Scope on .30-30

[Muskyhunter23]

Do you any guys put scope on .30-30 rifle for deer hunting?

[BigWadeS]

I have but I also hunt some open fields where longer shots are needed, I also have a couple friends that use that gun in the deep woods and don't use one as it limits their visibility

[ANYFISH]

Both 30-30's in our camp have scopes. Heavy woods and shots are usually less 50 yards. I would not hunt with out one, but also wouldn't hunt with one that didn't have over/under mounts. In our camp it is one shot and dead, so scopes give us pinpoint accuracy compared to open sites.

The highest mag we use is 3x and can find deer without much trouble.

I would suggest a low power scope with over/under mounts on any side eject 30-30.

[BobT]

I used a 30-30 for nearly 20 years with a variable power scope and see-through mounts. Never used the open sights once the scope was on the gun. From personal experience, anyone that has trouble finding their target in a scope is probably dealing with a gun and scope that is not properly fit.

I also believe those that feel they need the see-through mounts are a little gunshy with scopes and just need more practice to get their confidence up. One problem with these types of mounts is that they raise the scope to a position that is not correct fit. So automatically the hunter is dealing with my first observation about proper fit. The scope should be down on the rifle not somewhere up to an inch over the barrel.

Just my opinion but it does come from nearly 40 years of experience using them.

Maybe there's an expert out there that will dispute my claims.

Bob

[The_Shocker]

I agree with Bob. In my years of hunting with a 30-30 without over/under mounts, I have only once had difficulty acquiring a target and that sneaky buck came up behind me on the backside of my tree in the pre-dawn gloom. As I swear he was more spirit than deer, he doesn't count!

The scope has helped when I am posting open areas and clear cuts and range is a factor but I have taken many deer in thick woods from the stand and on drives where 40-50 yards is a long shot. A proper mount makes all the difference in the world, IMHO.

But as others have posted, it is all about your comfort with your rifle and scope, so you will have to do what's right for you.

[Swill]

Can anyone recommend a scope for a 30/30 lever action, that runs around 250 or under?

[FishNovice101]

My 30-30 lever action has a Bushnell Sportview on it with Weaver mounts (not see-thru mounts). I love my scope and never have a problem with it. Don't know how much it was, but it wasn't near 250

[Bowfin]

My 2 cents,

I had used see-through scope mounts on my .06 for years but got rid of them 3 years ago and replaced them with some high quality standard Leupold mounts - the gun now fits me better.

My back-up gun is a 30-30 lever with a cheap Weaver scope on it. I want to replace the scope with a Leupold VII 2X-7X ($200) or a Nikon 2X-7X ($130).

The new Hornady Lever revolution ammo should increase its range. I should be covered for close in and farther away shots with a 2x-7X scope.

[BobT]

One thing I would like to throw in. I learned the hard way that it isn't worth it to go with cheap optics. That isn't to say that you need to get the most expensive ones you can find but be careful about cheapies. With optics I believe you do get what you pay for.

I had a cheap 3x-9x variable one time and missed two bucks within a few minutes apart from less than 50 yards. I couldn't beleive it! I have never missed at that range so I immediately walked back to camp and set up a taget at about 25 yards off a shooting bench that we had set up. The first shot was 9" low. The next was high, and the next was somewhere else. It was all over the place! Seemed that with each recoil the scope position changed. I had checked my zero just a week before from 100 yards out and it was fine.

There are other advantages in terms of visual clarity, moisture resistance, field of veiw, etc. Get the best optics you can comfortably afford is my recommendation.

Bob

[Muskyhunter23]

I am going to take Leupold 4x off from shotgun and put on .30-30. I have a bunch of rifles that are much powerful than .30-30 but I seemed how way I like the handle from .30-30 better than these rifles. Time for me have some works to do at the range. Hey, what grain are you using for deer?

[BobT]

For the 30-30 cartridge I used 150gr. round nose exclusively. Never had to track a deer with that. They always and I mean always dropped where they stood. I can't say that since I started using my 30-06 though but I think that was due to a poor choice of cartridge on my part.

30-30 is an excellent choice if you're hunting Minnesota's north woods.

Bob

[bogwalker]

Red dot type "scopes" work very well. Fast target acquisition without magnification.

[kkahmann]

A $300 scope on a $200 rifle makes way more sense than a $100 scope on a thousand dollar rifle.

More than most things--you get what you pay for in optics.