Lever Actions!

R

Radrunner

Joined
Mar 6, 2006
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234
Hoping to pick one up. Trying to narrow it down to a calibre but am having much difficulty....

Looking at Marlin's primarily, though there's a few others in the mix. Trying to decide between 30-30 and .44
I will be hunting almost exclusively deer. There may be the opportunity to go for elk once in a while but i've got an old .308 i can steal for that from a friend.
45-70 is ove rkill. I belive .357 will be underkill.

i'm expecting the vast majority of shooting to occur between 100-250 yards. I'm up in Canada (Alberta), which is very similar to Montana. lots of open areas, lots of foothills, lots of mountains, all crashing into each other. Not the super dense bush you get out on the west or east coast, but not exactly bald-ass prairie shooting either.

Last thing is whether the lovely new 16.5" barrels marlin has out will kill the performance of a smaller round like the .44 compared ot the more standard 18" barrels.

Your experience is appreciated :)
 
30-30 good solid round, appeals more than a 44 , 45-70 is great though, and I do love it, but given the choice between those two for deer i would do 30 30
 
I've killed deer with both. Didn't use scopes but had good peep sights. Closest one I burnt hair around the bullet hole, farthest was maybe 100 yds. I think the max range for a 44 is 100 yards in the best conditions due to trajectory. A 30-30 can reasonably be relied on for 150 yards. A good rule of thumb for a deer cartridge is you've reached the maximum range is when the bullet's energy falls below 900 ft/lbs. Your max range is how far you can reliably hit a gallon jug. Hope this helps.

Uplander
 
.44 mag in a levergun is very versatile. Been trying to cherrypick a 16" rossi (qc is a little sketchy so far but there are some good ones.) properly handloaded I think you can get more whomp out of 44mag than 30-30- just not the longer range ballistic advantage of the longer bullet.
 
In the type of country you describe I'd not go with any pistol calibers. 30-30 minimum. You mentioned another gun for elk, that's good. The 45/70 has good knock down but a trajectory like a rainbow which is fine as long as your good at distance judgement and know your rainbow.

Maybe a Savage or a Browning lever in a larger caliber would be a better option.

I love a lever gun for brush and up close but when range enters the equation I go for a bolt.
 
I used to have a 30-30, and I loved it for what it was. However, I don't hunt. A 30-30 is reasonable plinker, but I could it in a more cost effective manner with a 5.56 Ar platform.

That said, I've nearly pulled the trigger, figuratively speaking, on a 45-70 about half a dozen times. Part of me doesn't want to pay $50 for a box of ammo. Part of me doesn't want to even goof around with reloading. However, I've seen and felt the audible and concussive THUMP a chunky slug will put on target. I have no practical use for one, but it sure might be fun to bruise my shoulder up every once in awhile:)
 
jobasha11 said:
If your going for deer, none are more proven then the 30 30
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I totally agree with this up to a point, the point between the 100 and 250 yards that the OP mentions.
Up to 100, maybe 125, 150 max the 30-30 is good to go, beyond that it's Hail Mary time.
 
Lots of good advice here so far. I've used both the 30-30 and the .44mag on deer, black bear and wild hog. I'd have to say they're both adequate up to 100-125 yds. Better than either one is the Marlin 336 in .35 Rem. On up to about 200 yds with factory ammo its a much better killer than its paper ballistics would lead one to beleive. If you really need to take shots out to 250 yds I think you'd be better served with something with a box magazine that handles a longer range cartridge. Maybe a Browning BLR or Savage 99 in .308 or .358. Just my .02 cents
 
I've done a little research concerning the Marlin lever actions myself. Hoping to acquire one this year. I plan on going with the 30-30, makes the most sense for me since I'll be using it primarily for hunting deer and target practice. The most important thing, according to my own research and inquiries, is that you want to buy pre 2007 or so. That's when Remington bought out Marlin, and just not the same quality.
 
A Marlin Guide Gun (45-70) with factory loads is a thumper and I've only got two shoulders! I got one several years back and sold it about six months later because of the recoil. I'm sure it would take deer and elk. The 30-30s I've had have all been very good rifles. Mild-meduim recoil with factory loads and will take deer and could take elk I'd imagaine. My current Marlin is a SS 336 in 35 remington. I really like this load. It's a light thumper with mild recoil with factory loads. Seems lighter than the 30-30 to me. I use the LeverEvolutions in the 35 and they're super accurate. It'll take deer and just like the 30-30, I imagine it'd take elk. I've had the marlin jam with one of 30-30s and my current 35 in the past. Both required repair.

