Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Which would you pick in M336 -- 35 rem or 30.30?

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.