BerettaBob
Member
Thanks for the suggestions. Keep it up!
Marlin 30-30 or Norinco SKS
- Thread starter BerettaBob
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monkyboy1975
Member
The North Haven plant was closed & the experienced guys that built them were given their walking papers. Production then moved to Illion NY.They haven't been built right since.
I agree with 35Whelen. Buy the Marlin, it is a great bargain at $300. Brand new marlins will run you at least $400 plus shipping and ffl transfer fees. And this are great prices online. Everyone should have a lever action in their inventory. On the plus side they also make a great truck gun.
T.R.
Member
The SKS was designed as a battle rifle. Plan to acheive 4 inch groups at 100 yards with WOLF ammo. However, Winchester soft tip ammo is more accurate and certainly adequate for taking deer.
Marlin's lever gun will easily group inside 2 inches. The 30-30 cartridge hits harder, too. Especially when one compares the 170 grain bullet to the SKS 123 grain bullet. Yet this difference means nothing to the deer hunter. Deer are not armor-plated at all.
TR
Marlin's lever gun will easily group inside 2 inches. The 30-30 cartridge hits harder, too. Especially when one compares the 170 grain bullet to the SKS 123 grain bullet. Yet this difference means nothing to the deer hunter. Deer are not armor-plated at all.
TR
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35 Whelen
Member
A little off the subject, but do yo actually own a TechSight? I do and can tell you for certain that if they're installed properly, they will hold their zero.
35W
Older Marlin 336 all the way...
The SKS is a good fun gun / SHTF rifle. The firing pin does not have a return spring so cleaning out the channel on a semi-regular basis is a good idea to prevent crud from building up which can lead to slam fires. I believe there is an ability to retrofit a spring to prevent this from happening in the first place, but good idea to keep these parts clean as a general rule.
The Yugo's with the gas cutoff button for the grenade launcher attachment, makes an interesting option. You can turn the rifle into a single shot, "bolt action like" gun. Not sure if groups will improve, never tested it, but an interesting option to play around with none the less. Most Yugo's don't have chrome lined bores.
The Marlin as a general rule will be more accurate and a better hunting rifle. Sounds like your choice was made for you... $375 is still a good price all else being equal where I'm from.
The SKS is a good fun gun / SHTF rifle. The firing pin does not have a return spring so cleaning out the channel on a semi-regular basis is a good idea to prevent crud from building up which can lead to slam fires. I believe there is an ability to retrofit a spring to prevent this from happening in the first place, but good idea to keep these parts clean as a general rule.
The Yugo's with the gas cutoff button for the grenade launcher attachment, makes an interesting option. You can turn the rifle into a single shot, "bolt action like" gun. Not sure if groups will improve, never tested it, but an interesting option to play around with none the less. Most Yugo's don't have chrome lined bores.
The Marlin as a general rule will be more accurate and a better hunting rifle. Sounds like your choice was made for you... $375 is still a good price all else being equal where I'm from.
i could never get on the SKS bandwagon. They are rugged, reliable rifles...but feel like they are filled with cement and balance like a 2x4. I think everyone should get a 7.62x39 for plinking/tossing in the truck bed. I'm still working on tracking down an AK (or even an SKS at an unbeatable price) to keep for just in case situations.
The problem is that once I got an AR and found that it'll feed cheap Tula steel case all day long, the NEED for a 7.62x39 fell to the back burner. Cheap ammo, cheap mags, plenty of parts, etc. I already have a Marlin 30-30
I had an old Marlin .35 Remington, but I don't hunt and it was too expensive to feed. I actually bought *gasp* a NEW 336 budget model and it does NOT lock up OR explode when I try to shoot it
So far, about 200 rounds through it and smooth as silk. I like my Hillbilly AK, as the 336 is sometimes called. It's a fun gun to shoot, easy to pack around, points well, it's accurate, and basically indestructible with even the most marginal of care. 30-30 is always on the shelves. Even in the ammo drought a couple years ago. .223, 9mm, .45acp, x39, etc. Everyone was stocking up for the perceived gun-grab. Trusty ol' 30-30 lined the shelves.
A rugged Marlin 336 is a great all around plinker/SHTF/hunting rifle.
The problem is that once I got an AR and found that it'll feed cheap Tula steel case all day long, the NEED for a 7.62x39 fell to the back burner. Cheap ammo, cheap mags, plenty of parts, etc. I already have a Marlin 30-30
I had an old Marlin .35 Remington, but I don't hunt and it was too expensive to feed. I actually bought *gasp* a NEW 336 budget model and it does NOT lock up OR explode when I try to shoot it
So far, about 200 rounds through it and smooth as silk. I like my Hillbilly AK, as the 336 is sometimes called. It's a fun gun to shoot, easy to pack around, points well, it's accurate, and basically indestructible with even the most marginal of care. 30-30 is always on the shelves. Even in the ammo drought a couple years ago. .223, 9mm, .45acp, x39, etc. Everyone was stocking up for the perceived gun-grab. Trusty ol' 30-30 lined the shelves.A rugged Marlin 336 is a great all around plinker/SHTF/hunting rifle.
lefteyedom
Member
Get a good old Marlin and be done with it.
SKS, AK, AR, M1s M1A are all fun but not as cost effect of a deer rifle as the 336..
