Howdy,

A friend just loaned me his JC Higgins .30-30, purchased long ago from Sears & Roebuck. I suspect it may actually be a rebadged Marlin. He has never fired it; inherited it from his grandfather long ago. He has kept it clean.

Does anyone know anything about these old lever-action rifles? It's very similar to a Winchester or Marlin Model 94. I am concerned about reliability and accuracy for short-range whitetail hunting in heavy, East Texas woods.

I feel privileged to be loaned this heirloom and will try very hard to care for it as if it were my own. I also don't want to buy a new gun as I already have a bolt-action .30-06 that's not as well suited to the woods.

Can you give us a model number?

If it looks like a Marlin, it probably is. Marlin made 30-30 rifles for Sears (and so did Winchester, for that matter).

If the rifle's been well-maintained, it'll be safe to shoot. That's what rifles are made to do. Some guy over on www.marlinowners.com hunts with a Marlin that's about 100 years old, if I remember correctly.

In terms of potency, you'll find a lot of people who hunt deer exclusively with a 30-30, and do just fine.

Will you be using the rifle for deer, or have you maybe got feral hogs in mind?

This JC Higgins is a Model 45 in .30-30.

Oh, I will be trying to get Texas feral hogs as well and expect the .30-30 is up to the task, though the .30-06 would be better. Fortunately, I am a crack shot and could probably take the feral hogs with a .17