 30-30 discussion here attracts nothing but praise, but if the subject were the scout rifle, which was conceptualised from rifles such as the model 94, 336 etc, it would cause nothing but outrage if previous posts are anything to go by...

You seem surprised?! The Scout tries to fit military and sporting purposes and falls short on both counts except for the "Walter MItty's" among us. :stir:
My Marlins would be outraged to be likened to such an ugly stick!
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I'm sure, however who's military uses a bolt action? Pray tell how does it fall short in sporting application?
 
It is odd that the 30-30 discussion here attracts nothing but praise, but if the subject were the scout rifle, which was conceptualised from rifles such as the model 94, 336 etc, it would cause nothing but outrage if previous posts are anything to go by...

The scout rifle was inspired by the light handy carbines at the turn of the century. Cooper was right in saying that advancements in cartridges hit a brick wall shortly after the introduction of smokeless power. Today, those older cartridges such as the various 6.5mm (6.5x54, 6.5x55, 6.5x57), 7x57, 8x57, 9.3x62, 30-06, 30-30, etc. look even more brilliant in light of some of the whizz bang magnums that are touted today.

Where the real advancements have been made have been in the metallurgy, optics, synthetic stocks (if you call that an advancment) and bullet construction. Even the actions have remained essentially unchanged (straight pull is not a new idea). Powders have improved too, but primarily in efficiency. In terms of practical differences, nadda.

Cooper came up with the idea of a scout rifle in the 80s, but in the form of a bolt action and he wanted to create something for all-round use making most of these real advancements. By all-round use, he didn't mean just for hunting, but for fighting too. His design has become popular with SHTF and doomsday preppers primarily because it takes into consideration many different scenarios in which the rifle could be used. It keeps utility at the forefront.

There is nothing wrong with adapting the concept to a lever gun, but the only thing that it would have in common is the forward mounted scope. If your eyesight is suffering and you need a scope then by all means mount one. Yes it takes away front he handling and aesthetics of the gun a little, but a 94 w/low powered scope is still a fantastic bush gun.

Not sure why anybody would condemn the scout rifle. It's not my taste, but it is a functional concept.
 
The scout rifle doesn't fall short as a bush gun. However, if you handle a 1892 or 94 carbine with peep sights and a shotgun buttplate, nothing comes close in speed and handling characteristics excepting double rifles. They are truly excellent bush guns ideal for snap shooting. Their form factor without a scope (and def. without a suppressor) are why they have this reputation.
 
I don't do much snap shooting and I don't need to reload on the hoof, so the forward scope isn't much use to me.

And I require a moderator, so most of the advantages of the carbine form-factor would also be negated.

But for sitting and off-hand shooting the Ching sling gets me steady enough, and is far easier to use than sticks.

I'm also a big believer in both-eyes-open shooting, even with a 6x42 scope.

So the Scout concept as a whole isn't much use to me, but I'm certainly glad the man was around and thinking.

Cheers,
Jeff.
 
For me the advantages of a scout-scope are the speed at which you can pick up your target, you can keep an uninterrupted field of view, and are able to grip the rifle around the receiver when carrying the rifle, plus no danger of getting 'scoped' when shooting from awkward field positions. There are disadvantages, when the sun shines low over the ocular lens form behind it can cause a solar glare unlike conventional scopes that ware shaded by your head. Also it is not the best at light gathering in low light, though keeping it on low mag reduces the problem. It can be real difficult to explain unless you give it a go.
 
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