SKS, AK, AR, M1s M1A are all fun but not as cost effect of a deer rifle as the 336..
razorback2003
Member
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Marlin 30-30 is a good gun and easy to clean because you can pull the bolt out. Easier than a Winchester to clean. You could, if you had to, use a 30-30 with the right ammo for about any game animal in North America. Soviet 7.62 is a little light for black bear. Chinese SKS is stamped vs Marlin 30-30 is forged. I had a chinese sks, but the quality to me was not there. I bought it for less than 100 dollars quite some time ago. I sold it. I still have my 30-30. I would have a hard time paying 300 for a chinese SKS. 100-200 is about how much they are really worth.
USAF_Vet
Member
I got my Norinco SKS pre-bubbafied for $260 with two mags. They actually gave me $15 off since one of the mags was junk. My FIL has an older Marlin 30-30 lever gun, not a fan.
I got my Hungarian M44 for $150.
I got my Hungarian M44 for $150.
MuleRyder
Member
I have a Ruskie SKS, and a Marlin .35 Rem pre-safety built early 80s. The Marlin would be my pick for deer hunting. IMO the .35 Rem is a superior deer caliber to the .30-30. The SKS is fun for plinking and would be a good SHTF carbine, but a terrible choice for deer. Marlins are excellent fast handling rifles and are easy to field strip for cleaning. I'm saddened to hear of the poor quality rifles that are made today.
Ignition Override
Member
For those of you who also have used a fully-adjustable (the version with vertical and hor.) Tech Sight on an SKS, how does this influence the comparison?
mgkdrgn
Member
I'll betcha dollars to donuts that the SKS ammo is light ball corrosive military surplus (not really suitable for hunting, and in some places not legal for hunting) and the 30-30 was boxer primed soft/hollow point hunting ammunition. Not exactly an apples to oranges comparison.Hey y'all, I was in my local gun shop the other day and I found two rifles that sparked my curiosity. One was a used Norinco SKS for $250 and the other was a brand new Marlin 336 for $300. I'd be using the rifle for plinking initially and possibly as a deer rifle in the future. As far as ammo goes I can get a 20rds of 7.62x39 for $4.99 or 20rds of 30-30 Win for about $15.00. So if the price of ammo was a deciding factor I'd be set.I was just curious as to which one y'all would recommend. Thanks in advance for your answers.
P.S. I'm also a bit weary of buying Chinese over American. As you can tell by my name I don't mind weapons from over seas, but I'm not sold on the giant "MADE IN CHINA" stamp thats on the reciever.
IMHO, the Marlin 30-30 is a better choice for a "hunter" ... but I know there is some question of the quality of build on the newer ones. I mainly deal in used guns, so have not seen any newer ones to compare. Plenty of them out there .. just look around a bit.
d2wing
Member
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- Nov 10, 2008
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The SKS will be longer and heavier a little awkward compared to the Marlin. The Marlin will have more power and recoil.Ammo as you know is cheaper for the SKS. Most likely the Marlin will have a warrantee and be more accurate. For the money I'd go With the Marlin but either would be ok.
35 Whelen
Member
Exactly. A few years ago I bought three Yugo SKS's for "around the house" guns for use in plinking, shooting at marauding coyotes, etc. While reasonably accurate (2" - 3" after glass bedding) and 100% reliable, eventually I realized that they're about the same size as a Garand yet fire a cartridge with a fraction of the range of the ol' 30-06. So I'll soon be selling my SKS's to fund the purchase of a Saiga 20" 7.62x39.
35W
Scrumbag
Member
Maybe the SKS. You can tune it up as you see fit and the ammo is cheap for practise. There is some good ammo for hunting out there 7.62x39. For hunting, you will only need a box or two a year realistically so the savings are there.
Might well be a project of mine, a "refined" SKS with timberline stock and sit down to work out how to get an optic. Maybe a long relief magnifying red dot might be the answer. With a Tapco mag mod, could be very versatile...
Might well be a project of mine, a "refined" SKS with timberline stock and sit down to work out how to get an optic. Maybe a long relief magnifying red dot might be the answer. With a Tapco mag mod, could be very versatile...
In my opinion, a mid sixties marlin 30-30 is worth the $375. My neighbor has one from the sixties and it is truly a beauty. I've never shot a new one but I've checked them out at my local shop. The action felt pretty tight but the fit and finish of everything was pretty horrible.
Virg461
Member
Well, I own both and love both. Different guns, and as someone put it very succinctly, the SKS is a plinker that you can hunt with and the Marlin is a hunter you can plink with.
That said...I do like the toys I buy to improve in value. I bought my Norinco in the 90's for $89 when they were importing them by the crate. It's worth maybe $250 now. My father bought the Marlin about the same time for around $300. It's now worth.....about $300.
Not saying that the Norinco is going to go much higher, but my guess is Marlin 336's will still be made in the US of A when it's time for me to buy my grandkid one (I'm 40 now). Fine guns, everyone should own one. But they're not going anywere. SKS's, or any other "evil" gun, I'm not sure you can say the same thing about. At the very least, they spike in value every time a Democrat takes office. Something to consider.
That said...I do like the toys I buy to improve in value. I bought my Norinco in the 90's for $89 when they were importing them by the crate. It's worth maybe $250 now. My father bought the Marlin about the same time for around $300. It's now worth.....about $300.
Not saying that the Norinco is going to go much higher, but my guess is Marlin 336's will still be made in the US of A when it's time for me to buy my grandkid one (I'm 40 now). Fine guns, everyone should own one. But they're not going anywere. SKS's, or any other "evil" gun, I'm not sure you can say the same thing about. At the very least, they spike in value every time a Democrat takes office. Something to consider.
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