It's all a matter of shot placement and not asking the cartridge to do more than it is designed to do. The .35 Remington made a good name for itself on deer, bear and moose at reasonable ranges...that's why it is still around. Better cartridges? Sure...and there are better than the .458 Winchester too. It is all in what a person wants and can use well. Coupled with today's excellent bullets, you have a winner.

MacD wrote:

Respect your opinion Paul. I have hunted moose with the 30-30 successfully a number of times. The 35 exceeds it in terms of hitting power. The bullet I intend to use will be a jacketed round nose in 200 grain with 40 grains of Varget. This produces a little over 2000 fps and 1776 ft pounds. I have shot most of my moose a ranges less than 100 yards. I have seen too many animalsleft wounded by people who carry the biggest magnum they can buy and then take long shots believing that almost any hit with their big rifle will bring the animal down. You are absolutley right that shot placement is the most important factor and by definition this means the shooter must have the self discipline to choose the right shot. On a final note, it is my experience that a lung shot moose will not carry the shot well. They will drop quickly and even when they they do run they leave a clear blood trail. Wait 10 minutes and it will be laying down and if still alive unable to get up.

I know the 35 works on Elk at close range as does the 30-30. You always have to know your (or your guns) limitations.

MacD,
As long as you are comfortable (and you don't get trampled) then you have my best wishes. I would never have tried a 30-30 on a moose, elk, or even the large mulies we have here - unless I was within 75 yards of the mulie. I have never used one and am ignorant to the utility of the 30-30. I have always used my '06 and never had a complaint with it. I have never taken my 358 out on a hunt as I was interupted in my load development by a car accident. For the last 7 years I have been fighting my way back and I think I am almost there. I have to strengthen my back up a bit before I start shooting my old loads but I will get there.
Happy hunting!

Pauls S how far would you comfortably say your 06 will take a deer???
4-500 yrds with a 150 grn bullet??

at that range assuming you have the 06 old betsy stoked up and starting out at 3000fps you will be down to 2000-1800 fps and 1300-1100ft/lbs which Im sure Bushy will tell you is getting below where the 30/30 starts out 2000-2200fps with 150grn and 2000fps with the 170grn.
most 30/30 users know 150yrds is a long shot and its more the short barrel and open sights with a flat pointed projectile than any thing else. I shot my 1st 2 stags with a 30/30 alot of BIG boars(pigs) and more smelly old goats than I care to count. rabbits under 100yrds were in trouble too.

Elvis, If I can't get a shot within 200 yards I don't shoot. I use 165 grain bullets at just over 2700 fps.
My brothers first rifle was a 30-30 Marlin lever action and he did ok with it but he was using 130 grain HP (single loading) and going for head and neck shots out to between 100 and 200 yards. He likes the light construction bullets and neck shots - me I go more for the heart or lung shots depending on the presentation.
One further note - my brother is the better hunter - he can sneak up on a deer - my only hope of getting close is if the deer is deaf and blind.

I guess I should remind myself that hunters were taking deer and elk with 45, 50 and 60 caliber smoke poles for years before there was a cartridge. There is a lot less power in that round ball than in a 30-30.

interesting choice of round . sort of defeats the purpose of the rifles built around the cartridge though. a little like using ... well a lot like using accelerator .224 loads in your 30/06 to neck shoot.

Well Elvis, he doesn't have the 30-30 anymore... He uses a 6mm TCU and 6mm-30-30 now. He likes the TCU for out to 150 yards and the 6mm-30-30 for out beyond 200. Both are very effective in his hands, and although it isn't what I would use it works for him.
Then for dangerous game he uses a 35-30-30 (30-30 necked up to 35 cal) or his shotgun with stabilized round balls. I think part of it he just likes to be different. I built the 6mm-30-30 and the 35-30-30 barrel for him knowing that he had to have better than MOA accuracy for his kind of shooting. The round ball loads we developed together back in the 80s to replace slugs with something more accurate from a smooth bore. They work well in our loadings and guns so we kept using them.

good on you fellas for being different!!!

