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Marlin's 336 in 30-30, anyone else?

5K views 48 replies 31 participants last post by  jkingrph 
#1 ·
I have this 1980 Marlin 336 in 30-30.
Long ago I put a Lyman receiver peep sight on it.
Very accurate with Remington 150s.
I'm even having fun reloading for it with a old LEE classic loader.
Just need a hammer and the kitchen table..
I guess I'm just enjoying the simplicity.
 
#2 ·
Occasionally - yes . . .

. . . the 30-30 lever rifle tradition goes way back, and makes a lot of sense in locales where cover is thick and the range is < 100 yds. You don't need a scoped bolt action to 'make meat' in that sort of situation. When I look back over 40 years of deer hunting, most of my deer taken are inside 100 - 150 yards. The 30-30 will do for that. Our south Texas deer, other than the Muy Grandes i.e. large bucks, are less than 150 lbs. live weight. Some of those northern deer are considerably larger and heavier.

So why do I choose to take a .308 carbine most of the time ? Just in case a buck of a lifetime comes out well beyond that range. The regret I feel when that happens is considerable. That happened one time when holding a Ruger Mini-30 on stand and seeing a nice buck beyond 250 yards. I could have chanced a shot - but I was not confident and held off, hoping it would appear later at a closer range. No such luck. :(

Good topic - I look forward to more reading about it. :t
 
#5 ·
I have a 1960 vintage 336SC (Sporting Carbine) with the 3/4 magazine. I like it a lot. I bought it about five years ago, at a local pawnshop.

It's not much to look at, freckling abounds on the receiver, but it shoots pretty well, and the only deer I've pointed it at, died quickly. I use Winchester 150 Power Points, but 170 Core-Lokt ammo shoots well enough to kill stuff.

I have an old Leupold M8-4X on it, it works well enough for it's age.
 

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#9 ·
I have a 1960 vintage 336SC (Sporting Carbine) with the 3/4 magazine. I like it a lot. I bought it about five years ago, at a local pawnshop.

It's not much to look at, freckling abounds on the receiver, but it shoots pretty well, and the only deer I've pointed it at, died quickly. I use Winchester 150 Power Points, but 170 Core-Lokt ammo shoots well enough to kill stuff.

I have an old Leupold M8-4X on it, it works well enough for it's age.
Ain't nothing wrong with that, looking really good to me!
I like that Leupold.
👌
 
#11 ·
Shot two doe with my marlin 336 this year, never saw the buck I was hunting for. It never disappoints, mines got a 2-7x28 Leupold on it. A friend one year had an old bolt 30/30 I wish I had bought it from him I’ve not seen another one. Been looking at that new 350 legend but unsure if it will stick around. I tried out a buddies Winchester 30/30 unsure of the model but it was a top eject I did not care for it. Every deer I’ve shot with it has went down and been recovered and I dont always show it the love it deserves.


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#20 ·
Shot two doe with my marlin 336 this year, never saw the buck I was hunting for. It never disappoints, mines got a 2-7x28 Leupold on it. A friend one year had an old bolt 30/30 I wish I had bought it from him I've not seen another one. Been looking at that new 350 legend but unsure if it will stick around. I tried out a buddies Winchester 30/30 unsure of the model but it was a top eject I did not care for it. Every deer I've shot with it has went down and been recovered and I dont always show it the love it deserves.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Leupolds 2x7x28... The rimfire scope ?
 
#12 ·
To son in law

My son in law will get mine this fall. He has been expressed an interest in hunting deer this year. They live in Florida and come home each fall. He has a friend that hunts, and keeps after him to try it. When the daughter and son were here at the same time a few years ago I had all four pick out the guns they wanted. He picked the marlin out. The sons wife had no interest so the boy got his pick of 2. The son and daughter both picked out muzzle loaders. The rifle was built when the daughter was hanging with me, the son picked the smoothbore. We shot it quite a lot. He at one time shot it better than I did.

