357 Rossi or 30-30 Marlin brush gun?

[pappy4]

Just my 2 cents. I only own 4 rifles 2 are 30-30 1 in 32win spcl and my rem 30-06 Over the years my 32 Winchester has taken more white tailed deer than all the others put together. On the 50 acrs of ground my family owns there is a lot of black berry bushes inter mixed with oak, ash, walnut, cherry, and maple trees. Its thick thats why the deer love it here. Most shots are under 150 yrds. ( 150 is pushing it ) Just for the fact you cant see any farther than that.I do hunt on the farm next to us for a lot longer shots but I carry the 06 for them.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I really like my Rossi 92. It's Stainless with a 16" barrel. Very handy and light. Fits perfect in a shotgun scabbard. I replaced the rear sight with a Skinner peep. With the stock front brass bead it gets on target fast.

The main reason this gun is great for brush is that it's cheap. If you scratch the stainless you can buff it out, the wood is cheap so who cares. Rest it up against a tree or drag it around. The wood came real dry. All I did was add some oil and wax to buff and shine it up.

I've got a Henry Big Boy that would make a great under 100yards gun. I shoot it the better than anything else with iron sights, but I wouldn't dare drag it out to my snowy tree stand. It's a work of art! Save the dirty work for the Rossi.

It's a great little rifle that can be had under $400.

[pewpewpewco]

I've got a threaded Rossi 92 in 357 magnum.

My only complaint is that the 1:30 barrel twist is too slow for shooting many subsonic loads. But a nice quiet suppressed package for sure!

[Lonegun1894]

pewpewpewco,
You wouldn't happen to have photos by any chance, or maybe share more details? That sounds like a very practical and unusual package. I want to say there's someone else around here with a suppressed levergun, but I can't remember who.

[davidheart]

A buddy of mine has one of these ugly things: http://www.mossberg.com/product/rifl...-464-spx/41026

He loves the suppressed levergun concept. I have mixed feelings about a suppressed levergun. It's.... weird....

[Lonegun1894]

David, I do too. I mean, it just goes against all tradition--kinda like putting a scope on a levergun. On the other hand, can you think of a quicker and better suited action to do this with that will allow equal reliability? Don't get me wrong, single-shots and bolt-actions have their place, but the lever-action just has versatility that the others can't match.

[Texas by God]

Horsepower. 30-30. I have both and nothing you can put in the .357 will equal the 30-30. The Marlin wins out over the Rossi in my opinion. Best, Thomas.

[Orchard6]

I've used both and both have filled tags. I've had better luck with the .357 and cast boolits than with the 30-30 and store bought rounds (I didn't reload at the time when I had the 30-30). Obviously either one will work. If you're dead sure you'll never need the extra oomph provided by the 30-30 for those longer shots then a .357 will work just dandy.

[armprairie]

I have both, but the 30-30 Micro-groove Marlin would get my nod. I have the large loop Rossi 16" barrel. It's a very well made rifle, never failed or jammed once. But it's almost too light. The Marlin is more accurate, having a scope, sometimes getting 1" groups at 100 yards with cast bullets, especially the Loverin and Lee 175 or 180's. Both are dandy. That 357 picks up a lot in the carbine. The sights on the Rossi carbine work well for me even with my old eyes, which is unusual. If I knew the shot would be within 25 yards, I might take the Rossi. The weight of the Marlin balances better for me though, even with the Weaver 3-9 on it.
A person does well to have both, after all the lever action is America's gun.

[castalott]

Slight change.... Which gun fits you better in the field? You will probably shoot the best with that one.... Which one do you like the best?

I like 357 carbines but 336 full sized rifles hold better and shoot better for me in the field...

I know a passionate deer hunter... He has used everything you can think of from Bows to 44 mag to 45-70 (pistols) . He always took heart shots and some deer can run 50+ yards with their heart shot away. Some deer drop and some deer run....

Both have enough power for short range hunting if you do your part..... I would carry the gun that felt the most comfortable and fun....


But that's just me....

