Not really a fair question to compare these two fine calibers. The 30-30 is a terrific performer on whitetail deer. Both the 150 and the 170 gr. bullets will penetrate very well from a lot of angles. The sportsmen who write this caliber off are typically men who have never found a use for this type of rifle. In the east and the huge evergreen forests this is a well received round. Typically the shots are close and rarely do you shoot over the 60-70 yard mark. I've shot a lot of deer with my fathers old Win. and have never lost one. My father shot many more than me and he only lost one and that he always said was a hasty shot way to far back. Don't ever let the paper energy boys tell you that this is not a great deer rifle. Where the 30-30 does fall down, and I believe that this one thing accounts for a lot of the bad press, is in long range shooting.If you're not experienced with the 30-30 and try to blaze away at 200+ yard deer all you'll do is breaks legs and hit low wounding shots. This is a great 125 yard deer gun!
The 30-06 is without doubt the finest all around rifle ever conceived. You can shoot at 400 yard woodchucks with 130 gr. spitzers or deliver massive foot pounds of power at close range on the largest of game in the world. This rifle can do it all. I once built a 30-06 for a customer with a 24" bbl. on my favorite action, a 98 mauser, and he would shoot a 150 gr. spitzers over the chronograph at 3200 fps. The cases didn't stretch and the primers showed no sign of pressure. He has used this rifle for many years and has never changed the load. It hits deer like the wrath of God and according to him they never even wiggle. I don't know how far off from 300 Win. Mag performance this is but I'll bet that it isn't much. The old 30-06 is as good as any hunting cartridge ever made.

Libertyfirst got it all figured out! The 30-30 & the 30-06 are a couple of the best calibers ever made.

I have both a winchester 30/30 and a winchester 30/06 model 70, Both very good guns! But I would have to say I perfer my 30/06 over the 30/30. with the 30/06 I have the knock down power I like also I am more comfortable with the longer range shots. The 30/30 I use mainly if I'm hunting in thicker brush. either way one can't go wrong.

Libertyfirst pretty much tells the story if you going to use it for hunting. I just couldn;t resist...now that everyone has since passed on......as a kid growing up hunting nothing but meanist brush on Cow Mountain or our Mariposa ranch hardly ever under 105 degrees... my grandfather's 30-30 was much better trying to crawl my way out brush.....being a slim line lever action 94, no strap or scope to hang up on the brush, light weight too...since I never got to shoot it much more than 2 feet down range ballistics weren't that important...besides I only shot at rattle snakes anyway with all the noise I was making. One time they gave me an old Rem 760 pump 30-06 with a big, and I mean bit old Weaver 6 power scope and sling....but the sent me into the same jungle and I couldn't crawl for squat it hung up on everything, scratched the hell out of hit dropped several times and lost the clip to boot if was child abuse compared to how we hunt today...... 40 years later brush isn't an option...so the 30-06 works better...that old 94 is like my dearly departed redbone.....

I agree with everyone here. They both have their place. I will add that those two calibers have probably taken more deer than all others combined. I am surprised, however, no one mentioned the leverevolution ammo that greatly increase the 30-30s downrange capabilities. I have never tried them but heard all good things. I hunt with either a 30.06 or 6mm.

I own both a 30-30 Marlin and a 30-06 Browning A-bolt. Both have taken their share of whitetails in the thick woods of NE Minn. But my nod definitely goes to the much more powerful 30-06. I have seen on more than one occasion where a 30-30 bullet has come apart on the shoulder blade of a large bodied whitetail, hardly providing enough penetration to make it a killing shot and not leaving an exit hole. The last time this happened the distance of the shot was about 30yrds. Using a premium bullet at 180 grains with my 30-06 leaves no question if my hold it true. It’s a confidence thing.

Hands down: 30-06

I've owned them both, My secound to the youngist son shot and killed his first Buck at 75yds with my marlin at age 9, and it dropped right there. As stated in earlier post the two are probably the most used rifle calibers ever for Whitetailed Deer. My Mom still hunts with her Win.94 at age 65, But unless your worried about recoil, why limit yourself with the 30-30. There is just to much you can do with the 06 that you can't do with the 30-30, but the 30-06 can do everything the 30-30 can, and more.

i love my marlin 30/30 as well as my remington 700cdl 30/06,depends on where i am hunting.

The 30-06 is unarguably one of the greatest cartridges in the history or shooting. For anyone looking for a reliable load for a variety of species the 06 should be near the top of the list. I have used a 1903 Springfield that was originally purchased by my great grandfather in the early 1900's and have killed everything from deer to bears and moose!

30/06 i believe is a present from god a 30/30 could just wound your deer a 30/06 blows him to the ground

For my TExas hunting, in the mesquite woods, 30-30 serves me best. But Im sure that the 30-06 is better for longer ranges... It leaves too much of a mess for me... I shot a pig with one once... at 20 yards.