Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Gotta love the classics! The great 30-30

Every time a Creedmoor post is made, a 30-30 quietly dies in a dark and dank closet somewhere.

Back in the 90’s when I was in high school, you could get used 94’s and 336’s for $250-$350 all day depending on condition. I even picked up a 94 from a broke compadre for $125 one time. I Killed several white tail and hogs in East Texas with it, but when I became a broke hombre myself, it went down the road. I e always wanted another but I always expected to find one for that long past and mythical $250-$350...

It took years but I finally got a good deal on a 1970’s model 94 30-30 in really good shape and it has been a kick in the butt getting to re-learn the fun of these rifles.



My main goal is to bust an elk with it one of these days, but past that I’m just really looking forward to packing a rifle with a little soul again. Within 150 yards the 30-30 is a hammer in its own right and I can’t image how many dinner tables have been set the world over thanks to a 170 grain FP traveling at 2200 FPS.

Post up your 30-30’s and 30-30 kills!

Todd

First deer rifle around 1986, from my grandpa who taught me to shoot. The picture is from 2015 which is the last buck I shot with it. It was a lot more fun and rewarding than a lot of my bigger deer. I also have his which has 87 notches in the stock.

I’ll NOT rain on your parade. I promise.

My only 94 was bought new in 1972 for $ 70.00
I killed a few Does with it but didn’t keep it long.
I don’t have a single pic of that 94 nor of any deer it took.

I moved on to a Win 670 in 243 which was a very god Rifle. HOWEVER magazine
articles made me feel it was a second rate El Cheapo Gun. WISH I’d never read about them.

From that I bought a new 700 BDL 270 in 1976 for $ 125.00 << REAL <<

That’s my history with any 30/30. I know and admit they’ve killed TONS of
game.

Jerry

My 94 (actually an 1894) was given to my grandfather in 1912, as a 12th birthday present. My dad gave it to me.





P

Good to see 94s equipped with proper sights. A Receiver sight really helps with the rifle's potential.

Bought this one as a wee lad in 1970, and it's still knocking them down. A steady diet of 3031 and Hornady 170 FPs keeps it happy, happy, happy.

Your not kidding about it being in good shape!

I own a Marlin and a Winchester. This is my 1947 flat band.

Killed this Moose with my Marlin 30-30. Vermont 2004

I'm like jwall,
except I still have mine.
A 100 year gun from Marlin with a coin factory embedded in the stock.

Killed my first buck with it.
30_30's were for kids, I mowed lawns and skipped school lunches to buy a 243.
Much better range, ya know.

35 years and a bunch of guns, deer, and two elk later,
there were only a couple of those deer that would have overly challenged that Marlin.

Cool moose Mike! Lots have fallen to .30-30s. but I would guess not too many recently.

The .30-30 has always been good to me. I've taken probably about 15 deer with this Marlin and this hog as well. I primarily use it as a walking gun as it's sweet to carry.

170gr corelokts or a 170gr interlock handload has always been my load of choice.

2005 Sullivan county PA. My bear, My Son, and my Winchester.

My favorite .30-30 is a little different. I haven't killed anything yet with it though.

Grew up using a Mod 94 Classic carbine ( bought in 1968) killed deer/hogs, but with the Remington 150CLKT. Have owned many through the years, more Marlin 336s than Mod 94s. I think that Buffalo Bore 190fn would be a fine one on elk too. I never got to kill anything, but I loaded the Hawk 190fn ( but the .030" jacket) in the last 336 I owned. I had it going 2200 easy and it was very accurate. For 200yds and under, a 30-30 is an awesome deer round that doesn't tear them up bad. And for really close woods work, those little carbines are about the fastest handling rifle one can use. I'm always on the lookout for a nice 30-30...but I just can't turn loose of the almost $500 they are seen at! I too am spoiled by those $200-$300 deals!

All very nice, I have played with levers a little bit. 22's, 348, 358, 444, and currently a 45-70 that my son has claimed. I have been looking for the right 30-30, althougn there are plenty around, just have not found the one.

I prefer the pistol grip stock for myself as the straight stocks just do not fit me. Someday I will have a 30-30, fitted with appropriate peep sights. Do not plan on reloading for it art all. Find a factory load it likes and buy a couple cases of ammo and have at it.

Thanks to everyone for posting.

Between Winchester, Marlin, T/C and NEF I have seven 30-30’s. I don’t hunt with them all the time but I do enjoy them.


