How difficult is to find a used Marlin (or Win) lever 30-30 with a 24" barrel???

[saturno_v]

Hello Guys


I already own a very common 20" barrel Marlin 336 in 30-30.
How hard is to find a 24" barrel (or even longer) Marlin lever rifle in the same caliber??
My understading is that they made some, but I never saw one yet at gun shops and shows here in WA. Are they very rare in general??
If I find one (I do not care if the barrel is octagonal or round, the year of manufacturing or the exact model) what is a fair price for a good specimen??
It commands a premium over the shorter barrel versions??
Around my area, a 20" barrel model 336 or a model 30 in good conditions goes for $200-275, a bit more if is in pristine shape.

What about a Winchester with a 24" (or longer) barrel in 30-30???
Easier to find?? Average prices for a good one??

I personally prefer Marlin because the side ejection port (easier to scope) and because their action is overall stronger.

Does some small manufacturer still produce a 30-30 lever with a long barrel?? All the new Marlins, Winchesters and Mossbergs, as all of you know, are available only with the short 20".

Thanks for the info!!!


Regards

 

[ugaarguy]

Does some small manufacturer still produce a 30-30 lever with a long barrel?? All the new Marlins, Winchesters and Mossbergs, as all of you know, are available only with the short 20".

The 24" bbl 308 MXLR, originally introduced for the .308 Marlin Express, is now available as the 336 XLR in .30-30 Win. and .35 Rem.

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/xlr/336.asp

 

[woof]

Why? You gain nothing ballistically in going from 20 to 24 with a .30-30.

 

[MMCSRET]

Marlin 336A has a 24". I have 2, 1 ea. in 32 Special and 30-30. My 32 is unique in that it was sold as a package with a K-2.5 in Buehler mounts in 1949, second year of production for 336.

 

[saturno_v]

Why? You gain nothing ballistically in going from 20 to 24 with a .30-30.

It seems that you lose a bit of speed with the shorter barrel.
I did talk with the technicians at Hodgdon and Hornady and they all confirmed that for their loadings...they told me to discount their published velocity figures quite a bit if you shoot with a 20" barrel.

 

[MMCSRET]

My personal experience tells me to tailor my loads to the barrel length. Consider a slightly slower powder for the longer barrel. I find that one of the 4895's will perform slightly better in the longer barrel than the all time favorite IMR3031, which is superb in a 20" barrel. Just my personal opinion, which every body has a constitutional right to hear.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Why? You gain nothing ballistically in going from 20 to 24 with a .30-30.

If you quote loading manuals or ammo manufacturers published velocities this statement is technically true, as all this data is quoted for 24" barrels. This data from a 20" barrel is a pipe dream

So the catch 22 is that you lose a great deal ballistically shooting a 20" 30-30

I've chronied loads from a 20" Savage340 that were almost 200 fps slower than the manufacturers claim

Of course this point is moot because 9 out of 10 interweb experts agree 30-30's are only good for "brush bustin" whatever the heck that means

I like the longer barreled marlins for the increase in preformance and the increase in accuracy you get from a 4" longer sight radius