who hunts with a 30-30 ?

[bigrich]

so does anyone still hunt with a 30-30 still ? i've been told winchester 94's are very popular in north QLD cause ranges are generally short and the rifles are light and good to carry . i've owned a few in the past, never hunted with one though . i suppose it comes down to the type of environment/landscape and game . personally i like a scoped 308/30-06/270 with a low powered scope , but you know how it is , i've got a itch i want to scratch thinking about a 336 marlin as cleaning and matinence are much easier than a winchester 94

so lets have some opinions

[Wapiti]

Winchester 94 16" Trapper for me, Rich.
Tiny slim thing, fits anywhere, love their compactness. Yeah I know there are pros and cons between 94's and 336's, both point and go bang.
Sight? I've tried red dots, might do so again but lately I've gone for the bulletproof-ness of ghost-rings.
A 25mm tube 1-4x20 Leupold is best, but again, not the rifles intentions.

Game? I've shot some big pigs with mine, even pulled off a ridiculous long shot spotlighting at a big boar that only showed us his head in some super long grass, whilst out with some visitors.
Do it mate, the 30-30 has some quirks to handload, I crushed a few necks till I learned about correctly crimping. Bur slow flat-pointed bullets hit hard.
Second only in the thick scrub and forest up the back here to a 16" carbine 7600 308 with the wilson-combat peeps and a white front dot. But lighter.

[bigrich]

Winchester 94 16" Trapper for me, Rich.
Tiny slim thing, fits anywhere, love their compactness. Yeah I know there are pros and cons between 94's and 336's, both point and go bang.
Sight? I've tried red dots, might do so again but lately I've gone for the bulletproof-ness of ghost-rings.
A 25mm tube 1-4x20 Leupold is best, but again, not the rifles intentions.

Game? I've shot some big pigs with mine, even pulled off a ridiculous long shot spotlighting at a big boar that only showed us his head in some super long grass, whilst out with some visitors.
Do it mate, the 30-30 has some quirks to handload, I crushed a few necks till I learned about correctly crimping. Bur slow flat-pointed bullets hit hard.
Second only in the thick scrub and forest up the back here to a 16" carbine 7600 308 with the wilson-combat peeps and a white front dot. But lighter.

yeah i liked 94's for how they carry and point , a 336 weighs as much as a 308 tikka , i know which one is more flexible in the field . red dot makes sense to me as it lends itself to the rapid firing scrub gun scenario . bit of a niche thing , i must've watched too many westerns as a kid , pilgrim

[Fester]

Mine is a Rossi Reogrande with a Skinner peep, they can be good or bad with QC, but have conventional grooving for a 336 copy that makes easy loading and good shooting with cast pills for fun plinking.

A great brush gun that I could never carry, as it would near garrantee seeing a deer at 200m.
Blooded it not long back on a target rich private property and was amazed how effective it was, using 150gr SP ammo at close range.
I likely spine shot the critter, that may have helped, just dropped on the spot.

The newer Rossi model is very impressive and heard they work flawlesly, unlike my old Friday arvo build.
A great handling light rifle, and I can't think of a better brush gun, or a pig mob shooter if you can get in close.
From memory, mine is 6 in the tube +1, half cocked is safe as houses with little noise to shoot a deer.

[GQshayne]

I feel this thread is a waste of time, as you are going to buy one regardless of what anyone says!

I had a 94 when I was a kid of about 14, and my dad had a 336, both in 30/30. It was fun to use the 94, and my dad loved his Marlin. This was back in 1984, and he still talks about what a great gun it was.

So we have a typical 1980's garage sale, and dads mate asks to put a rifle in it for sale. It was a Tikka LSA55 in 243. I had seen it before as dad had borrowed it to try and get a wild dog we had seen kill a calf on our neighbours place. We sat on a hill, dad on the open side with a long view, and the .243, and me on the other side with my 30/30, where the range was very short. The dog came my way, and I got it, but I liiked that .243. I looked at it for half a day in the garage sale and asked dad if I could buy it. He agreed, and I put it aside. I was not yet 16. I still have it.

