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Old September 13, 2008, 04:25 PM   #1
kymasabe
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Lever gun: 30-30 or .357mag? Hunt with .357?

I've been asking about SKS, Saiga and Mini-14 but someone mentioned I should look at lever guns...so I am.
Been looking at the Marlin 336W with the scope already mounted and just read about the Mossberg 464.
Both seem like nice guns. But, I noticed that the Marlin is available in a .38sp/.357mag chambering and I was wondering if you could hunt with a .357mag round? There are no deer here in south Florida so would be the occasional hog hunt, some range duty, an all around fun gun.
I've found some cheap .38sp online to plink with but would a .357mag from a 20inch barrel be powerful enough to hunt with?
...or should I stick with tried and true .30-30?

Second question...Marlin or the new Mossberg? Some of the Marlin reviews I've read have not been very good.
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Old September 13, 2008, 04:46 PM   #2
Smoke & Recoil
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My opinion is "MARLIN", .38spl...no good for wild hogs, .357 mag
is good for 50 yards, 30.30 is good for 150+ yards. I hope my
opinion helps you, .
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Old September 13, 2008, 04:53 PM   #3
darkgael
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.357

"a .357mag from a 20inch barrel be powerful enough to hunt with?"
Folk hunt all the time with .44 magnum pistols. A .357 magnum rifle load is in the neighborhood of the .44 in terms of energy. Those extra barrel inches make a lot of difference.
Pete
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Old September 13, 2008, 04:55 PM   #4
kymasabe
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Thank you

Thanks S & R...I appreciate the input.
I saw a scoped Marlin 36AS at my local pawnshop for around $259...but aren't the 36AS's like 40 or 50 years old already?
New lever guns are so affordable, I could buy a new Marlin for around $400 and have it for the rest of my life.
Mossberg claims to have taken the best of Marlin and Winny and built their gun as a combo of the two. I hear it's ugly but built like a tank. Haven't seen one yet. Because of the rich history, good customer service, and parts availability...I'm leaning towards Marlin.
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Old September 13, 2008, 05:12 PM   #5
.300 Weatherby Mag
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Stick with the 30-30... It's more versatile.....
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Old September 13, 2008, 05:15 PM   #6
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Or to put it another way, people hunt deer with .357 mag revolvers... putting the same bullets in the levergun gives more velocity, more range. If it can be done with a revolver than it can easily be done with a carbine.

Buffalo Bore has a couple .357 loads that would be ample for big deer, or you could take a look at American Eagle's 158 gran JSP. That bullet in my gun yields good groups out to 100 yards. I haven't hunted with it yet, but I would not hesitate to go after deer and small-medium hogs with it. For larger hogs I'd step up to the .44.
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Old September 13, 2008, 05:27 PM   #7
Smoke & Recoil
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Just a little more input on the MARLIN. Here in the north, if a fella
forgot his/her ammo at home, they can find .30-30 ammo bout
anywhere, even from fellow hunters. Marlin model 336 is an excellent
choice. another good caliber is .35 REM in the Marlin choice, but
not everyone in the woods will have that round such as the .30-30 .
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Old September 13, 2008, 05:46 PM   #8
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I'm also in SoFL and there's plenty of deer if you want to go get them. I tagged my biggest deer in this state in Big Cypress which is about as far south as you can get.

.357 is OK for deer but I consider it a little light for hogs especially after watching my youngest brother unload a 336 into one with little effect. Two rounds from my 30-06 finished the job.

A 30-30 makes a good all around hog rifle and is a bit of overkill for our deer but if I had to choose between the two I'd go for a little overkill.
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Old September 13, 2008, 05:57 PM   #9
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who gave marlin guns bad reviews?????????????

I'd go with a new Marlin 336w, you can get the scoped one but you'll replace it soon. I'd get a .30-30 because there's new ammo that you can get that's supposed to be able to go out to 300 yards accurately
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Old September 13, 2008, 10:06 PM   #10
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kymasabe,

While I have a Marlin 336 30/30 Texan and a Winchester 94 in .44 magnum, the .357 leverguns can definatly be used on deer.

Buffalo Bore makes several .357 loads that are just fantastic.

We are talking about 158gr JSP at 2200 from a 18 inch Marlin 1894! And the 180 is close to that!

Even regular .357 Magnums, say 158gr JSP, get around 1700 fps from the same Marlin 1894.

Now a 158gr at 2200 is basicly a 30/30! Yes it will slow faster but I have no doubt that makes the .357 Marlin a 100+ yard deer rifle.

If I could find an excellent stainless 16 inch barrel reproduction 92 winchester in .357 Sig, I'd get it in a heart beat (I like short lever guns.)
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Old September 13, 2008, 10:41 PM   #11
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I think you should get the Mossberg. Not that I think it's better, fact is I don't know becasue they are so new. But I think you should be the "test rat" and make sure to give us regular and complete reports!!!!

.357, 44, and 30/30 are all able to take dear. 30/30 will do it farther. But if you are wanting to plink the .38/.357 is the one to get and is next on my list. .357's are generally harder to find though and will cost more $$ than a new 336.

LK
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Old September 13, 2008, 10:50 PM   #12
kymasabe
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Yea, I'm thinking 30/30 may be the way to go. Like another member posted earlier, you can pretty much pee off your front porch and onto a box of 30/30 ammo...popular and everywhere.

