DannyD

A buddy shot my 336 last weekend and now wants to buy a 30-30. He asked me what gun to get. I could easily have said the 336 but i really only have experience with the Marlin. I have never owned or shot a Winchester 94. As far as I am concerned I do not have enough information about both guns to make an educated recommendation to him.
I am fairly new to hunting so I do not have a lot of experience with a great variety of rifles.
This will be his first gun. We live in WV and hunt deer only.

Virginia7

Recommend the Marlin 30/30 in any of its' model variations vs. the Win.94. I've had several Marlins over the years, and all have proven to be utterly reliable, and very accurate. I once got a Win. 30/30 for a good friend (B-day present), and at the range
sort of felt bad at what I had done. It functioned ok, but the accuracy was nowhere near
my Marlin, and the action was a bit more loose/sloppy (something I should have checked first, but the gun was ordered, not off the shelf).
Marlin 30/30 should be good for any deer hunting out to about 150yds. (200 max.).
If you're also looking for a good scope, not too expensive, check out the Weaver 1-3x
(20mm). Not too big/oversized sitting atop the Marlin, lightweight, and plenty of magnification for the ranges normally encountered when using a 30/30, and hunting in the woods.

DannyD

I bought a 270 also so my daughter and I could hunt together and to have a variety of guns but I really like the Marlin 30-30. It just feels great. As far as shooting anything past 150200 yards I have the 270 but I can't even see that far in the woods and mountains here in WV no less shoot at anything

oldelkhunter

Having owned both of them the only one I regret getting rid of was the Marlin. Solid top also allows easy scope mounting and it can be disassembled quickly to allow cleaning from the breech.

DannyD

Are they both long lasting guns that with proper care can be kept for many years, or even something that can be passed down to kids, grandkids etc?

SWAMPMAN

DannyD,
I have to recommend the Marlin as well. Both my 30-30 and my .22 lever actions are Marlins. I have owned only one 94 I regret selling, and that was a 94 BigBore in 375 Win. Even that one had a sloppy action compared to my 336.

oldelkhunter

The Marlin should provide many years of service. The recievers are all made of forged steel to very tight tolerances. The older 94's were ok but the Marlin 336 has always had the edge in every category. I wish they had come out with a 24/30 cartridge though

ButchA

The Marlin is the better of the two, IMHO.... But then, this debate has probably been going on for 100 years (Marlin vs Winchester). Click on this hyperlink to read a really great description and differences between the two:

http://members.1stconnect.com/anozir...ns/3030faq.htm

I bought a co-workers' Marlin 30AS 30-30 roughly 2 years ago, after he wanted to sell it. Once I took it to the range to try it out first, I just fell in love with it, and bought it instantly!

The main deciding factor on Marlin over Winchester? Its scope mounting ability. Marlin's come already drilled and tapped for a low profile scope right on top of the receiver. Winchesters now have angle eject and can have a rather tricky scope mount system. But then, that's just my opinion. Others may differ....

Butch A.
P.S. Here is a look at my Marlin 30AS (now with a nice older Glenfield fixed 4x32 scope on a Weaver base):

DannyD

I'v been very happy with the gun but I have no real reference point. I've tried to read alot of opinions on this site and almost all have said that the 336 is a fine gun including this thread so far.
I've been practicing alot with it. it is very comfortable. When I finally got to shoot it at a deer (my first one) I had a lot of confidence. It was a big deer (203 lbs) that only got to take a few steps.

James B

While both are time proven both in reliability and performance, I feel the Marlin is the better build and more accurate rifle. I have had several of both. For just short range and to carry I like the 94 best but overall the Marlin gets my vote. I have yet to see a deer not go down quick with the 30-30 and its 170 grain flatnose.