i agree about #4 buck for indoor use. but to say a 30/30 is no good past 100 yards is simply not true.
While what I tryed to say was a 30-30 NOT under the right condions is only good for a 100 yards. Not much different but try to understand my point was and is to help nubes start out in a way that will lead to success in the killing of a deer. To drop a deer for sure, a shoulder or spine shot is the best, a heart/artery shot and they will not run that far and will leave a blood trail a nube could follow, these are less than a 3in. target and a shooter with a little experience will shoot about that at 50 yards with a open sight offhand, and very few good shots will do better at 100 yards.
A gun is a tool and should be used where and how it works best.
More large bears and moose than you can count have been taken with a 22 LR. But I wouldn't tell anyone to try it.
I could say that the most deadly round for elephant, rhino, hippo and lion IS THE 303 as it has killed more of them than any other round, and it has been used to kill all large game, BUT am I going to tell someone to use it for such? Hell no, would you?
So you see that while something CAN be done my thoughts are to keep someone in the sweet spot not put them on the ragged edge.
i use to screw around with standard non-sabot slugs in a standard m-37 with a front bead you can hit a torso sized target at 100 yards with practice. not the choice for that range but its doable. its easy to shoot a good 1911 out to 100 yards on torso sized targets as well.
My cuz and his dad have killed for more deer with shotguns than anyone else than I know with slugs and buckshot they both shoot around 3in. at 50 yards with slugs but they are great shots and taken the time to find combos that work for them
A m-37 is damn sure a good gun and you have used one with slugs how far do you think you shoot this combo and keep a 5 shot group in 3in. ?
Understand that you were shooting the m-37 using only the front bead because of the drop, much as I did with the m-79 and its true you can good doing this, but try it in low light in the woods on a not easy to see deer that moves without an x marks the spot on him.
You said above the 45 bested the slug, how far do you feel that you can be sure to put down a deer with a 45?
i have seen one of the better competitive shooters hit a balloon consistently with a snub nosed .38 at 200 yards had to see it to believe. that kind of shooting is beyond most people.
With any of my 4 charter arms undercovers 1 7/8in. barrel I can shoot around 5in. at 75 yards and if the balloon was 20in. with practice and shooting when i'm on I might do well at it myself. You can believe that his snuby is setup to do what he does with it and is a long way from factory.
I have 2 model 18 smiths with 4in. barrels and I can keep them in 2in. at 50 yards. Same K frame as my 65 and 66 model 357 smiths I picked up the first one as a cheep way to practice fast close in shooting, but they are sweet shooting pistols.
top shooters can out shoot a pistol in a ranson rest(misspelled i think) people seem to underestimate the inherent accuracy of most modern firearms and the skill of good shooters.
Its a ransom rest, and i'm not sure about someone shooting better without it but I DO agree with the reat.
i use to buy swedish mausers chambered for 6.5*55mm for $100 bucks with badly corroded barrels they would still shoot great to 700 or 800 yards.
I picked up 2 very nice 98s in 7-57 years ago one I rebarreled in 30-06 [my fav all around cal] both have been up graded [glass bedded actions new triggers bolts bent down ect.] the 7-57 is a 1moa gun and the 30-06 shoots 1/2 moa.
Shooting with badly corroded barrel could lead to very high pressure and failure. The very strong action of the mauser may have saved you. Do you know the signs of over pressure? Did you check?
I'm not sure what shooting great at 700 or 800 yards would be.