30/30 for moose?

[mccoywg]

Just wondering if a 30/30 is big enough for moose ? I was planning on trying moose hunting this coming fall and I was thinking of taking my .308 but I have a 30/30 thats a nice size for in the bush just don't know if its powerful enough, I realize that is no good for anything over 200 yards.

[crazy_davey]

Lots of swamp donkeys have fallen to the old tirty tirty in the last hundread or so years. A well placed shot from a 30 will take down a moose no problem. I know quite a few guys who have done it without any problems. Like you said above, I wouldnt be taking any long shots with it.

I myself wont shoot anything over 100 or so yards with any of my open sight lever guns. But thats mostly cause I dont trust my shooting past that far with open sight, heavy bullet guns.

Good luck!

[calgarychef1]

Use the 3030 like a bow....choose your shots well. Boiler room only and you'll be fine.

the chef

[Redgreen]

Listen to crazy davie's advice and keep your shots to 100 yards or less and you won't have any problems with the 30 30.

[Dillershortbow]

lots of moose have fallen to a 30-30 --- but more moose have been wounded and lost by hunters useing a 30-30 than all other calibers combined. My dad shot many moose with his but theres no room for error. If you are buying a rifle for moose i would buy something bigger.

[calgarychef1]

Sorry I didn't read the whole post, if you have a 308 that's the better gun. I agree a 3030 is a real peach of a gun to carry in the bush.........a moose is a little harder to carry. If you can carry the moose out you should be able to carry the 3030 in :wink:

My brother in law and his brothers all used 3030's for a long time and they always worked fine. Even with the 308 don't even bother trying for an iffy shot. Moose die surprisingly easy if they are shot in the boileroom.

have fun

[crazy_davey]

lots of moose have fallen to a 30-30 --- but more moose have been wounded and lost by hunters useing a 30-30 than all other calibers combined

I would have to disagree with this statement. But hey, if you can pull up the numbers to prove it, then please prove me wrong. The 30-30 has taken pretty much all North American big game at one time or another and more than almost any other calibers combined, moose included.

Yes the 30-30 is not the ideal moose gun, but moose have also been lost to much bigger calibers. The origional question was "is the 30-30 big enough for moose" please dont turn this question into what caliber YOU would choose on next years moose hunt.

Yes the 30-30 will kill a moose. With the right bullet choice, and a well placed shot at a distance that isnt too far, the 30-30 will do just fine. It happens every year and will continue to do so as long as they still make this cartridge.

Have fun! :D

[Mikey]

well last time I checked 30 30 and a 308 used the same .30 caliber projectile
I would tend to agree with dillers statement on the princple that the 30-30 is the most widely used caliber for bush hunting on the planet ...so wounded numbers are bound to be higher .... if he said higher percentage ... I would then call BS

Every kill shot no matter what you are using depends upon placement .... if you shoot a pointed nose .223 thru the mooses heart ..its gonna be in the mud in short order .... If you blast thru its flank with a .50 ....you'll probally lose it

Oh ya ...30-30 is a great moose gun .... and heres why: If your hunting moose ...where I grew up ...moose are tight scrub creatures .... ....you will not get a shot at more than 75 -100 yrds ..even then yer typically flying thru junk.... and unless that moose sees ya or is allready movin' its pretty easy to put the sneak on to 50 yrds and closer as long as you know how to be quiet. a 30 30 is typically the Pack rifle of choice simply because they are small and easily manuverable ...perfect for tight scrub bush

[crazy_davey]

Well put Mikey! Yes the 30-30 uses a .308 diameter bullet.

Here is a good write up on the 30-30
http://www.chuckhawks.com/win_1894_classic_test.htm

A quote from the above link
The .30-30 ushered in the modern era of high velocity cartridges. It quickly became the most popular hunting cartridge in North America, and is widely credited with killing more North American game than any other cartridge. It also developed big followings in South America, Europe and Australia, so the .30-30 is a true worldwide rifle cartridge. For a very long time the .30-30 has been the best selling, or one of the best selling, rifle cartridges on the market. It remains so today.

8-)

[Dillershortbow]

Its not really the 30-30 its who has used it over the years . Young kids that grow up watching westerns had to have that lever action me included. Most guys after awile got a bigger bolt action. I have a diary kept by to elk shooters in montana hired by ranchers to rid the range of elk one had a 38-55 and one had a 30-30 thay each shot over a 100 elk very few elk went down qwik shot with the 30-30 . In a ideal situation a 30-30 is enough but to take one over a 308 no way . Mickey my 30-06 or 300 mag take a 308 dia. bullet does that mean there the same as the 30-30. In my collecting of mags. i have a couple of estemates on the percent of game killed and wounded by this rifle but i am not going to start looking.

[crazy_davey]

Its not really the 30-30 its who has used it over the years . Young kids that grow up watching westerns had to have that lever action me included. Most guys after awile got a bigger bolt action. I have a diary kept by to elk shooters in montana hired by ranchers to rid the range of elk one had a 38-55 and one had a 30-30 thay each shot over a 100 elk very few elk went down qwik shot with the 30-30 . In a ideal situation a 30-30 is enough but to take one over a 308 no way . Mickey my 30-06 or 300 mag take a 308 dia. bullet does that mean there the same as the 30-30. In my collecting of mags. i have a couple of estemates on the percent of game killed and wounded by this rifle but i am not going to start looking.

Well after that reply I am selling my whole collection of lever action rifles because they are obviously not good for anything except playing cowboys and indians and opening beer cans ;-) ;-) :). Thats OK, out of about 30 rifles and shotguns I should have one or two left that will kill animals.

