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Glad to see so many folks still using leverguns. I started out in the early 80s with a Spanish 8mm Mauser in full military guise since it was all I could afford. I soon saved up enough for a Marlin 336, went to Service Merchandise and found one marked down as it had been repaired. I plunked down my cash and had all but finished the paperwork when I realized it was in 35 Rem. I had never even heard of the cartridge. I took a chance and went ahead and bought it anyway. Boy am I glad I did, it is still my favorite cartridge.

I foolishly sold the 35 a couple of years later after reading too many gun rags and thinking I needed a much flatter shooting rifle. I bought a Remington 700 270. It was a great rifle, but sure did not handle like the Marlin. I have since been through dozens of rifles, but have come back full circle.

For the last decade or so a Marlin 336 or Savage 99 has been my primary deer rifle. If I think I will not have the possibility of a shot over 150 yds, I take the Marlin. It the ranges could reach out to 250 I take the Savage. I have no business shooting at anything over 250 yds from a treestand or stalking woods and field edges anyway. Most of the folks I see hunting the same areas carry long barreled bolt guns in 270, 30-06, but especially 7mm and 300 Win mag with large 50mm scopes. These guns certainly have their place, but to me they cannot compare to the good old levergun for woods hunting.

Last edited by TnBigBore; 09/24/10.

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My first Deer rifle was a OLD Sears Catalog Ted Williams model
30-30 WCF lever action carbine made by Winchester.
I could cut the top off a Miller Pony Beer bottle at 75 yds without hitting the rest when I was much younger.
I have went thru many lever actions Marlins,BLR`s,Winchesters
But now I hunt mainly with my Ultimate Lever the Winchester
1895 in 405 WCF. CUSTOM FINISHED AND SIGHTS by Z-HAT Custom.
It is like the WRATH of GOD when you hit any Deer with it.
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I bring a Marlin GG in 45/70 and a Marlin 336SC in .35 Rem along with a bolt gun in 06 or 7mm-08. I just grab the one that works best for the area I'm hunting that day.


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This thread brings me back about 50 years, when I used to Deer hunt with some neighbors. Back then you never saw a No Trespassing sign, and everbody hunted everywhere, and thought nothing of it. Two old brothers I hunted with had Marlin lever actions chambered in 38-55. I don't recall the model number, but they were beautifully made and had octagon long barrels. They refered to them as "pumpkin slingers". You just don't see them anymore. Marlin was written in cursive on the top of the action.

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My first deer rifle was a Marlin 444. Since then, I've used a number of rifles, most of them were bolt actions. This year, I'm going with a nice Savage 99F in 300 Savage I bought recently from the 24HCF classified ads. This season is gonna be fun!


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I do. A .308 Marlin Express.


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Originally Posted by TNrifleman
My first deer rifle was a Marlin 444. Since then, I've used a number of rifles, most of them were bolt actions. This year, I'm going with a nice Savage 99F in 300 Savage I bought recently from the 24HCF classified ads. This season is gonna be fun!



You are going to love hunting with that 99F. The 99 I hunt with about half of the time is a late 50s 99F with an older long tube Leupold M8 4X. They are one of the finest hunting rifles ever made in my opinion. The 300 Savage is a great mild mannered cartridge too.


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Nice looking "88", Phil.


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Originally Posted by luke
This thread brings me back about 50 years, when I used to Deer hunt with some neighbors. Back then you never saw a No Trespassing sign, and everbody hunted everywhere, and thought nothing of it. Two old brothers I hunted with had Marlin lever actions chambered in 38-55. I don't recall the model number, but they were beautifully made and had octagon long barrels. They refered to them as "pumpkin slingers". You just don't see them anymore. Marlin was written in cursive on the top of the action.

Likely a model 1893
I have a couple of these in calibers 25-36 and 32-40 that I hunt with.
I also hunt with 30-30,32 win spl,35 rem,375 win,444 mar,44-40 and 38-40 Marlins.
Sometimes I even take out the Savage 99H 303 sav carbine.Its very nice original condition and I hate to scratch it.

Last edited by levergunz; 09/24/10.
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Originally Posted by M1894
Marlins are my primary deer / bear rifles

[Linked Image]


There is one winchester that sneaks in for late season when the leaves are gone and we have a little snow . It has to go on another rack though so the marlins don't beat it up

[Linked Image]

Hey,I want to try a guess what your Marlins are,even though they are upside down on a rack at distance.
Top=1936 carbine in 30-30 or 32 win spl(HPS)
Middle=336SC in 30-30 or 35Rem or perhaps even a rare 32 Win spl
Bottom=1894(modern)in 44 Mag

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I carry my 336 anytime i go into the thick woods. No better gun for that. I put XS sights on it last year and its a great woods, driving gun.

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I started out hunting last year and I went and bought an older Marlin 336/.35 Remington. I scoped it this year and will be hunting with it in a few weeks.

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For me it is either a 1894ss/44 mag, 336 30-30, 336SDG 30-30 or a 1895 45-70. Still like bolt guns but don't shoot them often...

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My primary deer getter is a Marlin 1894S in .44 Mag. It's back up brother is a Marlin 336Y in .30-30.


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My primary thicket rifle is a M94 30-30 with peep sights shooting the RCBS 30-180-F @ 1900 fps. My brother uses a Marlin 336 30-30 with Rem factory ammo and factory sights. He kills the heck out of deer with it, and misses the heck out of deer with his BAR scoped 270. Go figure!

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I'm planning on using a 1965 Winchester Model 94 in .30-30 Winchester Center Fire for deer season this year. It is equipped with a Williams Foolproof peep sight.

I started out deer hunting with a single shot Winchester 16 gauge shotgun. I moved up to a Winchester 12 gauge pump and then to a Synthetic Remington 700 ADL in .243 Winchester. Moved from the ADL to a Stainless Synthetic Model 7 in .308 Winchester, then to a Synthetic Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in 7mm-08 Remington and finally to a Ruger Model 77 MKII in .30-06 Springfield. The bolt guns are too easy to use, if I see the deer in the scope, I can kill them.


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I do out of a ground blind or tree stand in timber where my longest shot will be 70 yards. One of my hunting buds only hunts with the same 336 he bought 40 years ago as a teenager. He is a deadeye with that rifle, too. "Beware of the man who only owns one gun.............."

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after a 20 year hiatus away from the 30/30 lever gun, I picked one up last year and took a deer with it. One issue is I have to hunt our land further north where rifles are legal. I now do most of my hunting in shotgun zone. I hope to get her out again this year. Fun running it again.


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My only rifles for 20 years were a Marlin 336 .30-30 and a Marlin 336 .35 Rem. Then the land I hunted changed and I went using a .30-06, a .270 Win, a .257 Roberts, .25-06, and a .270 Weatherby.
But now when I hunt in the thick stuff I go back to using the Marlin 336s.

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My earliest days as a deer hunter began with lever rifles. My first "real" deer rifle was a Marlin .35 Remington which was followed shortly thereafter by a Marlin 336 (yes a 336....not an 1894) in .44 Magnum.

Since those times I have exspanded my collection to include a rifle for every type game (more than 200 rifles at last count).....but I never abandoned the lever guns.

Particularly if you count the Savage 99's (13 in the safe now), I have NEVER been without a lever rifle. Now days I reach for my Marlin 336 in .35 Remington or the 1895 in .45-70 when I go into the thickets and creek bottoms.

I LOVE the big bore lever rifles and will always have one (or 2 or 3 avalable) for those times when I want to go back in time.


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