I shoot 170 Hornady or 170 Remingtons from mine.

I know of nothing more pleasureable than walking the mountains with my 1941 M94 stuffed with 170 gr corelokts. There is nothing that this won't take care of.

I wanted to play with something a bit different, so bought a Henry single-shot, 30-30. I have put quite a few loads through it, trying to hop it up a bit. I returned to pretty much the original type of load, using 150 Interlocks. It shoots great with a SS 6x on it. Gonna kill a couple does with it. factory Core Lokts shoot real well, too.

I have a couple 94, 32 specials, but my eyes don't work for iron sights, anymore.

I have been trying to find a nice pre 64 for $500-550 for awhile. It hasn't been happening. Even post 64's I'm running into are $450 and those are good rifles but not what I wanted. I ran into the '47 flat band a week ago and it was $750. Way beyond what I had budgeted for a model 94. But I just had to have it for some reason so I splurged.

[quote=moosemike

Killed this Moose with my Marlin 30-30. Vermont 2004

Very Nice Mike !

Jerry

Had a M94 Ranger back in the day, two ton trigger pull and all. I used 31141 cast bullets to kill several deer with it and sent it down the road once I started shooting some varmint rifles with light triggers. Bought a bubba'd Marlin 30-30 a few years ago and had the ruined barrel bored out to 38-55. Makes a great cast bullet game rifle.

A Marlin .30-30 was the 1st rifle I ever shot. Always wanted to whack something with one. Finally got this TX 8-pointer with a 336 few years ago. Neat rifles...especially for a lefty.
Bob

Only deer I killed with a .30/30 was with, of all things, a Savage combo. The usual chest shot yielded the usual brief dash, then collapse, just like those shot in the same place with .308s, .270s, etc. They can only get dead, not deader, or deadest.

sbhooper, I have a Henry on the way as well, but mine's a .308 because I have piles of .308 stuff on hand, but nary a bit of .30/30, unless you want to count the bullets. My usual .308 load probably only cranks 2500-2600, so not much difference except the impact on my wallet. Mine's getting either a 2.5x Leupold, or a Burris Scout, whichever fits the best.

Something like 10 Model 94's in the safe and the only thutty-thutty I own was my late grandfather's Stevens 325.

I have never fired it.

Lots of old time Ranchers around here still have a 94 30-30 in the pickup.
Got GrandDad’s 1963 Model in the safe at the Ranch.

My first deer rifle was a Winchester 94 Classic with a 26" octagon barrel purchased used in 1974. Very accurate rifle. Killed my first half dozen or so deer with it. One of my biggest firearms sale regrets. I still currently own 2 Marlin JM stamped 336 30-30's. One will be the property of my grandson in a few years.

my Glenfield 30-30 and last years buck. got a 1971 0r 72 94 in 30-30 that lives in the truck

About a month ago I saw a custom Remington rolling block single shot rebarreled to 30-30

It kind of depends on where and how you hunt.

A quick handling 30-30 is probably more useful/practical and just a deadly as a suppressor equipped 6.5 Creedmoor if you're still hunting tight cover, but probably not as useful/practical if you're over-watching a farm field, clear cut, of power line ROW.

I occasionally hunt with a 30-30 and I have used a Westpoint 474B, a house brand Savage 170, as a truck gun.

A good, but overlooked and economically priced, lever action 30-30 is the old Mossberg 472/479. I bought a matched pair of them for the brothers whose family managed my MIL's ranch. I originally bought them a matched pair of Marlin XS7s in 243, but they wanted 30-30 lever action saddle guns, so I got them the Mossbergs. Same/same happened with brothers in VT. I bought them a matched pair of Marlin XS7s in 243, but they wanted pump action rifles and weren't (IMO) physically large enough to handle the recoil of a Remington 760/7600 in 270 or 30-06, so I got them Savage 170s. I understand that they all punched their first deer with those rifles. They will probably move on and buy/sell/trade for other rifles during their lives, but they'll always remember the rifle that they took their first deer with.

The most interesting 30-30 that I've seen to date was a Remington-Lee that must have had every upgrade option that was available in 1899(?). It was a presentation gun with engraved silver(?) inlays in the stock. I have long been amazed by the variety, qualities, and oddities that passed through the late Bill Guilderdale's little gun shop on Route 100 in Stockbridge, VT.

at the moment i have 3 30-30's
my favorite is this one

My .30-30's are of a different flavor also. Here's one, my favorite. Winchester Model 54.

