ATCDoktor
03-24-2019, 08:30 PM
Went to a local Gunshow yesterday and found a Marlin Model 1893 chambered in 30 30 hidden on the backside of a rotary rifle rack and figured I’d give it cursory look.
I eyeballed it pretty hard, working the action, checking the trigger pull/checking to see if the hammer would drop when pushed vigorously, checking the crown/bore and sights etc.
It appeared to be all there (the bore has strong rifling but is dark and frosted) and the action was tight and un molested, no splits or cracks in the wood and (although a little rough finish wise) I figured I’d see what the owner would take for it.
Now, I need another 30 30 like I need the piles but what I didn’t have up to this point was a Marlin 1893 and figured if I could get it cheap enough I could justify adding one more to the stable.
So, me and the owner dickered back and forth for a while and I managed to talk him down from $575 to $475 and he threw in two boxes of his 40 year old jacketed handloads with the deal.
https://i.postimg.cc/ZnbQqL7b/48-C9-A477-DC7-C-4-D30-AB44-F4-C156-A0-D6-DB.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/PJSRv89m/778424-F0-A6-F6-438-F-A224-50-E2-CA5-FB21-C.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/Fsn693jv/8802-D88-E-6-D37-4119-A4-A3-3-CCB195-B7745.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/Hx4KHNtv/A7D63E57-0837-4C08-94A7-C5E3DD7427CB.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/kX5Z3fRw/C873CA94-92CC-410D-9411-ACEE8B27EEA7.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/CxBQd5Nq/D05CE6BD-7F6E-4D40-A0C8-A8AB79746E84.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
I got it home and scrubbed the bore for about an hour and got it clean enough to shoot, loaded up some fairly mild rounds using 170 J-words at about 1900 fps and took it out to see how it shot.
I set a paper target up at 25 yards and fired a single round to see where it was hitting and the bullet struck 2” left of center and dead on for elevation.
Used a brass mallet and punch and tapped the rear sight to the right, fired another round and it was dead center.
I switched over to a steel swinger at 100 yards and fired another five rounds and the result was fairly satisfying:
https://i.postimg.cc/fLVxwSZ3/8304354-E-3802-4726-91-DA-DE06407-A509-B.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
I dropped the rear sight one notch on the elevator and fired another 4 rounds and that just about centered everything up:
https://i.postimg.cc/s2DYN0N4/A1-B1-E479-B9-F1-4817-8-D13-D8-B1-C5739-BE9.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
I shot up the rest of the ammo I loaded and I got to thinking about the handloads he threw in with the deal.
Normally I’d break them down and reuse the brass and bullets but figured I’d see what they would do and again I was fairly surprised:
6 rounds at 100 yards with 4 grouping into 2 inches (starting charge of IMR 3031 and 150 JSP).
https://i.postimg.cc/q7bsVxfV/9630-CC2-A-0-E95-4-B9-F-AFED-C2-F0-D779-D958.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
That’s about the best I can do with a full buckhorn sight with a tiny notch, thin front blade and 55 year old eyes.
All in all I’m very pleased with the rifle, I don’t think I got beat up too bad on the price and for a 110 year old rifle it shoots good and it scratches the itch I had for a vintage Marlin.
I eyeballed it pretty hard, working the action, checking the trigger pull/checking to see if the hammer would drop when pushed vigorously, checking the crown/bore and sights etc.
It appeared to be all there (the bore has strong rifling but is dark and frosted) and the action was tight and un molested, no splits or cracks in the wood and (although a little rough finish wise) I figured I’d see what the owner would take for it.
Now, I need another 30 30 like I need the piles but what I didn’t have up to this point was a Marlin 1893 and figured if I could get it cheap enough I could justify adding one more to the stable.
So, me and the owner dickered back and forth for a while and I managed to talk him down from $575 to $475 and he threw in two boxes of his 40 year old jacketed handloads with the deal.
https://i.postimg.cc/ZnbQqL7b/48-C9-A477-DC7-C-4-D30-AB44-F4-C156-A0-D6-DB.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/PJSRv89m/778424-F0-A6-F6-438-F-A224-50-E2-CA5-FB21-C.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/Fsn693jv/8802-D88-E-6-D37-4119-A4-A3-3-CCB195-B7745.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/Hx4KHNtv/A7D63E57-0837-4C08-94A7-C5E3DD7427CB.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/kX5Z3fRw/C873CA94-92CC-410D-9411-ACEE8B27EEA7.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
https://i.postimg.cc/CxBQd5Nq/D05CE6BD-7F6E-4D40-A0C8-A8AB79746E84.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
I got it home and scrubbed the bore for about an hour and got it clean enough to shoot, loaded up some fairly mild rounds using 170 J-words at about 1900 fps and took it out to see how it shot.
I set a paper target up at 25 yards and fired a single round to see where it was hitting and the bullet struck 2” left of center and dead on for elevation.
Used a brass mallet and punch and tapped the rear sight to the right, fired another round and it was dead center.
I switched over to a steel swinger at 100 yards and fired another five rounds and the result was fairly satisfying:
https://i.postimg.cc/fLVxwSZ3/8304354-E-3802-4726-91-DA-DE06407-A509-B.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
I dropped the rear sight one notch on the elevator and fired another 4 rounds and that just about centered everything up:
https://i.postimg.cc/s2DYN0N4/A1-B1-E479-B9-F1-4817-8-D13-D8-B1-C5739-BE9.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
I shot up the rest of the ammo I loaded and I got to thinking about the handloads he threw in with the deal.
Normally I’d break them down and reuse the brass and bullets but figured I’d see what they would do and again I was fairly surprised:
6 rounds at 100 yards with 4 grouping into 2 inches (starting charge of IMR 3031 and 150 JSP).
https://i.postimg.cc/q7bsVxfV/9630-CC2-A-0-E95-4-B9-F-AFED-C2-F0-D779-D958.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
That’s about the best I can do with a full buckhorn sight with a tiny notch, thin front blade and 55 year old eyes.
All in all I’m very pleased with the rifle, I don’t think I got beat up too bad on the price and for a 110 year old rifle it shoots good and it scratches the itch I had for a vintage Marlin.