Author Topic: Marlin or Winchester lever rifles (Read 1092 times)

badger1 · « **on:** October 13, 2004, 02:10:35 PM »

I'm thinking of buying a lever rifle in the 30 caliber area. I have a 30-30 Marlin but am wanting to have a short woods rifle with a little more power. Something that might stop a big mad animal in its tracks. I like the 350 Remington magnum but want a lever rifle near this power. any advice? Badger1

big medicine · « **Reply #1 on:** October 13, 2004, 04:02:34 PM »

If you are dead set on the 30 cal class I think you are pretty limited if you are looking to push the 350 Rem mag class. Not much there, esp if you want a short rifle.

You could go with the 35 Remington, you can push a 200 grain bullet at 2000 FPS or better and I hear that Buffalo Bore puts out a 220 grain bullet at 2200 FPS...but I'm sure that stuff runs close to $50.00/box. The 35 Rem is an over looked power house for its class.

If you want to go with the 40 cal class you have the 444, 45-70, and 450 Marlin to choose from. They are all made in the short guide rifles with 18.5 in barrels. You can load them safely to the point they will jar your filling out :wink:

I only own one Winchester and it is an 1895, but I dont think it is near the rifle the Marlins are. At least with Marlin you get an American built gun.

Mac11700 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 13, 2004, 07:54:10 PM »

badger1:

A-lot of guys here like the 45-70...and I'm certainly one of them...you have a choice with this 45 Caliber rifle in barrel lenght...18.5"...22"...and a real nice octagon 26"....and all of them are great...you can load them for any creature your heart desires to shoot...all depends on you...and what flavor you want that day...mild cowboy loads....or some real heavy weight loads capable of taking any African or Alaskan game walking...so I think this would do for the critters you have in mind......and in reality...so would the 450 or the 444...with the right loads of course....

Mac

MSP Ret · « **Reply #3 on:** October 14, 2004, 06:09:40 AM »

Those guys are right on the money!!! Both the .35 Remington and 45-70 fill the bill nicely. If you want to stay with a lever close the .30 caliber class go for the .35 Remington. If you can force yourself to try something else get the 45-70 and don't look back. Either will do the job but the 45-70 has the distinct advantage when it comes to something big and furry that would like to eat you, especially when it is bigger than a black bear. Of course there are the unusually large ones like the Pennsylvania record black bear at 700+ pounds!!! If I was looking at that bear I would rather have my 45-70 than the .35 but I am sure the .35 would be capable of taking a bear of that size :shock: .
I have both a Marlin .336 in .35 Remington that I have had for years and love dearly and a 45-70 H&R Handi that will stop anything on this continent, and any other if loaded right. In a Marlin lever the 45-70 would be a great bear gun and is carried by many Alaskan guides as a bear deterrent, just ask Sourdough or any of our Alaskan posters....<><.... :grin:

leverfan · « **Reply #4 on:** October 14, 2004, 08:06:07 AM »

My 444 Marlin is a great combination of reasonable recoil and good terminal effect. If you really want a .358" hole in the muzzle, the Browning BLR can be had in .358 Winchester. If you can find a used .356 levergun, snap that up (if you're a reloader, otherwise, just leave it there for me to find :grin: ). It's not too light weight, but an old model 71 in 348 will stop a big animal, but still reach out a couple hundred yards easily.

MSP Ret · « **Reply #5 on:** October 14, 2004, 10:27:26 AM »

Thanks for reminding me leverfan, I have a Winchester Model 71 Deluxe in .348 Winchester all cleaned and put away!! Bought it used on my honeymoon and my lovely wife of 36 (?) years will not let me forget it!!! Of course its still a joke between us....<><.... :roll:

Mikey · « **Reply #6 on:** October 15, 2004, 02:50:51 AM »

badger1: The Winchester 94AE is available in 444 (still made), 450 Marlin and 480 Ruger. You can't go wrong with either of those calibers. Of course, the Marlin is available in 45-70, 450 and 444. I think the Winchesters come in the Timber Carbine configuration which carries the short barrel. I have one in the 444 and it will easily handle anything aggressive I encounter. HTH. Mikey.

