336 Cowboy Conundrum

[AlanR]

I recently took possession of an as new 336 Cowboy in 30-30. Also purchased an as new 336 CB take off barrel in 38-55, with the intention of swapping barrels. This rifle will be setup as a lead bullet only shooter. Lead bullets will need to be purchased commercially. Of course, with any new rifle, you have to shoot it first. With factory Fed 170 gr. ammunition, it is boringly 3/4" or less accurate at 50 yards...moa at 100 with factory irons. I hate to mess with an accurate rifle. Intended purpose is banging steel at 200 yards and deer hunting.

With all that said, what say you? For what I intend to use the rifle for, keep it as a 30-30 or convert to the 38-55?

[JesterGrin_1]

Myself I would leave the 30-30 alone as I feel you will kill the value of the rifle. Plus as you say it shoots well.

If you really wish to have a 38-55 look around to find one that came from the factory as a 38-55.

[rockrat]

I would like to have the 30-30 barrel, if you convert the rifle.

[Otony]

2nd in line for the barrel, please!

[starmac]

If it ain't broke??????????

[excess650]

You would be a FOOL to mess with a 336CB that shoots that well. The 30-30s aren't common, so maybe you should consider converting another 336 to 38-55. BTW, you may find it difficult to chamber groove diameter boolits in the factory chamber. It seems that Marlin used OLD bore & groove dimensions and cut the chamber for modern bullets.

[northmn]

I have a CB in 30-30 that I have killed a few deer with and played with, all with cast bullets. It is about the easiest rifle to work up a load for with cast I have seen. My worst loads for it have been better than some of the better ones for some of the milsurps I played with. With the right CB load the 30-30 is pretty good on deer. I hae shot some with a 38-55 and see no real magical difference between them. I point out that I am talking about CB's. One deer was taken at about 140 paces.

DP

[44 flattop]

Oh Dear Lord.....

Please do not let AlanR mess with perfection. Please show him the error of his ways and to just have him buy another rifle to put that 38-55 barrel on and leave the 30-30 CB as is.

Amen.

44

[peerlesscowboy]

Myself I would leave the 30-30 alone as I feel you will kill the value of the rifle. Plus as you say it shoots well.

If you really wish to have a 38-55 look around to find one that came from the factory as a 38-55.
My sentiments exactly,

John C. Saubak

[izzyjoe]

man you are lucky to have such a rare rifle, i've give up lookin' for one. i've seen lots of 38-55's 45-70's, but i've only run across one cb 30-30. and it's not for sale. i'd leave it be, and find yourself a better 30-30 and build it. :mrgreen:

[AlanR]

Thank you for the replies...me thinks I'll just leave this one be as is (thanks for the prayer 44FT :) ). Great suggestion on rebarreling E650...problem solved down the road.

[44 flattop]

me thinks I'll just leave this one be as is (thanks for the prayer 44FT :) )
No thanks to me, the Lord works in mysterious ways :grin:

44

[peerlesscowboy]

I think Marlin only chambered the 336CB in .30-30 for the first year of production and then discontinued it. Like a dummy I didn't get one when they were readily available but I was fortunate to pick up one from an ad on GunsAmerica later. Sweet shootin' rifle, it's now my "go-to" .30-30 for shootin' cast. Another one I "should'a" bought when they were around was the Marlin 39CB .22lr, still lookin' [smilie=b:

John C. Saubak

[EDK]

I missed a used 30/30 COWBOY by not putting a deposit on it...$400.

Next one was at the local "robber baron" NIB for only $600....NO SALE!

Stumbled onto a NIB for $400...into layaway with my last $100 of mad money. Shot it a bit, but kept it buried in the safe more often than not...shoot more 44 and 357 Marlins and pistols.

A gentleman in Washington state put one up on gunbroker with a $600 buy now...about a 90% gun...and I picked my nose for a day or two..then hit the BUY NOW button at 5 AM before heading for work.

I've got a 20 inch RC, a TEXAN and a 336A with the 24 inch barrel and half magazine, but the COWBOY is my favorite. I've got a LYMAN 66 receiver sight on it and am looking for a #17 front.

