Guys,
I may have the chance to pick between a marlin in 3030 or 35 rem from a relatives collection, but I have no experience with either caliber for deer hunting.
My use would deer hunting only in northern MN at typical woods range.
The 3030 would be nice for cheaper ammunition, but I've heard from guys that have shot both say the 35 rem had a noticable performance edge.
I know either caliber will work, but give me your opinion on which one to pick and why (or why not). Also add if there are design issues, for instance one caliber "feeds" better than the other.
Thanks in advance.
H

Me i would take the 35 rem in a milla second. No other reason than 35 is bigger and shoots heavier bullets which to me makes a better woods rifle. Just my opinion,nothing against the 30/30 and all the folks who love theirs. This should make for an interesting forumn for sure.

Given your choice I would go with the 35. Hornady makes pointed bullet ammo (LeverEvelution) for it. That can extend the effective range quite a bit.

I would pick the .35 Remington. Probably most on this site would do the same. We likely all have .30-30s already.

However, you may be more of a practical hunter type than a rifle looney. If cost and availability of ammunition is more important to you than coolness of the chambering, you may prefer the .30-30. Either will work for hunting deer in MN.

Depending on mfg, ballistically nearly the same, and both kill deer. One is approaching $30 for factory ammo, the other can still be found for under $15. If you reload, I'd go for the .35. If you're going after black bear, go for the .35.
You certainly can't fault either; they've been around for a very long time doing the same thing well.

35 Rem.!!!

I like the 30-30 15 1 shot kills all at woods range . Plus ammo is cheaper.

I no longer have a 30-30, but I will always keep a 35 Rem around.

wow... very 35-ish. It must be the shear volume of 3030's out there that keep the ammo cheap. I remember 35 rem used to be "on sale" with 3030/3006/270/308/243 ammo when I was a kid.

Do the deer tip over quicker? My friend that suggested picking the 35 said he never tracked past 30 yards.
Good call on the 35 for bear.
Keep the opinions coming in. We need some fire here.

This is a trick question, isn't it?
-----------------------------

If I were to choose between a Marlin 30-30 or a Marlin .35 Rem. Lever Action Rifle from MY relatives collection ...

I would first consider the condition, vintage, and (cough) VALUE of each rifle.

If, all these considerations be equal ... ...
I'd grab the .35 Rem. and Run.

Well I could add some fuel to the fire.. There is a rough savage 99 in 3030 and peep sight that is so old it has a curved metal butt plate.
The marlins are in about the same shape although I wish I had grabbed the half magazine 3030 my sister got.

I'd jump on that Mod 99 if the price works. Mayhap an 1899. I have four Mod 99, and none in .30-30. I really like the 336 Marlins in .35Rem. Seem like the perfect match for a quick woods rifle. But I tend to lean to Mod 94 Win in .32Spec. I have a long and a short of each. A nice little thurty-thurty never tripped my trigger, but there is one in my cabinet. Good luck.

If you go with just the <Marlins> go with the 35 only becaure once it yours and you want to buy a 30-30 there easer to find .Now throw in the 99 hands down go with that. I have one great shooter hard to find and worth more got the peep also.

Ammo would be a strong point for me, because I don't reload it's alot cheaper for me to shoot a 30-30. Plus there is alot more selection of ammo. I feel the 35 vs the 30-30 for killing is minimal, and a better shot is more important. This goes back to the price thing, the more I shoot it the better shot I will be(or should be). I own several 30-30's and I would buy a 35 but the right deal hasn't come around.

35 rem is my lever action by choice!1ST RIFLE i EVER OWNED! now have several.=)

35 rem is definitley the winner! OK guys i'll let you in on a secret...
These are my deceased dads guns and I am eyeing up what ones I want to pick out when Mom finally passes them out. I have the 35 in my safe now and I have been trouble shooting an occasional mis-fire issue (seems to be a 35 rem marlin issue) and I am really looking hard at this rough 99. It has a cracked stock that was poorly repaired, heavy varnished, weak safety spring, notches in the forearm counting the deer on one side and timberwolves on the other (I think...). It has a square rectangular cocking indicator which I think dates it to 1912. My father bought from an uncle or ??? when he was young and I think most of the abuse was done before him (dad born 1930). I'm banking on my antique hound sister won't grab it because it is very rough and I am going to fix it enough to use.
So... I'm going for both, but the 35 will be the brush buster for me unless I am in a nostaglic mood. I'll pass on the marlin 3030 in hopes to get the savage out hunting.

Grab that 99 and HAUL AZZ!

I hope my next rifle is a .35 Remington.

I'm going to consider the 336, but I'm kinda partial to an older Remington 760.

I will reload for the round.

