The .30/30 Winchester, it is often claimed, has hung more venison from meat poles than any other cartridge in history. But does that mean the .30/30 lever-action is the best deer rifle ever created?

As America’s first smokeless cartridge, introduced 1895, the old .30-30 is not just old—it’s the oldest, as modern American cartridges go. And yet it remains as effective as ever. In fact, with ...