I have three JM guns myself...and none are .30-30 either .I have two Marlin lever guns, neither of them are chambered in .30-30, and it doesn't bother me one bit.
Somewhere along the line, Marlin really screwed up by changing their stocks. They got fatter and less comfortable. ODDLY, they still make nice slender stocks.....on the CB models.You will note that the 336 is chunkier than the 94 Winnie.
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Well... Technically me too...I really like mine but admittedly I have no use at all for it.
Wasn't it the first small bore smokeless civilian cartridge in America?Marlin 336’s seem to keep finding their way into my life, but I’m honestly not a fan. I grew up on 1894’s in 44mag, loading them to their full potential, and have never found anything I could do with a 30-30 couldn’t also be done with the 44mag - which holds more rounds and uses less powder. I lusted my way into 1895’s about 25 years ago, and they remain to be one of my favorite firearms, and again like the 44mag, anything I would do with a 30-30, I would prefer to do with a 45-70.
I’ve honestly never understood why or how the 30-30 came to be considered an American Institution by so many folks. The Win ‘73 is the “Gun that won the West,” and the 30-30 really hasn’t been a contributor to any part of American history. The only hypothesis I can draw is that a Generation of folks grew up watching Westerns in an era when Marlin 336’s were inexpensive, and they contrived an artificial mystique around the .30-30, especially back East where the levergun drew a particular reputation among drive hunters as light and fast handling, and then the NEXT generation of folks grew up getting a gifted rifle from dad or grandpa, or admiring those rather unique rifles carried by family so it propagated further - but honestly, I’ve just never understood the passionate nostalgia some folks have for the 30-30. Great rifles and great fun, but folks act like it changed the face of America in some way, which it simply did not.
We consider it to have poor trajectory. But in its day, it was top of the line.
No, no it wasn’t. Have to recall, the Swede Mauser came about the year before. If we want to pat ourselves on the back for being the fastest dog with 3 legs just because the 30-30 was the best AMERICAN development, then fine, but in the world of cartridge development, it was obsolete the day it hit the market.
View attachment 910053 I agree. I love the old levers. .35 Remington is probably my second favorite. The Browning 65 in 218 bee makes me giggle.I low bid a beat up Winchester 94 with a peep sight on Gunbroker and ended up winning it. I use it as a range toy to shoot cast bullets. Actually these days I use most of my rifles as range toys to shoot cast bullets. I figured for less than $300 it wasn't too much of an extravagance. I have lever guns in 30-30, 375 Win and 45-70 so the 30-30 is last in line if I ever decide to hunt with one.
I had a beautiful JM marlin in 35 Remington but I sold it like an idiot. As a cast bullet platform the 35 Rem haas a lot going for it.