So, I am happy that he is going to use it. I have shot at least 2 deer each year with it except when heart surgery happened. I don't use it any more. Were I have hunted for 40 years is getting houses around it. Have change to a 1873 lever in 357. Shorter range.Chuck40219
 
#13 ·
I have a 336 in 35 Remington. I use it for hog hunting. It is an absolute hammer on hogs. I also have a Winchester 94 Ranger in 30WCF (aka 30-30). Curiously, I paid $200 for each of them about 2 years apart. They were both used and each had less than 10 rounds through them (I was well acquainted with both previous owners). The Marlin is much more solid feeling than the Winchester, but the Winchester is lighter. Each has it's place in the field.
 
#21 ·
You stole those Rifles!
I too have a 51' Winchester model 94/30-30
And a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington. (Mine was a birthday present from my brother, 279$ new??)
The Marlin once had the cross bolt safety.
Till I snapped it on a nice buck..dang it!
Ordered up the Clyde Ludwig kit.
Removed it.
Have been very happy with it ever since.
Yes, the hammer of Thor!
I really like my old Winchester, but ,? Of all three. I shoot the Marlin 30-30 the most.
They are all great rifles.
 
#16 ·
336 Marlin

I had a Marlin 336 as my first deer rifle many years ago. It was O.K. for deer, shot my first buck with it.
I absolutely hated unloading the thing at the close of a day's worth of hunting.
It's accuracy was just fair with 170gr factory loads.
My favorite deer rifle was my Remington 7600 pump in 30-06......accurate, easy to load and unload...…loved the detachable magazine.
I also had a Model 70 Winchester 30-06...……..very accurate...….dropped a lot of deer with it!
I wasn't unhappy to see my first rifle (Marlin 336) traded for a Winchester Model 70...…….never looked back!
 
#27 ·
No4km1t . . .

. . . those appear to be a fun pair of guns to shoot. :cool::bthumb:

My 336C is similar to the top 'scout scoped' rifle, but has no suppressor and has the standard 20" barrel. XS scope mount, Leupold 2x handgun scope which barely allows a full view through it.
 
#32 ·
Wait. You mean your not suppose to cycle the action and pull the trigger until it stops going BANG?:rolleyes: We had a guy years ago that would "shoot his guns empty" at the end of a hunt. He carried a S&W M29 44mag in a shoulder holster and a Malin 1894 .44mag. So that was about 16 rounds he'd fire while we we're quietly unloading. The 3rd hunt he also had a .380 auto"back up" tucked away he emptied of an additional 10 or 12 rounds. That was the last time he hunted with us.:shakehead
 
#34 ·
I was given my 336 by my grandma. She bought it for her father many many years ago. I believe it was some time in the 1950's they lived in Maine. It was a present and it was wrapped. When he opened it he said that is no Winchester, and he never shot it. Over the years she shot it some but really it was just not shot much at all. She gave it to me and I wanted to put a scope on it. But I wanted it to look like it would have in Maine in the 1950's. I had an old weaver K4 scope I sent to a company many years ago to be rebuilt. I had it sitting in a closet. I added weaver rings and bases, even though I hate them.
I reloaded some 150 gr Sierra bullets for it. The gun shot right at 1" with that load. The only time it has been used for hunting in my house was my son used it to hunt deer with a couple times. My grandma passed away before we could show her the pictures.




 
#35 · (Edited)
Model 36

.30-30 Bought it from a High School buddy in the 70's after his Grandfather passed. I gave $100 for Rifle, Box, 10 boxes of Winchester Silvertip ammo. There were 2 shells used. 2 notches in the pistol grip. Also got the original box, a solid brass marbles cleaning rod, A vintage bottle of Hoppes and a box of patches! Interesting Head Stamp on the case It calls out .30 WCF (Winchester Center fire).
 

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#37 ·
I have two 336 30-30's. They work well on deer in the woods hunting here in Pa. I hunt in areas that most shots will be with in a 100 yds. or so. I have one that I have never seen another hunter in the woods with one like it. 336 Zane Grey. Also have one that would be a good one on deer drives but never have even fired it at a target yet. Should sell it. Overall the 336's are dependable and accurate enough for what they were made for.
Never been used yet. 336 Youth with walnut wood and short barrel.

I have used the Zane Grey. Shoots good.
 
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