Anyone use a 30. carbine for deer?

[.243hunter]

any ever use a 30 caliber carbine for deer? Any ideas on bullet selection.

[Rocky_Raccoon]

id try it, itd be simular to shooting a .357mag, as for bullets go for the heavier bullets as deer tend to drop quicker with heavier bullets :)

[cyclops]

Not for me.
To small for what I like to see in whitetail.

Cy

[kt]

a friend of mine thinks it would be adequate. i am not sure but i dont think it has the oompf of a 357 which is marginal by some standards. I was curious as well since taurus made that
Raging 30.
kt

[Andy L]

Lots of folks used to use them around the little town I grew up in. Seen alot of deer shot with it and a few even killed.

Not much of a gun. Low power, no energy, no range, no accuracy, the only thing they got going is high capacity. I heard a buddy of mine when we were in high school, open up off a stand with a 30rd clip. I got there and he had 4 dead deer. He said 7 came in. He shot till they were gone. Im pretty sure he wounded a couple more. But 30 shots??

I wouldnt even consider it in the closest range situation.

JMO
Andy

[Jack]

"a friend of mine thinks it would be adequate"
KT, I think I would get my firearms advice from a different source from now on.:D ;)

[smacarac]

TUESDAY MORNING I SMACED A 170 LB DOE AT 223 YRDS WITH MY 1919 SAVAGE 300 IT DROPED IN ITS TRACKES AS IF HIT BY A BOLT OF LIGHTING.;)

[kt]

i agree not a good source of advice, actually the day we shot his 30 i was giving him advice on how to work his new CVA muzzleloader, i perfectly instructed him to get a good wind up and throw it in the nearest garbage can!! ;) the way we got on the 30 subject was he has an old military 30 carbine of some sort and he had mentioned somebody he knew who was over seas in the military who shot something exotic with one, so he figured a whitetail wouldnt be to much trouble, but yes i agree not good advice
kt

[skeet]

Actually there have been quite a few deer killed with the carbine. Is it a good round to use for one...no of course not. I'd rather have a 50 cal muzzle loader. But of the 4 deer I have personally shot with a carbine.... all 4 were one shot kills and dropped inside of 20 yds of the spot they were shot. Max yardage was probably 40 yds...shortest was probably 20 ft and it was DRT. But I wouldn't recommend it for deer.

[8X56MS]

Bad idea. The .30 carbine and deer hunting do NOT mix well. Most states outlaw that round for hunting. Did I say that this is NOT a good deer cartridge?

[Andy L]

This will draw fire, but its the truth....

I would carry my 17Rem and take nothing but head shots before Id subject a deer to a 30 Carbine. Just not enough.....

[tide12]

i think that if ur in the woods it is an alright gun for close up shots. but i wouldnt recommend it for anything over 50 yds. i prefer my 7 mag. that way i can set up a couple hundred yds. away and drop em like flies

[Kragman71]

Hello,
The GICarbine was called inadequate for military use during the war.We now know that it actually was a good weapon,and continued in use as long as the Garand .
We hear the same thing about using the GICarbine for deer hunting.If it is used properly it is a good deer killer.
If you shoot most of your deer under 100 yards,and shoot most of them in the lungs,the GICarbine is a good choice.
Those who have enough experience to know that shoulder shots are unpredictable,know that shoulder shots are not a choice at all with the little GICarbine.You have to have self dicipline enough to let some deer "walk",that would be shot with a 300 Savage.
As far as accuracy goes;my Carbine shoots 1 1/2 inch groups;my Savage'99 shoots 2 inch groups.
Both are good deer cartridge/guns.
I had a physical setback,this year,I need a semi auto to hunt,.My choies are:Mossburg 5500 12 gauge,M1 Garnd 30'06 and the GICarbine.For woodland hunting,the Carbine is an easy choice.
I'll report this upcomming December.
Frank

[steven gordon]

I have some 30 carine ammo and intend to get one, it looks like it's fun to shoot.

I once lived where "any centerfire cartridge" is legal for deer.

The button buck spotted me at 120 yards and I shot him at 60 yards and closing with my h and r .22Hornet. He went down like a rock because I shot him in the neck, just missing the chin. The bullet went all the way through and was not recovered.

But I'd worked with the rifle and I knew I could literally drive tacks with it. Under 60 yards.

I also knew an Olympic Biathloner in Montana whose favorite elk cartridge was the .218Bee. I allowed as how that cartridge cut down on the target size; he assured me the target was big, the size of silver dollar, right behind the ear.

I knew an Indian in an another state who started a story with, "One time we was out poaching deer with our .22's..." I don't agree with that approach but I don't particularly agree with getting between the Indians and the game.

I also knew a fellow with some self defeating behaviors who poached a deer with a .22 and fed it to his family.

The bottom line: range and shot placement. I don't know that the 30Carbine is adequate for chest shots, but if the gun is accurate and you're good with it, it's probably OK for head and neck shots at ranges up to 60 yards.

And I really liked the part about the best way to handle the CVA muzzeloader.

[bighoytman]

I know people that hunt with a .30 carbine they say it works great out to 100 yards

[BRUNORED]

.243 HUNTER
I AM NEW TO THIS SITE.THEY GIVE GREAT INFO AND I HAVE BEEN HELPED A LOT WITH THINGS I NEEDED TO KNOW AS FAR AS LEARNING..I HAVE LEARNED A LOT IN THE PAST FEW DAYS .AS FAR AS THE MI-30CAL.TAKE A BUDDY ALONG THAT HAS AN M-16 ,YOU WILL NEED HIM AS A BACK UP.JUST MY THOUGHTS.GOOD LUCK.NOT A REAL STRONG ROUND UNLESS UP CLOSE.

[larryours]

I've heard years ago, that the best weapon in war was a weapon that wounded and put the individual out of action, not to kill(this was from a World War II Vet) if someone was wounded, it would tie up at least one or two soldiers to take the wounded to the rear(first aid station) and several others to tend to the wounded, where if he was killed, the same soldiers that would have taken care of their buddy would continue to fight.
In a way that does make since, maybe that was why ball ammo was used instead of lead nose ammo, ball ammo would zip on through causing wounds, instead of lead nose bullets, mushrooming, causing larger wound, shock and death.

I did own a .30 carbine about 30 years ago, I hunted a few times with it. The ball ammo wasn't any good for knock down power, I got a couple boxes of handloaded hollow point lead nose ammo, and it would knock a deer down at 50 yards, no problem, but then I gave it to my niece, for her first gun, since then there's been several individuals wanting to buy it from her, for their gun collection, offering alot more than I ever payed for it.