357 or 30-30 lever action

frogger said:
I have owned and shot deer with a marlin 336 in 3030. My go to lever now is a browning BLR in 308. INHO it is far superior to the 3030. Might be another contender for you to consider.
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Idk if .308 has enough recoil to cause a concern about having spitzer pointed bullets resting tip to primer in the tube magazine, but I do know 30/30 does. It's why they are swc or flat nosed. Most .38 is lead round nose, but I don't think they can generate enough recoil for that to be a problem. .357 REM MAG, however would most likely also be a concern recoil wise, but most of that is also swc or flat nosed.

OP, if you own a revolver chambered for .357, I would urge you in that direction. It's nice to have the same caliber in your rifle as the gun on your hip (.45 Colt historically). But if the lever is used for hunting, 30/30 has been taking deer in North America since its inception in 1895. It's a great round.
 
Painkillers said:
Idk if .308 has enough recoil to cause a concern about having spitzer pointed bullets resting tip to primer in the tube magazine, but I do know 30/30 does. It's why they are swc or flat nosed. Most .38 is lead round nose, but I don't think they can generate enough recoil for that to be a problem. .357 REM MAG, however would most likely also be a concern recoil wise, but most of that is also swc or flat nosed.

OP, if you own a revolver chambered for .357, I would urge you in that direction. It's nice to have the same caliber in your rifle as the gun on your hip (.45 Colt historically). But if the lever is used for hunting, 30/30 has been taking deer in North America since its inception in 1895. It's a great round.
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Ummm... Do you know what a BLR is?
Please don't offer advice if you're not 100% sure what you're talking about.

As to the same caliber, pistol & carbine, yes, that is very convenient.
 
The 30WCF is more versatile and for deer hunting it killed and buried the 38-40 and 44-40.

Unless you reload the 357 will be cheaper to shoot.

The 357 will be more "fun" if shooting with kids.
 
Mr.Rigpig said:
Ummm... Do you know what a BLR is?
Please don't offer advice if you're not 100% sure what you're talking about.

As to the same caliber, pistol & carbine, yes, that is very convenient.
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Where did the OP mention a Browning?

"Hi folks, I'm looking at my options for a lever action. I'd love to have some real world experience from you folks with either a 357 or a 30-30. Ideally, I can hunt deer close range with it, we have thick brush around here. But I also want to just have some fun. Whats the better route to go trying to achieve both of those aims; is one a better hybrid than the other? Thanks!" [OP post #1]

So, he's asking about calibers for a lever action, not makes and models of rifle. You want to offer your direction regarding when I'm to advise, well tell you what, I'll offer what I want, when I want, and if you don't appreciate it, that's fine...or it isn't, I don't care. You're nothing more than a series of 1's and 0's to me. My lunch means more to me than you do, and I am 100% certain that loading .308 into a lever gun is inadvisable (box magazine aside), why stop at a Browning...are you a Savage 1899 bigot? Why are you even talking about the delivery system when the OP is asking about what is to be delivered? What makes, your .308, or the Browning, so "far superior" to 30/30 in your opinion (and you best be 100% certain)?

Further, if you're not going to answer the OP's question, and offer up your own suggestions as to what he may want to own, why stop at .308? Why stop at lever actions? If you're going to derail, derail.
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Do yourself a favour and google “Browning BLR”.
Read multiple pages about it.
I have a hunch you might need to read it all again.
Then re-read everything in this post.
Follow that with a moment of reflection and by all means your lunch if need be (you don’t want low sugars).
Somewhere during this exercise I hope you come to an epiphany.
If not I’ll assume your handle is related to your prescription and suggest it might be time to review your dosage…
Please be well.
 
wasrupzuk said:
Maybe it’s just me but if I’m having a pistol cartridge in a rifle I’d prefer a bigger hole…something like a 44 Remington Magnum.
I’ve had 357’s in revolvers and I have nothing bad to say about them but in a lever they just don’t speak to me.
The 30/30 in a ‘94 is a pretty amazing combination, they never made 7 million+ of them if they weren’t…it’s an iconic combination that has more appeal and versatility than most…
I reload which allows me to shoot whatever I want so the difference in cost to feed it is not a driver for me so YMMV.
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One of the most successful hunters in my father's old hunting camp crew had a Ruger semi auto in .44 Mag. He shot deer and bear with it.

To the OP, Clint Eastwood carried a .44 because it is the most powerful handgun in the world ... (you know the rest). He did not carry a .357.
 
If you reload the 30-30 is a no-brainer... Can load 110gn 30 carbine bullets with low powder charges and make for a very fun plinking round while still having the option to put a 170gn into whatever you need to. The carbine bullets make very kid friendly loads- and very cheap to shoot. I think everyone needs at least one lever action and the first one should be a 30-30 imho...
 
cartwheel said:
If you reload the 30-30 is a no-brainer... Can load 110gn 30 carbine bullets with low powder charges and make for a very fun plinking round while still having the option to put a 170gn into whatever you need to. The carbine bullets make very kid friendly loads- and very cheap to shoot. I think everyone needs at least one lever action and the first one should be a 30-30 imho...
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Okay I appreciate this, as this is my instinct on the matter, too. "first one should be 30-30" ...
 
cartwheel said:
If you reload the 30-30 is a no-brainer... Can load 110gn 30 carbine bullets with low powder charges and make for a very fun plinking round while still having the option to put a 170gn into whatever you need to. The carbine bullets make very kid friendly loads- and very cheap to shoot. I think everyone needs at least one lever action and the first one should be a 30-30 imho...
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I have loaded 110 grain Berry's FMJ using Unique driving the round out to 1490 fps and getting 1 1/2" groups at 50 yds. Hopefully I can find enough time to experiment with 110 grain cast lead bullets using 2400 & IMR 4227
 
Painkillers said:
Idk if .308 has enough recoil to cause a concern about having spitzer pointed bullets resting tip to primer in the tube magazine, but I do know 30/30 does. It's why they are swc or flat nosed. Most .38 is lead round nose, but I don't think they can generate enough recoil for that to be a problem. .357 REM MAG, however would most likely also be a concern recoil wise, but most of that is also swc or flat nosed.

OP, if you own a revolver chambered for .357, I would urge you in that direction. It's nice to have the same caliber in your rifle as the gun on your hip (.45 Colt historically). But if the lever is used for hunting, 30/30 has been taking deer in North America since its inception in 1895. It's a great round.
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The browning BLR is a mag fed lever rifle.
 
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