Why Do some guys bad mouth the .30-30?

[Geno]

Next rifle = pre-64 model 94

The next rifle I want to purchase is a pre-64 model 94. I actually prefer to find one that was made around 1940, and is in original condition, with close to 95 to 99% of original finish. I also want the original box and papers. Do I ask too much? Basically, I am looking for a never-been-fired (or little) wall-hanger.

Doc2005

 

[blgoode]

well...I am a proud owner of my own 336 C in .30-30

Light enough, fast to ready and any gun that can cut a middle sized finger tree in half at 30 yards with iron sights is a great brush gun.

If I plan on a 200 yard shot....I'd pack another cun and caliber all together so this tool does what its designed for GREAT!

 

[mustanger98]

Light enough, fast to ready and any gun that can cut a middle sized finger tree in half at 30 yards with iron sights is a great brush gun.

If I plan on a 200 yard shot....I'd pack another cun and caliber all together so this tool does what its designed for GREAT!

Yeah, it's great it'll do that, but any bullet that hits a tree or limb is gonna get some deflection. Other than that, I think you're selling your rifle short. That rifle and Remington CoreLokts should be good to 200yds. I do think this partly depends on whether you're using the factory notch rear sight vs. a Lyman or Williams aperture. That last buck I shot with my Winchester, I had the wide aperture in the Lyman #2 tang sight and that shot was out near 100yds. My Winchester or your Marlin... either one is good to at least twice that.

That said, if I know I'll possibly have to make a 300yd shot, I figure that'll be a job for my No.4Mk2 Enfield or the Garand.

 

[blgoode]

I think your right....been doing some comparing of numbers and even around 200 yards, this round aint too shabby

 

[joonia]

I didn't read but three replies. I love my 30.30. It has it's uses and it has it's faults. If you want a good 150 max rifle that is cheap to maintain, it is the gun for you. Mine is a 70's Sears and roebuck (aka winchester) With the straight style stock, no pistol grip. (I forgot the correct term). I impress myself with this gun opensighted. They almost shoot themselves. Maybe I like it so much because I inherited it and have other rifles to compare it to. But I sure can't knock it. I hope You get what is best for you.....GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[Mark8252]

30-30

Most of the ranchers I know here in Colorado use a 30-30 for virtually everything...and open sighted at that. Just like their fathers and grandfathers did. They laugh at the hunter tourists that think they need super calibers to kill deer and elk.
Does require some skill though.

 

[Mark8252]

30-30

Did not mean to post twice. Deleted this one

 

[4sooth]

30-30 Ackley Improved

I have had good luck with my 336 which is rechambered for 30-30 Ackley Improved.

Loading a Barnes X bullet made for the lever guns(150gr. flat point) and 30 grs. of IMR 3031 I get 2200 fps which duplicates factory ammo. It is spectacular on hogs!! Most of them drop on the spot and just quiver briefly!

100 yd groups run around 2 inches plus using a 2.5x5 scope with thick crosshairs.My brother has it at his farm and I probably will have to go get it to use it again!!!

Factory ammo still works fine and it fireforms the brass for the reloading process.

By careful handloading I can get 2600fps plus with 150 grain bullets.I don't load the Barnes any hotter than factory because they do so well at the lower velocities I saw no need to go higher.

By simply rechambering for the Ackley cartridge you can achieve the new .308 velocities without buying a new gun(however this is not necessarily bad!!)

 

[AStone]

With 134 posts, and 5,063 views, this thread DWARFS
any other current rifle country thread except one sticky.

I've said it once, I'll say it again:
.30-30 rules, which is why some guys bad mouth it.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

The Winchester model 94 30-30 is one comfortable gun to shoot bar none. Shoots great and damn accurate to boot, hard to argue that point. The ballistics to kill game with a 150/170 grain bullet speak for itself and if you are halfway intelligent you don't need anyone or anything else to base your opinions with or on. Dependable the 94 is without a doubt. Who in their right mind needs a magnum anyways if you live on the east coast for deer hunting. Yes for shooting targets at long distance, no for deer hunting. Dear magnum owner ask yourself this question.
#1 How much does your ammunition cost if you don't reload.
#2 Where is the practical use in that magnum you have?

