30-30 or 35 Remington?

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I sold my 35 Marlin about a year ago. I really don't miss it. I do own three 30-30s. I have lots of ammo, brass and dies so no ammo shortage for me. And I made my first 30-30 kill a couple of years ago on a small whitetail. For a 200 yard or less gun I don't know what else you could ask for. Its easy on powder and on average only uses 5 more grs of powder than the typical 223 load and it works fine with lead bullets or inexpensive cup&core bullets.

If I wanted a bigger low speed round in a lever it would be a Marlin 444. Had a 45/70 and didn't keep it too long. But the 444 looks perfect for a big bore lever action.
 
I've owned 35's, but here in East Texas I have taken deer every year for the last decade with a 94 in 30 WCF. Every one dropped on the spot.
No shot was over 70 yards.
I prefer redundancy, and have lever guns (Winchester, Marlin, and Savage), bolt actions, and single shots in 30-30. I only had one Marlin in .35 and chose to let it go. I would feel equally equipped with a 35 Remington in the woods.
 
Both great deer/black bear rounds. Ain't no such thing as a bullet that will plow through brush unaffected. Slightly better trajectory with 30-30, especially with the Leverevolution round(sp?).
If I want a big, fat, heavy bullet I'll take my 444 or 45-70.
 
I’ve never shot a rifle in .35 Remington and don’t recall ever seeing one though I imagine I have. For my purpose I’m sure a .35 would work as well as my 30-30-feral hogs.
 
I've owned both and prefer the 30-30, the 35 has it niche and use and is a better caliber for black bear.
 
Sponsors of Leverguns.Com

Never having a 35 Rem, I looked around a bit and found this at Leverguns.com
From looking only at the data, it would appear the 30-30 would be a ' winner ' in some contest.
I havnt seen a deer taken with a set of data however. With the wider frontal diameter the 35 may indeed have an edge. In my area, I dont recall seeing many 35 Rem of any bullet weights for sale, so it would be a reload rifle for me, probably be a great rifle but for my use, the 30-30 would probably be MY choice




Comparing Velocity, Energy and Trajectory of the 30-30 and the 35 Remington

Velocity Comparison

Caliber & Bullet Velocity @ Muzzle 100 yards 200 yards 300 yards 400 yards 500 yards
30-30 150 gr. HP 2390 2018 1684 1398 1177 1036
30-30 170 gr. ST 2200 1895 1619 1381 1191 1061
35 Rem. 150 gr. SP 2300 1874 1506 1218 1039 934
35 Rem. 200 gr. ST 2020 1646 1335 1114 985 901
Energy Comparison

Caliber & Bullet Energy @ muzzle 100 yards 200 yards 300 yards 400 yards 500 yards
30-30 150 gr. HP 1903 1357 945 651 462 358
30-30 170 gr. ST 1827 1356 990 720 536 425
35 Rem. 150 gr. SP 1762 1170 756 494 360 261
35 Rem. 200 gr. ST 1922 1281 841 577 445 369
Trajectory Comparison with a 100 yard Zero

Caliber & Bullet Muzzle 100 yards 200 yards 300 yards 400 yards 500 yards
30-30 150 gr. HP - 0.9" zero - 8.9" -30.0" - 68.8" - 132.4"
30-30 170 gr. ST - 0.9" zero - 10" - 33.2" - 74.7" - 140.4"
35 Rem. 150 gr. SP - 0.9" zero -10.2" - 35.7" - 84.3" - 163.3"
35 Rem. 200 gr. ST - 0.9" zero - 12.4" - 42.9" - 99.6" - 188.8"

Trajectory Comparison with a 200 yard Zero

Caliber & Bullet Muzzle 100 yards 200 yards 300 yards 400 yards 500 yards
30-30 150 gr. - .09" +4.4" zero -16.7" 51.1" - 110.3"
30-30 170 gr. - .09" +5.0" zero - 18.3" - 54.7" -115.4"
35 Remington 150 gr. - .09" +5.1 zero - 20.4 - 63.6" - 137.7"
35 Remington 200 gr. - .09" +6.2" zero -24.4" -74.9"
 
The .35 is still popular up in the North Woods here, and the .30-30 is popular everywhere. A .30-30 will push you around a bit less for deer hunting. There's really no wrong answer here, though. :)
 
35 remington is the one that tugs at my heart strings, but 30/30 is the one I would recommend people buy, just because of ammo cost and availability. I have a remington 141 in 35 remington, and truth be told I would rather it be chambered in 30-30 because then it would get shot a whole lot more.

