after speaking with my buddy tonight looks like he will be picking up the 336 . Thanks to everyone for their input. I'm sure he'll be as happy with it as I am

DannyD,
I have had my 336 since 1983. I love it so much, I pattern my style of hunting around the gun. I have a .270, but unless I go out to the hill country in Texas, I am sitting up in a tree in the woods with the Marlin.... Unless of course I am hunting with my sidelock hawken.

I have so much confidence in the gun, I literally do not think it can miss a deer. It has killed most of my deer. I lent it to a guy at church, and he killed his first deer with it. My wife killed her first deer with it with a perfect shot right behind both shoulders of a little 4 point.

I have always used the 150 gr. Winchester power points, and I would try the 170's, but I don't want to break the streak.

I don't have much experience with the Winchester, but I don't see how you could beat the Marlin.

C. Davis

C Davis
The gun seems so easy to shoot. I killed my first deer with it last year. My 12 year old daughter killed her first deer on her first day of hunting with it at 125 yards. It was in the only field I could find in WV to make it easier for her. I have only taken 1 shot at a deer in my life and the same for my daughter. Neither deer went more than a few steps.

Marlin 30/30, a 270Win., and a 22LR - you got everything you'll need. Not that having a few more rifles isn't a nice thing, but you got what you NEED.
Happy Hunting/Shooting.

V7

That's what my wife says everytime I talk about a new gun.
I hate when that happens

DannyD,
My wife tells me that I have everything I need also. I don't know how that's possible, there are so many calibers out there to try, and so many different rifles.......

YOu probably have more guns then you can handle and your wife is right. I am gun poor and need just a few more to get me by

she's probably right though. I don't need more than those three guns here in WV.
I want more but don't need any more.
Fortunatly she doesn't read this forum so I can still probably think up some good reasons.
BTW, My frined picked up the 336 this weekend. Now we are all on the hook for the recommendation

Anytime I talk about buying a new gun my wife asks me which one I'm going to sell to buy it. [:@] Some women are too smart.

DannyD,

You gave your friend some good advice on getting a 336. I had one many moons ago and wish I still had it. Where I hunt most of the time, that is all I would ever need. I use to reload when I was a teenager and experimented with hot 30-30 loads in my 336 without blowing it up. Strong rifle.

When I mentioned a new gun my wife asks me "why, wont the one you have kill a deer?"
Hmmm. Good question. Since taking up hunting I have read a lot of posts on here. Many would say I don't have enough gun with the 30-30. So if I take my daughter with me we only have one deer gun acording to some postings
I am missing a shotgun though. It's not actually needed since I have the 30-30 and in WV you can use a rifle. But it's probably my next gun