Do you like 30-30 or 44 magnum.

[Bazoo]

I have a winchester 94... that I aint parting with. And I have a blackhawk in 44 magnum im working to master. Well im thinking there would be some neatness to having a 44 leveraction, particularly a marlin 1894.

So, not given the want it factor, what is the advantages or disadvantages of one caliber over the other. Any purpose that one suits that the other doesnt?

Hunting purposes is one area of concern. Which is better for larger game such as elk, moose, or bear? I know neither is ideal for any of those, and that either will do about the same on deer.

Plinking and versatility of use is other areas of concern.

Thoughts please.

~Bazoo

[kungfustyle]

If you want to go with cast for the 44 the twist is the factor. Marlin, Henry are 1 in 38 twist. That will limit you to about 250 to 260grain lead. The Rossi is 1 in 30.
Scoping it is another question. The Marlin and Henry you can mount on the receiver but the Rossi and Winchester(older top eject) you have to mount scout scope or side mount. I have both. My Rossi 92 in 44 shoots about 12" hight at 25 yards so I mounted a scope on it with the mount from NOE. The Winchester I tried to mount a scout scope, but frankly I'm tired of the look/function. The Winchester now has a receiver sight and I'm very happy with both.
By the way before you think about going down the Rossi road, the bbl's have a grove diameter of .432 that means a new mold new size die that you have to special order etc.
30-30 works. 44 SBH works. Settle for what you have get a bandolier holster and go hunting.
If you have the itch for a new 44 gun and you have the scratch, get it. The Rossi is a nice little rifle. Shoots cast great. Here is the mold that I got for mine: http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.php?cPath=37_203&osCsid=hh5malg3nnhr51q8go7g6g9d46Holds 2" at 100 yards all day w/ H110 powder.
any questions please feel free to PM me.

[Bazoo]

I pretty well like the marlins. By limit me to 250 to 260 grain lead, you mean, I couldnt go heavier, or I couldnt go lighter?

[mdhillbilly1]

I have a winchester 94... that I aint parting with. And I have a blackhawk in 44 magnum im working to master. Well im thinking there would be some neatness to having a 44 leveraction, particularly a marlin 1894.

So, not given the want it factor, what is the advantages or disadvantages of one caliber over the other. Any purpose that one suits that the other doesnt?

Hunting purposes is one area of concern. Which is better for larger game such as elk, moose, or bear? I know neither is ideal for any of those, and that either will do about the same on deer.

Plinking and versatility of use is other areas of concern.

Thoughts please.

~Bazoo
I used to use a Marlin model 45/70 Government stainless that will work to kill everything you have listed. The only thing is deciding is the average distance that your shot would be to decide the scope you need. A 4.5x power up to 150 yards and 7x power at a further distance.
A Bushnell Banner 1.5 X 4.5 on medium height Weaver Quad Lock rings for a low end.

I used a Leupold VX3 1.5x4 (with the illuminated duplex reticle feature), bright, clear, rugged, excellent eye relief, compact to mount low, and looks good. I think you should look at the current line of Leupold scopes at the illuminated scopes using the power base of your average shooting distance.

I recently sold my rifle, but since I have started reloading it makes me upset that I sold my rifle. The shooter can design a round to perfectly match your firearm and save some money reloading after making the intial purchase of the reloading equipment needed.


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[Dan Cash]

Having lived and hunted in your area, I believe that I would stay with a .30-30 for hunting as a 200 yard shot, while a long poke, is not unusual. In 20 years living there, I probably made 2 shots like that though most were in the 30 to 100 yard bracket. The .44 will reach to the 200 yard mark but a high trajectory makes hits more difficult. If you master your handgun, take both guns afield as you have a complementary pair.

[dverna]

BTW, why do you want a gun for moose in Kentucky? If planning an out of state hunt, neither caliber is what I would use.

I would think the .30/30 is about perfect for deer under 200 yards. Light for elk IMHO.

For plinking, get a .357 lever action and use .38's. Cheap on brass, lead, and powder.

[17nut]

Why are you "limited" to 250-250gr bullets in the Marlin 94?
I wery well know it is 1:38" and that is the limiting factor but the 30-30 maxes out at 170-180gr so why is 80grains heavier bullets a limitation?

Oh and mine is a 1972 MG and shoots like a laser with cast 240grainers.
And the 20" takes 10 rounds of 44MAG for plinking :-)

[ikarus1]

Neither. Get a .35 Remington and have .44 power and .30-30 range in the same size gun. Also, thanks to RCBS and Lee we can cast an excellent 200gr COWW lead projectile that absolutely smashes feral hogs and there are many accounts of moose taken with the .35 in the Northeast.

