Winchester 94 30-30 AND Marlin 336 30-30

S

Southern Shooter

New member
I have a couple late 1970's Marlin 30-30 rifles and a 1986 Winchester 94 30-30. The Marlins seem tighter and more smooth than my Winchester.

What is ya'll's opinions of these two brands of 30-30 rifles? Compared to each other? Pros and Cons?

Thanks
 
I'm a fan of the older Marlins as they shoot well, are easy to mount a scope, and removing one screw lets you remove the bolt to clean from the chamber instead of the muzzle.
 
I like the older Marlin 336's. Just never really got a feel for the winchester. The Marlin is way easier to mount a optic if you choose to.
 
If you took an older Winchester 1894 and the older Marlin and put them side by side they serve the same function and have similar features. After Marlin changed the design to the 336 it made it easier to mount scopes and have a great rifle. After 1970 something winchester converted from the top eject to the angle eject and drilled holes to mount a scope.

Beyond that you're going to have a pointless fight on your hands with this question. Hands down both guns are great and both have long followings. This is kind of like asking Mossberg 500 or Remington 870. Both are great and stood the test of time.

What's the reason for the question? Just info or are you trying to figure out which one you should sell.

I own 2 winchester 94's and my dad owns 2 marlin 336's. Both have shot many deer and other animals over the years. If we were at deer camp and for some reason my or his rifle wasn't there we wouldn't hesitate switching brands. They're both that great.
 
Winchester...Less Tight

I guess my question is mostly sparked by the Winchester's seemingly less tight action and trigger travel compared to the Marlins' action. Or, perhaps, it is my particular Winchester.
 
It's your particular gun. Wichesters shoot cast bullets better without fuss. Marlins get fussy about bullets and velocity.I have never been disappointed of my Winchesters.I have had the Marlins but never kept any for one reason or another.
 
I prefer the top eject Winchester but that's mostly aesthetics. That and I have no desire to put a scope on a lever action.
 
If you took an older Winchester 1894 and the older Marlin and put them side by side they serve the same function and have similar features. After Marlin changed the design to the 336 it made it easier to mount scopes and have a great rifle.
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Marlin lever actions have been solid top/side eject since 1893...
 
I've hunted with both. Marlin is a bit heavier by 2lbs I'd say and having a little beefier stock. But one gets use to their rifles weight & wrist grip fairly quick. As I see things I think the perfect lever rifle would be combination of both. 50-ish 336 action having a 94s barrel. As far as which rifle I prefer. I own both. Each rifle has its good and bad points. But frankly I prefer to hunt with my lucky old pal. A un-scoped Savage 99 carbine over the other two Southern Shooter.
 
I have both and although I like the winchester there is no disputing that between the two rifles I own, the Marlin cycles vastly more smoothly.

But the winchester has nostalgic properties that the Marlin cannot.

Rmocarsky
 
Over 30 years ago, US Repeating Arms built the first angle-eject model 94's for scope use. In my opinion, these are the BEST built 94's. Why these have been ignored by the shooting press is beyond my comprehension. Accuracy and function is reliable and rugged.

Marlins have long been popular as well for their unique curved pistol grip styling and ease of normal maintenance. They're also quite accurate. My carbine shoots 2 inch groups at 100 yards with Winchester Power Point ammo and 4 inches at 150 yards. This makes for a very useful deer rifle for vast majority of hunting situations whether east or west.

Jack
 
I prefer the top eject Winchester but that's mostly aesthetics. That and I have no desire to put a scope on a lever action.
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Same here.

I've hunted with both. Marlin is a bit heavier by 2lbs I'd say
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Similarly configured and both having 20'" long barrels, the Marlin Model 336 is only 1/2 pound heavier than the Winchester Model 94 (7 pounds vs 6 1/2 pounds).
 
You are more likely to get an accurate shooter with the Marlin. Winchester quality has been up and down. Get a good Winchester and it is a draw. It is just that there are more sub-par Winchesters.

I like the look and balance of the Winchesters better. The obvious solution is one of these. There are 2 Winchesters in there, the rest are the best of the Marlins in my opinion.

 
I prefer the top eject Winchester but that's mostly aesthetics. That and I have no desire to put a scope on a lever action.
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I'm the opposite. While i have no need for a scope, i prefer the side eject. I just think it looks nicer.
 
Those Marlin 336T, "Texan", versions look nice. But, for a 30-30, I prefer a pre-war Winchester. I must admit that the 1893 Marlin has a lot of charm to it also.
 
For cast bullets and iron sights, it's the Winchester hands down. Red dot or scope and cast or jacketed bullets, Marlin in a heartbeat.

I have and have had, several laying around the house at any given time being casted for, reloaded and shot several times monthly.

The Marlin is also easier to clean and has more aftermarket parts and services available than the Winchester. It's also easier to tune the trigger and action on a Marlin.

Buy a couple of each and get back to us in a couple of years.
 
I've had a few of both. Most of the Marlins have found new homes.

It seems a well kept secret that Winchesters have been as easy to scope as Marlins for 25 or 30 years.

I like the style of early type guns, the so called saddle ring carbines and special order rifles, but I've seen many of the angle eject guns that I would have no problem owning. Many have been very slick. As was previously mentioned, Winchesters are generally easier to get good results from with cast bullets, which I like.

Its often mentioned in connection with the Marlin/Winchester discussion how superior the Marlin is because of how simple it is to remove the bolt. I've never seen that consideration mentioned in regards to some other arms that cant be cleaned from the chamber end like the M-1 Garand and carbine, sks, ak's, mini-14's, M-1A/M-14, Savage 99 etc. For myself, it just isn't an issue either way, it means little to me. On the reverse side of the question, if you don't take the gun apart to clean it, you can't lose any parts.

I prefer how the Winchester action functions for single loading small game and grouse loads while leaving the magazine loaded. I've also had more mechanical problems with Marlins than Winchesters. Just my .02
 
I prefer an older pre cross bolt safety Marlin.

The straight stock ones look more classic, I do like the ergonomics of the pistol grip though.
 
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