how do i convince my grandfather...?

Question

that he needs a new gun
kinda long...

he has a marlin .30-30 lever action. he hunts somewhere where there is a mixed landscape. 6 acres of woods, 17 acres of rolling farm land. he has never shot at anything past 120 yards. he might need to with his farm now. i tried to talk him into getting a .270 or a .30/06. he says "i am happy with my gun. i dont need to shoot anything past 120 yards." i smile and shrug my shoulders, but the truth is is that he DOES need a new gun. he shoots a 12 gauge all the time, so recoil isnt a problem. i think he is just stubborn because he has had that gun since he was a teenager. when i get to go hunting im getting a .270. i told him i would let him shoot it to find out the recoil of it. my uncle has a .30/06 and he said he'll let my pap shoot it, too.
HELP!!!
serious answers only!

the only reason i am not hunting is because my mom is afraid of other hunters. she has this image that all hunters are drunken idiots and we all know that this is not the case. i know enough about hunting to be able to teach anyone what to do and what not to do. if i took my hunters safety course i would pass it with flying colors. i DONT need to shut or back off, i am NOT wrong. he does need a new gun he has told me countless stories where he has seen deer 180 yards away and aimed above there heads and missed horribly. he has done that on 6 deer. it doesnt reach far enough. the 17 acres are mixed corn, soybean and alfalfa. all three of those are what deer love to eat. he DOES need a farther shooting gun to be able to reach out that far.

john from PETA im gonna give you a low rating every time i see you. you WILL NOT be able to change hunters minds, so stop.

Answer 1

again john from peta gets on to hunting to talk trash....

heres the situation bud, im 23 ive went through the same situation with my dad. and here's what i had to learn, a 30-30 is americas deer gun, ididnt' just give it that title, outdoor writers for many magazines and books have. They stated that more deer have been harvested with a 30-30 then the other models put together. I dont think its fair to say you shouldn't be hunting cause of your attitude thats the exact attitude that divides this sport. i welcome you into the hunting phraternity with open arms, we need more youth. But what you need to understand that if he's comfortable with the weapon than that makes his hunting expierience more enjoyable, and in the end thats what were after. A study has shown that 75% of all deer killed are killed less than 80 yds away, so he's got more than enough firepower to do the job, even if he's got to shoot 150-200 yards he's still good. The real problem might be what i had to go through with my dad, he cant see well enough or have the strength to hold a gun steady enough to shoot that far, so his trusty old 30-30 gives him confidence let him go. by saying he should and implying he doesn't know better to change guns, is basically saying that you have solved the hardest and most fought over q in deer hunting...what is a better deer rifle...and to everyone else get off his back he has attitude because he's young, we all been there....

happy hunting and good luck

Answer 2

Hi Adam. I see what you are saying, but I don't no if I have ever told you, in the 2005 deer season, my first year, I used a Marlin 30-30, and I tried to make a shot on a smaller buck at about 100 yards, and shot way over it's back. In my opinion, the 30-30 is sort of a beginners gun, for someone just getting into the high power rifle category. It never hurts to have the extra edge in power when hunting deer, such as the .270, '06, or even 7 Mag.

Answer 3

i think a grandfather that has been shooting since he was a teenager will have enough experience to know when he needs a new rifle. He will probably need no convincing if the 30/30 does not perform on his farm now but i suggest that the pair of you go for a hunt you with a .270 or 30/06 and him with the 30/30 and he will soon see that the ranges you will be stopping to shoot at are much further than him but if he likes to stalk close that is where good hunting skills and experience is an advantage and a 30/30 up close is a formidable calibre

Answer 4

This is a serious answer....Pap doesn't need a new gun. From the description of the hunting area and terrain, the Marlin 30-30 is just fine.You keep saying he needs a "new gun".That's YOU talking not him. He is not only happy with his Marlin, but he is obviously comfortable with it.Just because he's getting older, doesn't mean he's incapable of knowing what he likes and wants.YOU are only 13 years old, and you need to back off a little. I've sold dozens of 30-30 Marlin's and Winchester 94's thru my business There's an old saying "If it ain't broken,DON't try to FIX IT! You need to respect the man and his feelings. The 30-30 has been a great Whitetail/Blacktail Deer rifle for decades..It still is! You want serious answers, here it is. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear but in this case YOU are wrong.......Funny.....Not once have you said why he needs a new gun

Your Mom is right. You need to learn a lot more before you should be allowed out in the woods gun hunting without (ADULT) supervision.......Your statement about the 30-30 not being able to "reach" at the 200 yards is a total shows how little you know. If he misses with a 30-30 how is switching to a .270 going to make him hit ??? Think about it......I have taught the Junior Hunter's Safety course here in Maryland for the last 16 years..If you were to tell me this story as part of my class you wouldn't have gotten your certificate. Your attitude is dangerous and your thinking lacks good judgement.

