Lever gun caliber

[Buck13]

I'm itching to get a lever gun, pretty much as a range toy since I don't think hunting is going to rise to the top of my "to do" list any time soon. I haven't shot a lever gun in years, but had a Marlin 39A as a kid, which unfortunately I let my dad sell about 10 years ago.

I was focused on the idea of a Rossi 92, since I already reload .357 and .44, but looking on Armslist, there are so many .30-30s available (some with usable scopes for essentially no extra money) that I'm reconsidering.

Overlooking the cost of getting new dies and reloading supplies, anyone want to make a case for one of these calibers over another? The ranges I usually visit only go to 100 yards, so longer shooting is probably not going to be a frequent thing.

 

[Jackal]

30-30 has more power and factory ammo is more expensive. .357 holds more rounds in the magazine, between 8-12. 30-30 will kick a little more and be slightly louder. .357 has the ability to fire .38's, which drops the noise/recoil factor down to near .22 levels. For a plinker, with the option of 100 meter hunting, the .357 wins all day, just has too much versatility not to.

 

[bigfatdave]

"Range toy" means .22lr to me, maybe .22wmr.
A .22lr levergun will be able to take .22shorts, generally. LOTS of fun, and great for new shooters.

For centerfire, if you reload, .357 seems close to ideal.

 

[jmr40]

You need a 22. If on a budget and if you have no interest in long term value the Henry is a solid gun. One of the Marlin, Browning, or Winchesters will cost a lot more, be much better finished and will retain value over the long term and be a gun you'll proudly pass down to the grandkids one day.

 

[hipoint]

I have one of the henry's, pretty fun little gun. I don't like how they're made, but have had zero issues, so my complaints are purely hypothetical.

I paid MSRP for mine and wish that I hadn't, they're not worth 300 bucks, if you can find one for 200 or so, would be great, but for 300, I wish I had added a little more and just bought the marlin.

again, if you can get a good deal on one, the henry's are great but I personally don't think they're worth the whole MSRP.

back to the original question though... I'd go with the .357 WAY more versatility, decent for a short range hunter, if you already reload for it, then cheap to shoot... AND, I've always wanted a levergun/revolver combo! Don't get me wrong, I love my .30-30's but would swap them off in a minute for a .357. I AM NOT A FAN OF ROSSI, I've never owned one of their leverguns, but I've been hurt twice by two different taurus revolvers and the only rossi I ever owned was so far overbored I either had to swap it off or start casting my own oversize bullets for it that would have been dangerous in any other gun in that caliber (.45 colt)

 

[Don McDowell]

For just plain fun shooting it doesn't get much better than a 22. The Henry's are good little outfits, and the good ol standby Marlin 39 needs no talking points.
The 30-30 is a good cartridge for low cost shooting, offers low recoil,good accuracy, and the ability to take on big game hunting should you decide to give that a try.

 

[Furncliff]

I've been contemplating adding a 30-30 to my Marlin 357/38 also. Stopping me is : 357 is cheaper and easier to reload, can be loaded to near 30-30 velocity and the rifle is noticeably lighter.

For a plinker the pistol caliber lever actions are just about perfect.

 

[Buck13]

I do reload, so I believe I can make .30-30 that has about as little recoil as I could want. I don't currently cast, but I have a couple hundred pounds of usable lead (needs a little tin added for best results). Six months ago I was resistant to the idea of casting, but it is growing on me, like a toxic mold!

A shooting buddy has a nice .22 rifle that I might get to shoot once in a while, and even from my handguns I find .22LR to be a little too light to be completely satisfying, except for the exotic versions like Remington Viper, so I'm sticking with centerfire for this rifle.

 

[Esoxchaser]

My little Browning BL22 is one of my favorite firearms of all.

 

[BCRider]

Even if you reload the bullets and powder for the .30-30 will cost you more than the .357 option. And since you're reloading already it would be a pretty much seamless addition.

But we don't always do things because they make sense. So if you desire the bigger shoulder thump of the .30-30 compared to the other options or are looking for a rifle round to get into which you can use on some other gun options then go for it.

On the other hand for range day giggles a .22LR Henry and one of the flip up then reset rimfire steel targets can make for a lot of fun. And for playing out at longer distances the basic and least expensive Henry H001 receiver has a dovetail rail on top to accept a basic little rimfire scope. Mostly you'd do this at 25 to 50 yards. 100 yard shooting is still very much possible and with the .22LR it can be an interesting challenge to read the wind and get in the sort of practice you want for longer shots with center fire rifles.

The handgun caliber Rossi or Marlin sounds like a happy option too since you already reload for them. And in this case due to the modest BC's of the bullets shooting to 100 yards is still going to have some trajectory challenge. Which can be fun if that's your thing.

If you do go for a Rossi the two I've personally had contact with did OK right out of the box. But they were rather stiff and gritty feeling. And since both my friend and myself were using them for cowboy action shooting I did action jobs to both. I learned on mine so when I did hers it was only a couple of hours of work and one time into the rifle. I installed a spring kit and basically deburred the rest of the stuff and chamfered the spring collar for the ejector. This all makes the Rossi run like a fresh caught fish on a wet cutting board. And it's pretty easy so even if you have to get a smith to do the work you're only looking at a 1 to 1.5 hours of shop time for someone trained at this sort of stuff.

Doing the action work for a plinker IS worth it. The rifle is so slick when it's done that it handles like some fancy custom rig.

Older pistol caliber Marlins are also an option. But even a used Marlin in decent condition will run you more than a new Rossi with the slicking up work tacked on. But being an older Marlin they WILL hold their value.

 

[Buck13]

I guess one issue is: accuracy is fun. Without a lot of careful load development, is a used Marlin .30-30 likely to shoot tighter than a new Rossi 92 .357, or is that a crap-shoot?