fffffg · « **Reply #7 on:** October 15, 2004, 03:20:46 AM »

my opinion only.. as the cartidge gets bigger the harder it is to handle for accuracy.. as the gun gets smaller the harder it is to handle for accuracy..combine the two and your going to need to be an expert.. and an expert shoots every day,, and this little heavy loud gun wont be a treat to practice with .. an acurate 35 rem placed shot is going to be better than a sloppy 458 mag shot.. the shorter the noisier.. i was at the range the other day and heard this huge boooom.. a short cute little 243.. i thought that poor little guy.. everyone thinks the best gun for boys and women are little guns, not so..my opinon only. a properly fit gun when shot kneeling or off hand tends to go to the pocket if shot properly.. it even tho weaving around, it seems to recoil into the pocket and get pretty darn good accuracy if it fits right.. fit gets into pitch, cast off, weight, barrel length, and other balance features.. my .35 rem 336a with 24 inch barrel shoots better offhand than other guns for some reason.. its becouse the recoil doesnt throw it out of the pocket, and is managable by a person of average weight.. pleasant to shoot and inherently accurate offhand.. the 45 70 is going to be alot tougher to manage with a marlin(standard weight.) harder to manage in a lightwieght gun.. if you want a packing gun that you may never shoot and know you wont be carrying the heavier one then by all means follow your heart.. it depends if your defending yourself agains chipmunks or grizzley. most really dangerous game is considered to be probably head on with small hard to pennetrate bone/horn/skull etc and in close quarters... the lever is good for that.. id personally would opt for a standard sized .444 or 45-70 with very good bullets.. to me .30 cal and dangerous game dont seem to mix right. a 45-70 with solid 500 grain bullets at 16-1800 fps will ring the bell of most critters around here..a fully mature really mad cow moose defending its calf would take a pretty big piece of artillery. the 30-30 would do it, the 45 70 would do a lot better. dave..

badger1 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 15, 2004, 04:40:12 PM »

Hello: That's a lot of good advice and I thank you for it. I kind of like to change a rifle around a little bit so there's not too many like it. I have done this several times with bolt rifles and think I will try something new with a Marlin 336 in 35 Rem.. It's used but just a few years old and I can get it pretty cheap from a friend. I got all caught up in a recent discussion about the 356 conversion which is what I would like to do. I checked with a lever action specializing gunsmith and he said that the conversion is easy. Out of curiousity I asked him about the tussel that recently went on about the 356 and 358 being identical in external size and internal volume. He said yes and that he converts to a 356 with a 358 reamer because they are cheaper. He does the rim cutting with his lathe and a boring tool. He said that like all new conversions the 358 should be loaded down and worked up. He said that both calibers are rated to the same SAAMI max. pressures but most folks stick around the 45,000cup area. These two cartridges are not to be substituted in any rifle because the 358 shelf ammo has non-tubular type bullets and the oal of the store bought cartridge is too long to cycle through the action of the 336. Generaly, the 356 has a deeper seated bullet and is a flat point which is safe in a tube feed magazine. It all sounds interesting to me and I'm going to check into it further. A fun gun that no one else has or at least very few. Another point of contention was that the brass of the 358 was made thicker than the 356. This isn't so as the only difference between the brass is the rim. This whole thing has been confusing but I think I have it sorted out. I'm not recommending anyone else do this conversion but I will be happy to supply some nationally reputable gunsmiths that do this conversion if you wish. Maybe next year I can give a detailed description on just how this 35 -358 conversion is working in my Marlin. A note-356, 358, 307, 375, all are SAAMI rated to 52,000cup. The Marlin 336 has been chambered by Marlin for 3 of the four calibers. Good luck and safe shooting. Use good researched handloading practices.

Majbg · « **Reply #9 on:** November 19, 2004, 12:14:33 PM »

Badger, just curious how your conversion is going. I've been planning this project for some time and about to get serious about it. Just checking the forum for more information. Thanks. bg