Trading 30-30's

[Bronco89]

I have a Rossi Rio Grand 30-30, and I hate it. Sadly, it was a replacement for a gold triggered older Marlin 336, in .35 cal that I was forced to sell when my company went belly up 12 years ago. This Rossi, 30-30 isn't all bad, but it also isn't nearly the gun that I once had. Once deer season is over, this one is going to get traded for a used Marlin 336, 30-30. My gripe with the Rossi is the sights. Yea, I hunt Iron sights. I'm hunting over my own bean field, so it isn't like I need something that will hit at 100+ yards. My dear will be inside 50.

I will stay with the 30-30. I've been hunting with one since I was 17, and the 30-30 has never given me a reason to trade to a different caliber. Today, I am getting a late start to the deer blind. I'll hunt till sundown. I hope this 30-30 brings home the venison one more time. Next year, I hope to have the old familiar feel of the Marlin 336 in my hands once more.

Oh. I'll be hunting with Winchester 170 grain.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

The only 30-30 I have ever had (and still do!), is a 30-30 over 20 gauge Savage 24. 26" barrel, and I can use spritzer bullets!

Ivan

 

[mrchuck]

I have 4 Marlin 336 lever action rifles. 30-30 caliber.
Only one is scoped with a 11/2 x 5 Scope.
I just bought the fourth one, made in 1971, this last Saturday at the Mesquite, Tx gun show.
Why 4 of them? I just like them, the way they sound when you "lever" them. Great machine work.

 

[mikeruns]

I have heard good things about the Rossi, but I too like the Marlin 336 as mine is a minty saddle ring Texan (336T)with straight stock from 1972ish....I even prefer the Winchester M94 more so as I grew up around them and have 2....a 1950 in .32 WS, and a 1966 in .30-30(30WCF)....hope you sack a nice buck today-good luck!

 

[BigBill]

Back in ‘76 I chose the marlin 444 sportier over the 30-30. One of the local hunters in vt were we stayed seen my bullets and told me there’s no elephant in vt. I told him we’re huntin bear and I’m not built for speed nor runnin. The 444 marlin was advertised as blowing holes in 3/8” boiler plate.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

In the 80's (1984 or 85) I bought an mid 50's 336 in 35 Remington. After a couple of years I sold it to fund something else. I still have ammo brass (I bought 200 once fired) bullets and dies. It had sold me on Marlins! I have had over 20 since then! One of the most remarkable was a 336 (Gold trigger) in 44 mag! Only made it one and a half years. It was so much smoother than the first year 1894 44 Mag I found shortly thereafter. I had 1 new and 2 used 1894C 357 carbines, both used ones were worn to the point they would no longer feed 38 Specials! (common problem!). I still have a 1894CL in 32-20, a 1894 CB 45 Colt Cowboy Special (will feed 45 Scofield too.) & an early 1895G 45-70 Guide Gun with factory porting.

I loved all of them except the worn out 357's! But some other cute gun caught my eye and off they went! (You just can't keep everything when you join the "Gun of the Week Club", the basement would be stacked floor to ceiling! I never bothered with Winchesters, the price way outweighed the benefits! Dad had one 94,30-30 with a factory Lyman peep sight from 1952. It would shoot silver dollars at 100 yards (at least dad could in 1972!) but after he died a year ago, his wife gave it to someone, not of our bloodline. (only modern Winchester I ever lusted after!)

Ivan

 

[Mrnurse]

I own several Winchester and Marlin rifles in 30-30,32, and 35...all will hit a Pie pan at 100 yds, I have older eyes but 100 yds is nothing .... Your Marlin will serve you fine.

 

[Bronco89]

Fine Gun

I have heard good things about the Rossi, but I too like the Marlin 336 as mine is a minty saddle ring Texan (336T)with straight stock from 1972ish....I even prefer the Winchester M94 more so as I grew up around them and have 2....a 1950 in .32 WS, and a 1966 in .30-30(30WCF)....hope you sack a nice buck today-good luck!

There's not a thing wrong with this Rossi. When I say trade, it's not entirely accurate. My oldest boy will end up with it. He likes it fine. It's just not as smooth as my Marlins, and I dislike the sights. I sight it in on paper at exactly 30 yards. (that keeps my round inside 2" (high or low) all the way out to 150 yards.) @ 150 yards, I'm mushrooming the 170-grain bullet with just shy of 1300lb of energy. In practical experience, it just works.

 

[Bronco89]

I own several Winchester and Marlin rifles in 30-30,32, and 35...all will hit a Pie pan at 100 yds, I have older eyes but 100 yds is nothing .... Your Marlin will serve you fine.

I also have older eyes, and if I can con him into it, the retired gunsmith down the road will put peep sights on my next 336.

 

[Bronco89]

In the 80's (1984 or 85) I bought an mid 50's 336 in 35 Remington. After a couple of years I sold it to fund something else. I still have ammo brass (I bought 200 once fired) bullets and dies. It had sold me on Marlins! I have had over 20 since then! One of the most remarkable was a 336 (Gold trigger) in 44 mag! Only made it one and a half years. It was so much smoother than the first year 1894 44 Mag I found shortly thereafter. I had 1 new and 2 used 1894C 357 carbines, both used ones were worn to the point they would no longer feed 38 Specials! (common probable!). I still have a 1894CL in 32-20, a 1894 CB 45 Colt Cowboy Special (will feed 45 Scofield too.) & an early 1895G 45-70 Guide Gun with factory porting.

