Buying aLever Action

v-king

v-king

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Location
Maple Ridge, BC
Im looking to buy a 3030 lever action rifle. I know the old pre 64 Wins and Marlins were great but Im only looking at a brand new Marlin 336 and Mossberg 464. I found them both at the same price. The mossberg is here so I actually had a look at it today but the marlin would have to be shipped. I hear that the Marlin is a better gun but since the Remington took over couple years ago, the quality went down the ####ter. On the other hand the Mossberg when it come out in 2008 was pretty rough but the new ones are great including the one I handled today. It looked really nice.

Whats your experience or opinion?
 
Probably not what you want to hear but you answered your own question. Get a nice pre64 winchester or pre-remington marlin. They are of far superior quality to a remlin or mossberg. My vote is for the 94 but you cant go wrong and it really comes down to preference. Wouldnt shell out a dime for a new 30.30. Why, might i ask, are you only looking at brand new?
 
Also what you don't want to hear... buy a Henry... NOW...

P.S - I don't actually own a Henry .30/30, but I have shot them many times... I own four Henry rimfire levers and two Big Boys in .357 and .44 Mag... They are all sweet shooters.
 
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My vote goes for the Marlin. The new ones have been getting better and even if its not perfect they are rediculously simple to take apart and hone down the rough edges and polish a few pieces. Then you have a new Marlin that will feel "close" to the actual marlins and you can have it now. Wood to metal fit is a whole other ball of wax to fix on your own, but it might be fine as is.

Now I'm sure someone will chime in and say "why would I buy a gun that has to be worked on right out of the box?!"
Well, because if you wanted something that was ready to go out of the box and perfect, you would go buy a good 94 or a Henry or a good used Marlin. But you will pay a premium for it. Not too many others like the Marlin that can be had as cheap as they are and still be worked on easily in your own shop.

My $0.02, And for reference I own a 336 30-30, a 1895GS, as well as a few model 94's both pre and post 64. For what it's worth, my next 30-30 will be a Henry.
 
I went around town today looking at 3030 levers. I handled the Moss 464 ($459) again and even though it looks great I passed on it because of the lever safety. You have to squeeze the finger lever loop to fire. It felt very awkward. Italian had a Henry for $699. It looked and felt nice and really solid but I like the checkered, pistol grip stock so I had to pass (plus the price difference is significant). There also was a marlin 336BL ($529) there. I didn't like the short barrel but as far as the fit and finish go, the rifle looked great. So, I decided on a Marlin 336W with the 20" barrel. It has all the features I wanted and I thing Remington has already resolved all their quality issues and Im expecting a great rifle.

PS. The Italian has a 1963 Marlin 336ss with octagon barrel there for $799. It's in good shape for the age but a little to rough looking for my liking.
 
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Its here and it looks great. Fastest shipping ever. I put the order through on thursday and it was delivered to my door today (monday)


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I just bought a new 1895 SBL 45/70 and was also worried about the horror stories . But mine is mint the action is much smoother than my buddy's Henry and the sights were even spot on out of the box . Fit and finish is good also . Beautiful piece
 
hoytcanon said:
Also what you don't want to hear... buy a Henry... NOW...
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Firstly, I am a former Henry owner. In 2011, I was NOT happy with the Marlin quality and took the advice of a buddy and bought a Henry in Saskatoon. I started a thread about the popped primers in that rifle. Yup - popped primers, pushed out of the primer pocket - factory ammo. So Cabelas (Edmonton) took it back without hesitation. Got another one and it too popped the primers. I thought WTF, two chance coincidences do not happen like that.proceeded to buy a set of headspace gauges for the 30-30. That rifle failed the field gauge, closed nicely. The rifle was returned. At the store, I opened three other brand new rifle boxes and tested the headspace. ALL failed the field gauge. I tested a Marlin. It would not close on a NOGO - go figure, but the sights were crooked on it. I eventually found a Henry 30-30 with the Ghost ring sights. It closed marginally on a NOGO, but could not get used to those gaudy sights and were not legal for SASS - so I sold.

Still Missing my 30-30, I contacted DelDelins. They sent me a beautiful Marlin with straight sights - a 2012 model. It is awesome and a heck of a shooter. The Henry was also a good shooter, but I could also not get used to the tube loading.

Hope you enjoy your Marlin. I run cast in mine, and love it!
 
The new Winchester Model 94's are the best they have ever produced. They are made in the Miroku plant and the fit and finish are superior to the pre-64's. On the downside, they do come with a tang safety switch and they are a lot more expensive.
 
v-king said:
I went around town today looking at 3030 levers. I handled the Moss 464 ($459) again and even though it looks great I passed on it because of the lever safety. You have to squeeze the finger lever loop to fire. It felt very awkward. Italian had a Henry for $699. It looked and felt nice and really solid but I like the checkered, pistol grip stock so I had to pass (plus the price difference is significant). There also was a marlin 336BL ($529) there. I didn't like the short barrel but as far as the fit and finish go, the rifle looked great. So, I decided on a Marlin 336W with the 20" barrel. It has all the features I wanted and I thing Remington has already resolved all their quality issues and Im expecting a great rifle.

PS. The Italian has a 1963 Marlin 336ss with octagon barrel there for $799. It's in good shape for the age but a little to rough looking for my liking.
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You're going to pay more for any of those new than you will for a pre 64 and in the end you won't have as good a rifle.

Drive over to Reliable and talk to them. See if they have any old Winchesters or know of any.
 
sobo4303 said:
Firstly, I am a former Henry owner. In 2011, I was NOT happy with the Marlin quality and took the advice of a buddy and bought a Henry in Saskatoon. I started a thread about the popped primers in that rifle. Yup - popped primers, pushed out of the primer pocket - factory ammo. So Cabelas (Edmonton) took it back without hesitation. Got another one and it too popped the primers. I thought WTF, two chance coincidences do not happen like that.proceeded to buy a set of headspace gauges for the 30-30. That rifle failed the field gauge, closed nicely. The rifle was returned. At the store, I opened three other brand new rifle boxes and tested the headspace. ALL failed the field gauge. I tested a Marlin. It would not close on a NOGO - go figure, but the sights were crooked on it. I eventually found a Henry 30-30 with the Ghost ring sights. It closed marginally on a NOGO, but could not get used to those gaudy sights and were not legal for SASS - so I sold.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that you have had bad luck... I absolutely love my six Henry rifles and I have friends with a dozen or so more... none of us have had any problems whatsoever.
 
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