Answer 5

I will also defend a lever action 30-30. Its plenty of firepower at short ranges. At 150 yards or less, it is a pretty nice gun. Ammo is pretty affordable and common, the only more common ones would be 30.06 and possibly 308. Plus, the lever action is pretty reliable and can provide a reasonable fast second shot.

By the way, sounds like he has a Marlin 336, I would love to get my hands on a cheap one. I gotta take a look at one on Monday, and I may end up buying it. If so, I would hunt with it. I have a 30.06 but don't deer hunt with it, because it ruins a lot of meat.

Answer 6

Leave him alone. He's a hunter, not a long-range shooter. I have rifles that'll get out there a long way, but I like hunting with a bow, muzzle-loader (Hawken style), or a lever gun. One of the major points of hunting is to get close as you can, and then get a little closer.
Eventually, my father got to the point at which his old gun was too bulky for him to carry comfortably, and it cut back on his hunting. His eyes demanded a scope. I bought him a new rifle that suited his needs and extended his hunting for several more years. The 30-06 isn't what your granddad needs, and you could learn something from him. If the changing terrain is becoming a problem, you can get him a new rifle, but keep his hunting style, his needs, and his desires in mind.

Answer 7

WHEN you get to go hunting? I'm assuming that you've not been hunting yet. And you're trying to give Pap gun advice! Lad, sounds like you should be asking Pap for gun advice rather than giving it.

I've shot a Rem. 7mm mag for the past 8 years, thinking I needed it because it could shoot so far and hit so hard. Since I got it I have killed quite a few deer. The kicker to this is that I could have made the same shots with any centerfire rifle, including a 30/30. I'm confident enough with my own shooting that I sold the 7 mag to my brother and bought a single shot .308 this year. I'm sure Pap is confident enough in his own shooting that he doesn't feel the need to "upgrade."

Let the man shoot what he wants to shoot and when he drops one this fall, be sure not to go have a few steaks with him. You wouldn't want to eat anything that has been harvested with that puny old 30/30.

Answer 8

Listen up youngin, your obviously green behind the ears and dont understand what your talking about in the 1st place. Im not cuttin on a 270 ( I use one myself for most of my deer huntin) or nothing but a 30-30 has dropped more deer than youll ever even see.. in your entire life mine or 1000 other people... the gun is the perfect deer rifle for what he is using it for... its effective, quick, light, and reliable.... the bigest thing that makes this gun better than anything you could ever convice him to buy is he is familiar with it and that alone makes it a deadly weapon.. when you know your equipment and believe in it you use it well..... most shots on deer are under a hundred yards anyway.... most people dont shoot enough anyway to effectivly harvest animals past a hundred yards anyway..... what im saying is bigger is not always better... that old man has alot of winters behind him and he probably knows what he is doing a little more than some greenhorn... like yourself you should ask him how many deer he has killed with that gun..... id say youll be surprised... Ive got a old Winchester 30-30 that has been in the family for almsot 80 years my great grandpaw hunted with it my papaw did my dad did and I used it up until i went into the Marine Corps...... when i got out i retired it and now it only comes out when i feel like taking something in the woods with me that i know has killed well over 100 deer..... ive killed 15 with it myself..... and not one of them was over 120 yards .....

Answer 9

Why does he need a new gun? I had a .30-30 lever action and it shot just fine. Shot a nice sized doe about 100 yards away without any problems. According to www.wikipedia.org, it can shoot about 200 yards away.

While it will take deer- and black bear-sized game, it is limited in effective range to approximately 200 yards for that purpose.

Answer 10

it sounds like your grandfather is happy with the 30-30 and your not going to convince him to buy something he doesn't need. you should back off the man has been hunting for many years and knows the limitation of his gun....

If he is having these kind of problems the answer is in the scope maybe its time for him to replace that. you should relax your first year hunting and listen to your grandfather because he probably has some good advice. personally I never did like the 30-30 but he really likes his I shoot 450 yards with a 7mm-08.