bang for buck lever

slugfest

slugfest

Regular
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Location
ontario, canada
hello, every thread i've gone through has had some people saying good things, and bad things about every brand of lever action .30-30 out there. so my question is,

what do you think is best lever action rifle in .30-30 caliber with a budget of $500 (new OR used)? and WHY?
i'm looking to buy my first lever action soon and i want to make sure im not buying something thats known to breakdowns and whatnot.

opinions on winchester? savage? henry? mossberg?

thanks :D
 
Marlin 336

Stronger action than the winchester, side eject so it's easy to scope, nicer to hold and shoot than winchester. Still available new for under $500, used for much less.
 
Ormachek said:
Marlin 336

Stronger action than the winchester, side eject so it's easy to scope, nicer to hold and shoot than winchester. Still available new for under $500, used for much less.
Click to expand...

x2, Marlin all the way for scope-friendliness, general simplicty (=ease of cleaning/repair), and accuracy. The new Marlins are hit-and-miss in terms of quality, so you're best bet is to find a used one. Anything prior to around 1997 is good-to-go, but I prefer the pre-1983 models since they don't have the crossbolt safety. Marlins are easy-to-date based on their serial number prefix --- do google search for the coding.
 
With a budget of 500 Bucks...

Two choices come to mind....

Wanna scope it, then get a 336/30 Marlin.

Want it scopeless, tough to beat a 94 Winchester.

Either option find the best used one you can..........and go Hunting:cool:
 
Thanks everyone for your responces. Looks like for a 30-30 it'll be the marlin. What about for other calibers now, i mean cheaper ammunition. This excludes .22 because its not as entertaining for target shooting
 
slugfest said:
Thanks everyone for your responces. Looks like for a 30-30 it'll be the marlin. What about for other calibers now, i mean cheaper ammunition. This excludes .22 because its not as entertaining for target shooting
Click to expand...

You won't find many rifle cartridges that are cheaper than the 30-30 and the 30-30 has a wider range of usefulness than the less expensive pistol cartridges.

With a $500 budget, buy a used 30-30 (Winchester or Marlin) and a cheap Lee reloading kit for 30-30 and you'll be set.
 
May I suggest something that will easily accept a fleshlight mount :D Your more wound up than I was when I was waiting for my licence!
 
Agreed on Marlin, but try the used market. All that great reputation that Marlin has, was earned with firearms from the past. The new rifles with the Marlin name are not to be compared to the vintage models.
 
I also want a budget lever gun, and it sounds like the Marlin has the edge.

Never owned one (except a .22LR) and after seeing some old westerns I want to do a rapid reload via the loading gate.

Heck even the wizz-bang modern black rifle can't top up the magazine as easy as that.

Been watching the EE for a cheap, beat up "thurty-thurty" but so far no luck
 
I agree with above. I've owned a number of levers but for availability of ammo just about anywhere and rifles it is hard to beat a Marlin 30-30. If you use open sights a Winchester is a fine rifle as well.

My go to hnter for many years is a receiver sighted 444 Marlin. But you better not forget your ammo. It can be hard to find in many ammo selling hardware stores.

As far as cheap 22 levers you will spend a fair dollar for a Marlin, Winchester, Browning, or Henry 22 lever. All fine guns and scopeable. In 22 a Savage bolt makes a cheap tack driver and a used Ruger 10-22 makes a fun rifle for a lot less money.
 
I just bought used Marlin 336(30-30) on used forum over here 3 weeks ago ,its great gun in excellent shape and i am very happy with it ,mine is from 1990.
 
22s are excellent small game rifles. Got 5 now and looking for more. My fave lever currently is a Savage 99C 308 but it comes in a lot of choices too. I have a BSA Martini action single shot lever that is a tack driver. Peep sighted and put 3 shots into a single hole at 25m once I set up the sights. Henry Golden boy is delight to shoot as well as the Winchester 9422. Dont discount the 22s. Shoot all day for what your 308 or 30-30 would cost. Love the Marlins though. A lever action designed to allow you to clean from the chamber out. Form and function rules.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom