need advice; medium caliber; lever action?

[kmrcstintn]

A few years ago I transitioned from a .30-06 bolt action that was bought on a whim (inesperienced buyer, good price, etc) which turned out to be a bad idea (stock too long for me; tempermental 03A3 action, etc); I bought one of the Marlin 336A w/scope combos and ended up very happy except for the quality of the Simmons scope; had to sell it last year to pay for a move;

since then, I have put together a shotgun combo based on an 870 (long bird barrel, short turkey barrel--doubles as an open sight slug gun for closer work, and rifled slug barrel w/ cantilever scope mount); I wanted to build on a reliable platform and have a diverse combo if I ever got into another financial snag and had to release some firearms to cover bills;

the other project is based on a Winchester Coyote Heavy Barrel in .243 Winchester (I'm still pretty fresh at rifles and my accuracy at 100 yards is so-so and hopefully this gun/caliber will help me get proficient and able to get up to speed with my firends who shoot groundhogs with their HB rifle setups);

with that background relayed...I'm seeking advice on a meduim calber that is easy to handle in the woods and be used for PA whitetail and PA bear; would another Marlin 336 in .30-30 with medium grade optics and see through mounts fill the area between the .243 and the 12 ga slug gun? would it be better to just focus on the .243 and use the slug gun for the deer and bear?

 

[countryrebel]

30-30 is a great gun,I have one,but for those whitetail I would use the 243,it is great deer getter.I know a few people that use 243 for black bear,(just came across them while hunting dear) and they had no problem using the right bullets and shot placement.

And also if you wanted a do all caliber I would get a 30-06.

 

[davera]

You could go for the Marlin 1894 in .357 or .44 magnum. I see no reason that you shouldn't fill in the gaps in your collection/armory as finely as you want.

OK since you mentioned black bear - the Marlin 336 would be my choice

 

[Avenger29]

Nothing says you have to use mediocre optics on the .30-30. The Marlin 336 is a fine gun. With Leverevolution ammunition, it is usuable out to around 300 yards. With standard ammunition, it is usuable out to around 150 yards. You might also want to pick different mounts, or even go with a scout setup.

You could get another .30-06 bolt, or one in .308, but this time, do your research and get one that you like. Savage, Remington, CZ, and Mossberg all produce good bolt action rifles at varying price points (Stay away from the Remington 710, though).

 

[mustanger98]

I agree with the recommendations for another Marlin 336 in .30-30, but me and scopes... we ain't the best of friends. I recommend ditching the scope idea- you also won't have to worry with picking out bases and rings. I recommend mounting a Williams Foolproof with target knobs on the receiver. Some guys reach on out there with apertures too... out to 1000yds with some rifles. The .30-30 with LeverEvolution ammo will be just as good at 300yds with apertures as it will be through a scope.

 

[Limey46]

I have a setup I really like, a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington with a Weaver 2.5X fixed power scope in Weaver rings. The scope/mount is about as bulletproof as they get (and nice and low and compact), and in my experience the .35 Remington kills deer, bear, and hogs quite a bit quicker than the 30-30. It's a very, very effective round.

I got lucky with the scope. It's an old model with a post-and-crosshairs reticle, all steel, that I found new in the box at a gun show. If I hadn't happened across it, I'd have used a Leupold 1-3X in the same setup.

One suggestion. Do NOT go with see-through rings. They force you to keep your eye so high to align with the scope that you can't get a good cheek weld on the stock. If you're going to go with a scope, mount it as low as you can.

 

[kmrcstintn]

forgot to mention...

had a Stephens 200 in .30-06 earlier this year...hated it/traded it; got a Remington 7600 in .30-06 after that...hated it/sold it...don't really want another .30-06 til I get really proficient as a rifle shooter...I get tossed around too much, flinch too much, and end up wasting alot of ammo and getting really pissed with my lack of improvement!

do the major 3 load alot of .35 remington since economics is a concern of mine? ie...lots of .30-30 out there and it is cheaper than other calibers...

 

[4fingermick]

I feel that you need one good bolt gun at least. A 308 or 3006 will handle stuff the 243, etc won't, but they kick. Federal now puts out milder ammo which might be an option until you are ready for the big uns. I have a 375 Big Bore Lever gun which is nice, but ammo is not always available (sometimes brass is rare!). Great bit of gear for a reloader, not so hot if you use factory rounds.

My 357 lever gun is a delight to use and gobbles up 38s.