I know this is a free country

 

[Z_Infidel]

I now own two Marlin leverguns in .30-30, and the rifles give me a versatile combination. Sure, I also have a bolt action .30-06, but that is mostly because I just like to shoot it. My .30-30s are my "go-to" guns for everything larger than a rabbit, which my 1894 Cowboy in .357 Mag handles quite nicely.

I have a 336XLR and a 336C that I just got back from a gunsmith. The XLR is scoped an has become my "go anywhere do anything despite the weather and light conditions" gun, and the 336C is now a very quick handling, very accurate little carbine. I'm confident in the XLR out past 150 yards, and the 336C out to about 75-100 with ghost ring sights. Overall, I enjoy shooting the .30-30 and the rifles I have offer good utility and are very accurate. The 336C took some work to get there, but it was worth it. The XLR was that way right out of the box.

 

[JohnKSa]

I wish they'd come out with a version of the XLR that has a shorter barrel.

I love the stainless steel and the laminate stock, but the barrel seems a bit long for a levergun (at least for my tastes.)

I'd buy one and have it shortened, but those things are expensive enough that I don't want to buy one with the express idea of spending MORE money on it.

 

[McCall911]

Why do some guys bad mouth the .30-30?

If some guys do this, all I can say is that they're just plain ignorant.

The .30-30 is arguably the best, most useful cartridge ever developed for a lever action rifle! (Bold letters mean you can write it in stone. )

It has even been used in bolt action rifles. Why it still isn't offered in bolt guns is beyond me (assuming it isn't.)

 

[AStone]

I wish they'd come out with a version of the XLR that has a shorter barrel.

JohnkSa, I'm in that camp, too.

I've looked at the XLR's repeatedly at the gun shop. They're beautiful guns, well crafted, clearly got Marlin quality written all over them.

I also understand their motivation for the 24" barrel: they're trying to extend the range with LR ammo, and the best way to do that (ostensibly) is to lengthen the barrel. (I'm going to assume there's some folders in Marlin's and Hornady's file cabinets with trial data from prototypes with various barrel lengths to back that up.)

But for right now, I'm like you: that 24" just feels and looks long for a lever gun. It doesn't have the same balance feeling for me as a 336. And, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm actually leaning towards a carbine length (more like Z_Infidel's modified 336C) than a longer barrel.

Having said that, in handling 336's repeatedly (and lustfully ) over the last couple of months (while waiting for the finances to improve enough to actually buy one), I've come to feel more comfortable with their 20" barrel, and wonder - when all is said and done - if I'll actually have one cut down to 18". We'll see.

Plus, I am strongly considering selling my .22 LR bolt gun and replacing it with a Marlin 39A, which has that 24" barrel (even if the 39A is overall shorter than my current bolt gun which has a shorter barrel).

So, who knows: I may well wind up with an XLR someday, but if so it'll be in addition to a 336, not instead of it.

(... and an 1895G in .45/70, and a ... )

 

[mustanger98]

I also understand their motivation for the 24" barrel: they're trying to extend the range with LR ammo, and the best way to do that (ostensibly) is to lengthen the barrel. (I'm going to assume there's some folders in Marlin's and Hornady's file cabinets with trial data from prototypes with various barrel lengths to back that up.)

But for right now, I'm like you: that 24" just feels and looks long for a lever gun. It doesn't have the same balance feeling for me as a 336. And, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm actually leaning towards a carbine length (more like Z_Infidel's modified 336C) than a longer barrel.