Awesome pic!

I killed my first deer with an M94 30-30 made in 1911. I was all of 11 years old. I've taken maybe 17 deer with a 30-30 of one sort or another back in my early tears of hunting coastal California. Back then you could take two deer in the coastal hunt but only one if you did the inland hunt. That early M94 was originally my Great grandfather's gun, handed down to my Grandfather as a wedding present. My dad got it when pop passed away and he later gave it to me as he had no interest in it. I'll probably pass it on to one of my grandkids if one has any interest.

Most of the deer I've taken with the 30-30 was with hand loads using cast bullets, usually the Lyman #311291. I tried #31141 now called 311041 but I never could get it to shoot worth spit.

I have two M94s, the 1911 gun and one made in 1980 or maybe 1981, two M64s, one in 1938 my birth year and another in IIRC 1957, the last year they were made. I also have a Winchester M54 in 30-30 and a Marlin 336 Texan. They're my "fun guns" and I just shoot cast with them at the range.

Funny thing. In 2009 I did a hunt for antelope and after a fairly easy half mile stalk was close enough (75 yards) that I could have just as easily taken that goat with a 30-30 and cast bullets rather than the .270 I used. Go figure.
Paul B.

In the not so distant past I've had a Marlin 336 and a Savage 219/220 with a 30-30 and 20 gauge barrels but the only one in possession currently is a Clerke/Staggs Built 20 gauge over 30-30.

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Shoots well but has only killed cans and paper targets.

I hate every time you post anything about that rifle.... I'll be lusting after that thing again for a week...
item number one on my fantasy bucket list... a Model 54 in 30/30...

I inherited my granddad's 1935 acquired Marlin 30/30 when he died in 1968...
some A Hole stole it out of my 4 Runner back in MN in 1994...found out who..
never got the rifle back, but I got real even with him tho...

I have the 1966 Model 94 my dad bought at the RAF Alconbury Rod & Gun Club, he bought before we left England in 1966.... cost was $49 for it on base at the R&G club... first rifle I ever deer hunted with...

I picked up a Stainless Marlin 336 when they were a limited run model... then two years later it became a catalog item...

Also picked up a 26 inch barrel Model 94, which was a limited run back in the late 1990s... for $300.
Then they 94 was canned from production for like 2 years... and then relaunched.... the same rifle I had paid $300 for was now $1200 to $1300 in the Winchester catalog...

Regardless of what non magnum caliber I carry in the field to deer hunt, I load it to 30/30 speeds..

as I say, I don't need a 500 yd deer load, to take a blacktail at 200 yds or under.

I got a M94 for Christmas when I was 16, but I couldn't hit anything with it, and deer were scarce back then. It got traded off for something I COULD hit with, probably my first 700 Remington. I've moved on to other things.

I did find a nice 336SC awhile back, a 1960 model, and scooped it up. It shoots pretty good, too, but with my eyes, I had to stick an old M8-4X on it. It handles "okay", but not as nice as that M94, which I wish I had back.

My dad wasn't a gun guy. Had one deer rifle, one shotgun, and one 22 (which I didn't even know he had, never saw him shoot it).

His rifle was a 1954 Marlin 336RC in 30-30. I think that's the first year they were drilled and tapped? Don't know where he got it from, it dates to the year my folks got married and I'm sure he was too broke to buy it then.

Two years ago I got to take it out hunting. It still works just fine... two shots into the chest at 75 yards maybe 2" apart. I don't think the 2nd one was needed, he just didn't know he was dead yet.

That was a special hunt.

I've got one Model 94 in .30-30 WCF. I don't think of it as a classic yet because it's only 36 years old. It's a 94 AE (Angle Eject). But it is classical. I can hit anything within 300 yards. I load Hornady Flex Tips. They make it a solid 200 yard gun and I'm not afraid to take it farther out than that.

As for classic, I think Mausers as well as 94s are classic. I have a number of them. About 31 years while I still had an FFL, I bought 5-98 actions for $25 imported by Fed Ord. I kept one and sold the other four to three guys on my deer lease. They had them barreled in 3 .25-06s and one .30-06. I had to be the odd ball and had mine barreled in .280 Remington. I consider that to be a classic. It has a B&C Fiber Glass Stock on it but it's still plenty classic with its 26" E.R. Shaw heavy sporter barrel and now a brand new Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10 power scope. I had a 3-9x40 VX-1 on it for 12 years which worked fine for me.