I loved all of them except the worn out 357's! But some other cute gun caught my eye and off they went! (You just can't keep everything when you join the "Gun of the Week Club", the basement would be stacked floor to ceiling! I never bothered with Winchesters, the price way outweighed the benefits! Dad had one 94,30-30 with a factory Lyman peep sight from 1952. It would shoot silver dollars at 100 yards (at least dad could in 1972!) but after he died a year ago, his wife gave it to someone, not of our bloodline. (only modern Winchester I ever lusted after!)

Ivan

Ivan

I'm a huge 30-30 fan, I just like the way they shoot. However, I am also a huge .44 mag fan. and the .35-Rem was a sledgehammer. Either would come home with me in a hurry.

 

[Drm50]

My keeper 30/30 is a Marlin Maurader with Lyman reciver sights. I have a 94 Win too. I have had many Marlins & Win 30/30s and end up trading them off. I'm a die hard pre 64 Win man but favor 336 over 94. I've not
had any new Marlins but the old models seem to outshoot Win 94s. The price on JM 336s is getting close to pre 64 money for hi condition shooters. The 35R is a dandy woods deer cartridge and will take out black
bears with no problem. I've shot 1/2 the deer I've shot with a rifle with a Rem 141 in 35cal.

 

[BigBill]

I inherited my brothers marlin in 35 Remington. One of my sons will get the levers someday.

Let’s not forget the 30-30 has taken more deer and bears than all the other calibers added up. The 35 rem marlin is a close second.

 

[billwill]

Marlin 30TK

 

[BB57]

I despised the 30-30 until I was in my early 30's (mid 1990's), since my hunts normally occurred in open country with ranges out around 400-500 yards.

However, I moved from the high plains into the Black Hills and decided a lever gun might work well in the thick timber there. I bought a 1956 Vintage Model 94 and put a just reintroduced Lyman No 2 tang sight on it. With Hornday 150 gr bullets on top of some BLC-2 it would give me 1.5 MOA accuracy, and it would do the same with 150 gr Winchester factory ammo.

That one ended up with the ex wife, but I've since bought three more pre-64s, this time with vintage Marbles tang sights, and all three of those also shoot 1.5 MOA groups. One of them is on loan to my father in law.

 

[samnev]

I have a 1953 98% Winchester 94. While I don't hunt any more I'd never sell it.

 

[mm93]

Can't go wrong with an old Marlin! I have had a love affair with them for decades, and still enjoy finding another occasionally. The older JM Marlin pre-Remington 336''s are nicely built guns. One from the late 1940's or 50's is the top of the heap for 336 model.
I especially like even earlier models like the 1893 or 1894 Marlin repeaters. This is my 1893 takedown in .25-36 Marlin caliber:

And my deluxe 1894 Marlin in .25-20:

 

[spad124]

I inherited my brothers marlin in 35 Remington. One of my sons will get the levers someday.

Let’s not forget the 30-30 has taken more deer and bears than all the other calibers added up. The 35 rem marlin is a close second.

I also inherited my brother’s early 70s 336, but in .30-30. Hell of a way to acquire a firearm. But it is an accurate and slick levergun. I know why he liked it.

 

[daddio202]

Can not go wrong with a Marlin in 30-30. I have 2 one is a recent made gun with modern scope and is very accurate out to 150 yards or so. Then I have one made in the early 50's with the wavy topstrap. My step father gave it to me and had been in his Italian family for years. The old one is very plain without checkering in the wood but is otherwise identical to the newer guns. The old guns just had a plastic butt plate so no cushion - made for men when men were real men. The old gun has the smoothest action, just like butter and it will never see a scope. I almost bought another with a gold trigger like the op had but they wanted over $500 for it and I did not have that much money to spend at the time. Great old guns and I think everybody should have at least one in the gun safe.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

I would suggest you change the sights out on your Rossi but I see you've other plans for it.
I've owned two 30-30s. Had a Marlin 336 with the x-bolt safety that I paired with an inexpensive 3X9 Bushnell. Trigger was a little rough but it was a great whitetail rifle. Got traded away a few years ago towards a nice 27-2.
I recently acquired a pre 64 Winchester model 94 that is in excellent overall condition. It had a Williams receiver sight added, day glow front bead, and QD swivels added by it's previous owner. The Williams was the deal maker as I am a big fan of "peep" sights. Trigger is much better than the Marlins was.
But I think either rifle is a good choice. The 94 is noticeably lighter but the 336 side ejection allows for easy scope mounting.


John

 

[Bob L]

While I have handled Marlins and like them, I have o my owned Winchesters. My first one is a Deluxe Rifle made in 1902 with a 26" hexagon barrel and a Lyman peep site on the tang and a flip front sight. Tge front sight has a gold bead and then you can rock it back and have a round appiture with a post. This was given to me by my Uncle Frank when I turned 14 for hunting Michigan whitetail. My next was my father's model 55, which is a take down version of the model 94. Finally, I have a post model 94 that I inherited when my brother-in-law pasted away. All in 30-30. Great rifles. You can't go wrong with either Marlins or Winchesters for deer hunting in heavy woods. Merry Christmas!