The 30/30......
 

Anybody out their still hunt whitetail with a 30/30? Seems that everyone is shooting big calibers for whitetail. I think it is over kill. A 30/30 has killed more whitetail than any gun on the planet.:) I don't see guys carrying them in the woods anymore, nor do I ever see anyone using a 30/30 lever on any of the deer hunting shows. I love my marlin 30/30, it is one sweet deer gun in my opinion.

RE: The 30/30......
 

I got my white ail with my Win. .30.30 this year.A beautiful 4x4. I think the .30.30 is now being overlooked becuase of bigger long range rifles. IMO you just can't beat the orignal. Its all you need.

RE: The 30/30......
 

TBT,
A couple of old codgers I used to hunt with turned me on tothe Marlin 30-30 back in the early 80's when I was a kid, and it is still my primary woods gun. Sometimes I hunt in more open country with a .270, but Almost all of my hunting is done with the Marlin. I don't know how long you have hunted with yours, but you will find that gun in the picture will never let you down.

Nice deer.

C. Davis

RE: The 30/30......
 

a 30/30 is all i use and have killed a lot of deer and bears with it :Di have used a lot of different guns but i keep going back to the 30/30

RE: The 30/30......
 

I'm a over kill person since I got old and cant walk to far. I hunt thick areas so I shoot a 10 Ga. Slug gun. Bang down like a 2 ton rock

RE: The 30/30......
 

The 30-30 is a great caliber in the woods or in other relatively short range situations. I started with one 40 years ago and I still have it. I am passing it along to my son for his first deer rifle. I now mainly use a 25-06 which allows me to take those "across the field" long shots. I would rather carry my Winchester carbine any day, though.

RE: The 30/30......
 

I agree the 30/30 is a great gun,I hunted with mine for a good many years. I carry a 270 with me now,mainly because my children have been usingthe 30/30for hunting,As they came of age that's what they cut their teeth on.
My son carries a 270 now as well mainly because his grandfather left it to him.
Itwasa great gun for my Daughter's starting out with it wouldn't knock them on their Butt's like some of the big cannon's some people carry.
I had put alot of venison in the freezer with my Marlin 30/30 though.
Probley when my youngest Daughter leave's the house and the Grandkid's are old enough to Hunt I will let them use the 30/30.
But you are right the 30/30 is and will alway's be a great gun.

RE: The 30/30......
 

I hunt with a marlin 336w 30-30 on occasion It was my first real deer rifle, but for the most part I stick to my Remington 7400 30-06

RE: The 30/30......
 

I live here in the bush and always pack a pistol and my trusty marlin 30-30 behind my seat. Up to 100 yrds it will bring down any north american animal.

Bobby

RE: The 30/30......
 

I started deer hunting with a 30/30 23 years ago and killed my first deer(an 8 point), but I have used a 270 for most of the last 20 years and killed nearly a hundred deer since. I literally have a safe full of guns of various calibers and configurations, but before the 2005 season, I got to feeling nostalgic and pulled out my 1983 model Marlin 336T. I have more than one 30/30, and this one had never had a scope on it. I scoped it up with an older Leupold VariX II 3-9 that I had and headed to the range with a box of Federal Classic 150 grs. Within minutes, I was shooting 1" groups at 100 yards. Long story shortened, my youngest son killed a nice 8 point and a doe with it, and I killed a 120" 10 point and 3 does with it.

RE: The 30/30......
 

Yep! Have Win. 94, Mar.336 and Sav 24V30-30/20ga!
I used the Ruger .270 for a few years and now I use the Ruger 6.5mm Swede.

RE: The 30/30......
 

my dad's got one and he uses it alot more now since he gave me one gun and my bro another gun. he really likes it when he gets into the thicker woods.

RE: The 30/30......
 

Well they now have that new 30/30 ammunition by Hornady. The start of the "LEVERevolution", as they say in the ads. It is pointed and gives you roughly 25% more speed and knock down power in a 160 grain bullet. Your trajectory is much flatter too, making the 30/30 a decent gun out to 250 yards according to the ballistics. I myself have never shot at whitetail farther than 71 paces. (The one in the photo at the beginning of this thread.) You can not see whitetail around here at 100 yards, and then only a flash of a tail!!

Has anyone tried shooting this new ammo? How was it?:eek:

RE: The 30/30......
 

I use pointed 30-30 for the first round in the chamber and the rest RN or FN in the tube.















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30-30 WIN LEVERevolution 160 GR


[align=center]Item No.[/align]
[align=center]Qty/Box[/align]
[align=center]Price[/align]
[align=center]View Ballistics[/align]


[align=center]82730[/align]
[align=center]20[/align]
[align=center]$21.25[/align]
[align=center] [/align]

RE: The 30/30......
 

I have never shot one but am considering getting one just for the simple fact that 30.06 doesnt have open sites. When your walking thru the timber its kinda hard to get on a deer with a scope before it takes off.

RE: The 30/30......
 

IMO .30-30 is a great caliber rifle for shorter ranges, no more than 150 yards. i did read somewhere that a company was trying to market ballistic tip ammo for the .30-30 to extend it's range. however, i have to disagree with the comment of more deer being killed with it than any other firearm. i believe the .22 calibers hold that title. being the .22 calibers are cheap and the poachers choice. just my opinion though.

RE: The 30/30......
 

great gun, welcome to the forums BTW, here is a pic of my best friend and his son with a nice deer he killed with the ole 30-30,

RE: The 30/30......
 

My Marlin 336 has taken quite a few over the years. In fact, of the.......oh let's see here.........8 deer it's taken, only 1 has gone farther than 40 yards and that one was heart shot. 6 of them dropped where they stood. The 30-30 is one of the hardest hitters out there. Just don't have the range but here in the brush, who cares?

