Best choice in a lever? And what's a fair price on in the EE?

F

fmlc

Guest
Hi all:

first post here.

I'm still waiting to get access to the EE forum, but am planning my first purchase.

It'll be a lever action, probably a .30 30 or .32 or .35- can be flrexible depending on what comes up.

Hoping for an almost new Marlin 336 or Winchester 94. I have a Bushnell 3-9 that I can mount, but again, willing to use iron sights for at least a while.

Beyond that, am pretty flexible.

I'd appreciate community comments- what should I look for, and what's likely a reasonable price.

... and I will have EE access, but if someone wanted to PM me re something they're selling, that's great too!

Cheers!
 
Welcome to the Nutz House!!
I'm not lever expert, but you'll find one fast enough, 250$ for a well used one, 3-450 for a nice used one and 5-600 for something shiney new or old, rare and well cared for. Decide on which ones your interested in, look at a few big reatilers sites or call a few stores and see what the going street price is, then sit back and wait. A WTB add in the EE won't hurt either.
 
Thank you! As mentioned, still waiting for EE access.

I think I particularly like the idea of a pre-64 Winchester in particular. Now I just have to wait.....
 
I'd suggest that you try and handle each brand. You may prefer the Marlin pistol grip over the straight stocks of the Winnies, Pumas or Browning BLR.
I dont want to stir the pot but I'll say that you cant go wrong with a Marlin 336. Marlins are easy to work on as well and fun to trick them out a bit.
 
Browing/Miroku BLR in .308 or 7mm-08 is a really great lever rifle that has a bolt-like lock-up and box magazine.
 
fmlc said:
Hi all:

first post here.

I'm still waiting to get access to the EE forum, but am planning my first purchase.

It'll be a lever action, probably a .30 30 or .32 or .35- can be flrexible depending on what comes up.

Hoping for an almost new Marlin 336 or Winchester 94. I have a Bushnell 3-9 that I can mount, but again, willing to use iron sights for at least a while.

Beyond that, am pretty flexible.

I'd appreciate community comments- what should I look for, and what's likely a reasonable price.

... and I will have EE access, but if someone wanted to PM me re something they're selling, that's great too!

Cheers!
Click to expand...

If you don't have any specific reason to go with a 30-30, why not something a little faster like a .308 or .300 Savage?

The Savage 99 lever action is my hunting rifle of choice. I prefer .308 but my hunting partner and his son both use .300's. Most have a built in 5 round rotary magazine but I like my 99C which has a removable 4 round magazine.

I've killed moose, elk and deer with mine as has my hunting partner, his son, and his father. Just FYI, his dad hunted for many years with a .300 Savage too but traded it in for a lovely BAR 7mm Magnum when his legs got too weak for sneaking up on critters......lol.

I'd wager if you looked in EE right now, you'd see one or two .300's for a reasonable price and I know for a fact there was a 99C in .308 just a month or so back.

I've shot both winchester 94's and a couple marlins in the past and settled on the Savage after borrowing my hunting partner's spare .300 a few seasons back.

It's worth noting that the Savage 99 lever action comes in pretty much every calibre except 30-06....so if you're dead set on a 30-30, you could buy a Savage in that calibre too.
 
Personally I prefer a pre-64 94 Winchester for quality over a newer model.
The 336 Marlin is a very good gun, I like the older models without that ridiculous cross-bolt safety. If you've got a little extra money to spend a model 64 Winchester(pre-64) is the one to pick. I think it's one of the best balanced woods rifles ever made for off-hand shooting.
I think a 94 carbine should be $400 tops for excellent condition,
336 Marlin about the same,
64 around $700, in decent condition.
 
Just one more little thing. In my opinion, a 3 to 9 variable scope is much, much too large for a lever 30-30, or similar.
The Winchesters and Marlins are so neat the way they are, but all that neatness and fast handling is gone, when a scope, especially a large one is mounted on it.
Since the 1950s the 94 has been drilled and tapped for aperature sights, which are ideal on them. The Marlins are also drilled and tapped for the aperature sights.
Please don't get a nice pre 64, 94, then drill it for scope mounts.
 
I guess I'd really like a pre 64 Winchester. I believe there was one for sale recently posted at about $400.... a friend who introduced me to the forum pointed it out, along with a Marlin 30 with scope advertised for 395.

Sigh... but my access isn't set yet.

