Which Lever Action?

S

sundance43.5

New member
Hi guys. I need some advice on a good 30-30 lever action. Any suggestions are welcome. I would like to keep it under $400 if possible.

Thanks


P.S. Happy Easter!
 
Winchester or Marlin. Both are good quality rifles that will give you years of pleasure. Although your price will be pretty close to the limit. Some have preferences as to one or the other but all will probably agree as to the reliability of both brands.

Best of luck.

sks
 
Around here, the cheapest of the bunch would be a Win 94 Ranger. Still pretty close to limit, thought.
Go to a store and handle a Ranger and a Marlin 30 AS (very close to price range), they are quite different in handling and you will immediately prefer one over the other.
Those two models are the basic, no-frills, no walnut versions of their higher-priced fancier counterparts.
 
Local Wal-mart has the Winchester 94 30-30 for $269, and the Marlin 336CS for $259. I'd opt for the Winnie just because it will be worth more should you ever decide to sell it. Otherwise the guns are very close as far as fit and performance.
 
Sundance. Try the gun show route. I've seen Winchesters and Marlins as low as $200. I got a Mod. 94 for $100. Thing looked like it was 100 years old (made in 1978) and the guy said it would not fire. When I got it home, I found out it needed a firing pin. (It had none at all)Put a cheapie Williams 5D peep sight on it and it shoots into 1.5 inches when I do my part. Post 64 Winchesters come a lot cheaper than pre-64's but they shoot good.
FWIW. If you have small hands, as I do, the Winchester will probably feel better to you. Marlins, although they are good rifles, feel clubby and clumsy to me. just personal opinion based on experience. You should be able to find a clean post-64 94 somewhere in the $250 range, if you look hard enough.
Paul B.
 
I don't have a .30-30, but I do have a 94 Ranger in 44 mag, and a Guide Gun in .45-70. The Marlin feels smoother, more solid and more substantial, has better wood (not a fair comparison though - Rangers have cheap wood on purpose), the sights are bad, but not as bad as the Ranger, but best of all, the Marlin came out of the box with a 3-lb trigger (a fluke?); the Ranger's is around 9 lb. Per Paul B., the Marlin's forend in particular is wider than the 94's.

If you plan to put a scope on it, the Marlin has a solid-topped receiver and proper side ejection that will allow you to put a legitimate scope base on it.
 
If you do a search on TFL (recommended), you'll tend to find the Marlins seem to receive a lot of positive comments about quality and versatility, while the Winchesters seem to be the sentimental favorite ...

Regards from AZ
 
For rifle calibers, I prefer the smoother, more solid feeling Marlin. For handgun calibers, the Win. 94 Trapper is the ticket for me.
 
I bought mine a wile ago (under $400) but I love my Browning BLR81 ... Mine is in .308, but you can get it however you like it. I once fired three rounds at a paper plate which we later paced off at 500 paces ... put 3 holes in that plate. Now, I know I can't do that every time, but the locking mechanism on the bolt of a BLR resembles a bolt action ... locks up like a vault. These days it might be over your limit ... I don't know.
But it sounds like there are some good alternatives anyway,
Saands
 
Sundance,

If you plan to never use any sights other than iron sights, it makes no difference. Buy the one that feels best to you.

If you want to scope your .30-30 at some point, get the Marlin. Scoping is far easier than with the Winchester.

Even if you are now of the "I don't need no stinking scope!" School of though, I'd still go with the Marlin, because as eyes age, we tend to loose our prejudices concerning scopes.

Doc Hudson
 
Personally I love my Marlin 336CS, I was going to go w/ the Winchester but I actually like the semi-pistol grip stock of the Marlin better. Also I felt that the action was slightly smoother on the Marlin
 
lever action question

I've been trying to decide between 2 rifles as my first long gun. A Marlin 336 in 30-30 or the Savage Scout in .308. I am looking for a good all around take with me rifle that will work out to 200 or so yards. So far the Marlin is winning due to the ammo seeming to cost less (at least what I can find). Also, I really like the handiness of the levergun, FWIW.

Anyway, I keep seeing "don't use in tube magazines" on all the 30-30 ammo I've been coming across. I can see why having the bullet point against the primer of another round doesn't seem too smart, but they've been doing it for years, right? So, what rounds can you load the tube with or is there even a tube to begin with?

Thanks for your help, -Coop
 
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