I've never shot a 44 lever but the cailber is good for deer with many long barreled pistols (6-8.5 in) so I think it'd be fine in a 16.5 inch barrel as well.

A 30-30 rifle I saw at wally world recently was a youth model but it looks like it'd make a great little lever for adults as well. A carbine length lever.

As far as ammo goes, the 30-30 would be the easiest to find in sporting goods store in my experience even more so than the 44 mag.

Well, good luck in your search and let us know what you decide upon and why when you get to that point.
 
glocktenman said:
A Marlin Guide Gun (45-70) with factory loads is a thumper and I've only got two shoulders! I got one several years back and sold it about six months later because of the recoil. I'm sure it would take deer and elk.
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As Radrunner was pointing out in his original post, the 45-70 is an overkill for the task. The other day I read a funny thread about choice of caliber for deer hunting. The guy started his post by saying something along these words: Contrary to popular belief, deers are not metal plated. I thought it was funny. The 30-30 is an accurate and efficient caliber for this purpose. Plus, unlike the 45-70, it will not Mike Tyson you an ear or a shoulder each time you pull the trigger.
 
I had an older .35 rem 336 that was a good shooter. I sold it because I never got around to reloading and it jammed up something fierce on ballistic point ammo.

I was looking at a carbine length 30-30 at Rural King a couple months ago. Looked like a nifty truck gun. However, my old flame thrower/fixed bayonet charge Type 53 is filling that role. Still, looked handy as all get out. That said, I'm close to trading in a Glock I don't shoot anymore. I think I could procure a GG at no additional cost. An impractical thumpers...but I like it. Besides, worked for ol Sam Haven in Monster Hunter International didn't it;)
 
Steely_Gunz said:
my old flame thrower/fixed bayonet charge Type 53 is filling that role. (...) I think I could procure a GG at no additional cost.
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You lost me... Are you cooking your deers alive or you stab them first with the bayonet? I have no idea what a GG is either. (Good Glock? if such a thing exists... Just kidding, I'm not a Glock hater)

Merika f-beep-k yeah. There is not many other places in the world where civilians can carry handguns. I need a transport permit between home and the range. Outside this path, I have to fill paperwork and get a short time window of approval by the police dept. Like for bringing a something to a gunsmith.

But since we're in a hunting area, we can transport hunting "long" guns as long as they are not loaded.
 
As usual what this thread needs is some pictures. I got some lever guns.


Where you at snowwolf that you need a permission slip to transport a gun?
 
Bawanna said:
As usual what this thread needs is some pictures. I got some lever guns.

Where you at snowwolf that you need a permission slip to transport a gun?
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Waow... Nice collection!

I'm in the Land of the free health care system North of yours ;-)

Here firearms are classified as Non-restricted, Restricted and Prohibited.
Restricted and Prohibited requires permission slip.
If not mistaken handguns with 4.13 inch (105mm) barrel and longer falls in Restricted. Shorter is Prohibited.

Typical hunting shotguns and riffles are Non-restricted. You need a license but does not require a transport permit.
 
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snowwolf said:
You lost me... Are you cooking your deers alive or you stab them first with the bayonet? I have no idea what a GG is either. (Good Glock? if such a thing exists... Just kidding, I'm not a Glock hater)

Merika f-beep-k yeah. There is not many other places in the world where civilians can carry handguns. I need a transport permit between home and the range. Outside this path, I have to fill paperwork and get a short time window of approval by the police dept. Like for bringing a something to a gunsmith.

But since we're in a hunting area, we can transport hunting "long" guns as long as they are not loaded.
Click to expand...

Lol well I don't hunt, but I like to be prepared;) my type 53 is a Chinese variation of the M44 Mosin Nagant bolt action battle rifle. It shoots the 7.62x54r that is designed for a longer barrel. In a carbine length, it blasts about an 18" flame and concussive report. It comes with an attached folding bayonet and is about as unbreakable as a gun can be.

By GG I meant Guide Gun as in the Marlin 1895 45/70 short barrel lever gun. I have no practical use for it, but it would be a lot of fun to thunk cans with it.
 
Cherokee Rose with Winchester .44 Mag

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