I very quickly got used to the bolt action. It was after my first hunt that I realised I shot half the ammo and hit twice as much. Dad was well experienced with the 30/30, and he had taught me well about its ballistics. The.243 was very different. When hunting on foot as we did, holdover was irrelevant, unlike the 30/30, and leading a running target was much easier too. We soon agreed that the .243 outclassed the 30/30 by a fair margin for the hunting we did. At 5m, it was great on pigs with handloads, and I could get stuff at 250m if I did my job. We would often flush stuff in the thick scrub, and they would bust out into the open for us to chase them. It does not take long for them to get a 100m on you in those circumstances, still well within 30/30 range. But after that, it gets hard for the old thutty thutty, but not so much the .243. Dad would often say to me "that one is yours".

And then one day, he had enough. "I am sick of saying that one is yours" he said to me. So the beloved 336 in 30/30 went, and he got a .243. Nowadays we both have BLR's for our hog hunting, in .243. He still loves the old Marlin though. We have talked about it many times. I reckon if I was going to get one, it would be re-chambered to .307, running handloads it would offer a bit more than the 30/30.

[deye243]

so does anyone still hunt with a 30-30 still ? i've been told winchester 94's are very popular in north QLD cause ranges are generally short and the rifles are light and good to carry . i've owned a few in the past, never hunted with one though . i suppose it comes down to the type of environment/landscape and game . personally i like a scoped 308/30-06/270 with a low powered scope , but you know how it is , i've got a itch i want to scratch thinking about a 336 marlin as cleaning and matinence are much easier than a winchester 94

so lets have some opinions

Back in the 90s I hunted Sambar with a very clean as new 3030 Winchester 94 favourite projectile was the 170 speer flat point and 32 grains of 08 from memory and the other one was the Hornady 150 round nose with 35 grains of 08 and both velocities for both projectiles were virtually exactly what they're packaging says 2400 for the 150 and 2200 for the 170 had no problem putting down the 4 sambar with that rifle that I shot with it furtherest one went was about 25 to 30 meters the other three virtually just took a few steps and fell over one front end shot the other three were virtually in the crease

[Wapiti]

My little Trapper.
At the moment, it's got this awful Sig red dot on it, only because I haven't bothered to get it off yet. Next time I use it, it's gone. Ungainly thing, just ruins the handling, and actually less useful than the peep.
The red dot, no matter how much you turn the brightness down, screws up a shot when it's almost dark. A LVPO on the other hand, still wrecks the slim lines and handling, but allows you to see clearly when it's too dark for your eyes.
"Is that a pig under that bush, or a male wallaroo?" the scope will tell you. A red dot won't.

94a.jpg (676.4 KiB) Viewed 1438 times

But the ghost-ring sights, with the white dot on the new front blade that came with the peep, is faster than the red dot, just as precise at the ranges that a shorty 30-30 can do well at, and doesn't place a red-lit (or green, whatever) dot into your eyes between your eyeball and the target.
Look how this red-dot detracts from the lightning-fast handling of this little gun. What was I thinking.
Great rifle for inside your sleeping bag when you're in the middle of nowhere.

94b.jpg (688.28 KiB) Viewed 1438 times

[wrenchman]

3030 is what I started out hunting with and some time still do it is also one of my favorite rounds to load for.
we mostly hunt white tail deer with it and it works fine the last few years I have been hunting with a 270

[bigrich]

thanks very much for all your stories , personal experiences and opinions fellas . it confirms what i know about the ole turty-turty lever guns . i might grab one , still mulling it over for practical use versus my present economics . cheers

[Cape_Yorkee]

The 30-30 very popular up here. Not too many folk who don't own one or havnt shot one. Don't see many 94's around - the 336 definitely reigns supreme.