Also, about 10 years back I bought 4 Yugo 24/47 Mausers and have two sporterized. One I had rebarreled in .257 AI. Another I just had sporterized and left as an 8x57. I ha ve one more that I will sporterize and rebarrel. I'm keeping one original Mil Surp. That one I will rebarrel to 6mm Remington. They're classic Mausers and perfect for the 57mm case rounds like .6mm Rem., .257 Roberts or left in .7x57 or 8x57 or what have you.

And that all would be really intriguing, in a Mauser thread.

My Father had one of those in his collection, but it had been rechambered to 30-40 Krag at some point in time.

My late grandpa's 1918 model I referred to earlier. He shot 87 northern Minnesota whitetails with after buying it used in 1928. He said it was already pretty beat up when he got it, so it looks like he cared for it pretty well after that.

For me, THE ultimate classic .30-30 is the Winchester Model 64 especially in carbine length. Due, in no small part, that my father and his brother used identical rifles to put literally tons of venison on the table. My carbine below wears a Lyman 56A while my fathers sports a "climbing Lyman" 21.

I like and use receiver sights as much as any. Currently have two rifles with peeps (SKS and a Lee Enfield 303). Just sold a 20" 760 with a Williams FP.

I have an old Redfield lined up for a Marlin 336. In the meantime while doing some load dev on the 336 I've been using an old Leupold 1-4 in very low rings and am surprised at how well that set-up works and how much I like it. I may leave it as is and use it that way instead.

I shoot at least one deer a year with mine. It was passed down from my Grandpa.

I gotta say this has turned into one awesome thread. Congrats to all the hunters and they are all wonderful pictures. I’m envious of every one of them!

Thanks for chiming in!

Todd

Every gun safe should have a 94 inside.
Bob

Takedown 94 with a nice case coloring job:

I only have one 30-30. A hippie from out near Chikosna brought it to our homestead and sold it to my father who gave him 250 dollars in 1983. The hippie was planning on going full sourdough but found out it was too tough and needed enough money to get back to Seattle. The hippie had been out there for about four months and hadn't bathed for about two of them and smelled really bad. I think he wanted $100 but my father was fair.
It is a 1893 Marlin with a 28 inch octagon barrel. Its not in perfect shape but it works. I used it on vermin that bothered our livestock from the time I was 14 to 20 because the buckhorn sights work great and it points naturally. It is very accurate with 170 grain bullets. I shot a wolf that was attacking our dog and nailed it leaping in midair at about 15 paces. I shot several owls, coyotes and foxes that tried to kill our chickens.
I took that gun up into the mountains when I would get ticked off at everybody and siwash under spruce trees with just it as a companion. It was one gun that I made sure I got when my father passed on.
I need to get a couple of 94s but just have been waiting for the right opportunity. Ill put a picture of it up tomorrow.

Great story!

Well, there's workin' guns and then there's the rest, mostly fluff, even if a joy to tote.







I'm middle of the road most days...

I also got a Model 94 on my 16th birthday. I also sold it a few years later because I KNEW I needed more range to kill deer... I finally bought another 1942 model several years ago and use it all the time as a truck gun. Killed lots of hogs and a couple of deer with it in the limited amount of time I hunted it. It gets taken on walks several times a week

I knew this post was coming, had to get to page #4 to see your Win Model 54......Nice!

They're all nice, Doc! I love seeing all the .30-30 lever guns that come out into the light of day the second it's mentioned.

One observation: It's neat that people in the 21st century still recognize the grace and utility of a .30-30 lever gun, and that the word ".30-30" still causes immediate visions of Winchester/Marlin leverguns.

My leverguns are all Savages, but I now have the urge to add a M94 to the mix again. I think a vintage M94 .30-30 snuggled up next to the M54 would make a nice couple!

I'm kind of surprised that no one's mentioned the old workhorse Savage M340 bolt gun or the Savage M170 pump gun. Two "hardware store grade" rifles that discerning loonies turn their noses up at, but which had/have a well deserved seat at the .30-30 table also.

.30-30 = versatility IMO. I would be quite happy with nothing but .30-30's in my battery of rifles. Single shots and bolt guns for serious target/bench work (especially with cast bullets), and svelte little lever action carbines for woods loafing. A man could do a lot worse.