There is (or was yesterday) a .30-30 for sale with the see-through scope mounts for using the iron sights as well. The tax on buying a new gun would buy the dies for the .30-30, so this is pretty close to a free scope. I've never used that kind of mount. Does that work well, or is the scope too high?

 

[Don McDowell]

Those see thru mounts put the scope pretty high , especially on a rifle that was designed with the drop in the stock to be used with iron sights.

 

[CraigC]

I can't see buying a .30-30 as just a range toy. Seems to me that if it ain't gonna be a .22LR, the .357 is a better choice.

 

[Don McDowell]

Shooting cast bullets in the 30-30 and using powders noted for being good for cast bullets, the difference in cost between a 30-30 and 357 is almost negligible. 2 grs extra of unique ,bludot,2400,4227 etc, isn't going to break the bank. Not to mention the 30-30 bullets will hold up better at long range (200 yds or so) than anything you can reasonable run thru the 357.

 

[CraigC]

He said the ranges he goes to only go to 100yds. Cast bullets for the .357 are much cheaper and more plentiful than those for the .30-30. For full loads, .30cal cast bullets need a gas check, which drives up the cost. The .357 allows the use of carbide dies, which really speeds things along at the loading bench. Significant differences between the two. Within the given parameters, there's no practical advantage to the .30-30, only disadvantages.

This is not bias talking, I have three .30-30's and shoot cast bullets in all of them but no .357's.

 

[BHP FAN]

with .22 an endangered species, you can actually reload .38's for cheaper that what they are asking for .22's now...and you can't reload them.

 

[plumberroy]

113 gr bullet cast from wheel wieghts and a little unique powder make for a 30-30 load quieter than 22 high velosity rounds and minute of squirrel head out to 50 yards

 

[Don McDowell]

30-30's don't not require gas checks. 150 gr bullets take the same amount of lead no matter what diameter. The higher SD of the 30 cal bullets will be more stable and less affected by the wind , and have a "flatter" trajectory even to 100 yds,than the 35 caliber bullets.
And as the op mentioned he can find 30-30 rifles cheaper than the 357's...

 

[MrDig]

I own 4

All Marlins in 30-30, 357 mag, 44 mag, and 22LR
All are fun as hell to shoot but 44 Mag is spendy unless you reload. I took many a deer with the 30-30 and have yet to more than range shooting with the others. Of all of them if I could have only one it would probably be the 357 but none of them are for sale

 

[CraigC]

30-30's don't not require gas checks.

Full loads require gas checks.

 

[Don McDowell]

Full loads in the 357 do better with gaschecks.

 

[Eb1]

I have a few 30-30s, and I hand load. I have a load for the Speer 110 grain FNHP, Sierra 125 grain FNHP, 150 grain WW PowerPoint, and the 170 grain Hornady FN and 170 grain Speer Hot Point.

My favorite is the Sierra 125 grain FNHP because I can load them at 2150 fps, and they take deer out to 100 yards fine, zero felt recoil and the report is low. Also, my 30-30 brass has lasted me for years, and I have plenty of it.
The only issue I have with 30-30 is it being a bottle neck case. If you want a "fun" gun I'd opt for a .44 Mag or .357 Mag lever gun. They are straight walled cartridges, they are available from reputable makers with balard rifling so you shoot lead better.

• 
  Pros: 30-30
• More powerful
• able to load down
• wide range of bullets available

• Cons: 30-30
• More recoil
• More report
• bottle neck case
• There isn't a revolver that can be matched to it (maybe there is, but for all practical reasoning. A 30-30 is not a revolver cartridge)

Pistol caliber Levergun

• Pros:
• Able to take deer size game with full loads at wooded distances 10-75 yards.
• Less recoil
• Less report
• Straight walled case for hand loaders. Much easier to hand load than bottle neck rifles. (Think progressive loading for the ranges on a progressive press)
• Might be able to find a load that shoots good in your revolver and rifle.
• Holds more ammo
• Shorter (generally)
• User less powder
• Better with lead bullets

Cons:

• Not as powerful as the 30-30
• Not as good for hunting (opinion here. A .44 Mag is a great medium game hunter, but not past 125-150 yards. The 30-30 is a good 250 yard deer cartridge.)

So depending on what you want, and you said "Fun" gun. I'd opt for a .44 Mag 92 from Rossi. As much as I am a Marlin fanboy. I am saving to buy me a .44 Mag 92 that is stainless to match my Stainless Ruger Black Hawk.

I can load cheaper and faster for the .44 Lever gun. Makes more sense to me for a "Fun" gun at the range. Although shooting those 110 grain FNHP from a 30-30 at 2400 fps sure make for a coyote killing carbine, and the 125 grain FNHP from a 30-30 at 2500 fps makes for a deer stomping hunting round.


Hard decision. I am glad I have my 30-30s as it makes it easier for me. .22 CAL lever would be nice, but bullets are hard to come by these days.

 

[skoro]

I'm itching to get a lever gun, pretty much as a range toy since I don't think hunting is going to rise to the top of my "to do" list any time soon.

Like you, I'm not a hunter. I picked up a Henry in 22wmr and couldn't be happier. It'll plink and punch paper just fine while extending your range considerably over 22lr.

 

[hatt]

There's always the .35 Rem. Can reload with 357 bullets.

 

[witchhunter]

I bought a Browning 92 in .357. It was great fun at the range, it just didn't meet my needs in the woods. I might add that the sights were not target quality on the Browning B92, I don't know about the Rossi or others though. The OP said he wanted a range gun, that .357 would be great for that. However the 30/30 will probably be more accurate. I still think everyone should own a 30/30. Shoot em both if you can and then decide.