One of our work rifles is a 336, one of the earlier model Remlins (Remington made Marlins). Stainless barrel jobby. I understand some years into production these had many troubles but the one we had (still have) was Faultless. After talking with local GS he advised stay clear of any 336 that have a serial number starting with 93xxxx and above. Also especially those beginning with MR, big troubles apparently. The one we have is a 92xxxx which proves the barrel is still an original JM and was a very early Remlin. It does everything quite well and seems to prefer slightly heavier pills - 160 or 165. Ruger made Marlins now bear the serial number beginning RM.

From memory the original 336 have a serial number beginning with 2xxxxx. A friend has a 30AS model which there us no doubting an original Marlin. They were a cheaper 'no fuss' model with no chequering etc. His shoots very well and has done plenty of work. Red dots definitely the way to go, no fuss systems.

[bigrich]

The 30-30 very popular up here. Not too many folk who don't own one or havnt shot one. Don't see many 94's around - the 336 definitely reigns supreme.

One of our work rifles is a 336, one of the earlier model Remlins (Remington made Marlins). Stainless barrel jobby. I understand some years into production these had many troubles but the one we had (still have) was Faultless. After talking with local GS he advised stay clear of any 336 that have a serial number starting with 93xxxx and above. Also especially those beginning with MR, big troubles apparently. The one we have is a 92xxxx which proves the barrel is still an original JM and was a very early Remlin. It does everything quite well and seems to prefer slightly heavier pills - 160 or 165.

From memory the original 336 have a serial number beginning with 2xxxxx. A friend has a 30AS model which there us no doubting an original Marlin. They were a cheaper 'no fuss' model with no chequering etc. His shoots very well and has done plenty of work. Red dots definitely the way to go, no fuss systems.

thanks for your response mate , it confirms what i've been told about 30-30 popularity in FNQ . my local gunshop owner told me at one point just about every second hand 94 winnie he got in was getting posted up north . prices have gone a bit silly on winchester made94's recently , while second hand miroku made ones seem reasonable by comparison. the remlins don't have a good rep that's for sure . in theory i'd like a marlin in 44 mag , but feed issues trying to feed that fat cartridge even in some JM's seem common . i bought one years ago and it was a peice of cr@p . what's the on game performance like in your experience ? lotta pig shooting i take it ? thanks again , cheers

[No1_49er]

The 30-30 very popular up here. Not too many folk who don't own one or havnt shot one. Don't see many 94's around - the 336 definitely reigns supreme.

One of our work rifles is a 336, one of the earlier model Remlins (Remington made Marlins). Stainless barrel jobby. I understand some years into production these had many troubles but the one we had (still have) was Faultless. After talking with local GS he advised stay clear of any 336 that have a serial number starting with 93xxxx and above. Also especially those beginning with MR, big troubles apparently. The one we have is a 92xxxx which proves the barrel is still an original JM and was a very early Remlin. It does everything quite well and seems to prefer slightly heavier pills - 160 or 165. Ruger made Marlins now bear the serial number beginning RM.

From memory the original 336 have a serial number beginning with 2xxxxx. A friend has a 30AS model which there us no doubting an original Marlin. They were a cheaper 'no fuss' model with no chequering etc. His shoots very well and has done plenty of work. Red dots definitely the way to go, no fuss systems.

I have attached a quick reference guide to some useful Marlin information.
You might figure out how the first characters of the s/n relate to YOM.

Your local GS is "almost" correct about serial numbers to be careful about. It's also important to note that not ALL Remlins were/are a problem. The main "issue" was incorrectly installed barrels which resulted in the so-called "barrel-droop". This is easily established by laying a straight-edge along the receiver top and out over the barrel. Taking into account the slight barrel taper, it should be straight. If it actually suffers from barrel-droop, it will be noticeable. It is not a problem that ALL Remlins suffered.

