I think this is somewhat of a preference standpoint. But the original question concerned the issue if either one could serve as an effective weapon for a bad day fighting storm troopers, zombies, and the creature from the black lagoon. Both of these platforms are more or less equally accurate. Both of these platforms hold the same (depending on model and barrel length) amount down the tube. Both can be loaded at the same rate. You can load them when holding on target in fact...something that can't be said for others. Saying nothing of aesthetics, which usually seem to favor an 1894. Saying nothing to favor strength witch favors the model 336 (which is stronger but with normal loads it is a moot point). So this comes down ease of break down for routine maintenance. This strongly favors a 336. In a situation where there is limited gun powder, limited resources for getting ammunition, one school of thought is to get a common caliber weapon. The 30-30 is definitely that. But...a larger gun such as the 444 or 45-70 can shoot homemade black much better than a 30-30 with its smaller case. I believe that the perfect cowboy assault weapon is a model 336 (1895) chambered in 45-70, 450 Marlin, or 444 Marlin is it. But I have a Marlin 30-30 and I am too cheap to buy a 444 after someone just bought mine for almost a $1000.
The price of guns these days is something else.
Also if you go for an 1894 get one without the rebounder. If the hammer does not have a half cock, it is not the real McCoy. Don't go for it. Marlin's safety is kind of ugly, but it did not change the inherent design of the weapon. The rebounding hammer is not something that you want on a weapon such as we are referring to.
I have used a 336 as a scabbard gun. When a gun is in a scabbard, it takes abuse. It gets slammed and poked, and dropped, and whipped, and sweated on, rained on and soaked, covered in dust and jiggled for countless miles and it acts like sandpaper. A gun in a scabbard in a season will look well used. A scabbard gun for four or five years will look bright and shiny with almost all the blue gone. I will admit that a 336 is just too flimsy for this rugged use. I have switched over to milsurp bolt actions. I like k31 Swiss rifles because of their ruggedness, utter dependability, and I have found the Swiss carbine 1911 even better. It is fast, can be loaded quickly. Can be field stripped in a few seconds. They pack a wallop about twice that of a 30-30. If you got in a sword fight with a guy and his 336 or 1894 the little Swiss rifle would bend that flimsy thing in two 
. Their effective range is double a 30-30. They are far more accurate than a 30-30. But in a situation where gunpowder was nill you would be better off with something else. But, if you are not popping rounds off a hundred shells should last a looong time in a situation like this.
LOL! Well, I don't subscribe to the whole "Zombies" and Mall Ninja thing, LOL!
That said, yes, one of the uses I'm debating, but simply don't want to get all tied up in the AK/AR thing... is urban combat/defense. I guess should just say defense. In a breakdown... trying to put up a fight vrs. avoidance, probably, eventually get you killed.
So, the idea that a lever gun was the original "assault rifle" took hold.
Having owned a Garand. M1 carbine, Mini 14 and SKS in decades gone by... any of those would've been fine. No longer own any of those for reasons of going broke in the late 90's. And well... replacement cost is just two high for any of them, and don't know of any new SKS rifles any more. The current market is crazy.
Anyway, the idea was to get some firepower, without going into the AK/AR realm. Those guns' calibers are so specialized to my way of thinking, that I guess, much as I like both guns, have never owned either.
And well, I'm just not sure how much of a liability a bolt gun is. I am not a combat veteran etc. So I don't have the experience to judge by.
My gut says a 1886 Winny, especially the breakdown model, or a 30-30 lever gun fits the bill... but, as some point out... they are fragile by military bolt gun standards. At the same time... Lever guns were invented at a time when people expected to use guns for their real purpose... not cowboy matches and such. In those times you generally pulled a trigger when you had need to.
The other odd thought was the Ruger Gunsight or even the Zavasta "tanker" M63... but then we're right back at Mosin or M48, etc. Mausers.
So I guess what it comes down to is, I'm unsure of the disadvantage of the bolt gun rate of fire.
I really do like the Military designs for the ruggedness... dislike that other than the M63, you can't buy them new.
And so, I feel stuck. AK's are too expensive and very un-PC at present. The bolt guns seem naggingly two slow, and the lever guns seem potentially to fragile and finicky. And well... few pump guns exist in rifle cartridges.
Given my druthers... I'd just have bought and kept an AKS back when they were regarded as cheap in the 80's, and the urban thing would be covered.
So just trapped in analysis paralysis, I guess they call it. If money was no object, I'd just be a collector and get them all, LOL!
Was at a LGS a few months back... gal was at the counter with her husband... looked over at me... I could kinda read her mind... I said... "Yeah.. yuppers... the gun store is like the shoe store... but for men...." She cracked up... and admitted she had lots of shoes.... *and* guns too! LOL!
Seemed like a good woman.
