[rondog]

Does anybody here recommend a .30 Carbine for deer? If so, what kind of ammo/bullet? I reload this caliber, so I can roll my own if I knew which bullets to get.

I was planning to use my .44 mag Winchester, but it seems to have accuracy issues at 100 yards, and the sights are awful. My Plainfield M1 Carbine though, will put a whole magazine in a 5" bullseye at 100 yds. with no problem.

The issue is, the property where I have the offer to go hunting is surrounded by homes, and the landowner says they're restricted to using guns of lower velocity, high-powered rifles are out. So, I'm wondering if the .30 Carbine would be OK, with some good hollowpoints or soft-nosed bullets? I have Remington soft-nosed bullets already, lots of them, just haven't loaded or shot any yet.

And Cor-Bon offers this ammo, but I'd have to find it locally, I'm not buying it from Midway for this price, plus their shipping too. Cor-Bon DPX Hunter Ammo 30 Carbine 100 Grain Barnes Triple-Shock X

 

[99dragon99]

I wouldn't do it. I have had the chance to shoot one, I liked it at the range. Most of the people that I have talked to said that the accuracy wasn't that good.

I haven't seen any real ballistics on it yet, but not much power and reported poor accuracy would make me think twice...

 

[Junction15]

I don't own one, nor have I shot a 30 Carbine, but my first impulse would have been don't use it on a deer.
Then I looked up the ballistics data and see that is about 400 fps faster than a 357 mag out of a revolver, with the same bullet weight.
Well, I know that a 357 will take a deer if you place your shots carefully. So I guess that would be true for the 30 Carbine.

If it were me, I would try to fix the "accuracy issues" with the 44 mag Winchester.

But that is a curious thing - being restricted to lower powered rifles due to houses in the area. The good part is that they could close the area to any hunting, but they have chosen not to.

 

[jmp8927]

I see no reason whatsoever not to use the cartridge. I do see a potential issue if the best you can do is a 5" group at 100. With that kinda of group, I would limit use to 50yds regardless of what you're shooting. That's enough play to completely miss the vitals and have the deer run off a mile or two and die real slow like.

 

[cold queso]

The biggest reason not to use this cartridge, other than the ethics of a humane kill, is that it is illegal in Colorado for Big Game. The minimum Ft/lbs of energy at 100 yards is 1,000, and the 30 Carbine only makes around 600.

 

[TXplt]

With the right ammo within a humane and reasonable range I see no reason why you could not use the 30 carbine for deer. Just don't try to make it do something it won't, take a good shot, and don't press the range.

 

[Sav .250]

The 30 cal carbine will certainly kill deer but I would not use it for my front line weapon. Look at it this way,when was the last time you saw somebody hunting deer with one?

 

[longshooter234]

It's almost a ballistic twin to a .327 mag and I have seen and read about ppl killing deer with that round out of revolvers. I plan to do so myself but 5 moa is not ideal, can u not use a shot gun? Get the same range with way more knock down with slugs heck even buck shot will get u out to what I would consider that guns capability.

 

[TheLastMountain]

I used an M1 Carbine on my first ever deer hunting trip. Got a doe. Not the best cartridge for a knock down kill, but it will do the job.

 

[mouser868]

I know people who swear by them and I know people who swear at them.

 

[GLS_1956]

I have an IMI M1 carbine, light more accurate than I am. On paper the .30 carb has near 357 energy.

I guess if I were to use it on deer sized game I'd use the soft point bullets over the hollow points. And limit my range to 50 yards or so.

 

[rondog]

OK, the Winchester is at the gunsmith's for a tuneup. I'd really like to put better sights on it, and I need to get more familiar with it. I'm sure it'll shoot just fine, we just don't "know" each other yet.

I don't have my Hunter's Safety Card yet, so I can't go hunting yet anyway, just trying to get ready for it.

This is a fairly heavily populated rural area, and it's practically over-ran with deer. They're a hazard to traffic, they're a hazard to people in their yards, especially children, and they're eating everybody's yards and landscaping.

The property owner that has given me this opportunity says that he gets "vouchers" from the Dept. of Wildlife to take as many of these critters as he can get shooters to come do it. I guess his property is large enough that low velocity firearms are permitted, even though there are homes within probably 1/4 mile in all directions.

