ORIGINAL: FA
ORIGINAL: waiting_for_a_gift
ORIGINAL: FA
I have been using lever guns and the 30-30 for over 40 years. I can't even begin to count the number of deer that old 30-30 has dropped. I don't consider it as a back-up gun I consider to be my primary hunting rifle. Two years ago I purchsed a new 336 with the crossbolt safety because it was just time to hang up the old 30-30. With this new one I can use Hornady's LE ammo which took me an 8 pt. this year just shy of 200 yards. It looked like someone kicked his back legs out from under him.
When those new rifles came out with the crossbolt safety the first thing I thought was I'm glad I have one of the old ones. What made you decide to hang up the old one? With the new one, do you hunt with it on full cock, and just use the crossbolt safety? Or vice versa? Or both? If I was forced to use one, I'd just have the crossbolt on fire all the time and use the hammer as a safety. Eliminate any confusion.
Actually, the old Marlin belonged to my dad from the 1930s era. Plus I wanted to use a newer rifle, didn't want anything to happen to it. I don't use the crossbolt safety, I just put the hammer at halfcock just like any Marlin.
That's the same way I carry my Marlin. I haven't been hunting extremely long time and have only 6 does to my name. All taken with the 30-30. Only one of them ran and she was a 75 yd double lung shot that obliterated the near side shoulder. For some reason she had the gumption to run off somewhere between 250 and 300 yards even though it looked like someone was running through the thick cane reeds with a paint sprayer. Other than that they haven't gone more than 20 yards. I hunt with my 338 federal now, but that's just because I don't want to be under gunned in case of an encounter with a hog with a bad attitude. I may need to rethink before next season. I can fire off 7 rounds pretty quickly with a lever gun where I am limited in my ability to take a fast follow up shot with the bolt action and limited to 4 shots. I have a 3-9x40 simmons on it now, but recently realized that I need to get back to the open sights. Probably will go with the AO Sights Ghost ring set-up.