Do you like 30-30 or 44 magnum.

[Bazoo]

I have a winchester 94... that I aint parting with. And I have a blackhawk in 44 magnum im working to master. Well im thinking there would be some neatness to having a 44 leveraction, particularly a marlin 1894.

So, not given the want it factor, what is the advantages or disadvantages of one caliber over the other. Any purpose that one suits that the other doesnt?

Hunting purposes is one area of concern. Which is better for larger game such as elk, moose, or bear? I know neither is ideal for any of those, and that either will do about the same on deer.

Plinking and versatility of use is other areas of concern.

Thoughts please.

~Bazoo

[kungfustyle]

If you want to go with cast for the 44 the twist is the factor. Marlin, Henry are 1 in 38 twist. That will limit you to about 250 to 260grain lead. The Rossi is 1 in 30.
Scoping it is another question. The Marlin and Henry you can mount on the receiver but the Rossi and Winchester(older top eject) you have to mount scout scope or side mount. I have both. My Rossi 92 in 44 shoots about 12" hight at 25 yards so I mounted a scope on it with the mount from NOE. The Winchester I tried to mount a scout scope, but frankly I'm tired of the look/function. The Winchester now has a receiver sight and I'm very happy with both.
By the way before you think about going down the Rossi road, the bbl's have a grove diameter of .432 that means a new mold new size die that you have to special order etc.
30-30 works. 44 SBH works. Settle for what you have get a bandolier holster and go hunting.
If you have the itch for a new 44 gun and you have the scratch, get it. The Rossi is a nice little rifle. Shoots cast great. Here is the mold that I got for mine: http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.p...o7g6g9d46Holds 2" at 100 yards all day w/ H110 powder.
any questions please feel free to PM me.

[Bazoo]

I pretty well like the marlins. By limit me to 250 to 260 grain lead, you mean, I couldnt go heavier, or I couldnt go lighter?

[mdhillbilly1]

I have a winchester 94... that I aint parting with. And I have a blackhawk in 44 magnum im working to master. Well im thinking there would be some neatness to having a 44 leveraction, particularly a marlin 1894.

So, not given the want it factor, what is the advantages or disadvantages of one caliber over the other. Any purpose that one suits that the other doesnt?

Hunting purposes is one area of concern. Which is better for larger game such as elk, moose, or bear? I know neither is ideal for any of those, and that either will do about the same on deer.

Plinking and versatility of use is other areas of concern.

Thoughts please.

~Bazoo

I used to use a Marlin model 45/70 Government stainless that will work to kill everything you have listed. The only thing is deciding is the average distance that your shot would be to decide the scope you need. A 4.5x power up to 150 yards and 7x power at a further distance.
A Bushnell Banner 1.5 X 4.5 on medium height Weaver Quad Lock rings for a low end.

I used a Leupold VX3 1.5x4 (with the illuminated duplex reticle feature), bright, clear, rugged, excellent eye relief, compact to mount low, and looks good. I think you should look at the current line of Leupold scopes at the illuminated scopes using the power base of your average shooting distance.

I recently sold my rifle, but since I have started reloading it makes me upset that I sold my rifle. The shooter can design a round to perfectly match your firearm and save some money reloading after making the intial purchase of the reloading equipment needed.


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[Dan Cash]

Having lived and hunted in your area, I believe that I would stay with a .30-30 for hunting as a 200 yard shot, while a long poke, is not unusual. In 20 years living there, I probably made 2 shots like that though most were in the 30 to 100 yard bracket. The .44 will reach to the 200 yard mark but a high trajectory makes hits more difficult. If you master your handgun, take both guns afield as you have a complementary pair.

[dverna]

BTW, why do you want a gun for moose in Kentucky? If planning an out of state hunt, neither caliber is what I would use.

I would think the .30/30 is about perfect for deer under 200 yards. Light for elk IMHO.

For plinking, get a .357 lever action and use .38's. Cheap on brass, lead, and powder.

[17nut]

Why are you "limited" to 250-250gr bullets in the Marlin 94?
I wery well know it is 1:38" and that is the limiting factor but the 30-30 maxes out at 170-180gr so why is 80grains heavier bullets a limitation?

Oh and mine is a 1972 MG and shoots like a laser with cast 240grainers.
And the 20" takes 10 rounds of 44MAG for plinking

[ikarus1]

Neither. Get a .35 Remington and have .44 power and .30-30 range in the same size gun. Also, thanks to RCBS and Lee we can cast an excellent 200gr COWW lead projectile that absolutely smashes feral hogs and there are many accounts of moose taken with the .35 in the Northeast.

[northmn]

In a rifle the only advantage you would have buying a 44 mag would be the ability to use the same set of dies, powder etc as in the pistol. A 30-30 gives flatter trajectory and longer range than the 44 mag and is a very versatile cast boolit rifle. I have loaded mine to almost 32-20 levels an have matched the old 303 Savage with a 190 grain cast bullet. Most 30-30's are very good cast bullet shooters.
The old idea of rifle/pistol interchangeability has come up as some sort of ideal from the cowboy shooters world or some other idea. When I talked to the old timers that went through the depression the ideal mix was a deer rifle caliber, 30-30, 32 Special The Remington auto calibers, 300 Savage etc and a 22 Colt woodsman pistol. Why carry the same gun, as the pistol was used to take a variety of small game and cheap. We are talking about old timers that lived off the land.
If your shots at deer are fairly close then the 44 is not a bad rifle. The 30-30 is just a better rifle cartridge.

DP

[OlDeuce]

I have a winchester 94... that I aint parting with. And I have a blackhawk in 44 magnum im working to master.