I will have to tell all the animals I have shot over the years with levers that it was just a huge fluke that they are dead, I bet you they wont believe me :D

P.S. I was talking with my wifes grandfather this morning on the phone, he gave me a 1924 winchester model 94 chambered in 32 special quite a few years back(ballisticly the same as a 30-30). I knew that he used this rifle for hunting elk and moose quite a bit, back when he was still hunting. I asked him how many animals he had taken with this rifle he said more than 20 moose and more than 10 elk and 4 or five bears, and he couldnt remember how many deer but he said the numbers were quite a bit higher than that. The other amazing thing he said was that he had never lost an animal with that rifle(other than completely clean misses).

I called him a liar and hung up the phone cause according to Dillershortbow this does just not seem possible or atleast according to his magazines.

Carry on :thumbsup:

[Dillershortbow]

My dad shot lots of moose with a 30-30 because he and crazy davy did it i must be wrong a 30 -30 must all you need cause crazy davy says so . i hunt with a bow now but when i go to northern bc moose hunting i will take my 45-70 high wall

[crazy_davey]

I was following this same thread that Mccoywg had posted on another forum, I found a response near the end that makes very good sense and will apply here quite well.

...................absolutley nothing wrong with using a .30-.30 Be a hunter and get within the proper range and kill your moose. If this is wrong, every archery hunter should donate his bow and arrows to the local high school for gym class.

..............just because you have a .308 doesn't mean you are silly for not taking it. There are alot of archery hunters that have magnums in the closet that grab their bows instead. Its all about hunting and challenges.

...........oh yeah, and you muzzle loader guys better give that up to!!!


:)

[Dillershortbow]

I hunt with a flintlock two would i recommend someone hunt moose with it noway but it can be dun. IMO a 54 with a maxi ball will do better on a moose than a 30-30 within a 100 yards.

[crazy_davey]

I hunt with a flintlock two would i recommend someone hunt moose with it noway but it can be dun. IMO a 54 with a maxi ball will do better on a moose than a 30-30 within a 100 yards.

Wow, you realy need a lesson in ballistics ;) ;). Just because it has a bigger wad of lead does not make it better for moose. BTW I have and shoot black powder rifles and pistols as well :mrgreen:. We can argue all day and night, but when it comes down to the actual origional question it is a simple answer, yes a 30-30 can and will kill a moose.

Anywho, I have one question for you Dillershortbow, what is your opinion on people who hunt swamp donkeys with a bow? Is a bow good enough to kill a moose in your opinion? Or do you think that everyone who shoots moose should ditch thier bows and buy a 45/70 or a 300 WSM, or a .50 BMG for that matter.

Remember, in the end it is hunting. The reason why we do it is for the challenge of killing an animal with what we have in our bunkers. Not everyone is going to walk out and buy a new rifle or bow for every animal they shoot. We are hunters because we make do with what we have and hopefully bring home some meat at the end of it all.

:thumbsup:

[Dillershortbow]

I never said a 30-30 would not kill a moose the ? was would it kill a moose or should he us his 308 . Most places i hunt moose i will not use a bow muzzle loader or a 30-30 a moose can go a long ways with one of those in the boiler room .and in the rough country around revelstoke you want them to go down rite where there hit with is shoot for the hump . But your opionon is your own and i will keep mine

[kakko]

Hey Guy's many different calibers have taken all sorts of big game, First of all my opinion is to take a look at the area you are hunting and match the weapon to the area and hunting style, If hunting open clearcuts then thats one type, if hunting heavy alders then thats another, from a stand, or from ground blind, or stalking, or driving around road hunting which some do! You can argue all day long but the realality is no matter what is said a 30/30 can do the job in the right situation, same as a 300 mag, or 308. which ever fire arm is chosen it up to the hunter to be responsable and make sure of his equipment and ability to hunt safely and wisely with it.
This thread is not the first time hunters have had this disscusion nor will it be the last.
This just my opinion but which ever you choose, make sure of your shot, and your ability

Robin

[duffy4]

If all I had was a 30/30 and a moose tag I would go moose hunting knowing I may have to pass up some shots. If I had the option of taking a .308 instead I would not hesitate a moment. Some of the shots I would pass on with the 30/30 I could then take with the .308. If I had the option to take a .300 win mag. I would take it and then there would be even more shots I would not have to pass on.

Shot placement is very importand but it IS NOT EVERYTHING. Power and bullet weight and construction are both important parts of the equasion.

Robin

[Huntsman]

I'd stick to a 170gr bullet IMO :)

[theleiers]

Any gun is big enough if you hit it in just the right place. However I shoot a 300 win mag and would never shoot anything smaller for moose and elk. At 300 yards it will drop 4-6 inches with plenty of hitting power. You might find that you are wounding and chasing more animals than you are dropping with a 30/30. Try shooting several different calibres of rifles before you purchase, and pick the biggest calibre you can handle. I recommend the 300 win mag or 7mm.

[acearchery]

Yes under the right circumstances,

No under the wrong circumstances-

Could be said for any calibre.

I got a .243 when i was 12 and is it big enough for moose

-chalked up 6 with no wounded ones- ideal circumstances.
-Chalked up a grizzly as well in a danger situation. - in that case I would have much rather had a 30-30 but still did the job.

Is it big enough for moose on a 400 yard ope shot -- No

Isit big enough for moose on a 50 yard bush shot- yesas long as you have a clear path to the vitals.

The question is not is the calibre big enough but to be quite blunt are you knowlegeable enough to recognise the limitations of the calibre and smart enough to stay in those parameters!

I saw a situation where a friend of mine used a 300 win Mag where a 30/30 would have ruined far less meat. Know the parameters and stay within them ----- Sounds like a bowhunting tutorial!

[Huntsman]

I can't ethically see myself shooting at a moose 300yds away with my 30-30,My longest shot to date with my 30-30 is 137yds.To me,thats a long shot!
If mr. moose is too far,I just get closer.