You will note from the chart / table (page 3) that JM Marlins were produced till circa August 2010, 91 being the first two digits of the serial #.
Your own rifle with 92xxxx does not "prove that it has a JM barrel but was a very early Remlin" - it was "proofed" in 2008, and the JM stamp proved that it is a JM Marlin. Nothing to do with Remington.
Remington production of Marlins began circa Aug 2010, at which time the proof mark, on the RHS of the barrel, is REP. The two digit YOM code is on the LHS of the barrel, and the (MR) serial number is stamped onto the receiver LHS.

To say that any REP made rifles with an MR prefix serial number are "big troubles apparently" is to denigrate a whole line of rifles which are, for the most part, not a problem.
The manufacturing error (barrel -droop) is easily confirmed, and can be corrected. Negotiate a good purchase price and have it corrected.

I own a couple of MR prefixed "Remlin" lever-action rifles - neither of them has the "so-called" droop; they are both superb stainless steel rifles, 30-30 and 308MXp.

[Cape_Yorkee]

The 30-30 very popular up here. Not too many folk who don't own one or havnt shot one. Don't see many 94's around - the 336 definitely reigns supreme.

One of our work rifles is a 336, one of the earlier model Remlins (Remington made Marlins). Stainless barrel jobby. I understand some years into production these had many troubles but the one we had (still have) was Faultless. After talking with local GS he advised stay clear of any 336 that have a serial number starting with 93xxxx and above. Also especially those beginning with MR, big troubles apparently. The one we have is a 92xxxx which proves the barrel is still an original JM and was a very early Remlin. It does everything quite well and seems to prefer slightly heavier pills - 160 or 165.

From memory the original 336 have a serial number beginning with 2xxxxx. A friend has a 30AS model which there us no doubting an original Marlin. They were a cheaper 'no fuss' model with no chequering etc. His shoots very well and has done plenty of work. Red dots definitely the way to go, no fuss systems.

thanks for your response mate , it confirms what i've been told about 30-30 popularity in FNQ . my local gunshop owner told me at one point just about every second hand 94 winnie he got in was getting posted up north . prices have gone a bit silly on winchester made94's recently , while second hand miroku made ones seem reasonable by comparison. the remlins don't have a good rep that's for sure . in theory i'd like a marlin in 44 mag , but feed issues trying to feed that fat cartridge even in some JM's seem common . i bought one years ago and it was a peice of cr@p . what's the on game performance like in your experience ? lotta pig shooting i take it ? thanks again , cheers

I'm a huge fan of the 44 Mag but don't think I've shot one in a Marlin before. 44 Mag is such a fun and enjoyable round to shoot and for the best part does exactly what a dirty-30 does, it just doesn't quite have the legs of the 30-30.

On game performance is good mate and yes, feral pigs only my experience here. Really can't find a better cartridge for close range work less than or around 100m mark. Majority of the time you'll find yourself around the 50m mark though every situation different. A quality red dot helps the situation. We had a cheapo Tasco red dot for a while and it's performance was questionable. If the rifle and scope are dialled in well like any other package it'll suit you well.

I like that they are easy to carry and also a great size, fit and feel to quickly raise the rifle and acquire a target. Allround just a quick, snappy and effective combo - just like any cowboy would want lol! They are also quite easy to disassemble and clean, another plus.

[Cape_Yorkee]

The 30-30 very popular up here. Not too many folk who don't own one or havnt shot one. Don't see many 94's around - the 336 definitely reigns supreme.

One of our work rifles is a 336, one of the earlier model Remlins (Remington made Marlins). Stainless barrel jobby. I understand some years into production these had many troubles but the one we had (still have) was Faultless. After talking with local GS he advised stay clear of any 336 that have a serial number starting with 93xxxx and above. Also especially those beginning with MR, big troubles apparently. The one we have is a 92xxxx which proves the barrel is still an original JM and was a very early Remlin. It does everything quite well and seems to prefer slightly heavier pills - 160 or 165. Ruger made Marlins now bear the serial number beginning RM.

