I'm from Ohio, so I grew up hunting with a shotgun. It wasn't until I went to Morehead that I was able to find someone to let me hunt KY. I used a Marlin 30-30 for years that my grandpa gave me when he passed. I love that gun. Since I have gotten my wife into hunting, I bought a Remington 700 in a .270. My wife uses the 30-30 now. It's a great gun for a woman or a smaller person. I've still never had a deer run over 50 yards after it's been hit with that 30-30.