After 58 years----My first 30/30

[Wayne R. Scott]

As a kid I grew up reading Outdoor Life with Jack O'Connor (there are two kinds of rifles in this world the .270 Win and all of those other things) and Guns & Ammo with Elmer Keith (any bullet smaller than .33 caliber and weighing less than 250 grains is only good for pests). Plus living in Iowa in those days the only weapon legal for the three day deer season was a smooth bore shotgun shooting slugs. Thus I never really developed a hankering for a 30/30 rifle.

That all changed a couple of weeks ago when I went into my local gun pusher's establishment and a like new Marlin 336 Microgroove 30/30 from 1978 followed me home.

I bought a Lee 309-150 F GC mold, a .309 Lee sizing kit, 100 pieces of new R-P brass, (I think Mid-Way likes me lately) re-read how to tumble lube bullets the easy way. Made some 50-50 lube with Johnson's paste wax and LLA. I found a little mini-crock pot used for potpourri at Goodwill for a couple of bucks. It works just great for melting small batches of JPW.

I ordered a Skinner peep sight to help my 58 year old eyes. I removed the aperture to create a "Ghost ring" of sorts. Cast some ACWW boolits and loaded 10 over 11.0 grains of Unique and another 10 over 18.0 grains of 2400.

Today the rain finally stopped for a few minutes and I slogged out to my range and shot up my first batch of 30/30's. I can tell I am pretty rusty at using iron sights. I am posting the two targets below (I hope) I've never put a picture in a thread before. I didn't haul the chronograph out but I will later.

All I got to say is, "Man, this is fun!!" Better late than never.

Wayne

[jh45gun]

Better late then never! My First Center fire was a Marlin 30/30 One of the Glen-field models with a short magazine. That was in the mid 60's I sold it after my dad died as I inherited his Winchester model 94 which eventually wound up with my Brother. For years I shot every thing but an other lever 30/30 Then a few years ago I got a good deal on a 1964 vintage Winchester which I bought. After that came a Henry 22 Mag and Now a Marlin Guide Gun in 45/70. After I had gotten that Winchester again I knew I missed out on a lot of years of just fun shooting and not having a classic whitetail rifle also though I will use the guide gun for that chore now. Congrats on your Marlin 30/30 lever guns are addicting.

[Jon K]

Wayne,

:cbpour:.

"Nothing Like a Good Levergun"
It's FUN & addicting.

Have Fun Shooting,
Jon

[NickSS]

I know all about what gun rags and writers had to say all through the 50s and 60 about calibers. To believe them and I did for at least the first 10years I was a hunter and shooter that the 30-30 was obsolete and only held on due to the light handy rifles that they were chambered in. I further read that a 270, 30-06 or even better one of the belted magnums was just the ticket for white tail deer but for anything larger you really needed at least a 338 Win Mag but a 375 H&H mag was better. After 10 years of lugging large heavy rifles around and getting a lot of blood shot meat I bought my first 30-30. What a revelation my first 336 marlin was. It was light handy and my very first shot at game with it dropped a black tail at close to 200 yards across a clear cut and it damaged less meat! Welcome to the ranks of light and handy rifles.

[Bret4207]

It gets even better when you figure out you don't need a 22-250 or Swift to shoot 'chucks. Try a 32-20 or 25-20 or load your 30WCF down to those levels. They call it "hunting".

[excess650]

A Marlin LA with a receiver sight can be a lot of fun. :bigsmyl2:

You're just getting started.....try sizing at .311", and order the Lee "soup can" c309-113f. I like the 150F, and wish they made both of those designs in their 6 cavity molds.

My current "go to load" is 17gr AA5744 behind the Saeco #315 sized .311". Yesterday I shot the Saeco #301 200gr over the same powder charge and put 4/5 shots in a nickel sized group at 50 yards....single load only as those ICBMs are LOOOOONG!

[Wayne R. Scott]

It gets even better when you figure out you don't need a 22-250 or Swift to shoot 'chucks. Try a 32-20 or 25-20 or load your 30WCF down to those levels. They call it "hunting".

Bret,

I have a Marlin 1894 in .25/20 circa 1902 with a folding Lyman tang peep sight. I tried RCBS cast 85 gr but they will not stabilize in the Marlin Barrel. It shoots Speer 75 gr FP J-word bullets great. I bought a Lyman 257420 GC that drops bullets around 72 grains, but I have not had a chance to load and shoot them yet.

I think the Marlin twist in .25/20 is 1 in 16". I have a 23" T/C Contender barrel in .25/20 that has a 1 in 10" twist that stabilizes the 85 gr RCBS just fine.

I hope to terrorize the squirrels and raccoons around here this fall with the .25/20. We don't have a tremendous amount of wood chucks around here, but I might try to find one or two.

I think the Marlin 1894 will be my "walk-about' rifle for my little acreage.

I agree with the "hunting" part versus just shooting.

Wayne

[Wayne R. Scott]

A Marlin LA with a receiver sight can be a lot of fun. :bigsmyl2:

You're just getting started.....try sizing at .311", and order the Lee "soup can" c309-113f. I like the 150F, and wish they made both of those designs in their 6 cavity molds.



Excess650,

I ordered a Lee .311 sizing kit and a 170 grain Lee mold, a Ranch Dog type 311-165gr GCRF mold, and a 32 cal Lee 311-100 Pistol bullet mold for the .30/30. I'll have to look into the "Soup can" bullet, I am not familiar with it.

Hopefully I can make some of these shoot well in the 336. I have a feeling it is going to be more of an operator error then a rifle problem.

Wayne

[excess650]

The Ranch Dog 311-165 was designed with Marlin barrel and chamber dimensions in mind, so expect it to shoot well. I've shot the Lee 150F and like it, but haven't tried their 170F. Numerous other reports lead me to believe that it will be a good choice.

The C309-113F is a gas check design with flat nose, but the 32-100-2R is a plain base with round nose. I've used the RN in my 32-20, and it should work in the 30-30 with very light loads. Mine casts about .311" so gets Lee liquid alox and get shot without sizing.

[izzyjoe]

i've had good luck with lee 170gr. over 29gr. 4895. no leading and accurate to boot. but i'd like to someday try out the rd-165, just for fun.

[PatMarlin]

Good shooting and congrats Wayne!

Heck I waited 45 years for a 30-30 so don't feel bad. I got a circa 1970 micro groove with a Lyman tang site and it's one accurate rifle.

The last one I picked up was a circa 1949 with ballard rifling and I haven't fire it yet. I now have 3 awesome 30 caliber rifles that I have not had time to fire:

M1 Garand
1895 Winchester 30 Gov. 06
1949 Marlin 336

I seriously need my head examined and get some time free'd up.