[northmn]

In a rifle the only advantage you would have buying a 44 mag would be the ability to use the same set of dies, powder etc as in the pistol. A 30-30 gives flatter trajectory and longer range than the 44 mag and is a very versatile cast boolit rifle. I have loaded mine to almost 32-20 levels an have matched the old 303 Savage with a 190 grain cast bullet. Most 30-30's are very good cast bullet shooters.
The old idea of rifle/pistol interchangeability has come up as some sort of ideal from the cowboy shooters world or some other idea. When I talked to the old timers that went through the depression the ideal mix was a deer rifle caliber, 30-30, 32 Special The Remington auto calibers, 300 Savage etc and a 22 Colt woodsman pistol. Why carry the same gun, as the pistol was used to take a variety of small game and cheap. We are talking about old timers that lived off the land.
If your shots at deer are fairly close then the 44 is not a bad rifle. The 30-30 is just a better rifle cartridge.

DP

[OlDeuce]

I have a winchester 94... that I aint parting with. And I have a blackhawk in 44 magnum im working to master.

~Bazoo

When I was younger!!!............Thats all I hunted with and that was a 7 1/2'' barreled Super Blackhawk in 44mag.... It was a blast to stalk
your game ,hands free, the outdoors was a different feeling with free hands!! and what I did to master the 44 at distance was.....I put a 55gal.
steel drum at 200yds. You do your own reloading?? then have at it...shoot and keep shooting until you can hit it every time! than lay it down and
shoot at the end of the drum!! smaller sight picture !!! after you feel good about your progress than move the drum closer ! repeate!!!! than Closer
&repeat...........If ya do that all summer by hunting season you should be ready for a 100yrd kill....:Fire:..............Ol Deuce

[Texas by God]

30-30 hands down. And carry a .22 handgun. I have used this combo many times and don't see a problem with it.
30-30 has killed a mountain of(insert North American game animal here).
Best, Thomas.

[mdhillbilly1]

I used to use a Marlin model 45/70 Government stainless that will work to kill everything you have listed. The only thing is deciding is the average distance that your shot would be to decide the scope you need. A 4.5x power up to 150 yards and 7x power at a further distance.
A Bushnell Banner 1.5 X 4.5 on medium height Weaver Quad Lock rings for a low end.

I used a Leupold VX3 1.5x4 (with the illuminated duplex reticle feature), bright, clear, rugged, excellent eye relief, compact to mount low, and looks good. I think you should look at the current line of Leupold scopes at the illuminated scopes using the power base of your average shooting distance.

I recently sold my rifle, but since I have started reloading it makes me upset that I sold my rifle. The shooter can design a round to perfectly match your firearm and save some money reloading after making the intial purchase of the reloading equipment needed.


Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk
I used my 45/70 Government Stainless in the West Virginia mountains. I like to go up in the hills shooting on a 4 wheeler.

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[Bazoo]

Interesting responses thus far. By the way, im brain storming, not planning a north american big game hunt yet. I'd love to have a 45/70 and am planning on one sometime in the future. I've also been toying with the idea of converting my 30-30 to 35-30, which im told can be loaded to 35 remington levels. Which would bring the gun into the elk class.

My main idea of this thread, really, is to see if there is any benefit at all to a 44 magnum lever gun as opposed to a 30-30.

I do see the value of packing a 22 handgun with me when packing a large caliber rifle.

[three50seven]

I pretty well like the marlins. By limit me to 250 to 260 grain lead, you mean, I couldnt go heavier, or I couldnt go lighter?

There seems to be a school of thought that the 1:38 twist in the Marlin 1894 .44 mag will only stabilize bullets up to 250-260 grains. Glen Fryxell disproved that theory in his article on the Marlin 1894:http://lasc.us/FryxellMarlin1894.htm

I have a Marlin 336 in 30-30 and an 1894 in .44 mag. Both are good rifles and you really can't go wrong with either. You will probably get a little more range with the 30-30, but more short-range energy from the 44.

[Mk42gunner]

I like the .30-30 better than a .44 Mag for most purposes, I think it is a slightly better rifle round.

For plinking, the .44 will have more magazine capacity.

Robert

[Der Gebirgsjager]

.44 Mag. rifle is a great brush and timber gun, but the longer range advantage goes to the .30-30. I'd chose the .30-30 every time. But, that having been said, if you have the desire to own a .44 then go for it! There are relatively few subsistence meat hunters any more, so having fun and experimenting is what it's all about.