Apache think the 94 is an assault rifle I've heard.

I have a Marlin 1893 in .30-30, made at a time when Winchester were still calling the cartridge .30WCF. Marlin marked their rifles .30-30 to avoid referring to the competitor, and the name stuck.

Mine's in Sporting Rifle configuration - 26" half-octagonal barrel, half magazine, pistol grip stock and "shotgun" buttplate. It has been in the family for many years, and it handles really nicely for offhand shots. Accurate too - about 1 1/2" at 100 yards for five shots with its peep sights. I don't take it out often, but it has certainly done the job on the various deer, pigs etc I've shot with it. I should take it out for a walk more often.

I only saw 2 Savage M170s and neither were very accurate. It was hard just to get them zeroed. I did see several M340s as they were so inexpensive back then ( early 60's) None had a scope. Deer were just starting to come back in our area ( SE Texas) in huntable numbers. My first deer hunt I was 11yrs old. 20ga with buckshot, told where to sit and wait for the dogs to run one by me. I loved hearing the dogs race, the whole experience. Didn't kill one though. The next year I had a single shot H&R 30-30 that was one mean kicking little devil! About 4inches at 100 was its best ( or my best!). At 14 my dad bought me a used Mod 1148 12ga from a fellow for $60. OMG did that sucker kick! It was a humdinger for blasting squirrels out of 90ft tall pine tree, but I never got a shot with it. At 15 I had traded for a Universal M1 Carbine. Only ammo I could find was 87gr HP. I worried to death a small yearling buck withit. Finally, when I was 16, my dad "co-signed" for me to buy on time a 20" Octagon barreled "Classic", beautiful wood, with my own money. I then started killing hogs/deer with vengeance! I could head shoot squirrels out to 30yds, could hit a Skoal can lid at 50, sometimes the brass end of a shotgun shell same distance! But out at 100yds, "maybe" 3 inches. At 150 I was a random 24". My fired brass all had a "buldge" on one side, like the chamber was oval. It must have been a "Second" that the hardware store got. Anyhow, my longest shot was right at 90yds on a hog ( I hit him far back in front of the hips/in spine when he was running and finished him off up close with a head shot.) and I never shot a deer past 30yds in those woods! I could have chosen a 26" rifle version they also had there, but figured the carbine would work better for hunting with dogs and in the thickets. We also (my family were all Winchester 94 guys) only used the Remington Corlokt 150 or Winchester 150 Silvertips. It was felt that the 170 didn't open fast enough on those 90 pound deer. Hogs were always shot behind the ear and if not....I caught H-ll from Daddy! ha. It made some fine memories.

I did take this one out last year but the deer were not cooperating.

It was passed down to me and I refinished the stock and added the new recoil pad.

I always thought the model 64 Winchester was a handsome cuss but, one never showed when I had the jack in my jeans. Fifteen years ago an old buddy was terminal and getting rid of his collection. He offered his Marlin 336A to me and I was happy to respond.

Nice set up! I've always liked those Model 54 rifles, tried to even buy one once. The guy was just too proud of it even though he welded on a different bolt handle and it wasn't in the original stock.

savage 99 made in 1910 . 24 inch with tang peep.

guess my old glenfield is boring Ha lol

The boring ones are the true ones. The rare beauties are something else.

I don't know if we can get a little love for the .32 Special? In case we can't there's a 30-30 in the picture to the right of it.

I have my grandpas Marlin 30-30. Not sure what year, I’d guess it was made in the 50s. Had a scope on it when he gave it to me, but after he passed I took it off and just shot the iron sights for about 6 years, but then recently started struggling to make decent groups with the iron sights past 50 yards and put the scope back on. I’ve killed most of my deer with that gun.

I am late to the 30-30 crowd but not late for owning lever actions. Grew up with Savage 99s and owned several. 99-A 250-3000 is my favorite today. A couple of years ago a 1969 Marlin 336C 30-30 practically fell in my lap. It has been a lot of fun putting different sights on it and trying several factory ammo.

I bloodied it with this buck.







It is accurate, too.

Have a 94 30-30 and a 64 in 32 WS, both made in the early 1900s. Just had them out the other day, and they still shoot great.

In my what I could afford days I bought myself a brand new H&R Topper 158 30-30 with a 20ga barrel also. I remember taking it hunting with me and my friends making fun of it. What still is ingrained in my memory was the look on their faces when they came to pick me up at my stand with a nice 6 pt buck laying on the ground. One 170gr silver tip was all it took.