From memory the original 336 have a serial number beginning with 2xxxxx. A friend has a 30AS model which there us no doubting an original Marlin. They were a cheaper 'no fuss' model with no chequering etc. His shoots very well and has done plenty of work. Red dots definitely the way to go, no fuss systems.

I have attached a quick reference guide to some useful Marlin information.
You might figure out how the first characters of the s/n relate to YOM.

Your local GS is "almost" correct about serial numbers to be careful about. It's also important to note that not ALL Remlins were/are a problem. The main "issue" was incorrectly installed barrels which resulted in the so-called "barrel-droop". This is easily established by laying a straight-edge along the receiver top and out over the barrel. Taking into account the slight barrel taper, it should be straight. If it actually suffers from barrel-droop, it will be noticeable. It is not a problem that ALL Remlins suffered.

You will note from the chart / table (page 3) that JM Marlins were produced till circa August 2010, 91 being the first two digits of the serial #.
Your own rifle with 92xxxx does not "prove that it has a JM barrel but was a very early Remlin" - it was "proofed" in 2008, and the JM stamp proved that it is a JM Marlin. Nothing to do with Remington.
Remington production of Marlins began circa Aug 2010, at which time the proof mark, on the RHS of the barrel, is REP. The two digit YOM code is on the LHS of the barrel, and the (MR) serial number is stamped onto the receiver LHS.

To say that any REP made rifles with an MR prefix serial number are "big troubles apparently" is to denigrate a whole line of rifles which are, for the most part, not a problem.
The manufacturing error (barrel -droop) is easily confirmed, and can be corrected. Negotiate a good purchase price and have it corrected.

I own a couple of MR prefixed "Remlin" lever-action rifles - neither of them has the "so-called" droop; they are both superb stainless steel rifles, 30-30 and 308MXp.

Appreciate your attachment and info here, that is good to clear up any dates etc around serial numbers and when Remington took charge.

[Fester]

Everyone needs a lever, if not just for the fun.
Mine is also my open sight brush-gun, although the semi-buckhorns were only good for melons at about 30yds offhand.
The Skinner peep fixed that.

As I was never going to be a 20 guns man, even before the woke govt stepped in, I only wanted the 1 lever.
The Dirty-30 had to be it, just so versatile, and more punch than the pistol cals.
I just load cast HRBC projies for cheap plinking and hunt with normal 150gr jackets.
If I went a 45-70, I just wouldn't shoot it as much and miss out on some lever fun.

The micro-grooved Marlins add some complications regarding shooting the casties, as they need to be the correct size to shoot well.
They also don't recommend mixing soft jacketed pills and cast projies.
I just give the barrel a good scrub out and try to use one type in a run.

[Damo300]

I have a Rossi R95 that I quite enjoy shooting.
Had it out checking zero today.

Burris 2-10x42 illuminated scope.
Hand load 160gr hornady FTX.
Works well out to 200.

[Wapiti]

I don't know what it is with the Trappers... I was in a gunshop in town last rainy Friday and some bloke came in wanting a 30-30 '94. Shop had a marlin, but he wanted a 94. Gunshop owner said, out here, if a '94 or '92 comes in for sale, we snap it up and it's gone withing a week. The cockies certainly have an opinion, and we all do right?
I mentioned I had an original saddle-ring Trapper 30-30 and the price went to $2 grand and nope, I'll never get another one like it, those ones strangely had really nice burl walnut stocks and a great polished blue. The 44 mags did too. Fantastic short, slim, tiny rifle to use as a "Truck gun"

And, mine LOVES the $17.90/20 PPU 150gn ammo that Cleavers had around 2015 by the 500-rd carton...

[wrenchman]

wapiti I have bought and sold a few of the trappers and I can say as 94s go they have had the best wood I have ever seen besides being shorter and handling real nice