And I'd feel like I was desecrating something if I drilled a vintage Winchester, so no worries on that count...
 
There are 2 Savage 99's in 308 on the EE right now at reasonable prices. If I didn't already have one, I'd grab one ASAP. Personally, I'd much rather have a 308 Savage than a 300 simply due to availability of ammo.
What are you intending to use the rifle for? Bush hunting is the lever's forte.
I love my Marlin 336 30-30, it's light, easy to handle and with Leverevolution ammo it's pretty accurate. I find it easier to handle than the Savage 99, feels lighter.
30-30 ammo is a lot cheaper than 308 if that's a concern, on the other hand you can get 308 surplus at decent prices for plinking.
Marlin vs. Winchester is a matter of taste tho' the Marlins are somewhat easier to take down and clean or repair and depending on the Winchester's age, easier to mount a scope on.
Me, I'd buy a Marlin 30-30 AND a Savage 99C in 308. Levers are like potato chips, once you've had one ......... :p
 
Mad Dog wil get me for this, but I am not a fan of the 99 Savage!
However, I know of one that is around, and in 30-30 calibre. This one was brought into a gun store for evaluation for insurance purposes. The store owner, actively in the gun business for over 20 years, is a friend of mine and he told me about it.
It was made in 1904 or 05, was factory engraved, with some more something or other that I forget, and he told me he had never seen a finer, older 99. He said both the metal and wood must have been 98%.
So, there is a 30-30 for you!!!
 
That marlin 336 sure looks nice in my opinion. Much nicer than the winchester. Can't say much about how they function as im a new shooter myself!

What would be the best caliber to get a in a lever action rifle for target shooting?
 
I can't think how purchasing a 30-30 lever action as a first "high" power rifle can be a bad thing. Ammo is affordable and available, the round does not punish your shoulder so you can get lots of target practice in at the range, the 30-30 is a fine hunting cartridge in skilled hands, and there is an undeniable nostalgio to owning a rifle chambered in a classic. Should you eventually want to sell the rifle, there's always that next "new" buyer around the corner so you won't lose much $$$, if any. Plus, the 30-30 is a nice round to reload with many available powders, so reloading is another nice choice. I could go on-and-on.

30-30 lever guns are constantly cycling through the EE and other sites, so there's no shortage of finding a nice example at a good price. My preference would be a Marlin 336 - they're easy to scope, well made, and simpler to disassemble than a Winchester 94. With a bit of patience, you should be able to find one (either older or newer) in the $300 - $450 range, depending on condition.

h4831 is right that a 3-9 scope is a bit much for a lever gun... it'll work, and some people like them, but I find that they're unnecessarily bulky. I'd actually recommend starting without a scope and seeing how you like the buckhorn sights. Alternatively, I've added receiver peep sights to most of my unscoped lever guns and find them great to 100yds and beyond (paper targets).

Anyways, don't necessarily buy the first rifle you see... there are many fish in the sea, and either a Winchester or Marlin or Savage will do you well.
 
drgroove101 said:
That marlin 336 sure looks nice in my opinion. Much nicer than the winchester. Can't say much about how they function as im a new shooter myself!

What would be the best caliber to get a in a lever action rifle for target shooting?
Click to expand...

Short answer: Don't get a lever for target shooting, get a bolt gun, unless you mean plinking. In that case a Browning or Winchester lever .22 can be a lot of fun. Or an old winchester or similar gun chambered for a black powder era round and shoot cast bullets out of it.
 
I'm not a fan of the model 99 either.They are heavy beasts.I have one in a 300 caliber.It was my grandfathers.

My go to gun is my Winchester model 94 in 30-30.Mine is top eject.I have a 4 power scope with side mounts on it.I've shot many deer,moose,bears,yotes,and even a few grouse with it.I shot a 17 point moose with it in 2000.32 yard shot with 170 gr bullets.The moose only went 20 yards before piling up.It will surprise you what it will do when game is in the proper range.Most of my shots are inside 30 yards.I've yet to shoot farther than 100 yards,though I hunt heavy woods 99% of the time.
 
I'm envisioning this as a 'brush gun'- shortish ranges.

Everything I'm reading so far suggests either would be fine... still like the pre-'64 idea, so that i'd have a collectible.

Thanks so far for the input... now if only I could log into EE.... I'm just a bit nervous buying sight- unseen, as would be the case for some purchases. I'm in the Toronto area, and obviously sellers are country-wide.
 
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