30th Birthday Rifle

Some of you guys are too much. He asked a pretty simple question for Pete's sake and you have to make it political. SMDH

Congrats on turning 30!
You ask, "is it a good idea?" I say any rifle purchase is a good idea, especially on your birthday! And 30-30 is a good one imo.
As to what make and model, I'd suggest holding and shouldering a sample of each to see what you like the best. Plus, if you like visiting gun shows or stores, it'll add to the whole birthday shopping experience (and no, I don't usually enjoy shopping).

Henry also makes a lever action in 30-30. It's loaded via a tube versus a loading gate like the Winchester, Marlin, and Mossberg, and some folks don't like that it is loaded differently. But it's another option for a lever action 30-30.

You might need to back up a few years and buy a .243, 25-06, .260, .270, and .280. 5 years from now you can by a .35 Remington. In 15 years, a 45-70. Between them, a .38 special, .41 magnum, and .44 magnum. I like this game.

I like the idea of a tubular magazine in a 30-30. I hate having to unload my 94 the way I do. If the henry just didn't weigh so god-awful much it would be a lot more interesting to me.

Newtosavage said:

Some of you guys are too much. He asked a pretty simple question for Pete's sake and you have to make it political. SMDH

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You're barking up the wrong tree.

He said it.

Pointing out to someone that made a suggestion as to why he might not care about more rounds than 8 is not making anything political that wasn't already made by the OP.

Okay then let's go full politic here and get this thread shut down. Unless of course that's your goal.

Why the He** can't we just have a normal discussion about the tools we enjoy using without someone coming along and stirring up sh*t. Unreal. Are there not already enough forums for you to do that on?

Newtosavage said:

Okay then let's go full politic here and get this thread shut down. Unless of course that's your goal.

Why the He** can't we just have a normal discussion about the tools

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Maybe I dropped a stitch here but it I missed the context of the post causing the admonishment.

And now for something completely different:
I like Marlin's design and simplicity over the Winchester. Plus, the Winchester is a bit clunky in the woods. Accuracy wise I could go either way.

New 'Marlins' are about 4 Bill's locally. I wouldn't go beyond that by too much for a used one ATM.

Happy birthday OP.

The Liberal said:

I’m open to single shots as well. The caliber is the meaningful part. Not sure why I would ever need more than 8 rounds. Seeing as how it’s a sentimental proposition and not a need, I can afford to wait for a good deal. How are the Henry single shots?

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I wouldnt hesitate to buy a henry, i bought a 45-70 henry a couple years ago and couldnt he happier. They dont have the lawyer safeties that youll have on marlin or winchester (modern) , the action is smooth right from the box, theyre accurate and made in the best country ever to exist. Im too nostalgic to buy a japanese winchester, i dont care how good they may be. Its like having your 57 chevy sent to india for a resto, just wrong - a gun built by people who arent allowed to own guns and likely have never fired off even 1 round and never will. Vintage stuff is nice, but you need to search or pay a high price for it. Jm marlins are awesome but i think i would rather have a new henry in the configuration you want rather than just whatever you find used - maybe not exactly what youre looking for. 30-30 is good for 99% of my shooting but your needs may differ. Ive had a marlin 336 since i was 23 and wouldnt sell it for 4x what i paid. I do shoot other leverguns more but the 30-30s i have arent going anywhere

Single shot Henry 30-30's do interest me. Kinda like a combination of my first two guns - a single shot H&R 20 gauge and a 1959 Winchester 30-30.

That would be a good choice too!

Sappyg2.0 said:

Maybe I dropped a stitch here but it I missed the context of the post causing the admonishment.

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He's reading politics into something I said which wasn't political at all and could've help the OP get to his answers sooner.

danez71 said:

He's reading politics into something I said which wasn't political at all and could've help the OP get to his answers sooner.

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wasn't your post friend.

Also, while the .30-30 might not be a "target" round, I'll bet being able to neck-size-only for a single-shot would go a long way toward improving it.

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My marlin will stay in the inch and half range with about any ammo I try in it. Winchester Power Points stay arouns 2-2.5". Winchester Silver Tips will barely break the one inch mark. So don't sell the Marlin short. I made my first 30-30 kill this year on a 60 yard deer. I used my Winchester 94 made in 1981 wearing a peep sight. Nothing wrong with the Winchester either.

I agree about finding the older Marlins or Glenfields. I just bought a Glenfield 30A with a half mag tube for just over $300. The forend was gouged a little so a striped and sanded the stock and refinished it. The bluing has a little bit of blemish from carrying it at the bottom of the reciever. No big deal. Its a hunting gun. And its easy to slim the forend on a Marlin to make it feel more like a Winchester. I did that on the first Marlin I bought.

There is no such thing as a bad 30-30. And I have a Henry 357 single shot on my want list. Henry makes some nice looking guns.

What I would give to be 30 again.

I don't want to be 30 again unless I know what I know now! LOL

I agree there is no such thing as a bad 30-30. It's kind of refreshing to find a 30 year old these days that even wants one.

It's a shame those single shot Henry 30-30's weigh so much. If they were 6 lbs and I could keep one under 7 lbs with a low power scope on it, I'd get one in a second. But a single shot that's pushing 8 lbs. scoped? Nope.

I can just see one of those in stainless steel and synthetic stocks, could be taken down without tools, and weighs around 6 lbs. and is chambered in .308 or '06. Talk about a backcountry mountain hunting rig!

