Seeking Advice: Getting rid of .308, considering 30-30/.22

Agree on Pachmeyer decelerator - slip-on is a cheap solution and made my 444 Marlin much more 'shootable.'

The 336 Marlin's in my opinion have more felt-recoil than most straighter-stock bolt guns.

If you want a 'really low-recoil 30-30' try to find a used Savage 340 or 840 rfle - they are bolt action and clip fed. Recoil is very mild and they are accurate and fun to shoot. Most are under $250 even for really nice ones.

Also, handloading can change everything. Lots of 'light load' data out there; along with gas-checked lead bullets these loads make for low recoil and cheap, accurate, fun target shooting.
 
I note the 308 and 30-30 fill different niches, while I suppose a 30-30 could be made into a 200-300 yard rifle you would really have to work at it, a 308 IS a 300 yard rifle.
Also what is your state of fitness? I found out years ago that "pumping iron"
did a lot for my shooting.
 
I have 3 firearms with muzzle brakes. A 30-06 I had done for my wife for elk hunting, a TC contender in 7-30 waters 14 inch barrel and a weatherby vangaurd youth in 7mm-08 for my daughter. The contender is wicked without the muzzle brake. The weatherby is just as light as your rifle and kicked like a mule. With the muzzle brake it barely moves. If recoil is your only issue get the muzzle brake. All of mine cost pretty close to $150. I believe the cost is slightly higher now. It did not effect accuracy and it works wonders. Yes it is loud especially under a covered bench. If you love the rifle but not the recoil a muzzle brake will take all of the recoil away. My gunsmith said if I put a muzzle brake on a weatherby 340 mag. my 10 year old daughter would love to shoot it all day long. For all the things that MIGHT help...... one will completely eliminate recoil.:D
 
sell it and get a ruger mini 14. it's a .223 and will shoot nato 5.56 if you need a little more oomph. check to see if its legal before you hunt deer with it though. i have one and they're great fun at the range, perfect for home defense (30 round detachable mags), good for training, and since it's a semi-auto and smallish round, low felt recoil. did i mention if you look in the right places you can find a good used one for 3-4 hundred bucks? it's not a tack driver, and i wouldnt get the older "skinny barrel" model. 2 inch groups at a 100 yrds is about average. bottom line: inexpensive, multiple uses, painless to shoot. can't wait to see what ya'll say about my .02.
 
Keep the Kimber and load 125 gr. at whatever speed feels comfy to you. If you are going to hang after market crap off the barrel or stock be sure to carve your name and a floral pattern in the wood too. For the Marlin, you should have at least one, load it to whatever is good for you, I cast bullets for my '94 Winchester and it's a pussycat to shoot. You also need a 39A, mine has been joy for 20+ years with a Lyman reciever sight, but putting a short scope on it works too. DO NOT sell the Kimber, trust me, I know.
 
Kimber sure do make nice looking, accurate, light hunting rifles & it would be a pity to part with your .308, but after 5 years ownership, if you've come to the realisation that you don't like shooting it, then I'd sell it & maybe look at a mid weight .243.
Even though the recoil pads suggested will reduce felt recoil, this gun has done 5 years of physcological damage in anticipating recoil.
I have 2 .308s, one is mid weight, that I can shoot varmits with all day. The other .308 is a light mountain rifle that becomes a bit unpleasant after 50 or so shots. My brother has a Marlin 336 in 30/30 & its felt recoil is similar to my heavier .308 rifle.
You mention you want to keep on target after the first shot. In my experience anything above a .223 & your barrel will rise enough with recoil to put you off target.
 
LIMBSAVER!! Please try a limbsaver before getting rid of your rifle. They work amazingly well. Made my m44 from a 10 shot quitter with a steel buttplate to an all-day shooter with little fatigue
 
The Montana comes with a Decelerator pad, so there's not much room for improvement by adding one.

The Montana is an ultra light hunting rifle, designed for ease of carry when walking all day over hill and dale. If that's not your hunting style, then you have the wrong rifle and would probably be happier with a 260 Remington in a 6 1/2 pound rifle than a 308 in a 5 1/2 pound one.
 
Never be in a hurry. Hurrying costs money. :)

First, check into the recoil pad improvement idea.

Next, consider reloading. I recommend checking at gunshows or on Craigs List for good used equipment. It doesn't wear out, unless there has been abuse. I'm using gear that's over fifty years old, and it stll allows sub-MOA groups.

A nice thing about reloading for thirty caliber is that you can use gas-check lead bullets and get right at 2,000 ft/sec without leading the barrel. Low-end for deer, but accurate and almost no recoil. For that matter, you can load an 00 Buck ahead of five grains of pistol powder and have a nice squirrel load. :D

One trick I often use at the benchrest: Interpose a small sandbag between the butt and my shoulder. That effectively adds weight against recoil, and spreads the impact over a broader area.
 
That's a wonderful rifle, but it's designed to be carried a lot, and shot a little. Sounds like you've realized that's not what you want it for. I'm in the camp of "sell it."

I've had good luck on the forum want ads, but be patient. Price it fairly, and you'll probably get more here (or on another forum) than most other places.

Do not trade it in at the gun store! They've got to make a profit and you'll get less for it there than anyplace else. However, they may do consignment, which could be worthwhile depending on their cut. I've also sold a few at gun shows, that's what they're for, supposedly. ;)
RT
 
The biggest issue I had with a 30-30 is that ammo is not as widely available or as cheap as the .308.
Both are expensive, but the .308 is relatively less expensive.
 
Obviously a good recoil pad installed on the rifle will do wonders. The thing that has really suprised me though is the PAST recoil shield. Most of my rifles have fairly decent recoil pads, but a couple of them don't and a couple more still have heavy recoil even with their pads. I had heard about the PAST recoil shields before but had never seen one until I bought one. I must say I was extremely skeptical because it looked ridiculously thin compared to a normal pad on the buttstock. I was flat amazed ata the performance though. That thin little shield has made recoil a non-issue now.

Well... almost a non-issue. My shoulder no longer hurts, I don't have a big bruise, I don't catch myself flinching at the bench. But there is still an effect. When I go to my range shooting rifles, I typically take 3 or 4 rifles. One of them will be something with very light recoil like a .243. Another will be moderate such as a .308 or 30-30. And I will have 1 or 2 with more recoil like a 7 mm mag or .325 WSM. Or the worst one of all, a 45-70 with heavy loads. I will alternate rifles after 10 shots to let the barrel cool. So a typical day will involve maybe 120-150 rounds of shooting. I don't notice the recoil then, but the next day I will have a very sharp pain in my shoulder blade in my back. That recoil energy is still being transferred to my body. It is more spread out because of the recoil pads and the PAST, but it still goes into my body.

It sucks to grow old and fragile. But it doesn't stop me.
 
I traded a ruger .308 for a howa .270win. its all gravy now. same power less recoil and its a better cartridge in my opinion.
 
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