I am looking for a deer rifle for my dad who has a bad shoulder. I have two choices 3030 lever or 3006 bolt?

Question

Kentucky farmland is where we are hunting. Mainly wooded short open fields.

To those who want to discuss hunting as cruelty. I would rather be shot than starve to death. I don't horn hunt I food hunt so your opinion means very little when it comes to putting food on the table.

Answer 1

30 30 lever kicks like a mule. Besides, soft tipped 30- 30s tend to jam. You have to use a copper jacketed bullet. Barnes are good. Id go with the '06 and get a recoil system installed. It will feel like a .223.

Answer 2

Actually, many people make the mistake of thinking that the 30-30 Winchester doesn't kick. But the truth is, that because of it's straight stock design, the felt recoil is actually pretty strong. And a 30-06 is a real kicker too. I'd suggest either going with a .308 Winchester in a bolt action gun, or preferably, just add a muzzle brake to the rifle of your choice and caliber, and reduce the recoil way down, then install a pachmeyer "de-celerater" recoil pad on the butt stock and let him enjoy. I have a really badly damaged shoulder from a bullet wound, I put a brake and pad on my 375 h&h and it kicks like a light 243 load. I installed them on my 45-70 lever gun, my model 70 featherweight in .270 and it kicks like nothing at all. Even my 8 year daughter fired that rifle with no trouble.

Answer 3

It's sacrilegious, but I don't like 30 calibers for deer, and when I use them, I don't like 150 grain bullets; but if those are your choices, then that's it. Measured recoil will almost certainly be heavier with the 30-06, but felt recoil is anybody's guess. The weight of the gun has to be taken into consideration, and the drop in the stock of the lever action is for off-hand shooting, where the bolt gun's stock is designed for shooting from a less upright posture, and that's going to go a long way towards determining felt recoil, as will a pad of course. And of course if it's the front of the rotator cuff that's scarred that'll be a lot tougher than other "bad shoulders," since that's where the butt goes.

Answer 4

I Can relate to your question. I Live in Kentucky also, Grayson County. My grandfather hunts and he has a heart condition so he cant shoot a gun with heavy recoil. One year all the grand kids chipped in and bought him a Vanguard By Weatherby Rifle for his Birthday. The Calibler was a 257 Wby mag. We had an AccuBrake installed on the barrel. The 257 wby mag has low recoil to start with but with the AccuBrake it cut the recoil down by about 50%. Now it Kicks about like a BB gun, and I'm not joking. The AccuBrake does not cut down on any of the power or affect the killing range. With a 257 wby mag, your father can kill any deer easily at 300 and possibly more yardage. Go to www.weatherby.com, click Vanguard. Another good thing about this gun is that you can order them just about anywhere, even at wal-mart. When you order, make sure you order an Accubrake because they have to use a special barrel with threads on the end so that you can screw the accubrake on. The msrp of the Vanguard Sporter is about $700 but you can get synthetic stocks for even less. Plus Weatherby Guarentees an 1 1/2 in or better group from a cold barrel at 100 yards, it even comes with the factory shot test target to prove it. You can't go wrong with a Weathery.

Answer 5

Since you said short open fields, the .30-.30 will be fine. Every one I've shot kicks less than the .30-.06, except for one that had a bull barrel and special stock. Look at the Hornady LeverEvolution rounds. The ballistics are superior to other .30-.30 rounds. If the recoil is still to much, Remington makes a .30-.30 Managed Recoil round which softens recoil noticeably. Also look at having a quality recoil-pad installed. Someone else mentioned Limb-Savers and I concur.

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

it depends on how much recoil you can take if you can take the .30-06 recoil for at least four (4) shots use the .30-06 (the bolt action is more accurate) and the .30-06 is almost like the .308 which is what my grandad killed over 7 deer with in his 4 or 5 seasons of hunting untill he broke his shoulder

Answer 7

The .357 magnum may well be utilized for deer searching--so a procedures as rifles bypass. The .357 magnum handgun, on the different hand, is an "iffy" determination. some basllistics experts state that that's almost as sensible as a .30-30. i don't know if i could provide it that lots credit, by using fact the .30-30 is able to taking deer at ranges previous a hundred and fifty yards with a properly located shot, while the .357 magnum won't furnish sufficient capability at those distances to be considered a good determination for a humane kill. in spite of the undeniable fact that, the .357 magnum is sweet sufficient for deer to approximately a hundred + yards. Buffalo Bore ammunition (allotted by ability of halfway, u . s .) claims their one hundred eighty grain load develops a million,348 foot pounds, that's lots greater desirable than something Winchester or Hornady at present a lot and markets. The .357 magnum, in my view, is a typical-cost application cartridge.

Answer 8

There are some really good managed recoil loads available for the 30-06 now and My 17 year old daughter loves them in her mom's Rem. 700 sps. The kick is less than my daughter's Rem 700 BDL in .243. A 30-30 with 150 grain factory loads doesn't kick bad either. Have your dad go to a store and see which type of gun feels better to hold and work the action. You won't go wrong with either.

Answer 9

A better choice in a lever-action would be the Marlin model 336, it has a comfortable semi-pistolgrip stock with much less drop that the winchester straight-grip, if you can find one in .35 Rem, grab it, its a very under-appreciated, very effective, fat little old caliber with very mild recoil and a relatively calm voice.

in a bolt-action, the 7mm-08 might be ideal, as the cartridge was specifically designed to be softer-shooting than its bigger cousins without giving up much in performance.

Answer 10

The 30-06 is your best investment.* The recoil is manageable.* You also have a greater variety of bullet weights to choose from.* When you own a 30-06 you don't need any other Rifle.*

Answer 11

30-30 has the lease kick and has enough of power of empact to kill the deer considering your father has a bad shoulder. But the 30-06 has a kick that has more power and can damage a lot of meat on the deer.