The 38/55 doesn't have very impressive ballistics. AND there are some issues on boolit diameter and casing length...I don't know how available factory ammo is. IF you investigate and still want a 38/55, go find another gun and do the conversion on a less valuable and collectible rifle. You might want to get a magazine tube of the proper length and associated hardware from NUMRICH/GUN-PARTS for future use...make a more attractive package if you decide to sell the barrel later.

:cbpour::redneck::Fire:

[44 flattop]

The 38/55 doesn't have very impressive ballistics.
Nope, but it sure kills elk like a house afire!

44

[excess650]

Factory ballistics on the 38-55 are anemic due to the OLD, WEAK rifles that could have a problem if fired with more powerful ammo. In stronger rifles (like the 336) the 38-55 can launch a 280gr in excess of 1700fps without straining. Recoil is modest compared to a 45-70 shooting 400gr.

[NHlever]

The 38-55 would be / is a wonderful caliber in a lever action, or single shot rifle with dimensions suitable for the components we can readily find. It packs a lot of punch for hunting, and is a very pleasant round to shoot for fun as others have mentioned. The SD, and BC of the boolits compares very favorably with the larger .44's, and 45-70's while being a lot easier on the shoulder, and much more conservative of lead.

[peerlesscowboy]

.38-55 is a nice round, that's why I have two 336CBs, one in .30-30 & the other in .38-55 :grin: If ya' can't make up your mind just get one of each :wink:

[JesterGrin_1]

Before you say the 38-55 is a weak round you should look at the load data that Ranch Dog has for the Marlin 336 CB in 38-55. :)

I do not feel it is weak when you can push a 38-55 with a Ranch Dog 235Gr RF/GC at 2100FPS. But hey I could be wrong lol. :)

[northmn]

The 38-55 can udoubtebly be loaded very hot. There were some issues with the Marlin CB 38-55 and bore diameter vs throat diameter. For cast some had to have the throat reamed as the bore was a solid 380. I used a Barnes 255 (or some such) 379 OS in mine and loaded it up to about 1700 fps. Still saw no special magic on deer. Might be better for bigger stuff as sometimes heavier bullets waste their effect on the landscape on the other side of deer after they go through.

DP

[peerlesscowboy]

FWIW......concerning the .38-55 Marlin barrel vs chamber dimentions;
When the 336CB first came out I heard conflicting stories so I called the company, talked to a quite knowledgable lady who answered the phone who looked it up and told me their factory spec's were..........373" bore diameter, 379" groove diameter.
Fast forward to working up a cast load with the standard chamber, if you try to run a bullet much over .379" you'll encounter difficult chambering.

John C. Saubak

[WHITETAIL]

AlanR, +1
And Welcome to the forum![smilie=s:

[44 flattop]

FWIW......concerning the .38-55 Marlin barrel vs chamber dimentions;
When the 336CB first came out I heard conflicting stories so I called the company, talked to a quite knowledgable lady who answered the phone who looked it up and told me their factory spec's were..........373" bore diameter, 379" groove diameter.
Fast forward to working up a cast load with the standard chamber, if you try to run a bullet much over .379" you'll encounter difficult chambering.

John C. Saubak
I've always sized to .379 in my CB with absolutely no problems and fantastic accuracy. Mostly because that is the only sizing die I happened to have on hand at the time [smilie=1: :mrgreen:

44

[northmn]

Usually what happens when you report from what someone else states. I had great accuracy with the Barnes OS at 379. Kind of regret trading that rifle off now as I think it would have been fun to play with. If the bore is at 379 some would want a 381 or so for cast, whcih may or may not be needed.

DP

[jmh54738]

Gee, I wish I could shoot moa groups at 100 yards with factory iron sights on a Marlin 30-30.

[1Papalote]

get you a 336 donor gun and have the 38/55 barrel put on it. You will be gald you did. I have 2 CBs in 30-30 and 1 in 38-55, all are shooters!! And yes I have on more than 1 occasion shot MOA at 100 with a CB 30-30

Papalote

[peerlesscowboy]

............... If the bore is at 379 some would want a 381 or so for cast, whcih may or may not be needed.
Personally I don't think it's all that critical. I'm running my .38-55 right on groove diam @ .379"/.379"---------- running my .30-30 .004" over groove @ .312"/.308", and they both shoot accurately :-D
One thing the two have in common is, both loads use a bullet that is the biggest diameter that will chamber freely.

John C. Saubak