I picked the 30-30 because that is what a co-worker of mine had. See, I bought the old Marlin 30-30 from a buddy at work a few years ago for a steal. You know how it goes sometimes... he got married... then didn't hunt much... then had a kid... wife laid down the law - the gun goes...

Anyway, he talked to me about it and let me borrow it for a weekend to try out at the range. Right from that veryfirst shot, I just fell in love with it. There is just a certain charm to a 30-30 lever gun and the historical "vibe" that it has, that I just had to buy it. So that very next payday, it was all mine.

Right now, I keep using the Marlin 30-30 in the heavy woods of Virginia like countless generationshave done before me. Plus it works out great at the deer camp. The guys with their big ultra-magnum-thunderboomers go up on the ridgetops, while I'm in the heavy brush, briars, and thickets with the 30-30 and we push the deer back and forth that way.