30-30 afficionados

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The 94's just feel right. 197 gr. home cast rounds loaded to about 2000 fps, makes for a very versatile rifle round. Get one and don't look back, i bet it'll become one of your favorites. Let us know what you decide!
 
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I can't see scoping a handy lever gun, so...

A .44 Marlin 1894 will do anything I'd want from it out as far as I'd shoot with irons; it's handier and, with the original bolt design intact, a more elegant firearm than the 336 (which is a fine rifle, just modernized).

Like .357, .44 is easy as anything to load and get good accuracy from the little rifle, and OT hardcast bullets work great. .30-30 is no easier to reload than .270; .44 is something I can whip out a bunch and go shoot. With a lever gun, I use a little bit more ammo than a boltie.:)

I'm all for lever guns. I'm just not as excited about a necked rifle cartridge in one, as I am about the KISS .44 with a good-sized holepuncher load. Or a .357 1894C, which owners damn near fall in love with.

There's a lot to be said for the Marlin .22 levers, also...:)
 
I love 44 mag levers. I need one BADLY:D I used to have a winchester 94 trapper in .357 mag but sold it. Nice little gun.
 
As a relative noob, I've come to LOVE lever guns. They've been relatively cheap on the used market, at least for me. Winchester made a bazillion post '64 Model 94's, and you can find them for around $200 on the used market. I have two of them, and just bought a Marlin 336. I'm looking to buy another .30-30 pretty soon.

I really want one in .357 magnum though. I'm looking at the Marlin 1894C, although I'd love to have a Winchester 94 Trails End in .357 mag with the large loop lever.
 
Hi Armedbear, thanks for your thoughts. I'd go for a .357 over a .44 cause that's what I have already. I'd love a .357 levergun one day. Ps, the .270 reloading is coming along great. I loaded some 150 gr nosler partitions and put 3 shots into a tiny bit more than one hole at 100 yards.
 
nothing like a Marlin 336 in 30 30...... light and handy..... quick follow up shots if a whole herd of sumthin needs shootin'..... and the 30 30 round itself is man enuff to stop most any wild game that needs shootin....
 
Marlin 1894c the smile maker. Everyone who shoots mine turns around with a smile on their face. I'll have a .30-30 someday too. But I reload the .357 magnums to stout levels as it is. This is a can't go wrong decision. Buy a lever gun in any caliber and go shoot.
 
Get a bolt gun in 06or .308 and then a lever gun in 30-30. Everything else in .22 long rifle and you'll have a nice, inexpensive little budget arsenal.

I would love to have an AR15 but I don't feel undergunned with my 336 in the least.
 
jerkface11
It is a full stock proto-type my gunsmith made for the Marlin 30-30.
In Oct, will have one for the .44mag + 45-70 made in fancy wood.Will post pictures.
 
Lever guns are easy to learn to use.

They are easy to fire repeated shots fairly quickly.

Very good pointing guns, they fit just about everyone.

Not excessively complicated or prone to breakage.

I own a lot of guns that I would pass over to get to my 30-30 in an emergency. Probably in the top 1/3 of my go to guns.
 
I bought one made the same year I was born, just for nostagia and curiosity. The quality was pretty good back then...and it's in better shape than me. I love the fact that in a time of limited ammo availability, a carton of primers and a nice set of bullet molds can keep a small amount of .30-30 brass going for a long time. I load reduced lead bullet loads for the .30-30 and shoot in my back yard (I have about 70 yards max). The cost is low, and the fun is high, and the little ladies don't get wapped by recoil; they love it too. With the new selection of high performance ammo and bullets, the .30-30 is much more versatile than it used to be, shooting flatter and hitting harder with the right ammo. Throw in the durability, reliability, and proven track record, and the fact that it has and will take 95% of the game on this continent (unless you're hunting the big bears), it ought to do!
 
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