my renewed love affair with the .30-30!

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

I always read that the .30-30 wasn't adequate for deer sized game

Oh dear I hope you are joking there Hunterdad. More white tail, Mule deer, blacktail, Elk, Carabou, and even MOOSE has been taken with the 30/30 than any other calibre on the planet.

 

[AStone]

Great to see this thread here. Add my name to the ranks that sing the praises of the .30-30.

Ianobles and all other .30-30 fans, I invite you to come join us in the 336 club where we spin many tales about (and deer tails with) .30-30. Yeah, it's a Marlin thread, but it's as much about the cartridge.

Y'all come. Just click on "levers" in my sig line and you'll be there.

Nem

 

[The Bushmaster]

I'm afraid they wouldn't like a Winchester fan...

 

[AStone]

We have nothing at all against Winchester fans. We've often welcomed them to come discuss the differences and similarities in the rifles. It's all .30-30, and that's what counts.

It may be the 336 club, but all are welcome, whether they own a 336 or not.

Nem

 

[esheato]

Put it this way....the 30-30 is so awesome, it shot the legs right off this stag.

 

[Hunterdad]

Of course I'm kidding. I've just read countless threads on how deer have been shot with a .30-30 and have simply walked away. My Marlin is the first thing I grab when I'm in rifle country.

 

[1911Tuner]

More white tail, Mule deer, blacktail, Elk, Carabou, and even MOOSE has been taken with the 30/30 than any other calibre on the planet.

That distinction probably belongs to the .44-40/.44 WCF...but the old thutty-thutty sure ain't far behind.

I've been saying for years that the .30-30 doesn't get nearly the respect that it deserves, especially when mated to its perfect partner...a light, fast-handling lever-action carbine. Some things just seem to fall together and work on the first try. This is one of those.

 

[qajaq59]

Nahhhh, 30-30s can't kill anything......All those deer that have DRT in Maine over the last 100+ years just happened to die of a sudden heart attack when they saw the hunters!!!!

 

[Supertac45]

It'll do the job. Savage 99 carbine in .30-.30 made in 1937.

 

[336A]

I don't know how anyone can not love the .30-30 and the lever action rifles that it is chambered for. I was given a Marlin 336CS when I turned 17 to deer hunt with. I then got caught up in magnumitus a year later and sold it to finance my purchase of a 7mm mag Boy oh boy did I ever have a tough time working through the recoil of that thing. The more hunting and time I spent out in the woods the more I realized that I was really handicapping myself with that long barreled heavy bolt gun. Most of my hunting is done in broken terrain, hardwoods, and thick pine groves where shots seldom reach 200yd.

After putting this in perspective for my self I started thinking about what rifle and cartridge fit the following criteria.

1. what is accurate and yet has enough muscle to put down deer out to 200yards.?

2. Has moderate recoil and inexpensive yet readily available ammo?

3. Light quick to shoulder and fast handleing in the woods?

That is when it suddenly dawned on me that I needed another Marlin 30-30. It has not let me down once in the last 8 hunting seaons and is now my go to hunting rifle period. This rifle also led to my purchase of 2 other leverguns
The lever action and the 30-30 along with the other traditional cartridges puts the hunt back into hunting.

 

[T.R.]

Ever wonder a 30-30 bullet really does to chest organs? I suggest go to UTube and browse through 30-30 short video clips. In a few episodes, you can watch a pumpkin, cantaloupe, and watermelon destroyed by 30-30. This damage is replicated within the animal's chest whether deer, elk, moose, bear, etc.

Clearly, 30-30 is a keeper!

TR

This is my 1979 vintage Glenfield carbine by Marlin with Simmons 2.5X - 8X scope. Muley buck taken in western South Dakota on public land.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

I agree the old 30WCF is a great ol' round in the field, even if on paper it looks like a 25ACP on a self defense web forum.

 

[The Bushmaster]

HGUNHNTR...Are you saying that the venerable .30 WCF is inaccurate? Well damn!! I need to start all over in my reloading/gun (mancave) room.

Winchester Mod 94 manufactured in 1948-49. Three round spread at 100 yards...1 5/8" with "iron sights".

The cartridge...Winchester or Remington case. 32 grains of W-748. CCI-200 primer. 170 grain Speer hotcore Flatnose (HCFN). Muzzle velocity: 2050 fps (+/- a couple).

The lever guns are more accurate then most hunters.