Paul:

Wish I still had my 30-06. It was a solid performer.

My regular moose and bear rifle is a 308 W with 168 grn Barnes TSX pushed by 44 grns of Varget to 2700 fps. The rifle is sighted at 23 yards giving me near dead on at 250. It is only 5 1/2" low at 350. I am not good at range estimation so I restrict my shooting to what looks to be 200 meters based upon what a 16" target looks like at that range in my scope. Even if I am off by 50 meters I am well within the vital area of a moose.

I also know a few people who only take neck and head shots. These are made from stands at short distances. I prefer to still hunt in the early morning or evening. I hunt likely bedding areas and edges of woods and lakes. Shot opportunities are fast and close. Moose will most often stop for a few seconds to look at you. A fast brush gun that is more pointed than aimed is exactley what is needed. I had the opportunity to get a semi-auto in 308 but declined as I just like the feel of a pump action.

John, my brother, and I always find a rest - be it a set of sticks or a tree or limb. The only off-hand shooting I do is occasionally at the range - just to see if I can hit anything that way. I did make a short trip to the new range last weekend and did ok with the 22 out to 75 yards but I am going to have to build up some strength to fire my pistol beyond twenty-five feet. I shot miserable groups at that range - some were almost 3" and that used to be a large group at twenty five yards and a medium group at fifty yards. My back complained towards the end so I stopped and watched the kids and grandkids shoot. We all had a good time and I think I will join the range.

MacD,
The 308 is no slouch - the target can't tell the difference.

Just my nickles worth here ,,,
As you guys/gals all have probabally seen dozens of times for yourself when the discussion of one calibre comes up ( in this case 35 Rem. ) other calibres get brought up with varying favoritism given to one or another over the other. Shot placement always comes up and deservedly so but in my humble opinion any of the calibres mentioned can be made or broken by the selection of the bullet being used and here is where I want to touch on something rarely brought to light . Whatever you deem to be a good or maybe the best bullet available , one factor that seems to escape many of us is the optimum speed range at which any given bullet performs at its best. Too slow and little or no mushrooming. Too fast and the bullet may start to seperate and penetration suffers. Is the bullet going to hold together at higher speeds when hits heavy bone ? Basicly what is being said here is by using the right bullet to match your average muzzle velocity and its characteristics as stated here for the game animal you are hunting, any of the calibres typically mentioned will do a great job . Not many gun editors have taken the time to do ballistic performance comparison tests between bullets of same calibres and grain weights but those few I have seen are eye openers ! On a personal note I opt to use the Barnes TSX bullets in many of my huntng rifles for this very reason. It tends to have the widest perfomance range of any bullet I have found to date coming to full mushroom on the longest of shots and holding together to do severe terminal damage at higher speeds when the bullet hits the bone . Whatever your ol sweetheart rifle may tend to be, in a good shooters hands who can place the shot in the right place, the rest is up to the bullet.

10Spotterminator,
You are giving good advice here but don't forget that the shooter's style of hunting plays a big role in the bullet of choice. My brother john and I are good examples of this:
The Barnes bullet is a great choice for those who shoot to the main body around the front shoulder but if, like John, you choose to use neck shots then it would be a very poor choice for that style of shooting. He needs a bullet that expands very fast at a velocity that he can attain in his guns.
The other end of this is that although the terminal performance of the Barnes bullet is ideal for my style of shooting I have had very poor accuracy with them in my 3006. They don't even group within 3 inches in my gun no matter what powder or load I use. I shoot Speer hotpoints and Sierra gamemaster bullets to under 1" at 100 yards. Barnes is absolutly worthless in my gun at any velocity. Sierra and others bullet makers have velocities that are listed for their bullets and in most cases any of them can be used in a hunting rifle in that caliber.
Just as every gun is an individual so are the techniques used by different hunters. There is no one best answer for all of us. We each have to find what works for us as individuals and in our guns for the type of hunting/shooting that we do.