[mdhillbilly1]

.44 Mag. rifle is a great brush and timber gun, but the longer range advantage goes to the .30-30. I'd chose the .30-30 every time. But, that having been said, if you have the desire to own a .44 then go for it! There are relatively few subsistence meat hunters any more, so having fun and experimenting is what it's all about.
I guess it depends on environment and distance. I still like the 44 mag for shooting in our area, since rifle calipers are illegal, but I understand pistol calipers are allowed in rifles. This does not make sense to me that I am going to call Natural Reasource Police today.

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[Griff]

It must be the result of some genetic encoding... this desire to have a rifle & handgun in the same chambering. While according the "experts" a .30-30 isn't quite good enough for deer in a mdl 94 Winchester, put it in a Contender w/a 10" bbl, it's a GREAT cartridge for elk! The same ain't said about a 44Magnum in the same 10" Contender... so... I drew my own conclusion, you draws yours.

I had a Winchester mdl 94 in 44Mag, it t'weren't ideal. I believe it kicked me as hard as anything it hit. While not dramatically so, it had more "felt" recoil than the same mdl in .30-30. But, back then, some 40+ years ago, I tended to load everything on the 'hot' side.

Finally, in the game fields, it really depends on where you intend to hunt. While the .30-30 is generally thought of as a "short" range cartridge, it does have a bit more range than the .44. I don't think you'll find any difference in effect at ranges out to 100 yards. And at 50 yards or less, you'll probably be better served with the 44Mag. That wider bullet is more likely to transfer more of it's energy to the target than the .30-30.

[northmn]

I was always amused about how handguns could have some special extra power over rifles as Griff just referred to. In the Dirty Harry days the 44 mag revolvers were considered adequate for Grizzly's while the 30-30 was said to bounce off deer. I have heard others comment on how the 30-30 in a contender was so much better than a 94 Winchester. More accurate etc. I think Ruger started the 44 mag Rifle offerings with its little semi auto. Marlin picked up on it later. In rifles they never made the same claims for power as in the shorter barreled handguns with a cylinder gap.

DEP

[Der Gebirgsjager]

It must be the result of some genetic encoding... this desire to have a rifle & handgun in the same chambering. While according the "experts" a .30-30 isn't quite good enough for deer in a mdl 94 Winchester, put it in a Contender w/a 10" bbl, it's a GREAT cartridge for elk.


I think I'd be leery of those experts' opinions........;)

[Rick R]

My first rifle was a Winchester 30-30 and it still resides in a place of honor in my gun cabinet. After owning several .44 Mag revolvers I bought a Marlin 1894 with the octagon barrel and it was fun to play with but I never got it to shoot to Rick Spec so it went away in a trade. Years later I found this site and read a bit about boolit fit. Now I have a standard Marlin 1894 and it's a one hole gun at 50 yards and 2" gun at 100 with peep sights. Really fun to shoot, easy to load for and shoots cast up to 270gr just fine. It and my SBH can dine out of the same box when at the range and both are happy. I think the .30-30 and .44Mag are pretty equal for game East of the Mississippi and like them both. If your heart wants a .44 rifle the 2nd Amendment says you can have one.

Unfortunately I believe my little .44 lever gun is unlucky because I never see any game when carrying it afield. Maybe I need to get it blessed by an Native American shaman or something. ;)

[Bazoo]

I dont have any experience hunting critters larger than deer. But I have been doing some research, and have came to the same conclusion, that if a 44 magnum handgun was acceptable for moose, elk, or bear.... then... a 44 rifle or 30-30 rifle would be better. I know that many critters of all kinds have been killed with a 30-30, and bullet design and shot placement is the most important.

[TXGunNut]

Hard to beat the old thutty-thutty and I'm not a fan of the 43 Mag so I'd give the old 30WCF the nod if given a choice between those two. If you get a chance at a 32 WS or a 35 Rem don't push them out of the way to get to a 30-30.

