Newbie question: 30-30 for elk?

[drew]

check this out. other more powerful lever actions like the browning BLR 30.06 granted will cost you some more mula but may suit all your wants . A lever action .308 would be a better choice than a 3030 as well

LEVER ACTION

I love my Browning lever action. It's a .243 but I would consider getting one in a larger caliber.

 

[eldbillbo]

I love my Browning lever action. It's a .243 but I would consider getting one in a larger caliber.

They are beautiful rifles.

<broken link removed>

 

[next61]

NOT YOUR GRANDPA'S BLR - M4Carbine.net Forums

And that requires a second mortgage?

 

[Redcap]

.30-30 is fine for elk, don't let some of these people tell you otherwise.

 

[next61]

I just paid off a Marlin 336ss 30-30; I will probably see it next week (coming from the other side of the continent). I will post some pics when I'll get it. Thank you all!

 

[hendrixfan]

Hornady Leverevolution 160FTX:

Muzzle 100 200 300
2400/2046 2150/1643 1916/1304 1699/1025

Pretty decent energy at 100 yards for a 30/30 for sure.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Next61, the venerable old 30-30 has probably killed more Elk than any other caliber ever invented. Learn to shoot her well and hunt well. Learn the animal and its habits. Pay attention to the wind! Use your binoculars,, a bunch. Keep your shots within reason, 125 yrds and down. You owe it to the Elk to dispatch it as humanely as possible. ENJOY every minute, because the time spent in the field hunting Elk isnt deducted from your allotted life span, Don't let anyone tell you any different. Good luck, John.

 

[baada]

I own guys who hunt elk with a winchester model 94 and have no trouble bringin home meat 2 out of 4 years on average.

You own guys? What?

next 61: check out the various cartridges available for the Winchester 94. Particularly .44 Mag, .45 Colt, and, if ya like to stay brand loyal like I do, the .44-40 Winchester. But I'm a Winchester nut, so take my advice for what it's worth.

 

[next61]

ENJOY every minute, because the time spent in the field hunting Elk isnt deducted from your allotted life span, Don't let anyone tell you any different. Good luck, John.

That is the best statement that I read in a very long time!
Thank you John!

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Its true though next61, I've been hunting Elk for 50 years and I'm still 12 years old! I don't wanna grow up, I wanna be an ElkRus kid

 

[rmlarsen]

Try a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington. 200 gr. bullets and very accurate. Easy to handle and carry all day as well.

 

[2506]

If you're hunting the Oregon coastal area, you'll be darn lucky to get a shot at an elk beyond 100 yrds. It's not the gun, it's the way you point it. Use 170 grainers and you should do fine. It's not like the 30-30 mysteriously stopped killing elk because they developed the 30-06.

 

[Silver Hand]

Sorry but I disagree. I believe that I am in the right place to ask... as a beginner.
I will be in the Coastal Range, I will not hunt in Eastern Oregon for elk. I'd like to be able to move easily in the brush with a short rifle and I understand that with 30-30 I have to be closer. Did any of you had a personal experience with this caliber for elk?
Is there a rifle in 30-06 as short as a Marlin 336 (30-30)? Howa 1500?

For close work I always relied on a Model 660- Remington 350 Mag / 35 caliber a nice short rifle that is very affective with it's 20'' barrel when using 250 grain pills up close.
They made this rifle for four years starting in about 1968. Two models 600 and 660 were produced several years apart, two short barrel lengths 18-1/2''and 20''. They were produced it in .308 .350 mag and four or five other calibers.
For range, I like a .300 Win. Mag in a Remington BDL using 180 grain pills.
Different guns for different types of hunting. I have packed a thirty thirty slab side in the brush and it is a great weapon but I never killed larger animals with one.
Hydrostatic shock can save your life, I am 100% positive of that having killed a black bear and only busting out it's lower jaw and back teeth wile it was falling on to me from a tree limb back in the day hounds were legal.
That was with the 660. Would 80 grains and a few thousandths in diameter make much difference? I did not have to ask that question.
Silver Hand

 

[roknHS]

Model 94 30-30 was my first rifle.......I've killed deer, bear and elk with one shot...... "One shot in the right spot".

I'm quite sure more game has been taken by hunters with that one rifle than any other. I still carry one occasionally when I'm hunting thick brush and timber. It is a favorite of mine.

 

[SCannon]

A 30-30 is great for deer and elk, you might have to get a little closer if your in eastern Oregon, but that will just make you a better hunter. I've seen a lot of elk go down with a 243. Get something that is comfortable to you and practice with it a lot, your better off to get a 30-30 and shoot it a lot then getting a heavy magnum that makes you flinch each time you shoot it. What gun/caliber you choose won't matter, how well you can shoot it will.

I personally have a 300WM, but have never hunted with it, its for paper. My hunting gun in a .280, and that is because I'm very comfortable with it and it has killed many deer, elk, and, coyotes.

 

[KalamaMark]

I got this guy from 40 feet away on Saturday, shooting a Winchester Model 70 chambered in .300 Win Mag, using Hornaday 180 grain Superformance rounds. He didn't flinch at the first shot through the lungs, and that concerned me, so I shot him again. I considered a neck shot, but frankly, I have no friggin idea where my Mag hits at 40'....I've never shot it at a target that close.

I would have had no qualms shooting this Elk with a .30-30 at that range....but I might have seen him at 250 yards in a clear cut, and I would have not taken the shot with a .30-30, but would have had no problems using the .300.

I hate dragging that long barreled, Boss equipped model 70 through the brush... It's like strapping a flagpole to your back. However, I never wonder if I have enough gun when I get out in the open...which is where you are VERY likely to spot elk over here on the wet side. I would also be very comfortable with a .30-06, and my son filled his cow tag at 200 yards with a single 180 Grain CorLokt through her lungs.

 

[ChiknNutz]

I would even contend that a 44 Magnum or 45 Colt in a carbine would be a better choice than a 30-30. Here is one thread speaking to that:

.44 mag "killing power" vs. .30-30

 

[2506]

That's why I keep fondling the Rossi 92 in 45 Colt every time I go to the gunstore.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

roknHS and SCannon hit the nail on the head. I flat guarantee an Elk will give up the ghost if hit correctly (one shot, right spot) and ( What gun/caliber you choose won't matter, how well you can shoot it will.) Excellent advice.

 

[clambo]

My great Uncle out in Dayton-Matlock area used to head shoot them with a .25-20.