~Bazoo

When I was younger!!!............Thats all I hunted with and that was a 7 1/2'' barreled Super Blackhawk in 44mag.... It was a blast to stalk
your game ,hands free, the outdoors was a different feeling with free hands!! and what I did to master the 44 at distance was.....I put a 55gal.
steel drum at 200yds. You do your own reloading?? then have at it...shoot and keep shooting until you can hit it every time! than lay it down and
shoot at the end of the drum!! smaller sight picture !!! after you feel good about your progress than move the drum closer ! repeate!!!! than Closer
&repeat...........If ya do that all summer by hunting season you should be ready for a 100yrd kill..................Ol Deuce

[Texas by God]

30-30 hands down. And carry a .22 handgun. I have used this combo many times and don't see a problem with it.
30-30 has killed a mountain of(insert North American game animal here).
Best, Thomas.

[mdhillbilly1]

I used to use a Marlin model 45/70 Government stainless that will work to kill everything you have listed. The only thing is deciding is the average distance that your shot would be to decide the scope you need. A 4.5x power up to 150 yards and 7x power at a further distance.
A Bushnell Banner 1.5 X 4.5 on medium height Weaver Quad Lock rings for a low end.

I used a Leupold VX3 1.5x4 (with the illuminated duplex reticle feature), bright, clear, rugged, excellent eye relief, compact to mount low, and looks good. I think you should look at the current line of Leupold scopes at the illuminated scopes using the power base of your average shooting distance.

I recently sold my rifle, but since I have started reloading it makes me upset that I sold my rifle. The shooter can design a round to perfectly match your firearm and save some money reloading after making the intial purchase of the reloading equipment needed.


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I used my 45/70 Government Stainless in the West Virginia mountains. I like to go up in the hills shooting on a 4 wheeler.

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[Bazoo]

Interesting responses thus far. By the way, im brain storming, not planning a north american big game hunt yet. I'd love to have a 45/70 and am planning on one sometime in the future. I've also been toying with the idea of converting my 30-30 to 35-30, which im told can be loaded to 35 remington levels. Which would bring the gun into the elk class.

My main idea of this thread, really, is to see if there is any benefit at all to a 44 magnum lever gun as opposed to a 30-30.

I do see the value of packing a 22 handgun with me when packing a large caliber rifle.

[three50seven]

I pretty well like the marlins. By limit me to 250 to 260 grain lead, you mean, I couldnt go heavier, or I couldnt go lighter?

There seems to be a school of thought that the 1:38 twist in the Marlin 1894 .44 mag will only stabilize bullets up to 250-260 grains. Glen Fryxell disproved that theory in his article on the Marlin 1894:http://lasc.us/FryxellMarlin1894.htm

I have a Marlin 336 in 30-30 and an 1894 in .44 mag. Both are good rifles and you really can't go wrong with either. You will probably get a little more range with the 30-30, but more short-range energy from the 44.

[Mk42gunner]

I like the .30-30 better than a .44 Mag for most purposes, I think it is a slightly better rifle round.

For plinking, the .44 will have more magazine capacity.

Robert

[Der Gebirgsjager]

.44 Mag. rifle is a great brush and timber gun, but the longer range advantage goes to the .30-30. I'd chose the .30-30 every time. But, that having been said, if you have the desire to own a .44 then go for it! There are relatively few subsistence meat hunters any more, so having fun and experimenting is what it's all about.

[mdhillbilly1]

.44 Mag. rifle is a great brush and timber gun, but the longer range advantage goes to the .30-30. I'd chose the .30-30 every time. But, that having been said, if you have the desire to own a .44 then go for it! There are relatively few subsistence meat hunters any more, so having fun and experimenting is what it's all about.

I guess it depends on environment and distance. I still like the 44 mag for shooting in our area, since rifle calipers are illegal, but I understand pistol calipers are allowed in rifles. This does not make sense to me that I am going to call Natural Reasource Police today.

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[Griff]

It must be the result of some genetic encoding... this desire to have a rifle & handgun in the same chambering. While according the "experts" a .30-30 isn't quite good enough for deer in a mdl 94 Winchester, put it in a Contender w/a 10" bbl, it's a GREAT cartridge for elk! The same ain't said about a 44Magnum in the same 10" Contender... so... I drew my own conclusion, you draws yours.

I had a Winchester mdl 94 in 44Mag, it t'weren't ideal. I believe it kicked me as hard as anything it hit. While not dramatically so, it had more "felt" recoil than the same mdl in .30-30. But, back then, some 40+ years ago, I tended to load everything on the 'hot' side.

Finally, in the game fields, it really depends on where you intend to hunt. While the .30-30 is generally thought of as a "short" range cartridge, it does have a bit more range than the .44. I don't think you'll find any difference in effect at ranges out to 100 yards. And at 50 yards or less, you'll probably be better served with the 44Mag. That wider bullet is more likely to transfer more of it's energy to the target than the .30-30.

[northmn]

I was always amused about how handguns could have some special extra power over rifles as Griff just referred to. In the Dirty Harry days the 44 mag revolvers were considered adequate for Grizzly's while the 30-30 was said to bounce off deer. I have heard others comment on how the 30-30 in a contender was so much better than a 94 Winchester. More accurate etc. I think Ruger started the 44 mag Rifle offerings with its little semi auto. Marlin picked up on it later. In rifles they never made the same claims for power as in the shorter barreled handguns with a cylinder gap.

DEP

[Der Gebirgsjager]

It must be the result of some genetic encoding... this desire to have a rifle & handgun in the same chambering. While according the "experts" a .30-30 isn't quite good enough for deer in a mdl 94 Winchester, put it in a Contender w/a 10" bbl, it's a GREAT cartridge for elk.

I think I'd be leery of those experts' opinions........