Lever Action?

Marlin model 1894: .22 mag

Best little .22 magnum in my opinion. Got one that really shoots very nice. Topped it with a Leupold 4X scope and is a great combo. Will take out all the "pests", etc you are talking about. Especially if closer ranges. Cheap ammo too and most definitely fun to shoot. If you want more power then step up to the .357 magnum Marlin. Good luck.
 
J2 be sure you save your brass. If you don't handload now's the time to start.
If you HL for this gun you can make it do nearly anything you want. Check out this site www.leverguns.com and also www.marlinowners.com for good handloading advice.

I tried 110gr 30 carbine bullets in my Marlin and they didn'y shoot very well. I think the 125 Sierra and 130 Speer is about as light as I would go. I really wanted those 110s to work but just never found the right combination.

You can also get Laser Cast plain base 150gr IIRC and make some nice quiet light loads. The 30-30 is a very good round for cast bullets.

By the way congrats on a free rifle. Thats the best way to get guns in my opinion.
 
Just a follow up:
I have tried different sites, and have found the standard sites to work best for me. Have saved all my brass and have started hand loading. I find this almost as enjoyable as shooting, Almost.
When shooting again with the boys Sunday. 50yrd, gal jug, first shot. 100yrd, gal jug second shoot. My two sons enjoyed it as much as I did.
J2
 
I would go with the 357 magnum. I have taken deer with it and it is great for pinking. You can load it with soft shooting 38s if you just want targets or varmints or you can load it heavy enough to kill some real food animals.

Factory bullets are fairly cheep (They come in boxes of 50 most of the time). They are also extremely cheep to reload if you just want target loads.
 
Congrats on the rifle but before I was gonna recommend the Puma in .454 Its a mule kicker that's for sure my dad has one and it makes a Tyson punch look like a skirmish at the playground.
 
for a farm rifle just about any lever will work. if you don't want a 30-30 you could also got with a 357 or 44 mag and both would be suitable for deer with the right ammo at the right distance :)
I believe that the marlin 1894c has both chambers
 
I guess I should have read the thread before posting .oops
congrats on the 30-30, itll explode them little varmints real good :D
 
My next lever rifle will be a .44 magnum Winchester 94 Packer. I already have a Henry .22 LR, a Marlin 1894c .357, a Marlin .444 and Browning .300 WSM in BLR. I LOVE lever rifles since they are so easy to cycle and carry in most instances. Besides that, they just look good out west where I am now residing.

With my upcoming .44 magnum, I will be able to take 300 gr bullets and toss them about 1800 ft/sec which is in 45-70 territory, not bad for a great little camp gun. I also carry my SP101 in .357 and have a Ruger SRH in .44 magnum so that I can carry the same ammo for all of these rifles and handguns, a decided plus.

My woods gun is the .444, my .300 WSM is my Elk rifle and my plinkers are the Henry .22 LR and the Marlin .357 which also serves well as a reliable camp gun as well with 180 gr Buffalo Bore nearly 1900 ft/sec. That is right up there with the 30-30 loads.

I have my selection of rifles for both their various power levels and limited recoil compared to some of the big boys such as a full load Garrett Hammerhead 540 gr in the 45-70. Black bears and mountain lions are the most likely encountered predators in northern Idaho, but we do have the chance encounter of a grizzly here now after the reintroduction of these creatures by the liberal eco nut-jobs that would never live with them themselves but expect us to put up with them and the pesky wolves that have taken over this area in the last two decades.

The key is lots and lots of ammo when out in the woods since you can encounter a large wolf pack of Canadian Mackenzie Valley wolves. In the St. Joe area of Idaho, several 180 pound wolves have been harvested in the since the first hunting season of 2009. We went camping last week by the St. Joe and the person who set up the camp almost met face to face with a black bear when he went to relieve himself in the bushes. He went one way,the bear went the other way. Thankfully, there are still enough folks hunting the black bears up here that they continue to be quite frightened by our presence in almost all situations.
 
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