357 or 30-30?

H

Hal

New member
For Christmas this year, one of my presents was a Winchester Lever Action in .44 Mag. Yesterday I had a chance to fire it for the first time. SWEET, is the term that describes it the best. The .44 Mag is a pretty rough number in my Smith 29 w/4" barrel, but in the Winchester it is a real mild load. I got to thinking, a Winchester Lever in .357 Mag would be equally sweet. My only problem is a common one though, no money. I do however have an old Winchester 30-30 that never gets used. On paper, the .357 is within 300 fps of the 30-30 with 150/158 gr loads. The 125 gr in .357 tops the 130 gr 30-30 by 100 fps. The .357 also would offer more of a chance to practice with it. My local indoor range does not allow rifles, but a pistol caliber rifle is OK, as long as the velocity is kept under 2000 fps. Am I off base here, or is this a no brainer? OBTW, part of this deal would also mean giving up my Winchester in 30-06, which never gets used. I have only shot the 30-06 20 times in the 15 years I have owned it. Nothing wrong with it other than some rust spots on the outside. It hung on the wall as a decoration. I kind of hate to part with either of them, I think any gun is going to soar in value as the Y2K hysteria sets in next December, but I think I would rather have a shooter now that I can use now and possibly then. I should add that I am all setup to reload for the .38/.357, but not the 30-30 or the 30-06. Is this a decent trade-off, or should I just keep what I have?

ps Thank heaven for cut and paste. Sorry bout the post in the General area, I wasn't sure where,, .357 being a hand gun cartridge and the 30-30 being a rifle cartridge would fit in the grand scheme.


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A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined;
George Washington Jan 8,1790--There can be no doubt about the Second Amendment.
 
Let me see if I got this right.

To get a lever action .357 Winchester rifle, you'll have to give up both your M94 30-30 and a M70 in 30-06? Two for one? It somehow lacks appeal.

Have you considered a used .357 Winchester? Trading one rifle off plus $100 may may be all that's needed rather than losing both the 30-30 and the 30-06. That appeals to this cheapskate who personally hates to part with an older American made M94 (during the '80s, some receivers were from Japan - they're now made in their entirety here).

In Kalifornia, the 30-30 would probably go for about $300 (good condition) and the 30-06 for $350. A used .357 lever action would go for the about the same amount (generally they're Marlins). Check the GunList for pricing. Good luck.
 
Gary: Ummm, yeah. I hadn't really thought it all the way out yet. My 30-30 is a Ted Williams (Sears) brand, but made by Winchester I suspect. It is in perfect mechanical order, bright bore, but very rough on the outside. Like the Winchester, which is the Model 670, not the better finished 70, they both have a lot of exterior pitting from rust spots. Both are A-1 from a safety and mechanical standpoint, both have very few (under 200 rounds, well under 200) through them, but they are pretty beat up externally. I would guess a fair estimate for both would be around 350-375, not each, but in total. Course I may be waaaay off here, I bought them both 20 years ago. The real question I guess is whether or not to part with 2 guns I have no use for, and get something I want. I am also having second thoughts about some of my other guns that I bought because I wanted them, but in reality I have no use for them. Sometimes having a thing and wanting a thing are very opposed to each other. Also here in Ohio, there is very little use for either the 30-30 or the 30-06. Deer hunting is restricted to slug guns or muzzle loaders and that plays a very large part in the value of them. Although it is kind of irrelevent, I paid 179.00 for the 30-06, and 89.00 for the 30-30 when I bought them, so a 2 for 1 deal isn't as bad as it seems, given the condition of the arms. Thanks for the input, that's what I'm after is help in making up my mind.
 
Consider this, the Winchester will not feed .38 specials. The Marlin will however. I would save the money and buy a .357 later, and keep the .30-30 and .30-06. Just me...
 
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