Teach me about leverguns...

[moooose102]

i own 2 lever guns, a Glenfeild (cheaper version of a marlin) 30-30 and a marlin 1895g 45-70. i love shooting both. the 30-30 is a lot of fun to shoot, period. the ONLY thing i didnt like about it was the trigger pull. i modified it myself and it is improved (much shorter pull, but still to heavy). i have shot a couple of deer with it, and my wife ended up hunting with it about 10 years ago, and wont give it back. she shot an 8 point, and 2 more with an outstanding shot, killing 2 deer with one shot (not on purpose) (good thing i had a doe permit!) @ roughly 250 yards! the 45-70 has MUCH more power! and it kicks like it. i just bought this one this summer, and am hunting with it currently. i wont shoot anything over 150 yards, as i havent had much practice with it, and i dont know what to expect yet. you can read as much as you want. but there is no substitute for hands on experience. if you want to shoot further than 200 yards, the Browning BLR comes in magnum calibers. LEVER GUNS? I LOVE'EM!

 

[wanderinwalker]

Gotta have a levergun! Around here, if you haven't hunted with a .30-30 or .32 Special at some point, then you're not a true YANKEE! (j/k at you Wolfgang )

I have a Marlin 1894 in .44 Magnum with a Williams reciever sight. This is one of my all-around favorite rifles. I can plink with it, teach new shooters with it and carry it hunting (at least for another couple of weeks here). Vary the load and it is incredibly versatile.

Loaded with my plinking load of 200gr RNFP and 8.5gr of W231 in a .44 Magnum case, it is a big-time blast to shoot all day at the range. It would even make a passable small-game gun IMO, though maybe a bit much.

Loaded with 240gr XTPs at full-tilt boogie (~1600-1700 fps) it makes a credible deer gun out to 100 yards or even just a bit further. The Magnums also make the trajectory "flat enough" to hit the 200-yard gong at the range, though holdover and sight picture take a pinch of judgment.

Honestly, I like it so much I've considered a 336 .30-30 as a pure hunting gun, just for the extra reach of the .30-30 round. But I love this .44 so much it's hard to put it aside for something else.

 

[qajaq59]

I suppose ill have to throw in a vote for any of the ol 99 savages.

Someday I'll find one of those 99s for the right price and buy it. I've shot them and they are Really Nice......

 

[M-58]

My one any only lever gun is a pre-war Savage model 99 in 300 Savage. The 1st time I fired it I put 5 shots onto paper that could be covered by a quarter at 50 yards with open sights, standing offhand. They do not build rifles that way anymore! I lusted for one for years, but all the ones that crossed my path were pretty ratty looking, however I lucked into a pristine one a couple of years ago at a friends gunshop. Mike was selling off a couple of model 99 from an older collector and I was able to get the pick of the litter.
I've been tempted to pick up a sweet Marlin 30-30 a time or two, but never did.

 

[jacobhh]

I like the Winchesters.

LtoR 1897 '73 in 44-40, 1952 '94 in .32 spcl., 1970 '94 in 30-30 and a
1998 '94AE in .307. I reload for them all. The .32 is the most fun and
the .307 the most accurate.

 

[Lazuris]

I like to up to the desert and tool around a bit up there. I always bring my marlin 1894 in .44 along with my super blackhawk in .44 as well. Its just a ton of fun having a throw back to the old days and they are a blast to shoot. I load my .44's to a nice medium load i use 15.5-16 grains of 2400 pushing a 240g jsp. That way i'm not loading my marlin with my warmer ruger only loads.

 

[TnBigBore]

If you keep your eyes open at gunbroker and auctionarms etc you should be able to find a good used Marlin 1894 44 Mag or 357 for $350 or less. That is not much more than a good used 336. If you dont intend to hunt much the 1894 will probabally suit your needs better. They have greater magazine capacity, shorter lever throw and are lighter/handier overall. I have owned dozens of Marlins, Savage 99s and Winchester lever guns. I love them all. If you give them a chance, you will love them.

 

[DPris]

Keep in mind, if you do handload for the .30-30, brass life is shorter than some other calibers, and I'd personally be leery of using range-pickup cases.
Denis

 

[TFin04]

Good information on the brass, thank you.

Most of what I have I know is once fired. Some of it is from the bin and those are sorted in a different spot.

Does anyone have ballistic data on 30-30 vs. 357 from a 20" lever gun? The pistol caliber carbines are sounding more and more promising with each reply to this thread.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Ballistic Data?

I don't have comparative data at my fingertips, although I have scanned it in the past.

Basically, the .30-30 is a solid hitter a full hundred yards farther out than the .357 -- especially if you're using Hornady ammo.

Where you might reliably take deer-sized game with a .357 carbine at 100 yards, you could take that same deer at 200 with the .30-30 (reliably).

The .357 carbine can certainly do the job at 150 yards (and this is reasonable simply because the .357 revolver has been effective out that far). However, the .30-30 can be effective past 250 yards.

If you take a look at the cartridges, this is certainly not a mystery.

With the .357 carbine you give up some range and gain some versatility and economy.

 

[TFin04]

Thank you. That is good information.

The main purpose of this gun is for backpacking in Montana and South Dakota (bear is my concern), blasting at the range a bit and maybe eventually killing a few deer. I don't deer hunt currently but I would like the option to with this gun in the future.

We shot my friend's dad's Winchester 94 today. What a blast to shoot. I'll be buying a Marlin 336 soon I think, and the 94 was given to my friend. Methinks we will be properly armed while tromping through the woods.

I'd love to shoot 38spl through one of these guns, but the price of the gun is just too steep. Unless I stumble on a good deal used, I'll just go with a 336 in 30-30.