Rifle Caliber choices...30WCF or 357 Magnum?

[ants]

Ultimately, you'll make your own choice for your own reasons.

Here is my personal experience with a lever rifle (Marlin 1894) in a revolver cartridge.

I handloaded thousands of rounds, searching for a nice flat trajectory that didn't drop too much. With iron sights, it isn't always easy to compensate for a slow bullet traveling in a high arc to it's target. At least it isn't enjoyable for me. It may be enjoyable for you.

I sold that rifle after a year. To this date, after 49 years of shooting, it is the only gun I ever sold. I still have all the others.

Your mileage may vary. Don't make your decision based on my experience, or any other members of this Forum. Make your own decision for your own reasons.

 

[saturno_v]

hose guys getting 2K with a 357 carbine are doing so using Hodgon LilGun within published data from hodgon. Yeah it surprised the heck outta me too but it's been confirmed by a few members now over a chrony.

Can you stretch the performance of a 30-30 in a similar fashion without going overboard pressure wise???

Lilgun should be a pistol round powder...I wonder if there are other powders out there capable of similar "tricks" for rifle rounds.

 

[eastbank]

to shoot a 800lbs animal i would far rather have a 30.30 over a 357 anyday. more energy and a lot flatter shooting would make it more posible to hit and kill at any reasonable range. with a 357 a misjudgement of range could mean a wounded animal, that would be killed with the flatter shooting 30.30. and as stated over 1000fpe,s at 300yds with the pointed evolution bullet is leaps and bounds ahead of the 357. would i shoot a 800lbs animal at 300yds(only if a life was at stake) with a 30.30 NO, but inside 200yds with a good broadside shot,yes. eastbank.

 

[ThomasT]

Oops!! Sorry, typing mistake!!!

No problem Saturno. I have done the same thing myself. I once wrote "it was a grate gun". By the time I figured out the mispelling my post couldn't be edited. Now my goofy spelling is there for all eternity.

Brian Pearce did an article on the 357 lever action and had some loads that got around 2000fps. I don't push mine that hard. I don't load a 30-30 extra heavy either. If I need more power I just use a bigger gun.

I don't think there is a single round that will serve for chipmonks to moose even if the ranges are short. Of the two the 30-30 would serve the best. But you need to be able to handload to get the full use of the round.

 

[336A]

Just as many others here have already stated I would go with the 30-30 no question. The grand ol' 30WCF is quite a bit cheaper than the 1894 pistol caliber Marlin rifles. And you can most certainly find some very nice used 30-30 rifles for even cheaper. With the extra money saved you can then get yourself a nice peep sight and reloading setup and be done with it. Since this rifle is going to be for hunting as well the 30-30 will offer you a extra margin for error. In certain situations your game animal may be outside of the effective range if your using .357 rifle. But with the new ammo like the Hornady LeverEvolution 250yd shots are not out of the question. If you handload you can even make small game loads albiet you will have to make gross sight corrections (from your big game sight setting) in order to use them. If you do a little research you will find that the 30-30 is quite a bit more versatile than most would lead one to beleive. Here is a good articles for you to read enjoy.

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/3030history.htm

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/fryxell/casthollowpoints.htm

 

[Kernel]

chipmonks ...

Ratshooter, are chipmonks celibate, or do they just take a vow of poverty?

 

[CZguy]

Quote:
chipmonks ...

Ratshooter, are chipmonks celibate, or do they just take a vow of poverty?

I don't think it matters................as long as they are tax exempt.

 

[ThomasT]

Ratshooter, are chipmonks celibate, or do they just take a vow of poverty?

Dang it! I did the same thing I teased Saturno about. I ain't gonna change it though. Y'all can have a laugh at my expense. ChipmUnk. I have it now.

As for them being celibate I guess that depends on where you shoot them.

 

[Kernel]

celibate I guess that drpends [sic] on where you shoot them

Ouch. For that you'd need a firearm capable of sub-m.o.d.a. accuracy. Minute-of-dangle-angle.

 

[ThomasT]

Kernel that reminds me of that squirrel picture I see at the gunshows. The one where he is standing on a dirt road and his "Jewels" are nearly draging the ground. What a target.

Back on the thread if you look at any of the penetration test done in magazines the 30-30 always gives some of the deepest of all the rounds tested. It seems like it takes something like a 338 or a 375 h&h to match it. The old 30-30 doesn't have enough flash of pizazz for most people. Its like Rodney Dangerfield, "It don't get no respect".

 

[CZguy]

The old 30-30 doesn't have enough flash of pizazz for most people. Its like Rodney Dangerfield, "It don't get no respect".

You know, that's the truth. It's not high tech or fancy............it just works.

 

[stonecoldy]

The main considerations are the cartridge’s versatility, affordability, availability and possibly home defense. Both cartridges have similar affordability and availability, but the 30WCF has an advantage in range and power where as the 357 magnum has the advantage of versatility with the use of 38 Special cartridges.

I have both rifles in Marlin configuration. I bought the 1894C in .38/357 Magnum for a walking around gun suitable for gray squirrels and cottontails up to coyotes (can't use on whitetailed deer in Ohio) on private property, and the 336 in .30/30for deer hunting in another state that does allow rifle hunting for deer. I also have .243, .270 and .30-06 to pick from, but for northern Wisconsin, .30/30 is fine for deer.
Where I'm living, I find more opportunity to shoot small game and such, so I prefer the .357 Mag caliber. Factory ammo cost is cheaper per round, more so if you reload, and FUN to shoot. You can download .30/30 also if you reload and enjoy the results of that, but I have lots more of the used pistol cases to play with.
My opinion would be to get the .357 caliber rifle for the smaller stuff, and a more serious caliber than .30/30 for the game that's deer-sized and larger.

 

[Blue Brick]

Maybe I should think outside the box and buy Mosin Nagant 91/30 or pump action slug shotgun…..

 

[TUBBY1]

If heading to the deer woods i would take the old 30-30 as a first choice but my 38/357 would do if i so choose. Most of the afore said critters would be harvested by my bow. It's truly a question of ethical harvest. What ever you feel comfortable with is a good choice. Sharing ammo and hd was my first choice when buying my lever 38/357 not hunting.

 

[saturno_v]

Well guys...if sharing a cartridge is important as with the possibility to use a less powerful cartridge for plinking why not stepping up and get a Marlin 1894 in 44 Mag???

You can use the 44 Special...and when you gent into the woods you have an even more versatile rifle...way more power than a 357 and with the right bullets you are in bear defense territory....

 

[ChristopherG]

Right--the .44 mag is in the same neighborhood as the .45 colt I mentioned above. Both of these would be great choices for everything up to black bear.

Will they shoot out to 300 yards? No. But the OP said under a hundred yards. And inside a hundred, I'd rather have either of these than a .30WCF.

 

[Rundownfid]

I don't think our original poster should be led to believe that the .357 Mag is as capable (power wise) as a 30-30. However, it sounds like he wants a plinking medium game rifle to learn on and have some fun and for that the .357 is excellent. I am not wild about it for big game like pigs and deer as while adequate in the hands of an experienced hunter at lose range it lacks both range and punch. While no one wants to push their or the cartridge's limits, I suspect it happens all to often when that buck is just a bit further than one had intended to shoot.

Hell I'd be saving up to buy both, Marlin lever guns are more fun than just about any other gun. If he has a model 19 Smith to go with it then he'd be well set indeed.