Marlin, Winchester or ?

[Poygan]

I've not owned a 30-30 for a very long time and am thinking about changing that. It will only be used for paper punching and other such activities. I do have a Marlin in .44 mag and can get reasonable accuracy with the microgroove rifling with cast boolits.

1. Which make would you choose and why (limited to lever guns)?

2. What cast boolit would you prefer?

3. Favorite powder and boolit combinations?

[mroliver77]

I have found it somewhat easier to make Winchester leverguns shoot cast. My Marlin 30-30 MG will shoot great it is just picky. Nose riders need a large nose as the MG bore size is larger. Winchester handles a bit nicer to me. Marlin is strong and functions smoothlyPrice...well Winnys are a tad higher most times but the market is fickle. Marlins are more scope friendly if you need them.
Have I helped any?

Jay

[Junior1942]

Winchester and with the Ranch Dog 311-165-F bullet. Click the link below.

[jh45gun]

Winchester

[Gerry N.]

Winchester or Marlin? Absolutely, excellent choice.

Gerry N.

[6pt-sika]

I own eleven Marlin's and one Winchester that are chambered for the 30-30 !

When I have the Lever Action Silhouette shoots at my gun club 90% of the folks who shoot use Marlin's and of those that shoot 30-30 Marlin's are 100% [smilie=1:


For a cast bullet look at the Ranch Dog 311-165GC FIRST :drinks:

www.ranchdogmolds.com

If you decide you want another mold then consider the ;

Lyman 311041

RCBS 30-150 GC

RCBS 30-180 GC

Saeco 30-150 GC

I've used all these molds with decent to great results :drinks:

[6pt-sika]

My load for the Ranch Dog 311-165GC is 22 grains of XMP5744 and a CCI200 primer !

Used this load quite a bit on paper , silhouette's and DEER :drinks:

[missionary5155]

Greetings
I changed my Winchester 30-30 into a 375 ....
I have both companies in other calibers... which one would I keep... HARD choice as both are excellent made. My Marlin 41 mag was a real challenge to get it to feed. But it would be tough to get rid of it now. My 44-40 Winny here will be the last to get left behind.
So either way you go.. you will have a GREAT rifle.
Mike God Bless you.

[Bret4207]

Marlin, but it would be pre-MG, and preferably a Sporting Carbine or a Texan. And if I really had my choice it would be a 356, but in a Winchester. Fickle, eh?

[Jon K]

Well, I'll go for both, but.....................I'm not a fan of TL or MG, so I'm all for it with Ballard cut rifling in both brands.

Jon

[Sprue]

The rifle itself would be one of personal choice naturally. Also the value of fit, finish, top or side scope mounting preference as well as case ejection styles.

I'm a lefty and have a model 94 30/30 with a side mounted 4x redfield scope. All is well for me but I don't know how that would work out for a righty (cheek weld). Overall, I do lean towrds the 1894 and 1895's. But then I like em all.

As for lead boolits, I've never fired anything but jacketed thru the 94, quite the opposite for the marlins.

[6pt-sika]

I realize some folks don't care for the Micro Groove barrels with cast bullets .

And to be honest I "used" to be that way myself .

But I've had very good luck with plain old wheelweight aircooled bullets in Micro Groove barrels chambered for 30-30 , 357 MAG , 35 REM , 356 WIN , 375 WIN , 44 MAG , 444 and 45-70 !

Granted in the 444 and 45-70 when you get to the heavier bullets you either need to go with a harder alloy or water quench .

I'm working with no less then EIGHT Micro Groove 444's and cast bullets . And they all shoot cast well ! At the moment most of my efforts are toward the 320grain + bullets and thats right about where I found I needed to start water quenching . To push a heavy bullet fast enough in a Micro barrel to stabalize it you need a harder skin atleast so it won't strip out in the rifling and keyhole on you .

I will say however that I shoot the same heavy bullets aircooled in my little 444P which is ballard and they handle them just fine .

[NickSS]

Well I have both winchesters and Marlins in 30-30 and 38-55 as well as a host of pistol calibers. I like them both. Accuracy wise I can not choose between them as both shoot better than I can shoot. I would get a 30-30 by either maker. The Winchester is a bit sleeker but also less smooth in operation. The Marlin is more bulky but of excellent quality. My rifle that I use the most in 30-30 happens to be a winchester but its because its the most beat up rifle I own. When I got it it had a lot of the blueing gone and the stock was used as a canoe paddle. Well a little bake on black paint on the steel and a quick refinsh on the stock with true oil and it now looks haveway decent. It goes with me almost everywhere in my car or camper and has seen a lot of use on targets and small game as well as larger game and varmints.

[Poygan]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I will buy the first acceptable 30-30 I find and go on from there. Maybe I will have to buy two, a Marlin and a Winchester. Both seem to be fairly available here but probably won't be once I begin the search. Junior, I would love to have one like your "Bill". Many years ago I had an octagon bbl Winchester in 30-30 but in those days, I had to sell one gun to get another. In truth, I traded a lot more than I should have back then.

[Boerrancher]

I own more Winchester lever guns than I do Marlin, not because I think that they are any better, but because the Winchester suits my needs better. I use a lever gun for ranch work just like any other piece of equipment you would find on a working ranch. I don't need a scope, so the extra bulk on a Marlin that allows you to mount a scope is just extra weight that I don't care to lug around while running fence or checking on the heard.

With that said, my favorite all time Lever gun is the Mod 99 Savage. It is one of the most accurate lever guns chambered for some of the more powerful rifle rounds on the market. I use to have several but do to an unfortunate event I only have one left in a 300 Savage. It is my go to rifle when I get serious about hunting. 130 gr Speer HP's for White tale and mulies, and the 150 gr Sierra for Elk and Moose. Though I haven't had it out in a few years as I have been using my 30-30 winnie in a 94 with cast boolits and my mod 1866 44-40 with cast for white tale, I still consider the Mod 99 my go to gun.

Best wishes from the Boer Ranch,

Joe

[Don McDowell]

Winchester 94, 311,294 with the gas check step removed,cast from wheelweights, 18 grs of 5744, if you miss the 270 yd gong it didn't have anything to do with the gun , load or bullet.

[KirkD]

Well Poygan, if you want a carbine, it would be either a Marlin 336 made in the 1950's or 1960's, or a Winchester 1894/94 made anytime before 1963. If you got a hankerin' for a rifle length, then it would be a Winchester Model 64. If I wanted to put a scope on it, then it would be the Marlin 336 for sure. At present, I only have one 30-30, a Winchester Model 94 made in 1954.

As for cast bullets, a forum member here sent me a variety to try out, in addition to a bunch that someone else sent me. When all the reloading and shooting was done, the bullet that did the best in my carbine was the RCBS-180 - GC, water dropped wheelweights. At present, however, I've got a bucket of RCBS 150-GC bullets that are not as accurate in my gun, but still enough to give 3" 5-shot groups at 100 yards, and two 1-shot Whitetail Bucks this past fall.

[barrabruce]

Old thread but... what are the newer 94 30-30 carbines like?? barrells throat accuracay and all that.
Might have a source for a new one at reasonable price.

If not I'l keep looking
Bruce

[runfiverun]

older model 94 and the rcbs 150 fp g/c.
awesome combo and you can usually pick up one cheaper then a new gun.
just size to 310 or so.

[WHITETAIL]

Poygan, The answers that the members gave you
are the best I can say.
I have a old 94, in a 30-30 that shoots lead like a dream.
Now I am playing with a Marlin that I have had some good
results with.
The only thing I will add is check the rifling.
As far as I know (which is not much) go with the
Balord rifling. :Fire: