Looking into a lever action and was curious about calibers

[SAMHANE]

I'm new to the rifle thing and have seen various calibers for the lever actions which in your opinions are the best? How do the .357 and 44 magnums compare to say a 30-30? And the 30-30 to the 30-06, 308 and the 45-70? Going to be used for hunting and alot of target practice

 

[ducktapehero]

I'm not an expert but I'll give ya my opinion. Under 100 yards the 357 and the 44 are close to the 30-30 in performance. In fact I'd give the nod to the 44 in terms of sheer stopping power. At distances past 100 or so yards the 30-30 is a better choice as it has a flatter trajectory. Of course the 357 and 44 leverguns offer a greater capacity. FWIW my next gun will be a 357 levergun.

Regarding the 45-70, it depends on what you're hunting. It's a much bigger round(much bigger shoulder pounding too )but will take any game in North America. I know my answer is a little simplistic but my fingers are getting tired.

 

[Mr Jody Hudson]

Perhaps the most versatile and often the most accurate is the 30-30 but more than that - the 30-30 is the most widely available by far in most any gun store or hardware store or anyplace ammo is sold in the country.

 

[mete]

The 308 and 30-06 are far superior to the 30-30. Better range , better performance. A 44mag from a rifle will perform better than a 30-30. A45-70 performs much better than a 30-30 especially with the better loadings. The 30-30 is very popular but not all that good and it's popularity is in part due to the 'cowboy' image as all westerns have a winchester in them !! A 100-150 yd gun for deer is the 30-30. Longer ranges and bigger animals call for a better cartridge.

 

[gbran]

444

Don't forget the 444 Marlin, especially the new Hornady 265 gr light magnum. Not bad trajectory and bullet drop. It's a good compromise between the 30-30 and the 45-70's.

 

[Mannlicher]

There are a couple types of lever guns. It makes a huge difference in what caliber you can use. The older types, Winchester, Marlin, are more limited by cartridge pressure. Modern lever guns, Savage, Browning, Winchester 88, Ruger, are designed with higher pressure cartridges in mind, in the case of the Browning, up to the 338 Mag.

I like the older Marlin and Winchester types, so I own and shoot these. I have 30/30, .357 Mag, and .44 Mag rifles. The .357 is NOT up to the 30/30 in power or practical effect. The .44 mag does well. I have used all three for many years.

 

[Cosmoline]

A lot of target practice, you say? Unless you handload a lot, stay away from the .30-30. Although it's ubiquitous, it ain't cheap. Don't ask me to explain why, but it goes for $$. I'd suggest looking at a Savage 99E in .308. I had one and kick myself daily for letting it go, even if I did make money on the deal. Ammo was easy to find and it fed cheap 7.62 NATO fine.

 

[goon]

I guess you need to figure out exactly what you want it for. If you only want it for close range deer hunting, 30-30 or .44 mag will work fine. I personally respectfully disagree with the notion that the .30-30 is inferior. A cartridge just doesn't hang around for 100 years if it doesn't do what needs done. Nostalgia aside, lots of rounds have come and gone in the last 100 years (give or take) but the 30-30 is still here.
If you just want a plinker maybe a .357. If you want to use it to hunt the big stuff then go .444 with heavy bullets, or 45-70 with hot loads. The .450 Marlin would also work for that, but I would prefer the .45-70 because it is more versatile.
You can load standard pressure loads for deer and crank it up as hot as you want if you need a bigger thumpin'. And although you don't find it at every Walmart, most any decent gun store will have some. I handload anyway, so when I finally get one I'll just make my own. I can make whatever I need.
Can't leave the 99 Savage out either. My dad has two in .300 Savage and I would love to have one in .308.

If you can't decide you could always get yourself a .22.

 

[mrstang01]

I'd check Paco Kelly at leverguns.com. If he says a .357 out of a rifle is >= a .30-30, I'd believe it, he's probably worked with more of them longer than most of us have been alive. Between him and John Taffin, they convinced me.

YMMV.

 

[Okiecruffler]

I've owned several lever guns and still have a couple here and there.

Winchester 30-30

Marlins in 30-30, 35 rem, 444 Marlin

Savage 300 savage.

My favorite by far is my .444, deer thumper from way back. But if you don't roll your own, ammo can be problematic.
Haven't really played with the Savage that much yet, but the thing is a tack driver that will complete with most bolt actions I've played with.

But if you want to shoot alot, the .357 is probably the way to go.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

As you can see, there's lots of options.

Do you have an idea of how much you are looking to spend on this hobby?

Used 30-30s are plentiful, reliable, and cheap, though the ammunition can get expensive (figure $10 for a box of 20, give or take).

Something along the lines of a Marlin 1894C in .357 will cost you more to begin with, but will be much cheaper to own, since the ammunition costs half as much (and you can shoot .38 specials, cheaper still).

 

[BenW]

I shoot my .44 Marlin a lot more than my .30-.30, and am asking for a .45 lever for xmas this year. But if I were forced to only have one, I would have to choose the .30-.30 just because of what I feel is its greater versatility.

 

[KarbineKrazy]

30-30 takes the cake over the pistol caliber carbines for hunting....

Over on my side of the mountain, most shots do not exceed 75 yards, and a LONGAZZ shot is 200 yards. A Marlin 336 w/ a 2-7 or a 4x scope is about perfect.

GOOD Winchester 150 gr. powerpoints can be had at gun shows for $8.50 a box. not as cheap as .357, but .44 mag ain't too cheap.
BiMart has 30-30 for about $8.50 a box all the time as well.

Besides, the money you save over a Savage 99(they are awesome guns, but collectible and therefor spendy) you could buy a reloader and components for your 30-30 winchester or marlin.

If hunting is your priority, get the 45-70. More expensive, but it does everything the 30-30 does, BETTER.

 

[KarbineKrazy]

BTW, my next gun purchase is going to be a 45-70 Marlin. Just waiting on getting set up for reloading.

Ok, actually, I might get me a Remington Model 7 .308 w/ open sights and a low power scope first. But a 45-70 has been on my list ever since I shot my grandpa's a few years back. With expiration of the AWB, I had to stock up on evil not hunting type stuff.

 

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

Don't forget the .35 Remington!

It's the REAL "bigger 30-30" and my go-to deer rifle (Marlin 336 CS.)

 

[115grfmj]

The marlin in .357.......

isn't as bad as you might think for deer hunting. With the Buffalo bore loads
clocking in at 2200+ fps for 158gr. It actually supercedes the 3030, except
at much longer ranges of 150yds+. Accuracy is great with the 1894c
I can regularly keep all my shots on a paper plate at 200yds (BB 158gr
williams peep, slinged fire). Around where I hunt in NE Pa I usually dont
run in to situations where I need to take shots past 80 yrds. Plus ammo
is definately cheaper, also make a decent house carbine.