[Drm50]

Well, I got them all. I have never killed a deer with a 44 mg rifle, but I have killed quite a few with 44 mag revolver both old SBH & 29s. Have a nice 94/44mg Marlin. In the ruff country of
SE Ohio most shots are less than 100yds. The Marlin carbine will kill one as dead as the pistols.
just never carry it that much. I'm shooting a Ruger 375win as my main deer piece. When I hunt
out of state where it's legal ( deer) I mostly use a 30/30 Marlin or 35 Rem m14. If I had my choice between 44 & 30/30, I would go with 30/30 hands down. When carrying a CF rifle I always
carry a K22 S&W revolver. I ain't fighting Indians. If you get the chance to go for moose or elk
you should look into a better calibre for the purpose. Without getting to technical a good 308 or
30/06 would make a versatile big game rifle for most game. 45/70s are nice rifles but I'd rather
have a HV rifle for the bigger game. If you are like me the opportunities don't come often and
I would want to give myself all the edge I could get. I like to match the gun/calibre to the type
of cover I'm hunting. I have a lot of guns, some are better for certain jobs than others. I'm not
out to proove I can shoot a deer with X, when Y will do a better job. I've lost count how many
deer I've shot with 30/30.194701194701194702

[OlDeuce]

My first deer gun was a $15.00 SRC 25-35 my Dad got me ! when I starting working I picked up a $25 30-30 ! even though the shots were close.The
30-30 always seemed to do a better job! Never had a deer run away!!! I always felt good packing my 1984 Winchester carbine!!! they are Good!!

Ol Deuce

[Tenbender]

This is off subject but I want nothing to do with 44 cal or 25 cal anything. I have had bad luck with both. Sorry if I pissed in your Wheeties .

[OverMax]

30-30 for rifle. 44 mag for pistol. Vice versa just doesn't appeal to me.

[GhostHawk]

I like both actually. I do prefer my .44 mag in .444 marlin brass. It will do all the .44 mag will plus some. Can load from mild to wild, heavy to light. Very flexible and will do it with a wide variety of powders because room is not a problem.

On the .30-30 side, I have a pair of Win 94's, and I am wishing I'd picked up a handi rifle in this caliber. First off being a rimmed cartridge it seems like it is made for the single shot. Don't ask me why, just seemed like Rimmed Cartridges and Handi rifles were made for each other.

One 94 is the newer AE, with the safety. The other one is a WWII era that is likely to get bored out to .35-.30-30 this year. Looks good on the outside but has a tapered bore, a tight spot under the rear sight, and 10 shots at 25 yards all but one missed the paper.

The one thing I noticed no one else that I saw suggested was a BFR in .30-30 for pistol. With the Lee 90 grain .314 TC boolit sized down to .310 or so over 4.5 grains of Red Dot you would have a light load for the pistol, suitable for small game in either with minimal report and recoil. In my Win 94 AE sighted at 100 puts this load right on target at 25. Which to my notion would be pretty handy.

And the TC boolit makes it very easy to spot for telling your loads apart.

[longbow]

Let's back up the bus a bit. There was some mention of dual purpose rifle and handgun round but as has been mentioned, .44 mag rifle SAAMI spec is 0.431" groove diameter so it is possible that you will not get good accuracy from both rifle and handgun with the same boolit diameter or same load for that matter. Of course they will function but just may not be top performers.

My Marlin like 0.434" boolits and certainly nothing under 0.432" which tends to be pretty large for handgun.

There is also a pretty limited OAL for the Marlin and you are pretty much restricted to factory OAL unless you modify the cartridge stop.

Just a couple of things to consider.

While the .30-30 is a fine cartridge and has longer range potential than the .44 I prefer the .44. I have moulds from round ball and 165 gr. Accurate Mold for light to Mihecs 434640 which casts at 270 gr. solid.

For me, I have not been able to get decent long range (past 100 yard) accuracy with boolits of much over 270 grs. 300 gr. boolits are keyholing by 100 yards and that applies to cast boolits as well and "J" bullets. That is with the typical 1:38" twist.

RanchDog told me his 300 gr. stabilized all the way to 300 yards for him and I have been told that WFN style boolits of 300 grs. will also remain stable if pushed hard in 1:38" twist and while I don't doubt it can be done, I have not succeeded. 270 gr. is the heaviest boolit I have managed to get good accuracy from but that's enough for me and I really like that boolit too.

On boolit style, there's another issue with Marlins... they tend not to like SWC's. Nose length and also feeding issues due to flat nose and shoulder can be a problem in some guns. They were in mine. That's another strike against dual purpose rounds if you like SWC's in the handgun. Round nose or RNFP with moderate meplat should be fine in the rifle and they can be made to feed SWC's with some work.

Hmmmm... starting to wonder why I like my Marlin... but I do. It is fun to shoot, inexpensive to load and easy to load for. PB boolits all the way for me.

Different strokes.

Longbow

[OlDeuce]

This is off subject but I want nothing to do with 44 cal or 25 cal anything. I have had bad luck with both. Sorry if I pissed in your Wheeties .