One thing I wanted to add is that both of these cartridges are under loaded quite a bit in factory form if you were shooting a strong modern action like a handi rifle, an encore, or a bolt action. The 35 rem in particular could be brought up to a whole mother level of performance. I have a 358 yeti AR15 and the 35 rem loaded to modern pressures would be its ballistic twin. My yeti shoots a 180 grain speer to 2500-2600 fps from a 16” barrel. The limit on the 30-30 is that the brass is paper thin.
 
My Grandfather was born and raised in Pa. He was an avid hunter. He used a .35 Remington 14 with great success. During the Great Depression he provided meat for his family during some very hard times with that .35 and his double barrel shotgun. We never met as he died before I was born, but I bear his middle name.
 
I have them both, like them both equally.

My .30-30’s are Winchester 1894’s, my .35 is a 336 Marlin.

The Winchesters are top-ejects without the drilled-tapped receivers (like my 1894AE .44 that has a peep) so they still sport open sights, while the solid-top 336 wears a 4x scope.

Sooo, advantage .35 for me as I am more accurate shooting with the 336 .35 than I am with the open sighted Winchesters.

If you do reload the issues aren’t as big, but if you don’t the .30-30 has scads more ammo options and brands to shoot. The .35 is pretty much limited to a few different ammo manufacturers. Rifle makers, too, offer more .30-30 options than .35’s.

That being what it is, in all reality if you stay in their wheelhouse they overlap so much it’s literally 6 of one vs. a half dozen of the other as far as which is the better rifle for shorter range hunting.

Find the gun you like at a price you like and with either one, you’ll be just fine. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
My 35 is a Contender carbine.I load Hornady 180 grain SSP bullets for it.They're meant for the 14 inch Contender,with a pointed spitzer profile,and the ballistics that go along with it.The whole package weigs a little over 5 pounds,and yes,it's a single shot,but it's better than factory 35's or 30WCF.The 30-30 has killed the most deer of any cartridge in the US,but it's a short range setup for the most part.They have their place,and a lever gun will always be something I like.
 
someguy2800 said:
One thing I wanted to add is that both of these cartridges are under loaded quite a bit in factory form if you were shooting a strong modern action like a handi rifle, an encore, or a bolt action. The 35 rem in particular could be brought up to a whole mother level of performance. I have a 358 yeti AR15 and the 35 rem loaded to modern pressures would be its ballistic twin. My yeti shoots a 180 grain speer to 2500-2600 fps from a 16” barrel. The limit on the 30-30 is that the brass is paper thin.
Click to expand...

At one time Remington offered a model 7 in 35 Remington. Thats a 35 I would love to own. And yes both rounds are underloaded. I have loaded up 30-30 to more modern loads and tried them briefly but found brass only last at most two reloadings before it split. The 35 on the other hand can be pushed harder so you are getting 2100fps with a 200gr bullet and some on the marlinowners forum are loading even hotter than that. And its safe to do in a modern rifle. I wish the Marlin had of made the 35 rem 336 rifles with Ballard rifling. The 35 would be a great lead bullet gun.

For a long time I didn't want a 35 Remington because I found I could load my 44mag with a 200gr bullet to 2000fps which puts it close to the 35 rem factory loads for power as long as the range isn't past 100 yards. After that the 35 has way better ballistics.
 
I had a Marlin 30AS in .30-30. It was a good rifle, but left me underwhelmed. A Winchester 94 weighs less. But so does a little Marlin 1894, and I prefer that in .357 Magnum to either in .30-30. I’ve only seen a couple of .35 Remingtons ever, and I can’t imagine it being very popular in the mountains and deserts out west here - people take to pistol caliber levers, some cowboys and brush hunters use the .30-30, or jump to a longer range rifle.
 