Now a days I occasionally carry a Glenfield 30A as I still get a joy of using it and taking game here and there.

Now that is danged cool!

Cool ..... Your Grandfather would like that.

Here's a pretty happy kid with a Win 94...

Down to a couple well used and well blooded 94's in 30-30 Win. Both post 64, top eject and no cross bolt safety. One wears an old Leupold Detacho mount and currently has a cheapo Simmons red dot sight on it, works like a charm! I've had Savage and Stevens bolt action 30-30's, a really old Marlin 30-30 with no rifling left and a bunch of other 94's, both pre and post 64. Where I do most of my deer hunting, central Wisconsin, the 30-30 is an excellent cartridge!







I don't load for the 30-30 anymore, the Federal stuff works great.

That pic is a classic in its own right... looks great on presentation on the leather background..
yeah, I know its a couch, but it still doesn't distract from the fact that is a cool pic of a great rifle in great shape.

The old 30/30 just works... a batch of years ago, there was a kid at my son's school who was handicapped,
and finally grandpa was old enough, he didn't move real well anymore either..

Grandpa wanted to give his grandson his old 30/30 he'd used for decades, but neither he nor his grandson
could shoot factory loads...his mom was an administrator at my son's school.. and Irish gal....

I loaded up some ammo for them that they could handle,,,, 10 grains of Unique with a 110 grain RN/SP.
Their hunting consisted of the grandson in his wheel chair with grandpa on grandpa's cabin porch, out in the woods.

both were able to drop a deer at 50 to 60 yds with that load...

it was the young boys first deer and grandpa's last....

I tell that story, because I'll admit, it makes me feel good to be a small part, of life in a family coming full circle
and an old 30/30 being part of it, just makes it better...

State of Utah used Mod 64s to execute Gary Gilmore, so you know they are effective, ha. My uncle had a Model 64 custom carbine in .219 Zipper! It went to one of his sons after he died, I lost track of it and them through the years.

I'm somewhat late to the .30-30 party.

I remember seeing Win 94 .30-30s in the Walgreens Christmas catalog, as a 14yo in 1970. Pining away.

Dad owned 1 rifle, a surplus Springfield. 30-06 and 1 shotgun, Rem 870 16ga. I still have them.

He said the .30-30 was a waste, get a .30-06 and never need anything else, be able to buy ammo, anywhere.

In college, 1975, I purchased a BL-22. Many rabbits, squirrels, frogs, cans and other vermin, have fallen before it. Still have it.

Was in the market for a .30-30 and discover, Browning has started making BL-92 .44mag. I had a Super Blackhawk, so it won out. It is awesome on deer, hogs, and Cowboy Action steel.

Through the years, looked at and passed on several .30-30s, but somehow, 3 more levers found their way home.

Finally, at 62 yo, I find a Marlin 336 Centennial 1870-1970, complete with the medallion in the stock, safe queen.

I find ally have a .30-30. Just finished loading some 115gr powder coated bullets. I will be at the range Wednesday.

Don't overlook the Hawk Precision 190gr but in .030 jacket. Buffalo Bores 30-30/190 is the .035 jacket. A bit too tough for deer. Look at H335 for that 190. I got 2100 easy with fine accuracy out of my last Marlin 336. It should be a "thumper deluxe". ha

My 30-30 story

http://dallas138.arvixeshared.com/~acfafish/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8626

Well I guess I don't know how to post a link on this forum. You can copy and paste if you like.
HD

Post 64. Shoots less than an inch at 50 with buckhorn and old eyes. Made a bad trade once and lost a 26 inch classic octagon, live and learn. Had one from the 20xs, one pre I gave away *!!! A 94 is something everyone should at least try.
I got a 70 336 in. 35, and am disappointed with the button rifling, short leade, and $35 buck ammo if you can find it (I do reload and have dies) 3030 costs all of $15 can't reload much cheaper than that with bullets costing so much now.
I have 2 grandsons so need pairs of everything to leave

Here's your link, below. To see how it is done, just click the 'Quote' button to quote this post.

http://dallas138.arvixeshared.com/~acfafish/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8626

The 'url' and /url' tagags between the '[' and ']' brackets are what is required.

I simply have never found anything I like better than a model 94.