Tenbender...............Doesn't bother me a bit!!! Different parts of the country use different guns/cals. to get the job done!!!! Sure don't need a WIN.-MAG. TO DO A LITTLE JOB!!! Ol Deuce:Fire::Fire::Fire::Fire::Fire::Fire::Fire::2_ high5::guntootsmiley:

[rintinglen]

In my experience, the 44 mag is the luckier caliber.
I am more likely to see a deer if I am carrying my 44 than if I am carrying my 30-30. It will be 200 yards off, but at least I will see it. Deer fear the 30-30.

[Bazoo]

Seeing deer aint a problem round these parts... sept I didnt see any last season except on the last day of muzzleloader... which I missed.

[JohnH]

Why are you "limited" to 250-250gr bullets in the Marlin 94?
I wery well know it is 1:38" and that is the limiting factor but the 30-30 maxes out at 170-180gr so why is 80grains heavier bullets a limitation?

Oh and mine is a 1972 MG and shoots like a laser with cast 240grainers.
And the 20" takes 10 rounds of 44MAG for plinking :-)

Twist rate. Bullets are stabilized by spinning them. The faster the twist for caliber the heavier the bullet you can stabilize. If a 44 caliber bullet of 300 gains weight could be made the same length as a 240 grain bullet, the 1-38 twist would stabilize it. But since the 300 grainer is longer, it requires a faster twist. Do a google search on "Greenhill Formula" You can also go to www.realguns.com they have a twist calculator and you can play with that some to get a better understanding of the problem. The 244 Remington and the 243 Winchester hit the market at about the same time. The Remington cartridge was based on the 7x57 Mauser and the Winchester on the 308 Winchester. The Remington used a 1-14 twist while the Winchester used a 1-10. The Remington would not stabilize 100 grain bullets while the Winchester would. The Winchester won out in sales, primarily because the rifle could be used as both a varmint rig and a deer rifle. With it's slower twist failing to stabilize heavier bullets of the caliber, the Remington's sales lagged. By the time Remington began making rifles with the faster twist, it was too late to change the course of consumer preference. Even though the 244 Remington was in fact a superior cartridge, producing 150-200 fps more velocity, the velocity gain was not enough to make up for the fact that people saw the cartridges as dual purpose and the Remington failed in that respect because it didn't handle heavier bullets. The 223 Remington/5.56 NATO has a similar history, being first produced with slower twist barrels then faster twists to stabilize heavier bullets becoming the norm. The exception here to the 6mm Remington/Winchester story is that the 223 was never seen as a dual purpose rifle until later in it's life and the faster twist/heavier bullet use came as a result of military experimentation/adoption, not civilian use (though the High Power shooting competitions did influence it) Early on 1 in 14 was the standard, now one will find barrels rifled at rates as slow as 1-14 (primarily varmint rifles using ~50 grain bullets) to 1-7 twists meant for bullets as heavy as 80 grains. 308 Winchester uses a 1-12 twist (some makers saddle it with 1-10 but that is a manufacturing cost decision) and typically fails to stabilize bullets weighing 200+ grains. The 300 Blackout uses a 1-7 twist and will stabilize bullets as heavy as 250 grains. Hope this helps.

[Texas by God]

This is off subject but I want nothing to do with 44 cal or 25 cal anything. I have had bad luck with both. Sorry if I pissed in your Wheeties .

I can hit a Wheatie flake at 100 yds with my wife's .250 Savage or my .25-06. Even one that's been peed on.

[Shawlerbrook]

Both are great cartridges and have their place. I own leverguns in both. In a hunting situation I'll take the 30 30, but the 44 mag. advantages are dual rifle/ pistol combo and a few more bullets in the tube. The 30 30 shines at a bit longer distances and they are usually cheaper and easier to find.

[Bazoo]

After a lot of pondering, i figure there aint really any benefit of one over the other. One of the benefits I see in 30-30 is that it will work with a fairly wide variety of rifle powders, as well as some pistol powders for lower powered loads. In a shortage.. could still keep it going unless all you could find is magnum rifle powders.

Where as the 44 only works with pistol powders out of a handgun. It could be made to work with something like IMR4198 or AA1680.

[jlchucker]

I like both 30-30 and 44 mag in leverguns. I'm also pretty fond of 35 Remington in a Marlin, and 44 special (not mag) in a Ruger blackhawk.