Scopes are great but must be set up properly if they are to be reliable. I use Leupolds and it is worth financially extending yourself a little with scopes. Locktight the screws. Well set up a Leupold scope will not need touching for as long as you want to leave it on the rifle. I also have a couple of old Weaver fixed powers (2.5x and 4x). Stay away from the old variables. They are steel, but most of the internals are plastic and can't be repaired.

Watch my lips: Leupold!

What would I buy?

Bolt gun: A 243 or 308 or 3006 with a Leupold 2.5 - 8x Vari X 111 if I could afford it, otherwise a VariX1 3-9.

Lever gun: A 30-30 Marlin XLR or whatever they call the new shiny ones with the long Bbl and laminated stock with a VariX111 1.5-4 id I could afford it. If not with a Leupold VariX1 2-7 or 3-9.

Set and forget. Both will outlast you given a bit of care.

My hunting lever guns are: 92s in 25/20 and 32/20, 30/30 Winchester Classic (26"octangular Bbl, occasional feel good hunter, not used seriously), Wet weather/crawl through the blackberries/brambles gun: 375Big Bore with a Lyman reciever sight, business lever: Marlin 444S with a Leupold Vari X111 1.5-4 scope.

I'd rather have a good cheap rifle with a really good scope and mounts than a really good expensive rifle with cheap scope and mounts.

The rifle generally will work, the cheap scope is another thing altogether.

 

[Limey46]

Yeah, the big three make .35 Remington, and I've found it to be pretty widely available.

I second the "buy a good scope" advice. When in doubt, think Leupold.

 

[DogBonz]

Stay with the 30-30

or as others have said, get a 1894 in 44mag. The 44 would be good deer/ bear medicine out of a pistol. In a carbine, it is great for deer/ bear and will probably weigh 2-3 pounds less then a bolt or shotgun, and the deer/ bear will not be able to tell the difference. I really like the lever guns for woods huntin and/ or stalking because they are light and nimble, and you probably will not be taking any shots over 150 yards if even half that distance.

 

[Z_Infidel]

Go with a 336 in .30-30 or one of the new models in .308 Marlin for more power and distance. I don't scope my leverguns but if you decide to, then I advise against using see-through mounts for reasons already stated above. A Leupold VXII 1-4X mounted low wouldn't be a bad choice. But if you really want to take advantage of the handling characteristics of a lever gun, consider mounting a good aperture sight such as the XS Ghost Ring set.

 

[mustanger98]

With a good set of apertures- Williams or Lyman- you don't have to worry about how much you would have spent on that Leupold scope... AND you can shoot just as far and just as accurately.

 

[minutemen1776]

had a Stephens 200 in .30-06 earlier this year...hated it/traded it; got a Remington 7600 in .30-06 after that...hated it/sold it...don't really want another .30-06 til I get really proficient as a rifle shooter...I get tossed around too much, flinch too much, and end up wasting alot of ammo and getting really pissed with my lack of improvement!

From the description of your experience with the .30-06, I'd surmise that you have an aversion to hard-kicking rifle cartridges in relatively lightweight guns. That's OK if you do--I feel the same way. If so, I'd stick to your .243 for deer and use your slug gun for bear. If you're like me, those slugs still kick hard, but the perception or recoil is just different from that of a rifle.

 

[mustanger98]

There's also a difference between .30-06 recoil from that lightweight sporter vs .30-06 recoil from a M1 Garand or '03/'03A3 or M1917.

 

[redneck2]

As already suggested, dump the see thru mounts. They're worse than awful.

As for recoil, it's way dependent on stock design, rifle weight, and particularly on the recoil pad. I've got a lever 45-70 with a Pachmyr pad, and the recoil is pretty tame.

If you like lever actions, you might think about one of the older 99 Savages in something like .300 Savage or .308. I gotta think a quick handling Savage .300 lever with a 1.5-6 or 2x7 would be about perfect for the deer woods. If we could use rifles for deer here, I'd have one in a heartbeat.

Also as suggested the .30-30 should be fine.

 

[hqmhqm]

I got a rear brass aperture sight for my Marlin 1894C, from this fellow

http://skinnersights.com/

and I couldn't be happier. I can hit clays on the berm at 50 yards very reliably offhand. The only issue is that I need to get a higher front sight now. But this thing is
remarkably accurate, given how bad a shot I am.

 

[mustanger98]

My old Winchester .30-30 is wearing a Lyman #2 tang sight and I can hit clay birds on the 100yd berm reliably. I also have the Williams Foolproof I'm always talking about and it's every bit as good a sight as the Lyman, plus it has the advantage of micrometer clicks. The 1894 Marlin .357 is wearing a Williams 5D and it'll hit clay birds at 100yds too.