Thinking back to the 1870's, I recall seeing guns from that era with longer barrels... some looked like 26", 28", even 30" on a levergun. IIRC, the 1876 and 1886 models (bigbores) had the longer of the leverguns' barrels. However, that was back when they were dealing with black powder and they thought you had to have the long barrel to get the accuracy. With modern smokeless powders, I hear 'em talk about matching the barrel length to the powder's charge weight and burn rate. For a modern .30-30 we can get away with a 16" barrel to 100yds in heavy brush, but may well get the optimal performance with a 24" barrel. That said, my Winchester's 20" barrel ain't slouching a bit.

So, who knows: I may well wind up with an XLR someday, but if so it'll be in addition to a 336, not instead of it.

I'm agreeing because it seems there's a place for all of 'em.

 

[Yellowtail3]

Why do some bad-mouth the 30-30? Because they've made decisions based on ballistic tables, rather than results in the field.

I did that. I finally got a 30-30 a year ago, during 2006 deer season. I've owned/hunted with 30-06, 270, muzzleloaders, and shotgun. I have to say... if I'd started with the Marlin 25 years ago, I'd have stayed with it. My experience is that deer drop faster hit by the 30-30, than by my old 270 - maybe I just shoot the Marlin better. It has PLENTY of power for deer at likely ranges; those who think otherwise, aren't near as smart as they think they are. I hunt in the woods, have never shot anything past about 90-100 yards; I feel confident with the 30-30 to around to my 200 or so (whether I ought to be taking a shot that far is another story).

I put a 1.75-4 Bushnell Trophy on it; works great. Easy to carry - good trigger (better than either Savage I owned) - low recoil/muzzle blast - and it it kills the deer dead. Of the 8 deer killed with the 30-30, I have lost one. The shot was offhand with me breathing hard carrying climber uphill, deer facing me - should have waited or passed on the shot - and I couldn't find him afterward. Found him a couple days later; I just looked the wrong direction. Gutshot - not the rifle's fault.

One buck hit through lungs ran a loop for about fifty yards; a doe hit a little far back limped a few yards, lay down, and was dispatched with a neck shot. Last week, a 5-pt snuck up behind my stand; I turned, he bolted, and I decided to take a whack at him. I fired four shots as he departed, him him once through lungs and another grazed throat; he trotted unsteadily out into the clearcut and dropped.

Every other deer I've shot with the 30-30, has dropped RIGHT NOW and gone nowhere. A 300 WinMag or 30-06 or whatever wouldn't have done any better; all would have been louder, booted me harder, cost more to shoot, and been uglier than Miss Marlin.

I'm keeping her!

 

[Blue Brick]

Gee....maybe I should get a 30-30.

 

[SSN Vet]

because they don't own one.... and rather than broaden their horizons or just live and let live.... they bad mouth some one elses stuff as being "old fashion" or "week"

 

[brvheart]

Why do some bad-mouth the 30-30? Because they've made decisions based on ballistic tables, rather than results in the field.

I did that. I finally got a 30-30 a year ago, during 2006 deer season. I've owned/hunted with 30-06, 270, muzzleloaders, and shotgun. I have to say... if I'd started with the Marlin 25 years ago, I'd have stayed with it. My experience is that deer drop faster hit by the 30-30, than by my old 270 - maybe I just shoot the Marlin better. It has PLENTY of power for deer at likely ranges; those who think otherwise, aren't near as smart as they think they are. I hunt in the woods, have never shot anything past about 90-100 yards; I feel confident with the 30-30 to around to my 200 or so (whether I ought to be taking a shot that far is another story).

I put a 1.75-4 Bushnell Trophy on it; works great. Easy to carry - good trigger (better than either Savage I owned) - low recoil/muzzle blast - and it it kills the deer dead. Of the 8 deer killed with the 30-30, I have lost one. The shot was offhand with me breathing hard carrying climber uphill, deer facing me - should have waited or passed on the shot - and I couldn't find him afterward. Found him a couple days later; I just looked the wrong direction. Gutshot - not the rifle's fault.