[OlDeuce]

This is off subject but I want nothing to do with 44 cal or 25 cal anything. I have had bad luck with both. Sorry if I pissed in your Wheeties .


I can hit a Wheatie flake at 100 yds with my wife's .250 Savage or my .25-06. Even one that's been peed on.

Tehehe I think I could do that also with my 25-35 on a Nice day:target_smiley::happy dance:

[charlie b]

These kinds of threads are fun :)

I would not bother with a pistol load in a rifle unless I wanted a plinker. My experience with a Marlin in .357 was not that great. If I am going to the trouble of carrying a rifle I want something a bit more potent at range.

My pick of a lever action would be simply one that shot well. I had a Win94 in .30-30 that would keep everything within 2" at 100yd. Never tried it at longer range. For any kind of deer it would do well. Elk? Bear? I'd probably take my .30-06. If I wanted a lever for those I'd go for a .35 or .38-55/.375

I've never really tried hunting med size game with a pistol. No desire to.

[Bazoo]

Thanks for the reply Charlie B. Its always interesting to see what others think about such matters, hear the experiences, and learn from them. I know that many a large animal has been killed with the 30-30, and that intrigues me. I also know that the 357, and the 44 magnum has been used successfully on all north american big game, which also intrigues me.

I took my 44 deer hunting last year, and would have killed a deer with it, had I'd seen a deer one in range. I didnt even see a deer during modern gun though. My first deer was with the 30-30, and I'd very much like to get one with a handgun. Not sure that i'd want to get a moose with a handgun though.

[bluejay75]

I just bought a new Marlin 44 MAG 1894 20 inch barrel from Buds and it is the most accurate gun I have ever shot offhand. I can almost touch three shots with a 23.3 g H110 + 240 XTP load at 50 yards and ragged hole rested. I am pleased and impressed.

Have found an ok cast load(255 RanchDog from Range scrap and 9 grains unique) for it, but I am not done testing. Does about 2-2.5 rested at 50 yards. This is with a Skinner peep, standard aperture all else stock.

[Bazoo]

Bluejay, thats pretty decent shooting. How is the wood to metal fit in that new gun? Is the checkering well executed?

[bluejay75]

Fit and finish is great. Wood needed a little lacquer but thats just being nit picky. I have found no flaws with this one. And with all the negative reviews I read, I actually set out looking for them.

And it was only 525.00 shipped.

[OverMax]

Those who prefer the 44 mag for hunting (I) think have for years or_ since the day after a manufacture chambered such mag pistol cartridges for rifle use do believe bullet mass has a huge influence with killing any and all game. To that prior thought all I have to say: If contemplating a big game hunt else where North of the Mason Dixon best have something more appropriately cased for our Big Game animals (Elk Moose & Big Black Boar Bear) other than a marginal 30wcf or a less than marginal 44 Mag. Just saying. For taking Dixie size deer and medium size gators both cartridges (30wcf & 44 mag) are a excellent choice for either application.

[Geezer in NH]

Lever gun I pick 30/30

Semi-Auto the old Ruger 44 mag carbine

Both fill the same usage to me, with the nod to the 44 Ruger carbine. [lighter]

Add the hand gun? Why would I want to carry a big handgun with either? I shoot a model 19 357 with 90% of the loads at 38 special levels.

With the rifles mentioned the 38's loaded are for small game but I still do not carry them regularly when a .22 will do it as better either a S&W 2 1/2" Kit gun or a Walther .22 with a can more likely.

Never found the need for one ammo as I can think and plan for situations. Note the truck is somewhere where I can get to the FAL under the rear seat if needed badly.

[smkummer]

Own both, killed dear with both. If I had to get a deer that day, the 30-30 is what I would grab. Less guessing on hold over for that shot past 125 yards.
While 30-30 has an edge on power, the 44 hits with a smack you can hear at a distance.

[Drm50]

I have a complete selection of Levers from 25/20-45/70 & 30/06. Between 44 & 30/30 I would take the 30/30. The 30/30 will do anything a 44 will do, but not visa-versa. This I base on deer
hunting. Has nothing to do with the ability to kill a deer, it is only that a 30/30 shoots flatter. Same
thing would apply to 30/30 vs 30/06. I cases where shoots will be 150yds+, I would rather be
Toting my Win 95 in 30/06 because it shoots flatter. This only stands to reason. When I hunt I
want the best cartridge for the job. I'm not out to prove that I can kill a deer with a 44 at 200yds
or 300 yds with a 30/30. I don't "love" any cartridge- I like them all. You just have to pick the best
one for the game & terrain.197787