Now it becomes a question of which lever gun to buy?
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Old September 14, 2008, 12:22 AM   #13
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Marlin gets my vote

I recently purchased a Marlin 336SS in 30/30 cal and am very happy with it, love the ability to remove one screw and be able to clean the bore from the breech,

Cheers,

Ruger01.
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Old September 14, 2008, 12:44 AM   #14
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kymasabe - I think I was the one who suggested lever guns in that thread.

I've been eyeing the Marlins myself.

Winchesters have top-eject, so scope mounting is out. If you're the kind of person who thinks it is sacrilege to mount a scope on an old design lever action, this doesn't matter.

Marlins have true side ejection, scope mounting is popular.

357 Magnum or 44 Magnum would be good options if you had other reasons to push you towards it. I'm considering a 44 Magnum because I'll have a 44 Magnum revolver already, and also a 6mm Rem bolt gun. So I've got the long range covered already, and would need one less type of ammo to stock if I went with the 44.

A couple things I noted about that Marlin/scope combo: (336W)

1) The scope is a no-namer. It may not be any good.

2) The stock is "Walnut-finished hardwood" Which means not Walnut. It means Beech that has been stained to approximate Walnut color, but without any of the beautiful grain that gives Walnut its character. Beech is a stronger wood, but very pedestrian compared to Walnut.

Consider a clean used Marlin 336 of some type, with the real furniture.

That or an 1895, in 45/70. That would be an ideal hog round, but will beat you up a lot more than a 30-30.

Another idea is the Browning BLR. It is not the traditional design, like Winchester or Marlin. It uses a completely different mechanism and a box magazine, which some folks feel disqualifies it as a "real" lever action. But since it doesn't use a tubular magazine, it can handle modern, long-range rifle cartridges, from 22-250 all the way up to 450 Marlin and 325 WSM. It is also offered in a handy take-down option.
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Old September 14, 2008, 12:45 AM   #15
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Side thought: Don't put too much worry into running out of ammo. As a gun nut, it will never happen to you. If anything, you'll bring too much and it will be clinking around in your backpack.
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Old September 14, 2008, 12:48 AM   #16
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One more thought, as long as we're being open-minded. In the other thread, you were kind of leaning toward autos, until some folks pointed out that they are not the way to go for accurate shooting.

Browning also makes an automatic hunting rifle, which is going to be a LOT more accurate than an SKS, AK47, Mini-14, etc. Probably more accurate than everyone's favorite AR-15 as well.
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Old September 14, 2008, 02:46 AM   #17
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I eyeballed the Mossberg 30-30 again the other day at Gander Mtn. They have base screws in the top of the receiver/bridge which tells me they either have an angle eject thing going on, or they want us to put some sort of peep sight up there (I'm thinking 'angle eject' personally). No, it's not as refined in the "looks pretty" dept- but it sure looks like an honest working rifle to me. I think I could even get used to the safety being on the tang.

I may talk myself into one of these any minute now.
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Old September 14, 2008, 03:04 AM   #18
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I will say that the Winchester 94 in .30-30 is an amazingly accurate rifle for $200-$300 used.

I have a 1970's era model that is... well used... to be kind. I was shooting it the other day out in the desert, free-standing. Shooting at computer hard-drives on the ground at 50 yards. Just kept hitting them and hitting them, punching them backwards 5 yards with each shot. Pushed those drives out to about 70 yards before I started missing occasionally. Not bad for a 3.5" wide target though, off-hand.

From prone, I've touched holes at 100 on good days. Even on bad days, I'll put 170gr flatpoint handloads into 4" groups with irons.

I was shooting an Appleseed AQT with my '94 a couple months back and put 40 rounds down the barrel in about 6 minutes total time. That rifle was HOT. But it still shot well. The heat mirage was a big problem, but that much volume of fire is not what the Win94 was designed for.
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Old September 14, 2008, 09:35 AM   #19
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If in the market for a lever gun that you will hunt with, just get the 30-30. It is a hunting round. The .357/.38spl, while adequate for short range hunting, were never designed as a hunting round from the long gun platform. With the new Hornady LeverEvolution ammo, the 30-30 can be an effective hunter out to 300 yds.
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Old September 14, 2008, 09:40 AM   #20
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Get the .357, if you don't like it I'll trade you for my 30-30.
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Old September 14, 2008, 09:44 AM   #21
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For hunting deer and such the 30-30 is miles ahead of the 357 (I never hunted hogs).

For fun of shooting, you can't beat that little Marlin in 38/357. Its cheap to shoot ( I cast bullets and reload).
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Old September 14, 2008, 09:52 AM   #22
ringworm
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why has noone said this yet...
Get a 35 remington 336.
you can shoot full house 35 remington ammo or you can down load .357 pistol bullets to lower velocities.
Speer Reloading Manual #13 lists several pistol bullet loads for the 35 Remington.
do i have to do all the work around here?
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Old September 14, 2008, 09:56 AM   #23
Smoke & Recoil
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ringworm, look up at one of my other post .
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Old September 14, 2008, 10:02 AM   #24
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doesnt count if its "bolded".
one of the nicest setups i saw in 35 was an encore carbine w/ an 17" barrel. the thing was so short you didnt know wehter to sling it or put it in a shoulder holster. you could shoot cast 158's at 38 spl velocities or max out the 35 remington and be aproaching factory 358 winchester energies.
a 200 grainer w/ 40.0 grains of IMRXXX (not posting this load MAX) under it is a hell of a moose/ bear load.
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Old September 14, 2008, 10:59 AM   #25
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I have all of the above and when I go to CA I carry my Win 94 in 30-30. There are still police depts that issue them with good reasons.
Both of my son's have 357 Mag Rossi 92 clones for home defense. They are a great choice and will end the fight fast.
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