[RU shooter]

Send the 30-30 out and have it rebored to .358 with 16 twist .35 30/30 Best of both worlds . It be half the price of a new .357 carbine

[dverna]

pewpewpewco,
You wouldn't happen to have photos by any chance, or maybe share more details? That sounds like a very practical and unusual package. I want to say there's someone else around here with a suppressed levergun, but I can't remember who.

I believe Artful has one

[Ramjet-SS]

Comparatively speaking the 30-30 wins on performance alone. Now let's step back and talk about versitility. The 357 less expensive to shoot and the brass Requires less care as far as trimming etc.. In fact straight wall cases last and last and last. Think about using that gun for self defense or defensive scenario in your own home. I would choose the 357 because the idea of over penetration putting family members or even the neighbors in danger is a plausible possibility with the 30-30 not so much with a 38 special fired in the Rossi. A nice carbine in 357/38special is a handy self defense rifle. Now for short range hunting the 357 with a 180 grain cast bullet is formidable and lethal weapon in the hands of well schooled rifleman. Recoil.....357 has less. 38 special even less. Sure you load down the 30-30 but air space is not your friend. Now my opinion is somewhat jaded as I just ordered a Henry Big Boy Carbine. 357

[modified5]

Personally I would stick with the 30-30, but I also really want a .357 magnum Rossi also.
It's a never ending addiction. I have a .44 mag Rossi that I really like.
For the ultimate versatility, if you wanted one gun to do it all, you should look hard at the 45-70.
It can be loaded from mild .44 magnum ranges to hammer of the gods and will dump game as far as your .308.
Decisions, decisions.

[rosst]

pewpewpewco,
You wouldn't happen to have photos by any chance, or maybe share more details? That sounds like a very practical and unusual package. I want to say there's someone else around here with a suppressed levergun, but I can't remember who.

old pic with a 6X Leupold on top - Target elevation dial added - good for 400yrds on steel, 200yrds on game . . the intention is to push the range out further on steel when i can get the range time . . the look on the other shooters faces is partly worth the effort

[Ramjet-SS]

Just picked up my Henry Big Boy Carbine. What joy to shoot and fun. Little doubt this carbine would make a great deer rifle within the limitations of the ammo and shooter. I have plenty of rifles that have allot of muzzle blast and recoil. A the little 357 is a journey down a different road and the 50 rounds I put through that rifle was really fun.

[Smoke4320]

Send the 30-30 out and have it rebored to .358 with 16 twist .35 30/30 Best of both worlds . It be half the price of a new .357 carbine

Ignore my post .. my mistake

[GhostHawk]

Never sell a good gun. Clean and oil it, put it away for another day.

Save your penny's and your dimes and before long you can have that .357 lever gun.
But never sell the good ones. Sell the ones that shoot around corners, that won't function, that can't be fixed, that load development won't cure.

I had a double barrel .410 once, sxs, prettest little double you ever saw.
After the biggest buck in the county ran right past me. I fired 6 shots at it, all missed.
I tested it, at 50 yards left barrel was 1.5 to 2 feet high. Right barrel was 2 feet left.

SOLD, and told the guy that whoever used it would have to learn it as the barrels IMO were not regulated correctly. He still wanted it, I took no profit, only recovered what I had in it.

Keep the ones that shoot, sell the losers only. Here I am 64 years old, seldom worked for more than 10-12$ an hour. Did not work most of the last 20 years because of health issues. And I am sitting on about 30 guns. Everything from Mosin's to Ruger Mk III 22/45s. Yugo SKS's to Winchesters. Play the long game. He who dies with the most toys wins. And I may not win, but I have plenty of toys to play with.

[olafhardt]

I had a Win 94 and bought a Rossi 357. I soon learned that full loaded 357's kicked as hard as factory 30-30. Other than magazine capacity there is nothing that I could find that the 357 could do as well as the 30-30 and 6 in the magazine is enough for me. Rossi went down the road.

[trapper9260]

I got both and it all works for me and beside I already cast boolits of both so I am not out of anything.I got the 30-30 marlin because my dad had one years ago and I like it but he gave it to one of my ex brother in law and who knows what happened to it after and as for the 357 rossi I had a BH so need a rifle to go with it.Both that is just me. I did found a 44mag Marlin that was made back in 80 and that works with my RH.