As most of us do not put hundreds of rounds a year through woods rifles, ammo cost is not a major factor. I too would recommend the .35 Remington. A Marlin 336 is .35, combined with a low power variable scope of 1-4X, is just about ideal for eastern woods hunting.

I would go with the .35 and never look back.

I agree, I must be cheap.....

I must not be most of us. Or at least if one counts rounds at the range.

I would pick the oldest/best looking gun. get a pre mil 99 savage in 358 if you want a real good gun.

I think you're probably right. A '99 is a nice gun, but this one is rough and that cancels out a lot of the "collectible" factor. I'd put the '99 down second and put the other 30-30 Marlin as the third choice. This is because you seem interested and the 30-30 Marlin's are so common that you could pick one up later reasonably.

From a strictly utilitarian standpoint, assuming the same condition between the two Marlins, the 30-30 Marlin would have to be the top choice, simply due to ammo availability.

Nice guns all but a 358 99 Brush Gun is THE 35 for the woods.

brush guns are pos, pre 1 million ser. no. is where the real Savages are.

Really? That one looks like somebody's replaced the stock or forend. They don't match.

Throw my hat in the ring for the .35 Rem. You always see guys on the internet, quoting ballistics charts and saying the diff between 30-30 and .35 Rem is minimal but I'd almost bet that they have never shot many (if any) deer with both. I have shot deer with both as well as a few other calibers and I'll tell you right now from over 40 years in the Maine woods, that the .35 kills like a 30-06 at woods ranges.
That big hole does matter. It's very easy to reload for but even if you don't, what's the cost of a couple of cartridges compared to the rest of the money we spend to hunt? Another thing: If you ever decide to sell that 336, that .35 will be gone in a heartbeat if you live in whitetail country. When I lived in Oregon, 30 years ago, I learned that it was even popular for elk in the coastal forests there.

leon670, I agree that a animal will react different to a hit
with a .35 caliber vs a .30 caliber. I feel that shot placement
plays a bigger role and being better at controlling that from more practice is more of a benefit.

.35 Remington

I have never experienced any feeding issues in a 336 and i have owned a few in different calibers. If It was my choice, I'd pick the 35 Remington. A killing machine with the 200gr RN's.

CLB

I have a nice .30-30, was going to buy another at a nice price. The clerk at the LGS showed me a Marlin .35 that was cherry and cheaper...guess which one I picked up?

35,but I'm addicted to 35's.

My only lever gun is a 45-70, and if I had the opportunity and a few extra bucks, I'd have a 35 Rem. Toyed with the idea of a Rem mod 14 in 35. Wished I hadn't passed on it.

REm 14 in 35 rem is one of those instant buy guns for me. It would match my dad's 25 rem and 30 rem.

Talked to a shooting buddy tonight about his 35 rem 336 and he said the farthest distance a deer ever went after shooting was 30 feet...

I'd recommend the .35 but My personal choice would be the 30-30 simply because half the people I hunt with have them.

Around here .30-30. If I lived where more stuff might try to eat me. .35.

Haven't killed anything with it yet, but a Model 14 in .35 followed me home a little while ago!(made in 1928)

Nice... I just saw a 32 rem at a shop that had a nice flip up lyman tang sight. Never had seen one so I am more motivated to find a 35 rem eventually.

The first centerfire lever gun I ever fired 30+ years ago was a 30-30. So when I bought a 336 for myself it was a 30-30. Despite the fact that I own a Hart barreled 700 in 308, the 30-30 is my go to deer gun. I like the fact that 30-30 ammo is cheap and widely available.

I am a big believer in shooting a good number of rounds at the range in addition to hunting so the ammo cost is important to me. But most of my friends would tell you I'm a cheap SOB. So if you are not as cheap (or richer) than me go for the 35.

Humdinger,

Lotta good advice on your caliber selection, but suggest you look past the caliber and consider what Models are in the pick. For example: I'd opt for a pre-'55 ADL in 30-30 over a later RC in 35 Rem. Are you familiar with the 336 Models?

Dons1,
Not familiar with the 336 rifles, but I have the 35 in my possesion right now. Where do I look?
H

Marlin introduced the .35 Rem chambering to the 336 line in 1950. There have been several models available since then. What's stamped on the Bbl? 20" bbl or 24" Bbl? 2/3 length magazine? Stock checkered? Straight or pistol grip stock? Serial # with last 2 digits replaced with XX. Obviously a Pic or 2 will tell all.

A good, handy reference is Doug Murray's THE 336. Believe its been out of print for a while, but some book sales outfits may have a copy on hand. A more definitive reference is Brophy's MARLIN FIREARMS. But you can also ask your questions here and at the MarlinOwners.com board and you'll find folks more than willing to help out.