I like the .30-30. A while back I picked up a used '94 SRC Trapper. Rear sight was broken ... didn't care, that short 16-1/4 inch barrel is helped a lot by a receiver sight. It's now set up exactly like the one I bought right after college was set up. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet. Hopefully it shoots as well as the first. I paid too much for it but .. nostalgia. Yep. I guess I've hit that age.

Tom

Never owned one, doubt I ever will. I do like levers though. I have a well used 70s 39A and a 1972 9422. Just never saw the need for a 30-30.

I've never liked the idea of putting Spitzer type bullets in the tubular magazine!

I've owned most of the common ones at some point

Savage 340 - still have my fathers
Savage 170
Savage o/u 30-30 20 guage
Savage 219 this one should arrive Tuesday
H&R Topper
Schmidt Ruben
Ruger # 1 this ones a keeper
Marlin 336A,336RS, and a couple of the common carbines
Win 94 70s model and a pre 64, as well as a Canadian Centennial carbine

F

I bought a pre 64 Winchester and about 200 rounds of original silver tips for $150 last year hoping to get some whitetail does in the freezer with it this year

Geez. If only I'd ever run into deals like that.

You and me both. Did the seller give him some peach cobbler and ice cream too?

21 inch barrel Marlin XLR semi custom.







Shoots great for a 30-30

Those are nice.

My 1977 Marlin 336 30-30. I finally had to admit that I can't shoot for schitt with the peep so I gave it away last week on here. Now it has a Leupold 2-7.
I keep it stoked with 170's and IMR3031.
My folks bought it for me for $88 brand new in the local farm supply store. I shot my first deer with it back in the late 70's. My sentimental favorite.

I killed my first deer with my Dad's '94 (1927 manufacture) in about '66, which is now my most used carry rifle for walkabouts up here.. Real handy carry. Got it back after a 25 year old absence when my oldest brother died some years ago. Really should kill something with it again..... .

The first thing I did when It came back into my possesion was take the vintage 3X Leupold off and put the Williams apeture sight back on, which it had carried all through my father's possession. And installed a block in the rear sight cut, reblued the metal and refinished the stock, both of which had issues. It could use it again.

In the interum, after moving to Alaska, I bought a 336 off my best HS bud for $125 in about 1970 on a visit back, when he decided a .243 for ND deer hunting was more to his liking. Killed my first moose with it, but it has long since gone to sleep with the fishes in the Tanana River after a kid ran my boat out of gas just above a big log jam. If I ever find a good deal on another 336, I'll grab it. I prefer them to the '94.

I sure like your pics!!

I will reluctantly admit I've never owned a 30-30. For the last several months I've been looking local to see if I can find a nice used Marlin. I love the 94's but the straight stock doesn't usually fit me well.

If I could find a Model 64, I'd prefer it over the Marlin.

This is a great thread by the way. Keep it up gentlemen.

My first centre fire rifle when I was 19 y.o. was a 94 Winchester 30/30. Two shots had been fired through it and I bought the gun and the unused 18 shells in the box all for $45 (Canadian).

You can figure out how old I am.

Jim

You don't have a brother named Ingwe, do you?

I mostly pack around a Winchester 64 A that was rechambered to 30/30 Ackley. Nicely accurate with lots of bullets, from crows to elk it hits hard.

My Grandfather's 94 w/ 22" Octagonal barrel, home made front sight and tang peep.
The year my Dad gave this to me I took all of my deer (5) with it. Loaned it to a friend to shoot his first deer as well.
Rifle is a 30 WCF (says so on the barrel ) Made in 1906.

According to one of the Grandfather's contemporaries I met when I was about 10, this is the rifle Granddad used to take the last grizzly killed in Lemhi County Idaho. Don't know the validity of the story though.

Bbear, I bet that '94 is fantastic for off hand shooting and what an outstanding stock with a pistol grip, no less! Your Grandfather had great taste.

LOVE the photos on here... thanks to all for sharing. Moosemike... LOVE that picture. I have a lot of moose photos with a levergun, but mine are mostly with my XLR in .338 ME.

I have two .30-30s, though neither is a lever. I have a 340 from 1952 that's in terrific shape. I also have a late 60s Model 24 that's got the .30-30 barrel over a 20 gauge. I haven't killed anything with the .30-30 barrel (I've only had the gun a little over a year) but the 20 gauge has been dynamite on birds. My first shot at waterfowl, I was aiming at one goose and three fell to the ground (cacklers). And I have harvested more spruce grouse than I've fired shots.