Coues deer with a lever action?

[oz31p]

https://www.bevfitchett.us/winchester-model-94-lever-action-rifle/siqht-adjustments.html

[yotebuster]

I have a model 53 Winchester in 25-20.  Probably not a deer cartridge but I decided to try killing a doe with it one year in ND when I was a kid.  I shot it at 50 yards and it was dead on and pretty accurate.  86gr bullet but it’s going pretty slow.  Looks just like a mini 30-30.  Anyhow I slid in to about 150 yards from a doe one day and lined up on her and shot.   She just stood there.  Shot again.  Same thing.  She finally walked off and I checked for blood and nothing.  Took it home and shot it at 150 and it was about 18” low!!  Looked up the ballistics in a loading chart (this was before apps existed) and sure as heck it dropped that much.  Also came to realize it had like 250 ft lbs of energy.   That’s when I decided I probably should leave the 25-20 home when deer hunting.   Stupid high school kid mistake.  Just glad I didn’t hurt anything with it.  

[Outdoor Writer]

15 hours ago, trphyhntr said:

i saw theres quite a few threads about it but i didnt see any pics. i thought i remember one from a few years ago but couldnt find it. have any of you taken a coues buck with a lever action? 

Killed my very first near Elfrida in 1964 with a 30/30 Marlin 336 Texan w/Weaver 4X on it. See below.

[turbo]

First two coues, Marlin lever rifle, 50 yards and 20 yards running. 

[Coach]

Definitely one of the most underrated guns. The first and only gun my dad bought me was a marlin 30/30. I never killed a deer with it but killed my first Javi with it at age 14 (long time ago - lol). Growing up in Oklahoma, that was *the* rifle. I think I've heard or read somewhere that more whitetail deer have been taken with a 30/30 than any other gun. I don't have facts or stats to back that, but given it's history, at the least it's a cool legacy and worth looking into.

My first coues was with a .270 my dad built with parts he ordered from Herter's (1950's - 60s). Not an expensive rifle, but one I still can hardly take out of the foam case it's been in, which is a shame because it's a shooter, just I couldn't bear putting a scratch on it.