He tells me their shots are usually taken at 35-40 yards, I just wanted to make sure I could make a good shot at 100, just in case. He says he personally shoots them with a 9mm carbine. He also said the Game Warden approved him using a 9mm, as long as he uses +P ammo.

So, that's why I'm asking these questions. I have the chance to basically get a deer in his backyard, but I have to use the safest weapon possible. Big rifles are out, nothing larger than a .30-30, which I don't have. I have the Winchester .44, a .30 Carbine (it's really more accurate than 5", that last shooting trip I was shooting at nearly dark, and my red-dot covers the bullseye at 100 yards), I also have a HiPoint 9mm carbine and a HiPoint .40 carbine, both also with red-dots, and both are very accurate.

So, what I really need to do is make a visit there and check the place out, look it over, see what kind of shooting lanes they have, and what he recommends to use. He's OK'd the .44, said the .30 carbine would be OK, but narrows the shooting lanes some what, and has offered his own rifles for me to use. I've looked at the place on Google Earth, and can get a pretty good idea of the layout, but I need to see it in person.

Funny, this place is only 15-20 minutes away from me, just outside of town. We've driven by there many times, and there really are deer everywhere you look, you really have to be careful driving out there at night.

 

[Rambo]

Check your laws. In some locations full metal jacketed rounds are not legal for game animals as are rifles with a larger magazine than 5 rounds. That being said, deer are not a tough animal and if your firearm was designed to kill a human, it should kill a deer.

 

[nathangdad]

Personally,

I feel the thirty carbine cartridge is underpowered for this purpose.
Can you use a thirty thirty?

 

[ChaZam]

Is a 12 gauge with a slug an option you can do?

 

[rondog]

This man killed two Alaskan Brown bears with a .30 carbine, he's holding it. Of course, judging by the age of the photo I'm sure he used FMJ ammo, and who knows how many times he shot each one!

As I said, I'd use either soft point bullets or hollowpoints, and I linked above to some Cor-Bon hunting ammo at Midway for the .30 Carbine. That round has killed a LOT of humans, and deer at 40 yards should be no challenge for it. I'd just have to have the right bullets, FMJ's are out of the question.

And yes, we could use .30-30 on the property, the landowner does. But I don't have one, and I'd rather not borrow someone else's gun to shoot my first deer with.

 

[rondog]

Is a 12 gauge with a slug an option you can do?

Certainly, but I don't have one. I'm trying to do this with what I have, I have several guns that will work, I'm just asking about the .30 carbine specifically. I personally think it should be just fine. It's ultimately up to the property owner though.

I mean, c'mon...this is .30 caliber ammo, obviously aggressive, and I'm only talking ranges of 50 yards max here. I'd prefer to buy the bullets and load my own though, rather than pay extra fees and shipping for "hazardous" live ammo.

<edit> For anyone interested, I just found out these Barnes Triple-Shock X 100gr. bullets are NOT a catalog item, but Barnes DOES have a limited supply of them from a production over-run, due to many requests for them. The cat# is 30800, price is $30.97 per box/50, call 800-574-9200. Load data is 14-14.5gr. of H110. And the man said they're very effective on deer.

 

[rondog]

Check your laws. In some locations full metal jacketed rounds are not legal for game animals as are rifles with a larger magazine than 5 rounds. That being said, deer are not a tough animal and if your firearm was designed to kill a human, it should kill a deer.

The landowner uses a 9mm carbine with a 17 round magazine, with the Game Warden's blessings. I'm sure he doesn't use FMJ's though. And my Winchester .44 will hold 10 rounds. But if it's an issue, I have a 5 round magazine for my M1. I only need one, maybe two shots.

 

[mouser868]

Thoughts on Bow hunting the area???

 

[Tha Dave]

.30 Carbine should work just fine as long as you do your part and keep your shots within a respectable range. I have "heard of" deer being killed with .22 LR and have seen much larger animals killed with .22lr so a .30 inside 50 yards with a good HP or SP round you'll be fine.

You might try looking at the used rifle racks for a NEF single shot rifle in .44 Mag or 30-30 you can usually find them for pretty cheap if you plan to hunt more often.