 

[B-LazyS]

I shoot a Model 94 that Granddad bought used for $15.00 in 1937. In 70-odd years of hard service it has yet to misfire, and it will still shoot out the bottom of a Coca-Cola can at 100 yards if I do my part. It’s been a loyal and reliable friend to me for twenty years, and to my granddad for fifty before that. I can’t think of much else in my life that’s been as faithful as that old Winchester.

 

[bgeddes]

Hunterdad beat me to it.

All the gun rags and web-experts have bad mouthed the 30-30 for years. Lately I've heard everything from .270 and .30-06 to the 7mm calibers are no longer capable of a responsible deer harvest.

What are the deer now more ballistically hardened? They fail to fall to a wimpy .270, .308 or .30-30?

It must be true I read it on the internet: You have to use a .321 double super magnum improved caliber to get a flat high speed uber accurate kill shot on that whitetail 525 yards out.

I guess there would be nothing to write about nor much reason for everyone to go get that new rifle if the gun your great-grandfather bought used for $11.50 still takes deer in 90% of the North American hunting grounds.

Hurray for the .30-30 Lever guns, living history.

 

[The Bushmaster]

"I can't think of much else in my life that's been as faithful as that old Winchester."

Well said!!

 

[steel shooter]

Many years ago I traded my Marlin 336 for an Ithaca Deerslayer.Dumb mistake.I miss that Marlin.I do have a T/C Contender 14" in 30-30 that I shoot in I.H.M.S.A. silhouettes with a scope . I love shooting that gun.My best score so far is 38 out of 40 targets.That 40x40 still alludes me.I use a 165 gr cast bullet and shoot out to 200 meters and it probably shoots better than I can hold it.59 year old eyes and not enough practice doesn't help much

 

[qajaq59]

shoots better than I can hold it.59 year old eyes

Just wait until you're 71. I can't see well enough with the peep sight on my Win 94 to get really good groups anymore. ( Although I'm still good enough to drop a hog.) But I just can't get myself to put an ugly scope on it either. However, I like shooting it anyway. Sometimes you just find a gun that is "Right for you." That's mine.

 

[SleazyRider]

I, too, have recently "rediscovered" by Winchester 94 30-30. When my eyes got old a few years back, I went to scoped bolt-action rifles as I could not bring myself around to mounting a side scope on my rifle. So a few days ago I sent for a set of Williams FP sights that mount in the two threaded holes on the left side of the receiver. Can't wait for the Big Brown Truck of Happiness to pull into my driveway in a few more days.

BTW, Ginder Mountain has 30-30 ammo on sale this week for $7.99 a box after rebates so I stocked up.

I'm still hankerin' for a 336, though, but with a walnut stock (336C?). Are these still being made?

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Still on the Marlin site so I am assuming they are still in production as of now.
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/centerfire/336C.asp

 

[sleepyone]

yes, the Marlin 336C is still being made. Mine got replaced with premium furniture after they had it for six months on a warranty repair. Now I am almost afraid to take it out of the safe! See for yourself. Sometimes it pays to be patient with warranty repairs!

 

[SleazyRider]

I've been looking for one for a while now, and the closest I could get was a 336W, which I believe has a maple stock (and scope), at Dick's; and a 336 stainless steel/walnut at Ginder Mountain. I would prefer to use a scope of my own choosing and I really like walnut, so I'm loathe to settle on something that isn't exactly what I want. May have to resort to buying one on GunBroker. Any opinions on the 336 stainless?

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

I personally like stainless because I hunt in foul weather a LOT and fully breaking down a stock and cleaning all the little hidden spots on a blued barrel is a pain in the rear. I was looking around and did find a couple of used 336c's in what looked in the pictures to be in pretty good shape but all my resources online are out of stock at the moment in the new ones. If you want shoot me a PM and Ill send you the links I found for a couple of used ones.

Edit note, I did find a dealer here in Illinois with some in stock. Price shown is $490.58 but I am sure they will add transfer fee's and such. This state sucks big time as far as bleeding us dry on tax's for our RIGHT to own and bear arms!

 

[SleazyRider]

PM sent.

I'm a traditional blued-and-walnut kind of guy (does that make me a geezer?), but I hear that stainless 336 calling me.

 

[AStone]

...the closest I could get was a 336W, which I believe has a maple stock...

SleazyRider, the wood on the A and W is birch. (I bought the A because it had birch, which although not as beautiful, is tougher wood by a small margin. It also makes me less concerned about wear and tear.)

(Added by edit: Thanks to Freedom Fighter for correcting my mistake
about the furniture on 336C. It is walnut, not maple.)

Sleepyone, that is fine looking furniture on your W.