which lever gun?

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I'm thinking about getting a lever action rifle. I've always wanted one, but i'm not sure on which one to buy. I'm going to buy used and am thinking 30-30. I really like the looks of the marlin 336, but what are the pro's and cons between the marlin 336 and winchester 94.. I have also seen a couple of marlin 30A in the EE lately what is the difference between that and the 336, besides the safty. win 94, pre 64 or post 64 whats the major difference.. Is scoping a top eject a pain it the ars?

Thanks

Rob
 
I do not know much about the Marlins. But the differences between the pre and post 64 Winnies are the manufacturing processes they used. Pre 64s had parts milled where post 64s were mostly stamped parts. Much cheaper to make. the pre 64s are more desireable. I have some Winnies over 100 years old and they shoot and cycle perfectly.

To put a scope on a top eject is simple...depending on year and if already drilled and tapped holes for a side mount scope mount . I used one and found it ok. If you want a top mounted...you have to drill and tap for bases and use high mounts .
 
I tried scoping a couple of top-eject model 94's using a side-mount, and found them difficult to shoot with, very awkward. The other way to scope them is to mount a pistol scope forward of the receiver. Pricey, I'd imagine.
There's no real difference between the 30A and the 336, same action. Older 336 rifles have no pushbutton safety; they used a half-#### notch as did the Win 94. Both companies added crossbolt safeties in the 1980's, and sometime around 2000 or so Winchester went to a sliding tang safety. The half-#### is safe and dependable; I've owned a few of the Marlins and Winchesters and no problems. I never have owned one with a crossbolt safety and don't care to.
The Marlin 336 ejects from the side, is extremely easy to scope and is easy to remove the bolt from so that you may clean the bore from the breech. Most have a curved grip on the buttstock; this plus their extra 12 ounces or so of weight makes them not point quite as quickly and naturally as a Winchester 94, but that is seldom an issue. I would say that in general, though the rifles are built equally well, it's easier for the average person to shoot a Marlin accurately. Angle-eject Winchester 94's are also easy to scope, I should have mentioned. And I personally prefer the look of the Winchester. No reason for that.
I had sold all my .30-30's but inherited a 94 from my uncle last year. It's a lovely rifle and a great keepsake that I intend to hunt with a bit, and leave to a family member in my will.
That said, if I were looking for a rifle to actually seriously hunt with, that I might want to scope, I would get a Marlin, no question. I was foolish to sell the ones I had! That is unless I ran across a Winchester Angle Eject without a crossbolt safety at a good price; that would do as well.
There are debates in these forums all the time about how suitable the .30-30 is for moose/elk, but as a general-use cartridge, cheap, not much recoil, kill most game at reasonable range? It's a great rifle to have around!
 
Thanks for the replies guys very helpfull :) I'm not sure if i'm going to scope it or not I just want to plan ahead... I want a rifle thats going to last me and when my eyes go bad I can scope it ;)
 
I had a winchester model 94 years ago and traded it in on another rifle. I have regretted that for a long time. I was looking for another one a couple years ago and didn't have much luck. I ended up bying a new marlin 336. I'm real happy with it. Seems real solid and it just seems to hit where I point it. I'v never really used open sights much and I've suprised myself a few times at how accurate I am with it with the factory sights. If winchesters were still being made I probably would have got one but now that I have used the marlin I'm happy how it worked out. Still a shame that they stopped making the 94's though. They are a nice rifle as well.
 
If you are not "set" on a cowboy style lever gun, or the 30-30 for that matter, look into a Savage 99 or Browning BLR and get it in 308. This will give you a bit more punch than the 30-30, should you ever want to chase a moose, and is alot easier to scope when the time comes.
 
I had a 94, shot great and was like an extension of my arm. I just bought a Marlin 1895 45-70 :D and Like it a LOT. The one thing I prefer with the Marlin over the Winnie is the Marlin lever is very very easy to take apart to clean.

Years ago when I had my Winnie, my buddy had a Marlin, and if I remember correctly my winnie was not as heavy as his Marlin, so that may be a factor if you plan on lugging it around a lot. ( though I do not think its a huge diff. in weight) I also remember my action seemed to be looser than his. The Marlin action just seemed stronger to me.

As for scoping it, I prefer my lever actions naked, no scope, especially a 30-30.
 
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Virtually everyone has a horror story about 1 or more firearms that they have owned. He's my lever horror story;

In '94 I was looking for a lever in .357 because I was doing alot of .357 shooting out of my S&W M66 and wanted a cheap and easy round that I could reload in abundance. After looking around for about 6-8 months I couldn't find one, I even phoned Winchester! The nice lady said that they didn't have enough calls to start manufacturing them again. Remember this was before Cowboy Action got bigger.

I finally gave up on .357 and found a Winchester Wrangler in .44 Magnum. Shades of John Wayne that large loop lever was kewl! Little did I realize that with 2 years, I'd start shooting Cowboy Action. I did lots of testing and came up 7.2 grains of Unique pushing a 240 grain LSWC bullet as an accurate target load.

Within the first 20 rds down range, the pot metal feed ramp broke. Off for warranty work! Eight months later I get the rifle back. After every 50 rds the rear sight elevator would fall off. So we have to install a Williams rear sight! Shooting again after every 50 rds the screws in the receiver would work loose. Locktite!! After 1,500 rds the tubular magazine spring gave up the ghost! Wolfe Gunsprings to the rescue. After this the Lever Link broke, 3 months and 5 nasty letters later, Winchester told me they would sell me the part but without warranty! They wanted me to send the gun to the warranty centre again!

That was the last straw, I found a sucker to buy the Winchester and bought a Marlin M1894S, after 8,000 rds through it, it broke a firing pin. I love the quality Marlin builds in. I have a 1906 mfg Winchester M92 SRC Carbine in .44 mag, mind you that is heaven to fire. Post 64 guns are junk!!

P.S. My Wrangler was one of 4 Wranglers in town with the same problems.
 
I'm sure savage makes a good lever gun but it's not my cup of tea....
The more I think about it the more i'm leaning toward the marlin????
Hell I don't know maybe i'll get a SKS first and think about it :D
 
Garand's experience is a good argument for a pre-64 Winchester. I own, shoot with, and hunt with several that are over 100 years old. They knew how to make quality arms back then.
 
altacan said:
Try the savage 99--ant calibre--far better quality than the win. or marlin
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The 99 may be a more advanced design....quality is something different. There are well-made (quality) Winchesters and Marlins out there, and there were some 99's made that were absolute trash.
Perhaps you mean you prefer the design of the 99 better? That's not a quality issue. I've had all these rifles, liked them all, too. All they are is different.
 
Kilo Charlie said:
Nope. Not unless nicer wood counts. 30A is the economy model, still an excellent rifle.
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If I had to rate my current Marlins...I'd say my Glenfield 30AS is the most accurate of the 336's I own. I lean towards it being the nosecap on the forestock rather then two barrel bands, but that's just my oppinion;)
 
A word of warning. Some Marlin triggers are absolute crap compared to Winchester 94's... or so was my experience anyways. I don't know if this just is an isolated incident. Just be aware of it on any gun you purchase.
 
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