Marlin JM 30-30: should Everyone have one?

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I've had very good luck with my older Glenfield 30-30 with the JM stamp. Accurate and hard hitting within reasonable distances commonly taken when hunting in the forests as most of us do. I have no use for a more potent round for deer hunting.

TR
 
I see people saying they have "no need for one."

I don't have a need for any of my guns, but I do have a lever-action .30-30 (though a Winchester.)

If I ever do have a need for one of my guns, I hope I have it with me. Otherwise, it's about simply pleasure of ownership. I'm sure you all own something you don't "need", right? ;)
 
Whiterook808 said:
You will note that the 336 is chunkier than the 94 Winnie.
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Somewhere along the line, Marlin really screwed up by changing their stocks. They got fatter and less comfortable. ODDLY, they still make nice slender stocks.....on the CB models.

If only every one of their guns had a checkered verson (or not) of that great CB forend and all the straight stocked rifles had a checkered version of the CB stock.

The pistol grip stocks really got taken to lard house though. The flubber butt stocks easily add 3/4 lb to the overall gun weight. Shaving them down and hollowing out the stock can save you that weight. There are numerous people who have taken their 1894 stocks to a belt sander for a nicer feel and lighter weight.

This alone is a good reason to stick to pre-safety guns.
 
But if I were to shave down the stock and hollow it out I feel like I was screwing up its essence and would definitely be lowering its value.
While I have most of my guns to use practical purposes or to have just in case, I don't like to lose money on them either so I hate to do things that would diminish their value even if it increased their utility when I have so many other options of what to use that don't carry like a brick.
The nice short length and lever action is appealing though but I guess there is something about the mystique of a lever action in general
But maybe I can just stick with my 1895sbl and have that fill that "need" LoL
 
I have a JM 336 and a Winchester 94 both in 30-30. The Marlin is scoped and the 94 is not. Neither is for sale and won't be while I'm on this side of the grass.
They are simply good guns to have in a collection, especially if you are a hunter. Every Michigan deer season someone in my family takes out one of the lever guns.
 
Winchester '94 pre64 3030 lever action is on the list of guns you should own and never sell...Correct me if I'm wrong but marlin lever action didn't make the list :D but I guess you could consider it a clone :what:...1911s made the list as well as any large frame big bore revolvers...keep them all if ya got one...just my .02
 
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Varminterror said:
Marlin 336’s seem to keep finding their way into my life, but I’m honestly not a fan. I grew up on 1894’s in 44mag, loading them to their full potential, and have never found anything I could do with a 30-30 couldn’t also be done with the 44mag - which holds more rounds and uses less powder. I lusted my way into 1895’s about 25 years ago, and they remain to be one of my favorite firearms, and again like the 44mag, anything I would do with a 30-30, I would prefer to do with a 45-70.

I’ve honestly never understood why or how the 30-30 came to be considered an American Institution by so many folks. The Win ‘73 is the “Gun that won the West,” and the 30-30 really hasn’t been a contributor to any part of American history. The only hypothesis I can draw is that a Generation of folks grew up watching Westerns in an era when Marlin 336’s were inexpensive, and they contrived an artificial mystique around the .30-30, especially back East where the levergun drew a particular reputation among drive hunters as light and fast handling, and then the NEXT generation of folks grew up getting a gifted rifle from dad or grandpa, or admiring those rather unique rifles carried by family so it propagated further - but honestly, I’ve just never understood the passionate nostalgia some folks have for the 30-30. Great rifles and great fun, but folks act like it changed the face of America in some way, which it simply did not.
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Wasn't it the first small bore smokeless civilian cartridge in America?
In a way it did change the face of America.
We consider it to have poor trajectory. But in its day, it was top of the line.
 
Back in the late ‘90s, I decided to get a .30-30 for Northern Michigan deer season. I poured over magazine articles and reviews until I decided on the Marlin version with the deluxe wood. It really came down to asthetics as I couldn’t find either of them being touted as “better” than the other. I fell in love with that gun and it remains one of my “never-sell” guns. Since, I’ve added another JM .30-30, a JM .45-70 Guide Gun and two Winchester .44mag (one a new Miroku). I fall in the “when I see one, I try to buy it” camp.

my Father-in-law turned 60 three years ago and I bought him a modern Marlin in .44mag. The quality was really very good.
 
Bfh_auto said:
We consider it to have poor trajectory. But in its day, it was top of the line.
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No, no it wasn’t. Have to recall, the Swede Mauser came about the year before. If we want to pat ourselves on the back for being the fastest dog with 3 legs just because the 30-30 was the best AMERICAN development, then fine, but in the world of cartridge development, it was obsolete the day it hit the market.
 
Varminterror said:
No, no it wasn’t. Have to recall, the Swede Mauser came about the year before. If we want to pat ourselves on the back for being the fastest dog with 3 legs just because the 30-30 was the best AMERICAN development, then fine, but in the world of cartridge development, it was obsolete the day it hit the market.
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"What if Spartacus had a Piper Cub?"
 
Elkins45 said:
I low bid a beat up Winchester 94 with a peep sight on Gunbroker and ended up winning it. I use it as a range toy to shoot cast bullets. Actually these days I use most of my rifles as range toys to shoot cast bullets. I figured for less than $300 it wasn't too much of an extravagance. I have lever guns in 30-30, 375 Win and 45-70 so the 30-30 is last in line if I ever decide to hunt with one.

I had a beautiful JM marlin in 35 Remington but I sold it like an idiot. As a cast bullet platform the 35 Rem haas a lot going for it.
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View attachment 910053 I agree. I love the old levers. .35 Remington is probably my second favorite. The Browning 65 in 218 bee makes me giggle.
 
I won't get rid of mine. Deadly on MN deer within the woods distances I use it. Plus, it points great and just seems to hit whatever I aim at without much drama.
 
I have a Marlin 336 in .30-30. And four lever action Marlins in .22LR. 1894s, one in .45 Colt, one in .44 Magnum. One 1893 in .38-55.

Other levers are Winchester 94 .30-30, Winchester 92 .25-20, and a Uberti 1866 in .45 Colt.
 
Have had a 30-30, Winchester 94AE, early 2000's model. Was fun while I had it but I realized I didn't have a need for it and sold it to a buddy. Had a Marlin 94 for SASS and that was real fun, sold that one to a buddy before moving away, wasn't competing anymore. If I ever get another lever action, it will be in 357, 44, or 45, or one of each. I enjoy shooting them more than the .30-30. I find them more fun and cheaper to feed.
 
Here in the hills and hollers of the Missouri Ozarks 30-30 and deer rifle are used interchangeably to describe a tool for killing deer. Back in the 60s/70s most ppl I hunted with had Marlins in 30-30 and an occasional 35 Rem with a few Winchester’s and mil-surps thrown in. A man that mowed for me said as he was driving over he saw a big buck “If I’da had a 30-30 he’da been mine”
 
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