Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Best lever 30-30 ?

I realize "Best" can mean a lot of things. I do not have much knowledge of aftermarket rifles, or restorations. I am looking for a slam dunk 30-30, probably with an aftermarket barrel if that will help. It does not have to be the prettiest, just slick smooth functioning and accurate.

I have owned a few 94's recently and did have much luck with acuracy. One 22 magnum shot so poorly (12") groups @100 that I sold it after longing for it for so long. No accuracy with the 94 30-30 either. Although I am not against any of the production guns. I love them all.

If custom, where do I start ? Many thanks.

Winchester made some great guns in their heyday but for consistent accuracy, rifle to rifle, it's hard to beat a Marlin lever. For an accurate 30-30 buy a Marlin 336, new or used. The "slickest" are probably older 336RC models. I really have only heard of people that are shocked/surprised at how very accurate the Marlin rifles are.

I'll concur with XLTF. If you want a specific gun, you might be able to do better with a Winchester...ie pre-'64 model '94 with no scope, etc. But for versatility and just overall doing what its supposed to do, hassle-free, you won't beat a 336.

�pends on what you�re looking for. You want to scope mount it? Then Marlin is the way to go.

Nice thing about Marlin is their quality has been consistent throughout the years. Winchester has had wide swings in quality (although, even the ugliest ones work) which is just too bad.

For an iron sight gun, I�ll take a pre-64 model 94 every time. They�re light and so easy to carry that you hardly notice they�re there. I�ve never had any accuracy problems with either the Marlin or the Winchester and I�ve yet to encounter either that shoots over 3moa, and most are usually half that (3 shot group). Much of this has to do with the general high quality of factory ammo. They both have light barrels that heat up quickly, so long shot strings open groups up quckly.

I have two Winchester 94�s. One is a shining example of the best Winchester has ever turned out, and the other is a shining example of �What the hell was Winchester thinking.� You know, the 1970�s version, sloppy as it is will shoot just as well as my 1927 model, which is to say, about 1.5MOA. I call the 1970�s gun �Ugly Stick� because it�s the most hideous excuse for a rifle that Winchester ever turned out�but it works, works well and shoots straight. It�s my official �ranch rifle� because if it gets run over by a truck, it could only look better.

As you can tell, I�m a Winchester man, but the Marlin�s are fine rifles, and if I ever found the right deal on one, I�d grab it up in a second. Again, it all �pends on what you�re looking for in a .30-30.

I have a safe full of old Winchesters and they all shoot minute of deer. I have found several that would not shoot, usually because someone had "worked" on them, but that is rare.

If you are not going to mount a scope then the pre-64 (made before 1964) Winchester is it. If a scope is needed then the Marlin would be the answer. Marlins are much less expensive and more accurate. I found a Marlin Model 336 recently for $200 that looked ugly but cleaned up well. I mounted an old El Paso Weaver K3 scope on it and found that it shoots groups under 1 inch!

I like the old guns but the new ones work well. The new Marlins are good buys but the new Winchesters (if you can find one) are a little spendy. Although scopes are easily mounted on the early 80's and newer Winchesters.

Happy shooting,

Jim

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Remember that Savage made a lot of model 99's in 30-30. Probably have a better reputation for accuracy than either Winchester or Marlin, and a way better looking rifle. An unmessed with original may be a little pricy but I truly do beleive you could get your money back and to boot, be paid pretty well for the time you provided it a home.

Amen the 99. There is surely a shooter that has already been d&t'd out there. Can't beat the Marlin either if you are looking to mount a scope.

I have both but vastly prefer the Marlin, it's accurate, you can add a scope, you can take it down easily to clean or workon. Hard to argue with success.

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what about the custom makers like Nonneman custom rifles? Has anyone had any experience with him? Someone must make a custom action with closer tolerances, and aftermarket barrels, and so forth.

Now I am not a rich man that could go to turnbull, but there must be other options. No? Or is it big bucks out of reach of the normal working man?

I don't know about a scope or not. I've been busting mule deer up out of plum thickets and need a fast pointing rifle.

A rifle as handy as KevinGibson described would be great.

The place to start for a custom lever gun is with a nice fat checkbook. There are NO custom guns at a bargain price.

If you are jump shooting deer out of thickets, you won't notice the difference between a 1 MOA gun and a 2 MOA gun. That just aint bench rest shooting.

Most M94 Winchesters will shoot adequately for their modest range capability. A good receiver sight will enhance your accuracy, and practice will do wonders.

I have a 1978 version of a M94 that shoots pretty well and is the smoothest of all my levers. That includes 6 M94s, a Marlin, a Savage and a Browning. None of those guns will win a bench rest shoot, but I love levers and like to shoot them. They all will do what they were designed for.

petr;

Personally, I'd see no reason to go with a custom, or even semi-custom .30-30 lever gun.

Get a pre-crossbolt safety 336, like the one that was just sold in the Free Classified here, mount appropriate good glass to it, and find a load it likes.

That set-up with do anything the .30-30 is capable of doing, will do it VERY well, and likely for about $500 aside from ammo.

What ain't to like?

Stainless 336 is the king of abusable, yet reliable, weapons IMHO.

BMT

I know Regan Nonneman and think highly of him and his work. If you want a custom Marlin 336, I'd say that he is the 1st person to discuss your project with. There are only a few 'smiths who I'd recommend without reservation, because of their quality and honesty; Nonneman, Ahlman's, and Ray Montgomery.

Jeff

A little bit of hijack here, but for your 30-30 guys; I have owned a Pre-64 Model 94 since 1972 (believe it was made around 1956). When I was 19 years old I could hit an empty cigarette pack with it at 80 yards, but I'm now in my 50's and my eyes just can't do iron sights. I'm thinking about mounting a peep on it and see how it does with the ghost ring. What would you guys recommend, a vintage Lyman, or a Williams Fool proof, or???

Thanks.
Cliff

The pre-64 Model 94 is both very attractive and superior in quality to about anything you will find at any price. The Post -64 while attractive, is not quite as nice. The very old Marlins are attractive and quite nice. If you just want a beater and looks isn't important, the newer Marlins will do.

havent shot my mod 94 30-30 much since i got it from grandpa when he passed in 2003 but the last time i shot it, i was shooting a 5" spinning circle from about 50 yards. now, im only 21 and dont have great eyes so shooting open sights is tough for me. i loaded up 5 shots in the gun, put the sights on the spinner and fired. as soon as it quit spinning, i shot agian. i did this until i was out of rounds. when we got over there, my buddy was mad at me because i put 5 big dents in his circle.

Petr

Im gonna suggest something a little different, a Browning BLR in .308 win, very slick action, very light, easy to mount a scope, has a box mag so you dont have to shuck every round through the action to empty it, and they are usaually very accurate.The .308 could also be used for bigger big game if need be, no flies on the 30-30 but you can also use spitzer bullets from many different manufacturers. I know about Hornady's lever evolution ammo but if it doesnt shoot in your rifle thats the only choice.

One thing you have to remember with a new rifle is to run a lot of rounds through it so the barrel can settle down, usaully at least 100, and cleaning out the copper or fouling is very important.Good Luck
Frank

I understanding wanting something that is "custom". What I did was buy the Marlin Lever gun in the caliber I wanted and gave it to a custom gun outfit to make it the way I wanted it. I just do that with guns. I want them the way I want them. In my case I used Wild West Guns, but Brockmans who advertises here is supposed to be good and I believe there is at least one or two other good ones that should be able to make the changes that fits your particular desires. I think that's the approach I would take.

I like Marlin and Winchester. Both will get the job done but the 94 is a bit lighter to carry.