OP just close your eyes and pick one. Of the ones you asked about, they are great. Of the other suggestions, I can't say. Happy birthday. And on a lighter note you are getting old enough to become " the conservative" now. Have a good time choosing yourself a rifle. I recently gave myself a new 38 snub for my birthday. It's all good.

I say Winchester. They can be had used for reasonable prices and I have several that are accurate and reliable. I very much appreciate their slim handiness and think they are much more handsome than the Marlins. But yeah, beyond 200 yards (or 250 with LeverEvolution ammo) 30-30s are not really ethical to hunt with.

My first centerfire rifle was a Marlin 336 in .30-30, so I feel a little compelled to weigh in here...

Come to think of it, ironically, my last centerfire rifle (to date) was a Winchester '94 in .30-30. So now I *really* feel compelled to weigh in...


As someone has already stated, I don't think there are any "bad" .30-30s per se. That being said, I have not fired the Winchester I bought recently yet.

The Winchester has a lighter and trimmer feel to it. The action also feels "sloppier", for lack of a better word.

My Winchester is a top eject, which most find undesirable from a scoping standpoint. Didn't matter to me, may or may not matter to you. The angle eject models address this issue.

I definitely would not pay the going rate for a pre-'64 Winchester if this is a knock-around fun gun.

The Mossberg is probably OK, I have no personal experience with it but have heard good things.

I have no experience with single shots, but one might suit your needs. You are wise to not discount them out of hand.

Lastly - I don't really view the .30-30 as a plinking round. It's not commonly found in bulk, and although it is cheap for a hunting round it is nowhere near .223 or x39 class of cheap. Mild and pleasant to shoot - but not really a plinker. At least for me; YMMV.


Happy Birthday!

If needed they make side mounts for Winchester 94's. The offset doesn't matter at 30-30 ranges. But while I prefer the '94. any lever gun is classic. I like BLR's too.

Probably the dad felt that anything over the Almighty enblock Garand clip of eight was overdoing it ! Lighten up !

Handle as many as you like. I started with a Marlin made in 75 and now have another 6 of them. I have owned a Winchester (3), and own them no more. Its' as individual as Ford and Chevy. I like to scope mine as I will shoot them farther than most. I have astigmatism and a few other issues making the scope attractive. I have old ones and younger guns. My most accurate is the newest. I have a 2-7X scope on a 2014 336 XLR. I'm not overly fond of the stock set up, but like stainless and like the 1 to 12 twist in the XLR making cast easier to shoot and the Leverevolution round. Here I am after hitting one of these cull does at well over 250 yards. This gun is simply a tack driver. The other favorite Marlin I have is a 336CB not made anymore. Its also got the 1 to 12 inch twist. The quality on this gun is fantastic. I do have Henry's and prefer their wood and wood to metal finish over the Marlin in its current make up. I myself wouldn't consider any other guns.

The Liberal said:

I think 30-30 is a perfectly reasonable caliber and I want this rifle to be socially and politically acceptable.

Winchesters are the ones that look like everything is falling out of it when you work the action right? What is up with that?

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I'll tell you what's up with that - none other than John Moses Browning's brilliant design is what.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_1894

An AR-15 with a pile of 30 rounds magazines would be a good 30th birthday present and would certainly be politically acceptable to me.

The Liberal said:

I think 30-30 is a perfectly reasonable caliber and I want this rifle to be socially and politically acceptable.

Winchesters are the ones that look like everything is falling out of it when you work the action right? What is up with that?

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If you have to worry about your rifle being socially and politically acceptable, you're running with a bad crowd son.

This is as political as I'm going to get..not going to flame you or drag you through the mud, just some quick education. In the wake of atrocious marksmanship in the civil war, some organizations were founded to improve rifle marksmanship in this country. They morphed into the NRA, and focused on improving the shooting capabilities of the average citizen and their equipment, so that in time of war we may field the finest riflemen on the planet. Teddy Roosevelt furthered this goal by giving it government blessing, bringing about the DCM which morphed into the CMP and the national rifle and pistol matches firing the modern service rifle of the military. This proud tradition continues with the AR-15 used in friendly competitions from action assault based to long range precision marksmanship. We still field the best riflemen and the best gear in the world, thanks to innovation that only widespread use in politically and economically free hands can produce. Stiff competition is nearly as effective as the crucible of war at driving innovation. The Krag, Springfield, M1917, M1 Garand and Carbine, M14, AR-15 are all American as apple pie, and all were first line "assault rifles" of the day, and their great accuracy and effectiveness grew out of this tradition.

Dr A I want a 336 XLR for all the reasons you named. 1/12 twist, Ballard rifling and a lead bullet shooters dream. Most don't realize the 30-30 case is perfect for lead bullet shooting and the max velocity is about what you can get from a lead bullet without leading.

I say Winchester. They can be had used for reasonable prices and I have several that are accurate and reliable. I very much appreciate their slim handiness and think they are much more handsome than the Marlins. But yeah, beyond 200 yards (or 250 with LeverEvolution ammo) 30-30s are not really ethical to hunt with.

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A friend killed one buck at 330 paces with his Marlin 30-30. I have shot mine out to a measured 300 yards. I found two bowling balls and we set them at 300 yards. My bud shot the first one with his 270 and a 150gr Nosler Partion almost dead center. I shot the same ball and hit just low and right of dead center. We drove down to look at the damage and the surprise to me (beyond making the shot with a 3X scope) was that the chunk blown out by the 30-30 was almost exactly the same size as the 270 damage. The 30-30 seems to have hit really hard at that range. but I cannot remember if it was a 150gr or 170gr bullet. Its been too long ago.