RE: The 30/30......
 

Truthbetold (originator of this thread).....

That is an awesome Marlin 30-30! It looks identical to mine (but with a scope). I have a Marlin 30AS. See?

Originally I had a nice older Glenfield 4x32 scope on it, but the scope broke and lost its "zero", so I stripped the scope off but kept the Weaver base and rings. This is what my Marlin 30-30 looked like before when I had a scope on it:


I love the 30-30. It is a timeless classic lever gun that has taken more deer than any other rifle cartridge around. 100+ years and it is still going strong.

RE: The 30/30......
 

I began with a 12ga 870 Express Magnum, sold it for a Thompson Center .308 pistol, sold it for the Marlin 30-30. I love the lever action and I really love the hammer safety feature. I have shot many deer with it and it will always be my first choice for Deer.

I usually hunt in Wisconsin where my shots are under 175 yards. This year I took down a buck at 140 yards, one shot, dropped him in his tracks. I am working on posting pictures.

RE: The 30/30......
 

the 30/30 is all ill use in the deer woods! every deer ive shot with it has dropped in its tracks. I killed 5 deer with it this yr. I think those high caliber rifles are overkill too. I have 2 of them, the marlin. and the winchester. And you bet my boy will be carrying 1 of them when hes ready....

RE: The 30/30......
 

I don't own a 30-30 anymore..but killed a lot of deer with an old Win. model 94, bout 30yrs. ago.

RE: The 30/30......
 

Actually many people are shooting cartridges with larger capacity cases,but most are using bullets no larger in caliber than the 30-30.

RE: The 30/30......
 

First thing I did when I got me my marlin was take that freakin scope off. Never could figure out why people put a scope on a short range rifle, including a muzzleloader. A 30-30 maybe kinda like a shot gun where you point and aim and then shoot as opposed to tring to find a close range critter in the scope.

Bobby

RE: The 30/30......
 

My dad uses his old 30/30 (1895)when ever were doing drives and its later season and haven't got any thing and always seem to get a deer.

RE: The 30/30......
 

I used to shoot a Western Feild 30-30 and had great success with it but I love my Ruger 30-06. I can take deer down a whole lot futher out that with a 30-30.

RE: The 30/30......
 

Congrats and nice pics retrieverman. I have an old Marlin 336C that I bought new in 1973. I hunted with it for years before refinishing the stock and adding a scope. It still looks almost new and shoots as good as ever. I've been using a .270 in the past few seasons but the 30-30 is still my favorite.

RE: The 30/30......
 

I use my 30/30 lever action for whitetail. It works pretty good, but lately I havnt been to accurate with it. I tried shooting another gun and i was doin good. Idk whats wrong with what once was my good ol 30/30:(

RE: The 30/30......
 

The marlin doesn't come with a scope on. The scope is only a 1.5 -4 power. Also if you notice I have the iron sighter scope mounts. I can shoot the deer with either the iron sights or the scope. The scope is needed for when a deer is out at a bit longer range, the iron sights tend to cover them up a bit. The scope puts you right on. Also in the woods or anywhere I would not have a scope on a gun that you could not look under the scope though the iron sights. There are too many horror stories from dumb guys who had the scope mounted right on top of the rifle. A deer jumps up and they can not find the deer in the scope. If they had the iron sighter scope mounts I would not have to listen to long boring story of how they blew it with the big one!![:o]

RE: The 30/30......
 

i've got an older glenfield 30/30 with a glenfield scope, mainly use it when huntn a thicket bordering a swamp, excellent brush gun.

RE: The 30/30......
 

Got a Marlin 336 Zane Grey commemorative with an octagon barrell back in 1972. Killed over 50 deer with it and it's still my first choice for rifle season.

BTW, it still shoots 1 1/4" groups at 100 yards

RE: The 30/30......
 

Still use my Winchester 30/30 whenever I hit the northwoods. I use open sights for the thick woods and quick shooting.

RE: The 30/30......
 

I killed my first buck with a Model 94 Winchester 30-30. Its a great
gun.

RE: The 30/30......
 

The 30/30 always served the Rifleman (Chuck Connors) well.

Let's do a little trivia here.............

What makes and models of rifles did the Rifleman have?

What is the large lever called?

What special feature did the Rifleman's rifle have to allow it to speed shoot?

Oh and a quote from Lucas McCain (the Rifleman)........"Scopes? We don't need no stinking scopes!"

Heck he just blasted everyone from the hip! 5 bad guys he just opens up from the hip. 5 shots - 5 down. But he never killed any of them, well placed shots to the wrist or arm, then call the old doc to patch em up while their in Micah's North Fork jail.

Course the show had to leave you wondering about the power of the 30/30. Kinda like the A-Team - bullets flying and nobody dying.

RE: The 30/30......
 

I killed my first deer with the marlin 336, and quite a few moreafter. Open sights performance was always good at 100yds.:)
When gramps passed he left me a model 94, very nice shooter and lighter than the marlin,never did get a deer with it though.
Ever since I aquired my remmy700 in.270 I havn't hunted with the 30-30. I did put a scope on the Marlin last yr.but havn't been able to get her zeroed in .

RE: The 30/30......
 

Matt, did you ever try counting the number of shots he made during the opening of the program. My brother and I would. I bet you don't know. :eek:

Bobby

RE: The 30/30......
 

He "shot" 11 rounds on the soundtrack - but there was only 10 visable discharges. 11 was necessary to match the theme song.

RE: The 30/30......
 

Love my model 94, I grab it for drives, but I take my .308 when sitting on a stand.

RE: The 30/30......
 

Damn your good Matt. Now your really showing how old you are. ;)

Bobby

RE: The 30/30......
 

I am considering getting a Contender barrel in 30/30. Has anyone had any experience with them?