.30-30 on elk at close range?

Shotgun · Rookie Member Joined: Jun 09, 2006 Posts: 11

First, I don't hunt elk and probably never will I just wanted to know if a .30-30 lever gun is at all effective on them. I'm thinking at close range, 25-30 yards max. Seems people hunt with bow and arrow and pistol at that range so wouldn't a .30-30 work, even if marginally?

shrpshtrjoe · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 3:24 pm Post subject: Re: .30-30 on elk at close range?

Howdy. (imo) sure under the right conditions. I don't think it's enough gun for most situations, but with that being said at Close range and stay off the shoulder. Put a 170gr rnd nose in the boiler room I beileive you would have a dead elk.
Joe

roklok · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 6:32 pm Post subject: Re: .30-30 on elk at close range?

I talked to an old timer in Montana that killed scores of elk with his 30-30. A lot of Alaskan natives use the 30-30 for moose and bear. It is not an ideal cartridge but with a well constructed 170 grain bullet it will do the job at close distances.

bigdeano88 · Member Joined: Aug 23, 2007 Posts: 27

My brother and I have been pondering a bear hunt with our 30-30's since we were in middle school. So far I've only been crazy enough to come up with the idea... however... I think I'll have to give my brother a call and see if he's still down for the idea now that you all have provided me with this enlightening knowledge of our wonderful Inuit friends success!

muckapoose

30-30 kills elk & moose, even bear well enough at sensible ranges. I have hunted all three, when the only gun I had was a 30-30.

Bushmaster · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 8:16 am Post subject: Re: .30-30 on elk at close range?

I took a forked Elk years ago with my Winchester mod 94 at 75 yards. The Remington 170 grain Core-lokt entered just behind the shoulder quartering away from me and down hill. The bullet just barely made the heart. He went around 100 yards and dropped. If I had to hunt big game the .30-30 will do it, but if I had to hunt dangerous and big...I would choose a larger or more powerful calibre...The .30-30 just doesn't give you that margin of safety that's needed.

skb2706 · Member Joined: Apr 10, 2006 Posts: 269

Back before elk mysteriously became 'bulletproof', me and a best friend hunted them every year ...him with a 30-30 and me with a 32 WS. We always got elk and didn't realize we were defying the internet gun gurus. Nowadays elk have this internet armor, although they appear to be the same beast they have envolved into a more formitable creature. Almost as if the bullet will cruise up and bounce off.

Yes your 30-30 would be fine and in fact most of the elk taken that I know of were killed within the range of a 30-30.

FALPhil · Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:56 pm Post subject: Re: .30-30 on elk at close range?

skb2706 wrote:

Back before elk mysteriously became 'bulletproof', me and a best friend hunted them every year ...him with a 30-30 and me with a 32 WS. We always got elk and didn't realize we were defying the internet gun gurus. Nowadays elk have this internet armor, although they appear to be the same beast they have envolved into a more formitable creature. Almost as if the bullet will cruise up and bounce off.

Heh, heh. I hear you. I wonder just how many boatloads of elk/deer/bear/caribou/cougar were killed with the ole 30-30 before the internet. Smash

Coyote_Hunter_ · Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:02 pm Post subject: Re: .30-30 on elk at close range?

This year I am taking 3 rifles on my elk hunt - .30-06, 7mm Rem Mag - and my Marlin .30-30.

The .30-30 will be stuffed with Nosler 170g Partitions running 2300fps. On a broadside I figure any elk under 250 yards is meat on the hoof. (At that point retained energy is 965fpe which compares to my .44 Mag 240g loads at 1513fps at the muzzle and 964fpe at 50 yards.)

Bushmaster · Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 6:45 am Post subject: Re: .30-30 on elk at close range?

I don't believe that anyone said that the .30-30 wasn't a good choice. Just that in this day and age there are a hoste of better choices. I carried my mod 94 from the time I was 18 until I was 53 when I bought my .30-06. I still tend to go to my .30 WCF when the ranges are within 100 yards +/- 50 yards. I load the ol' Jack Handle with 170 grain Speer FNSP at 2100 fps. It's just plain and simply a fun rifle to hunt with...Compact, light, well balanced and capable...

skb2706 · Member Joined: Apr 10, 2006 Posts: 269

Yep my old Model 64 is retired now....not because it wouldn't work, because its a Model 64 from 1956.
You are correct there are better choices but sometimes we get caught up in the better choices and actually end up on the other end with magnum-itus.
I just picked up a newer model 94 that made me think of how well that old gun worked in its day. All our elk were shot in the black timber where you were shootin 'tree to tree'.

Bushmaster

1956? Why did you retire it? It's still young yet. My Winchester Mod 94 (.30 WCF) was made in 1948-49 (#1608XXX). And I haven't retired it yet...If it's in good condition keep it limbered up...

skb2706 · Member Joined: Apr 10, 2006 Posts: 269

Bushmaster wrote:

1956? Why did you retire it? It's still young yet. My Winchester Mod 94 (.30 WCF) was made in 1948-49 (#1608XXX). And I haven't retired it yet...If it's in good condition keep it limbered up...

Back when I put it up I was under a couple of misconceptions ....first and foremost was that I 'needed' a magnum, I needed a scope (64s don't scope well at all), the gun had to be of modern manufacturing standards. I am older and hopefully a bit wiser and realize that's all a bunch of crap. Now ya got me thinkin I should take it out and go bust off a few. It always shot excellent and I can remember the last elk I shot with it, 75 yds, he was walking straight away, shot him in the back of the head, he dropped like a sack of turds.

I know its still young, I was born in 56 and hey...I'm still young.

d_hoffman

When it comes right down to it, I believe even a .22 LR placed right behind the ear taking out the brain stem will drop an elk at close range. Not that I would try it mind you but, for survival purposes, and if that's all I had I would.

Deer Sniper · Super Member Joined: Apr 26, 2007 Posts: 539

Both of these guns are chambered for the 30-30 Winchester and both of them are responsible the taking of four elk in Colorado this year - 3 cows and a 4X5...

Both guns were loaded with SPEER's 180 gr. Grand Slam bullets and the average shot taken was 62 yards....