I don't they have been mentioned but Henry offers 3 35 Remington lever actions. They are all the brass framed versions. I would prefer the steel receiver myself. Mainly for a little weight savings. The brass does make a very pretty gun. I looked them up on GB and they run around the $900 mark. I would probably just hold out for an older Marlin in 35 rem if I wanted another one.

https://www.henryusa.com/henry-rifles-and-shotguns/
 
My neighbor and I have almost matching Marlin 336s. The differences are minute at best, his is a few years older and 30-30. Mine is 35Remington. Accuracy wise I seem to shoot mine more accurately since I have put in the time to handload and find a good recipe. He uses a no name fixed power scope and I have a Leupold VXIII on mine. Both Marlins will put down deer just fine if you do your part behind the trigger. While 35 Remington does perform better ballistically than 30-30, the latter is far easier to find on the shelf at stores. For that reason alone I will get a 30-30 as well.
 
someguy2800 said:
35 remington is the one that tugs at my heart strings, but 30/30 is the one I would recommend people buy, just because of ammo cost and availability. I have a remington 141 in 35 remington, and truth be told I would rather it be chambered in 30-30 because then it would get shot a whole lot more.

One thing I wanted to add is that both of these cartridges are under loaded quite a bit in factory form if you were shooting a strong modern action like a handi rifle, an encore, or a bolt action. The 35 rem in particular could be brought up to a whole mother level of performance. I have a 358 yeti AR15 and the 35 rem loaded to modern pressures would be its ballistic twin. My yeti shoots a 180 grain speer to 2500-2600 fps from a 16” barrel. The limit on the 30-30 is that the brass is paper thin.
Click to expand...
I'm running 2550 ish in my Whelen with the 180 FN.
There is no comparison between the 35 and a 30.
The 30-30 running the same velocity works well. But lacks the empathic kill that you get with a larger caliber.
 
I have a Winchester 94 and a Stevens 325B in 30-30. I have a Remington 141 pump in .35. If I'm hunting deep in the swamp I use the .35, but in all honesty, I think it's a psychological thing more than anything else. Pretty sure the 30-30 would do just as well.
 
Risky buisness said:
Sponsors of Leverguns.Com

Never having a 35 Rem, I looked around a bit and found this at Leverguns.com
From looking only at the data, it would appear the 30-30 would be a ' winner ' in some contest.
I havnt seen a deer taken with a set of data however. With the wider frontal diameter the 35 may indeed have an edge. In my area, I dont recall seeing many 35 Rem of any bullet weights for sale, so it would be a reload rifle for me, probably be a great rifle but for my use, the 30-30 would probably be MY choice




Comparing Velocity, Energy and Trajectory of the 30-30 and the 35 Remington

Velocity Comparison

Caliber & Bullet Velocity @ Muzzle 100 yards 200 yards 300 yards 400 yards 500 yards
30-30 150 gr. HP 2390 2018 1684 1398 1177 1036
30-30 170 gr. ST 2200 1895 1619 1381 1191 1061
35 Rem. 150 gr. SP 2300 1874 1506 1218 1039 934
35 Rem. 200 gr. ST 2020 1646 1335 1114 985 901
Energy Comparison

Caliber & Bullet Energy @ muzzle 100 yards 200 yards 300 yards 400 yards 500 yards
30-30 150 gr. HP 1903 1357 945 651 462 358
30-30 170 gr. ST 1827 1356 990 720 536 425
35 Rem. 150 gr. SP 1762 1170 756 494 360 261
35 Rem. 200 gr. ST 1922 1281 841 577 445 369
Trajectory Comparison with a 100 yard Zero

Caliber & Bullet Muzzle 100 yards 200 yards 300 yards 400 yards 500 yards
30-30 150 gr. HP - 0.9" zero - 8.9" -30.0" - 68.8" - 132.4"
30-30 170 gr. ST - 0.9" zero - 10" - 33.2" - 74.7" - 140.4"
35 Rem. 150 gr. SP - 0.9" zero -10.2" - 35.7" - 84.3" - 163.3"
35 Rem. 200 gr. ST - 0.9" zero - 12.4" - 42.9" - 99.6" - 188.8"

Trajectory Comparison with a 200 yard Zero

Caliber & Bullet Muzzle 100 yards 200 yards 300 yards 400 yards 500 yards
30-30 150 gr. - .09" +4.4" zero -16.7" 51.1" - 110.3"
30-30 170 gr. - .09" +5.0" zero - 18.3" - 54.7" -115.4"
35 Remington 150 gr. - .09" +5.1 zero - 20.4 - 63.6" - 137.7"
35 Remington 200 gr. - .09" +6.2" zero -24.4" -74.9"
Click to expand...
I own rifles in both calibers, the 35 may have an edge for black bear, but I doubt a deer coud tell the difference between the two.
 
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