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?

This column, “Rebirth of the .45/70,” appeared in the September 1972 issue of Outdoor Life. The life span of rifle cartridges is hard to predict because shooters have the fickle habit of tossing them ...