30-30 is it legal?

S

sleeper

New member
want to buy a marlin 30-30 but i've heard that rimfires are illegal to hunt with here in texas.my question is is 30-30 an approved cartridge for deer???????:confused:
 
Hey sleeper;
How old are you?

30-30 is a very good Deer cartridge. One of the oldest still in use today.
 
30-30 is a centerfire, and it will kill any game in North America. Its one of the best deer cartriges out there.. possibly THE best. Happy Hunting
 
Its one of the best deer cartriges out there.. possibly THE best
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Well... I wouldn't go that far but I will grant that it's probably killed more deer in North America than any other cartridge. It's what I (and lots of others) started with. Modern metallurgy and powders have produced more capable cartridges since the 30-30 came out but it's all you need under 200 yds. With modern bullets and propellants, it's only gotten better.

To the OP: I think you are confusing the terms "rimmed" (which it is) and rim-fire (which it's not). Look at a 30-30 casing and you will see a definite 'rim' at the head. The primer is in the center of the head, making it a 'center-fire'. Rim-fire cartridges are fired when the firing pin strikes the rim itself as the primer compound is inside the casing rim. .22LR, .22WMR, .17HMR, and .17M2 are the only modern rim-fires I can think of. Larger caliber rim-fires were common toward the end of the 19th, and into the early 20th century but they are considered obsolete by most standards today.
 
okay i get the point but thats what happens when you listen to the guy behind the counter and trust that he knows what he's talking about it.it all started a week ago when i asked a salesman at a local gun shop about buying a 45-70 as my first hunting rifle he asked what i'd use it for with a smirk and i replied deer and hog since thats what we have in south texas and he nearly came over the counter saying in so many words you cant use that because it was a rimmed cartridge.today i came across a marlin 30-30 but when i saw the ammo i remembered what that guy said so thats where my dumb question came from .not so much was it a good deer round but a legal one to use based on my experience. thanx for all the clarification i knew that if i couldnt get the right answer here i couldnt get it anywhere.......:D
 
Sleeper, I shot my first rifle deer in Texas with a Marlin 30-30 at Caddo National Grasslands. That is just outside Bonham, TX. Way north of you. I checked it in at the park ranger's station as shot with a 30-30.
Good luck. I have taken numerous hogs with the same rifle. Silvertips work great on hogs.
 
Gunshop employees are hit-and-miss with their knowledge. Some are great, some are idiots. I saw one pull a bunch of Uncle Mike's holsters off the rack because Glock was listed as one of the guns it would fit. He insisted that you can only use a "Glock approved" holster with a Glock and that there must have been a mistake. :confused:

Don't ever accept one person's opinion as gospel. Ask around (like you did here) and look it up in the regs. I keep a copy with me when I'm hunting in case I need to look something up.
 
Nowadays, seems like, too many of the guys behind the counter at a gunstore are no better than at a car parts store. It's just a job, just a paycheck--and not work they found because of their knowledge.

Art
 
Rimmed or Rimfire

Rimfire are generally small rounds ... .22lr .22wmr .17wmr .17mach2 are the most popular.

Rimmed cartrigages are .30-30 and .45-70 and many others. They are mostly old/obsolete rounds from the blackpowder era. The .45-70 shot a .45 caliber round pushed by 70 grains of black powder. These old rounds did not have the pressure or velocity of modern rounds using smokeless powder. Some of the old guns cannot handle the pressure of modern ammunition.
The ammunition manufacturers make the ammo mild to prevent blowing up the old guns. Unless you reload you would do better with a more modern round. The .444Marlin and .450Marlin come in a lever action and would do well on hog or deer if the range is short.
I would consider a .270 Winchester or .280 Remington in a bolt action(both are based on the .30-06 case).
You could use 125grain bullets for deer and 180 for hogs.
It has been said that the .30-30 has killed more deer than anything else. This may be true and no deer or hog in Texas will survive being hit in the lungs with either(.45-70 or .30-30) but in 2007 there are better choices. (flatter shooting).
 
...i asked a salesman at a local gun shop about buying a 45-70 as my first hunting rifle he asked what i'd use it for with a smirk and i replied deer and hog since thats what we have in south texas and he nearly came over the counter saying in so many words you cant use that because it was a rimmed cartridge.
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You GOTTA tell us where this happened. PLEEEASE? :D
 
without hurting anyones feelings all i can say is that it is one of san antonio,tx 's gunstores i dont want to give this place a bad name as for the most part they have been okay to deal with...
 
This dude in San Antonio, at the gun store, has never been outside the city limits with a firearm in his hands. If you wanna know hunting stuff, stay away from city boys working in gun stores.
I second the notion from lockedcj7 to get numerous opinions on hunting stuff and I really, really, really, second the notion to check the hunting regulations before you ever do anything. Good friends sometimes miss regulation changes. Your actions are your responsibility.
 
To emphasize the point about regs...

I have a friend who works for the Dept. of Natural Resources in SC as a Heritage Preserve technician and deputy LEO. We had a rule for a long time that we couldn't hunt deer or turkey on Sunday in half the state. Someone took it to court and DNR changed the rule to allow deer hunting on Sunday across the state but not turkey :confused: The next year, they changed the regs on turkey as well.

My buddy and I were discussing our plans for the weekend and I indicated that I was going to hunt turkeys Sun. evening and he balked. Long-story-short, I knew about the change before he did!
 
When I bought my Marlin 30-30,I decided to scope it,so I headed down to the local sports store full wannabee sportsman who were not very knowledgable.That was a mistake, but hey,the scope was on sale.The young salesman asked me if I needed help,so I asked to see the scope.I then proceeded to ask him what the Eye relief was on this particular scope.He said,after a brief pause---- I don't know but let me check.He then proceeded to hold the scope up to his eye and with his index finger and thumb, proceeded to measure the distance. He then turned to me and showed me his fingers and said"about this much".:D I finally came out of my stunned state and asked to see the actual specs on the scope.By the way I love my 30-30.
 
Sleeper>> In the mean time, welcome to TFL. You'll learn more here in one day than you will in a week worth of camping out at the local gun store counter--guaranteed. As already said, the store employees are hit and miss--they're usually there for the sale and the paycheck (with some exception). We're all here because it's what we do. Enjoy, and happy shooting/hunting!
 
Let Me Be First

A .30-30 is a useless cartridge for anything larger then chipmunks at any more then a dozen yards.

I really don't believe that, but I wanted to be the first to make that statement. ;)
 
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