44 Mag or 30-30

A hard choice between those two calibers. I went first for the 30-30, but a 44 Magnum is already on the shopping list.

I have a 16" Winchester 94 30-30 Trapper. I am waiting for a 16" Puma/Legacy 92 454 Casull to be delivered. I am considering a Henry Big Boy 44 Magnum. And a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington is on the wishlist. Not forgetting my first rifle, a Marlin Guide Gun 45-70.

I have these rifles for hunting. Magazine capacity is not a concern. Accuracy is good enough for my hunting, under 2 MOA. The carbines are easy to carry.
 
The new LeverRevolution ammo pushes the .30-30 out to 300 yards.

A Marlin 336 can be loaded hotter than a Winchester. Calvin Rutstrum used to only carry a .30-30 for everything, including moose. He'd use handloads with a 170gr bullet at 2300fps.

A plain Marlin 336 in .30-30 from Walmart is about $200.
 
Have you shot the rev stuff? That's looking pretty good. I'm going to pick up a 44 lever, now that I have a 30-30 and a 45-70. The 44 would round out the collection!
 
As already stated a 44mag lever gun paired with a revolver shooting the same ammo has it's place. In my mind though I would take the 44 revolver for close stuff and prefer my rifle to have more punch down range. If you look at energy levels on the two a 30.30 at 100 yards is about what a 44 mag is at the muzzle, just a thought for you.

On a side not I took a whitetail doe with a Marlin guide gun in 450 Marlin mag last year using the Lever-Evolution ammo, just to try it. It flipped her around like a prairie dog.
I have some pics if you want to see it.

Helle
 
What he said! (Except that I went with Rossi Winchecter 92 copies.) :D

In fairness though, the Hornady LeverEvolution ammo does extend the range of the .30-30 some over other factory ammo, but personally I am sticking with my .44s.

Tom Krein said:
There is not a whole lot of difference in performance out to 100-150 yards. That is max for both really. So balistically they are a draw.

In the .44 mag I get 10 rounds in the magazine vs (I can't remember exactly) 5-6 rounds of 30-30. In a self defense role the added firepower was a plus.

I can also carry a revolver that shoots the same ammo as the .44 lever gun.

If I want lighter loads in the .44 mag lever gun I can also shoot .44 special.

The .44 mag ammo is more compact so I can carry a bit more in the field also.

Those are my thoughts and that is why I chose the .44 mag.

Tom
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Win. '92 and Marlin '94 backed buy Vaqueros all in 45 Colt.


Mild to wild I Love that round.
 
Maybe we should ask 'what do you own now?' If you have some thing in the 30-30 range (7.62X39.....) you may fill the tool box with the pistol cal. (or the other way around)

Just want a lever gun either is a good choice, both is better.
 
I had forgotten about the 30-30 levrolution ammo! It is supposed to make a noticable difference.

One thing to remember about pistol caliber lever actions is that when fired from a 16" barrel there is a BIG difference in the performance over a 8" barreled revolver. Make sure you are looking at performance stats from a Rifle.

Tom
 
Both will likely serve you well. I prefer the good old "thuddy-thuddy", mostly for its longer range capability.
 
In the '60's and 70"s there were no good bullets for the .44. They were all made with pistols in mind. soft hollow points and soft flat points that did not hold together on large game, big deer, hogs, or elk.
Since good cast bullets came along you can chuck that tid bit of info. Be sure to buy the right projectiles for the .44. Garrett or Bufflalo Bore are good for those who don't roll their own.

The 30/30 has and always will have tough rifle bullets. something to think about when hunting. I have a Marlin .44 and a Ruger semi auto carbine in .44 mag. You just can't use lead bullets in the Ruger. I sold my 30/30 and wish I kept it. I hunt hogs regularly down here and load 265 grn Hornandy sp [ the rifle bullet made for the .444 ]with 23 grns of 296 or H110. Its safe in my guns but maybe not yours.

I prefer my Marlin .35 Remington over either one. It kills way out of porpotion that either the 2 other cartridges. It has less kick, just as compact, and does a GOOD job on game. My son has it now and he aint trading.:D
 
I agree with a lot that has been said and think out to about 100yds or so power is about the same. (levrolution changes power and deffinately range in the .30-30 favor though) Some observations that may mean something to you or not:

-Marlin is a much better rifle than a Rossi or Puma in any caliber. Fit and finish wise, spare parts wise, made in America wise. I have handled a Puma recently and did not care for it, maybe they were better once, I don't know. If I am not mistaken street value has them at about the same price and Marlin has American Walnut stock.

-Don't feel like you are stepping down to get a Marlin over a Winchester. I prefer the Marlin.

-.44 Mag is easier to reload for than .30-30 due to the straight wall case and being able to use carbide sizer dies.

