30/30 Marlins and Winchesters

sealhunter said:
In todays world of the high velocity, super accurate rifles, the 30/30 is often looked over. Not too many people are going into the gunshop and buying a 30/30 as their first rifle. It seems more people who once owned them are buying them again, maybe from nostalgia... and a select few buying them because they know what they want, and it's a 30/30

What are your thoughts on this cartridge. Not in comparison to a 300wsm, but on it's own, by itself, ...

I have used a 30/30 Marlin for many years and it is my go to gun. I have bang flopped many animals with it and have never lost a big game animal while using it.

I strongly believe that a 30/30 is a great first gun, beginners gun and all round hunter for anyone.

God bless the 30/30
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Its awesome, low recoil, easy to reload, love cast .311 sized bullets with GC, BHN 16 Hardness for optimum expansion @ 1900 ish fps
Even got match brass,
The marlin is tougher, but heavier than the winny, I like peep sights on these guns, very fast. Accuracy is perfect for where it was intended. Can't say much is wrong with this setup at all.....
 
I had promised my 30-30 to my nephew but when push came to shove I gave him my 303 savage instead , just couldn't part with the 30-30 , it's just a 30as Marlin but it shoots like a dream and is amazingly accurate with my reloads or anything else I feed it.
 
savage also used to make a PUMP in 30-30- far inferior to any of the levers, and marketed by cil at one time- i haven't seen a semi-auto in that caliber yet
 
t-star said:
savage also used to make a PUMP in 30-30- far inferior to any of the levers, and marketed by cil at one time- i haven't seen a semi-auto in that caliber yet
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This is as close as you'll get. It's a Remington Model 8, chambered for the .30 Remington. It's simply a rimless .30-30 to feed in a semi auto.
rem8-3.jpg

AMO30REM.jpg
 
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i have at least five levers two 94 30/30 s two marlins one 35 cal. one canadian centenial 30/30 never fired and one 9422m in 22mag. never lost a big game animalwith one yet . great bush guns . malcolm
 
I really want a Marlin lever gun :( Undecided between .30-30 and .45-70 though. Definitely peep sights. Either would be a wonderful choice for black bear over baits where ranges are measured in feet instead of yards.
 
Just picked up a Marlin 336 in 30-30 from Cabelas for $450. Luckily I stopped in there on the last day of their sale. Beautiful gun. It feels great and the one I shot was great. It will now be my "backup/bush/if a friend needs a gun" gun. There will be no scope added, because my levers weren't meant for that.
 
The 30-30 will do just fine for the vast majority of deer hunters in North American who are willing to keep their shots at 200 yards or less. As newer, more powerful cartridges were introduced over the past 100 years, the mentality developed that bigger, more powerful is better. There is no doubt that a 50 BMG shooting soft points or, better still a 30 mm cannon, will kill a deer more thoroughly than a 30-30, but the 30-30 will save a lot more meat. All my hunting over the past 20 years has been with old cartridges, including the 30-30. This past fall, I took two Whitetail bucks on Manitoulin Island with a 30-30, shooting 150 grain cast lead bullets at 2,200 fps. Both were one-shot kills. For a report, see http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=289187&highlight=Manitoulin
 
While I have not hunted much with the venerable 30-30, I have several close friends who hunt with lever actions, mostly 30-30's, but one is an older M94 in 38-55. I have nothing but respect for these rifles/chamberings. Within their limitations, they are lethal and handy to carry. They look good. They are easy on the shooter, and the relatively slow, heavier softpoint bullets penetrate well and expand reliably. What more could you ask for? Unless your shooting area/style keeps you outside of 250 yards, the 30-30 will do everything you ask it to. A handier, close-in rifle has yet to be made. Equipped with a larger aperture sight, these are quick to get on target too. As has been mentioned, we hear little about them because most of the guys who own them are hunters, not gunnuts. They know what works for them, and are good at capitalizing on that fact. Regards, Eagleye.
 
Levi Garrett said:
Thats an awesome shooting stick right there, your grandfather must have some great stories about his time in the field with it....
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Actually, he had a shell jam in it two years ago costing him a deer. He hasnt used it since, lol.

More then likely he just prefers his 308 due to the scope on it (his eyes just arent the same as they used to be). I know hes taken many a deer with it though, it was his go to dogging gun for many, many years.
 
My father's hierloom to me....

MD said:
An old friend gave me his 1956 Winchester Model 94 in March.

I took the barrel mounted leaf sight off and put a Williams receiver sight on and out of three shots at 100 yards, got two in the same hole.

This is the best '94 I've got. My 1927 and 1974 models don't shoot like that.

I'm waiting for a Williams fire sight front sight for my old Marlin 336 and I'm going to try that with a peep sight too.
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The one and only deer rifle my dad bought brand new was a 30-30 Winchester Model 94 Carbine, purchased IIRC in 1966 at the CFB Shearwater Canex store, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. (this carbine was made in 1956)
This was a big deal for him, as an immigrant from Belgium in the 50's, whose teenage years were in occupied Belgium during WWII.
This rifle personified his mental image of a free man, exploring the New World, and leaving the Old World, with it's fresh memories of a bloody world war behind him.

Unfortuneately my dad never harvested a deer with it, but it was carefully taken care of, and after he passed away, I luckily inherited it.

I changed the rear sight for a Williams Foolproof peep, ( a blanking slot was carefully slid into place) and a Fire-Site optical bead in the front.

Dropped the biggest whitetail buck I ever shot on 22 November 2005@ 09:00 here in Cold Lake.

A single silvertip 150 grain factory bullet did the nasty deed pronto....:cool:
As you can surmise this rifle/cartridge combination, has sentimental value to myself.
 
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I have a bolt 30-06 but also have a Savage 99c in 308 that is looking like my go to deer rifle. I also have a Marlin Glenfield 30-30 and a Winnie 94 in 38-55. Seems I am going to be busy working up loads for all of these as well as my 223. The hunters come first though. Scoped the 99c and Williams peep on the Marlin. FWIW the iron sights on the 94 (made in 1900) are real easy for me to use and is actually fairly accurate with these old eyes. I bet it would be hard to find very many of us on this site that do not have a 30-30 or closely related lever somewhere. FYI Wallys has 150gr Wincheste SuperX for $14.85 a box.
 
So... of all you you that love the 30-30 how many use it as their main rifle??

Gauging what I have seen in the field I would say very few.


I have a NEF 30-30. It's taken a few deer either by mine or others hands. One time it shot a whitetail doe at 70 yards, then as fast as it could be reloaded a mule buck at just under 200 yards.
 
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