One buck hit through lungs ran a loop for about fifty yards; a doe hit a little far back limped a few yards, lay down, and was dispatched with a neck shot. Last week, a 5-pt snuck up behind my stand; I turned, he bolted, and I decided to take a whack at him. I fired four shots as he departed, him him once through lungs and another grazed throat; he trotted unsteadily out into the clearcut and dropped.

Every other deer I've shot with the 30-30, has dropped RIGHT NOW and gone nowhere. A 300 WinMag or 30-06 or whatever wouldn't have done any better; all would have been louder, booted me harder, cost more to shoot, and been uglier than Miss Marlin.

I'm keeping her!

Amen brother!

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Nothing wrong with the 30/30 but Bigger is better fever.

 

[Schleprok62]

I never did understand the mentality of calling the 30-30 "too weak" for deer... Seems to me, that the 30-30 is the caliber of choice in Alaska by guides. (I read that somewhere on THR and a few other forums). I know a guy who hunts Elk with a Marlin 336C in New Mexico... it's the only rifle he owns (so he says). For bear?? Well, what exactly did they hunt bear with back in the 1800's??? You know, before all the hoot-falootin' whiz-bang super-duper short magnums were even embryonic in the gun makers proverbial womb?? Oh wait, the 30-06 wasn't invented yet either... nor was the .308 Win, or the 7mm Rem Magnum... closest thing behind the 30WCF was the 30-40 Krag... When did Mausers begin to show up on this side of the Atlantic?? (honest question, I have no idea, never really looked into it) So...

To say that a 30-30 can't be used for bear is like saying a spatula shouldn't be used to flip eggs or pancakes...

Anyone who is halfway knowledgeable about firearms and hunting knows it's more about shot placement than the cartridge used... granted, someone with any amount of common sense would not use a 22lr for Grizzly or Kodiac... DUH!!!! no brainer there, huh?? But the 30-30 is capable of doing so... When the newer cartridges came along, of course the poor ol' 30-30 got back-burnered... but to say it's too feeble is way off the mark...

I love my pre-crossbolt safety 336C w/walnut stock... ~~~

 

[Spartan2112]

I see this is an old thread but still going - good. I'm going to echo the sentiment that many people are stuck on the bigger, faster, newer kick. So I do wonder why someone would disrespect a versatile and affordable round that can be found in virtually anyplace that sells ammo - even during a "shortage crisis"?

A well-placed shot with a 30-30 is capable of taking almost any medium to large game in North America. Mind you - I would like something a little more hard hitting for dangerous game - but sometimes a little more "equality" between the hunter and the hunted forces we tool-using apes to use our highly-developed and under-used brains a bit more - and that is a good thing.

Some may point to it's shorter effective range compared to the various magnums and the like, but let's face it - most medium to large game hunting usually ends up with shots well within it's effective range.

Since felt recoil is substantially less then the magnums, one can make a quicker and probably more accurate follow-up shot if needed.

We have an old Marlin 336 in the family that's on it's third generation of hunters, and in a few more years will probably be on it's fourth when the great grandkids of the original owner shoulder it and draw a bead on a whitetail. 'Nufsed.

 

[Clipper]

If I were going to buy a Marlin (UGH!) I'd never consider a 30-30 while there was a .35rem available. Yes, I've had a couple 30-30s, and while they're OK, the .35 is a superior round for the ranges both are used at. As for the 336, I have not had one, though I've handled and shot them, and I'm not wild about their look and feel, which is why I prefer my old Remington 141 pump in .35.

 

[Slamfire]

I wish they chambered the thing in 30-40 Krag, (because I could use heavier bullets) but the 30-30 is adequate.

All of the deer I shot were under 50 yards, so it is not like I need a 500 Super Duper magnum around here.

 

[JTH]

Maybe it's the price of ammo, back a few years ago before just about everything went through the roof in price. 30-30 ammo quite pricey compared to 7.62x39 ammo. Where I live close to the Hill country of Texas the deer don't get much bigger than a large dog in weight, the 30-30 will dispatch pretty much anything in this area. Also many like their bolt action cannons. IMHO.
JTEX