-.30-30 will go through ballistic armor and a .44 mag will not. I read this from Jeff Cooper's article and have always found it interesting. Not that there are that many bad guys with body armor, especially in the woods.

- I have had Marlins in both, and stupidly sold my .30-30 for a more "modern" gun primarily because I cannot hunt deer with a rifle in Ohio.
 
messer454 said:
I agree with a lot that has been said and think out to about 100yds or so power is about the same. (levrolution changes power and deffinately range in the .30-30 favor though) Some observations that may mean something to you or not:

-Marlin is a much better rifle than a Rossi or Puma in any caliber. Fit and finish wise, spare parts wise, made in America wise. I have handled a Puma recently and did not care for it, maybe they were better once, I don't know. If I am not mistaken street value has them at about the same price and Marlin has American Walnut stock.

-Don't feel like you are stepping down to get a Marlin over a Winchester. I prefer the Marlin.

-.44 Mag is easier to reload for than .30-30 due to the straight wall case and being able to use carbide sizer dies.

-.30-30 will go through ballistic armor and a .44 mag will not. I read this from Jeff Cooper's article and have always found it interesting. Not that there are that many bad guys with body armor, especially in the woods.

- I have had Marlins in both, and stupidly sold my .30-30 for a more "modern" gun primarily because I cannot hunt deer with a rifle in Ohio.
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I think that the one advantage that I have seen over the Marlin after researching a little after reading the posts is the weight. I may be wrong but I haven't seen a Marlin with a 16" barrel and 6 lb weight. I also like the Puma in stainless steel. Does Marlin offer theirs in SS? Correct me if I'm wrong because I had a Marlin as a kid and I really liked it.
 
cucharadedragon said:
I think that the one advantage that I have seen over the Marlin after researching a little after reading the posts is the weight. I may be wrong but I haven't seen a Marlin with a 16" barrel and 6 lb weight. I also like the Puma in stainless steel. Does Marlin offer theirs in SS? Correct me if I'm wrong because I had a Marlin as a kid and I really liked it.
Click to expand...


Not quite 6 lbs, but very close... LINK


Tom
 
cucharadedragon said:
I think that the one advantage that I have seen over the Marlin after researching a little after reading the posts is the weight. I may be wrong but I haven't seen a Marlin with a 16" barrel and 6 lb weight. I also like the Puma in stainless steel. Does Marlin offer theirs in SS? Correct me if I'm wrong because I had a Marlin as a kid and I really liked it.
Click to expand...

Not 16" but at lesas close to 6 lbs with a Link
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/1894centerfire/1894SS.aspx.

However, I think Marlin SS is much more expensive and harder to find than SS Puma. I still believe quality is not comparable though.
 
I'll second the suggestion of getting a Henry. They have been around since the mid 1800s and still make one of the smoothest operating lever actions today. I have their Golden Boy in .22LR and it is awesome. I have also shot their Big Boy in .44 Magnum and it is a sweet shooting gun. They also make it in .45LC and .357 Magnum. They make all their guns in their factory in Brooklyn, NY and have great customer service.
 
messer454 said:
I agree with a lot that has been said and think out to about 100yds or so power is about the same. (levrolution changes power and deffinately range in the .30-30 favor though) Some observations that may mean something to you or not:

-Marlin is a much better rifle than a Rossi or Puma in any caliber. Fit and finish wise, spare parts wise, made in America wise. I have handled a Puma recently and did not care for it, maybe they were better once, I don't know. If I am not mistaken street value has them at about the same price and Marlin has American Walnut stock.

-Don't feel like you are stepping down to get a Marlin over a Winchester. I prefer the Marlin.
Click to expand...

My Rossi Carbines are both 10-15 years old and are pretty much exact 1892 Winchester pattern guns. I haven't played with any of the new ones, but I my older ones are tight and slick. I picked them in particular because I like the shorter throw and top ejection of the 92 action. They suck if you want to use a scope; only scout scopes or side mounts. If you want to run a peep sight you would need to have them drilled and taped. This wasn't a big deal for me at the time, but I will probably end up taking at least one of them to the gunsmith to get better sights on it.

If I had to go just buy a new gun off a rack, I think that the Marlin would be the safest bet. Winchester introduced some super cool 1892 variants, including a Scout Takedown rifle, right before they quit making them. :confused::mad:
 
The Henry Repeatig Arms Company that is currently producing rifles is a relatively new company (maybe 10-15 years). Their web site is very misleading. The "Henry Rifle" has been around that long, but not the new stuff...

Not saying they aren't sweet little rifles, as I don't have any experience with them. Just saying they are a newer company.

Tom
 
But isn't the henry loaded from the muzzle end, that would be not as good as the other designs such as the 94,92 and the marlins. THat is the main thing that turns me off from the henry.
 
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