Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Buying a 30-30 was a crazy idea.

Nothing crazy about picking up a good .30-30. My hunting buddy and I call it "lever action satisfaction". Nothing quite like it.

As a kid I grew up in the '60's shooting an Ithaca Model 49 .22 single shot. It got away from me in '69. Decades later I spent several years looking for one in good shape top replace it. Finally found this one in 2011.


Back in the '80's Dad gave me a Browning B92 in .44 Mag. I still love to shoot that rifle and it has accompanied me as a backup on many a hunt. For years I made it a practice to carry it at least one day every elk/deer hunt.

My first Marlin was a Marlin 375 chambered for .375 Winchester, a .30-30 case blown out to .375. Picked that up in 2001. That rifle jus twhetted my appetite for more Marlins and in 2002 I picked up a pristine 1895 in .45-70. Talk about a fun gun! I've developed more loads for the .45-70 than most any other three or four rifles put together, from low cost, low velocity, low recoil plinkers to elk loads to what I call my "Rhino Blasters", a 460g chunk of hardcast going 1812fps that kills on both ends. (Took me years to shoot one of those with the scope attached.) Then in 2005 I found a 336CS in near perfect condition at a price I couldn't walk away from. That .30-30 has been wonderful fun for all that have shot it.

From top to bottom:
Marlin 1895, .45-70
Marlin 375, .375 Win
Marlin 336cS, .30-30
Browning B92, .44 Mag


Crazy? No, crazy would have been to not acquire them.