Marlin 36 30-30 ?

I'd play around with different loads.

I just got into the 30-30 and there are alot of new rounds available.

Since you ask. . . I'm collecting parts to ream the first .30-30 that stumbles by to .30-30 Ackley Improved, just because.

And before anyone gets their knickers knotted, I know it won't do much for velocity. It'll just be a cool project to work on.

Hand load for it. Use it as a 2 shot gun with nice pointy bullets and it will blow your mind what that 3” gun will do.

joneb said:

The accuracy with this 18" 1:10 twist microgroove barrel is ok, I can get 3" groups @ 100 yards with 170 gr jacketed bullets.

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Articles in inprint gun magazines would have you believe that 30-30 lever actions are sub MOA rifles. They are not. I don't have the issues, but in Rifle or Handloader lots of reloading articles appear, all with three shot groups, and the author claims half MOA accuracy with cast bullets in 30-30 Marlin lever actions. What is being reported is nonsense, it is not the inherent accuracy of the rifle, and because the round count is so few, due to statistical randomness, small shot counts will create these small groups sizes. If the gun writer had fired four, ten round groups, the average would have been closer to 4.0 MOA. I had some load combinations that would not hold on a 8.5" X 11" target at 100 yards, with jacketed. Cast bullets were a disaster, if they went above 1600 fps they would not land on a 8 foot by 8 foot target frame at 100 yards. It takes a lot of work and experimentation to get the group size down in a lever action. So if you are shooting 3 MOA at 100 yards, that is about what you can expect from a lever action.


I spent several months testing hundreds of rounds and probably a dozen combination of powders and charges, all with 170 grain bullets, and the best group I got out of my Marlin 30-30 was 2.0"



at 200 yards



second best


Factory 15 shot group 200 yards







The Ranger Masters at CMP Talladega have seen it all before. Regardless of what some in print authority claims about sub MOA accuracy and lever actions, what they see on target is reality. And they won't let you go from 200 yards to the 300 yard target, with a lever action, if you can't keep all shots in the black. And then, they won't let someone with a lever action blaze away at 600 yards, because they are tired of having their $15,000 targets shot to hell.

I think 200 yards is about the limit of a 30-30, though if I attempt a 300 yard group, I might extend that. Might not if I can't hold the black at that distance. But you know, these lever actions are perfectly capable of doing their job out to 200 + yards, they are very portable, and 3 MOA ain't so bad.

There are a few smiths who accurize the Marlin lever guns. DIY is fine, too. There are other articles, but you can start with this one to see if you wish to pursue accurizing - http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/chapter23.htm

BBBBill said:

There are a few smiths who accurize the Marlin lever guns. DIY is fine, too. There are other articles, but you can start with this one to see if you wish to pursue accurizing - http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/chapter23.htm

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Paco claims that in the good ole days there were sub 2 MOA, ten shot groups being reported. I looked at my "Practical Dope on the Big Bores", (Stackpole 1948) and for a Winchester M55, there are no sub 2 MOA groups claimed.



This is typical: "At 100 yards over a stump rest, groups were 3 1/4 X 5 inches and 3 1/4 X 4 inches"

Now for bolt guns, for a Win M54, the author claims sub 2 MOA groups at 100 yards for the 30-30 cartridge. When shot out of a rigid action with a good barrel and bedding, a 30-30 is capable of excellent accuracy, it is however, still limited in terms of its maximum velocity. A 30-40 would be a better choice if someone has to have a period rimmed case.

I would like to see some sub 2 MOA, or better yet, some sub MOA ten shot groups at 100 yards with any lever action. My Marlin, the reason my loads are a couple of grains about manual maximums is because Marlin reamed the chamber large.

If I had not lubricated the cases before firing



I am absolutely certain with this much shoulder movement



I would have had some case head separations. As it was, the greased cases slide to the bolt face, the shoulders folded out, and I did not stretch the case sidewalls.

The throat is so far out that I cannot load on the lands. The distance to the throat is further than the bullet is long, and then, the OAL of the cartridge would be too long to extract a loaded case. I tried soft seating a bullet to determine distance to the lands and I ended up having to remove the lever, to extract the case!

I did talk to Marlin before they moved. They explicitly stated they built their rifles for woods hunters not target shooters. I am certain if someone wants to buy a $250 barrel for their Marlin and pay $250 to $300 for the barreling job, well at least they will have a better barrel, and possibly smaller groups. But for that type of money, I would go buy a nice M70 Winchester. Would not have to be a new M70, could even be a push feed M70, but I prefer the controlled feed M70's.

My marlin is a glenfield 30a. With flat base 130s and 150s it’s about a 2.5-3” gun with the best handloads I can put through it. When I switched over to boattails I immediately improved. My worst loads are now about 3” and my best are dancing around the 1.5” range. It is now used as either a 2 shot rifle or as a combination load where the chambered round is a pointy boat tail and the tube is full of traditional loads.

my 51 336 shoots very good someone drilled and taped it years ago i put a scope on it and have 2 3 shot groups under 1 moa. if i find them ill post them

joneb said:

Thanks for sharing Troy, I would be happy with that group at 50 yards.

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they shoot better with proper forend fit my 35 shoots about the same to. you could do 38-55 for your gun very nice round.

I`d put that old soldier back in it`s "safe place" and invest in something new. Step out side your comfort zone and look around.
Something will garb your attention. J s/n.

I'd leave it. I have one also and I don't see a lot of that model. Try some lead boolits in it. You can get them a little fatter. That may help. Microgroove will shoot cast bullets. I use a Lee 150grn FP with gas check made from wheel weights I harden. They shoot as well as jacketed. It's fun to shoot cheap 30-30s and bust clay pigeons at 100yds easily.

3 MOA is pretty much par for the course for a lever action .30-30.

Enjoy it for what it is.

.309"