Author Topic: Whats your favorite "Marlin" deer cartridge ? (Read 3521 times)

NYH1 · « **on:** September 27, 2004, 06:22:51 AM »

I like to use my 35 Rem. for my deep woods and brush huntingI also have a 444 Mar. but I don't use it for deer. I have a 356 Win. but its a Winchester model 94, I don't like the model 94, if it was a Marlin I'd use it over the 35 Rem.

dodgecity · « **Reply #1 on:** September 27, 2004, 07:05:31 AM »

The .35 gets my vote. I also hunt with a 1895 45/70, and an 1894 .45 Colt, but the .35 is my favorite.

dawei · « **Reply #2 on:** September 27, 2004, 07:28:36 AM »

I've got a Marlin® 336C in 30/30 I bought at CHRISTmas; 1976, @ KMart® for $79.95+tax. I've customized it as follows:

Ramline® Synthetic Stock & Forend
Cut to ½ Magazine/Tube
Barrel shortened to 17¾"
Cut Out & Shaved the Receiver
1.75x5x20 Scope

Weighs 6lbs 3oz LOADED (4 Rounds)

I use Federal® 170gr RN (#3030B); I can put 3 bullets into ¾" @ 100yds; ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, ALL DAY LONG. :-D

Longest shot = 205yds; closest shot =17ft. NONE EVER STEPPED OUT OF THEIR TRACKS! :grin: YMMV; MINE DOESN'T!

7magWoodsman · « **Reply #3 on:** September 27, 2004, 07:47:29 AM »

My vote goes to the 30-30. I think the .35 Remington is probally the best hardwoods cartridge available but when you couple the the edges of the woods with open crop fields or semi grown up brown fields fields the 30-30 really shines.

One of the next rifles I plan to purchase is a Marlin .450, .444 or 45/70 but am unsure of which one...I am leaning more towards the 45/70.

Happy Hunting and Shooting.

dawei · « **Reply #4 on:** September 27, 2004, 08:14:13 AM »

Quote from: 7magWoodsman

SNIP..........

One of the next rifles I plan to purchase is a Marlin .450, .444 or 45/70 but am unsure of which one...I am leaning more towards the 45/70.

Happy Hunting and Shooting.

A lot depends if you reload; age, stature, preferences, etc.........

I'm 6'2", 210#, 54YO. I have a 444 Marlin I received as a gift. It has enough recoil I don't want to try the 45/70 or 450. Big, BS, Macho guys will say "GET THE 45/70 or 450. FINE. I'm not a WUSS or a PU$$Y, I just know my limitations. As I get older; I am far less tolerant of recoil. You may; and probably are, different. I hunt the uplands with a 20GA; deer with a 30/30; and elk with my 444. If at all possible; TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!
I hope this helps.

cam69conv · « **Reply #5 on:** September 27, 2004, 05:22:43 PM »

Lawd Im with Dawei on that one..I love ma .444 because its great out to 150 yards..Rare do I need more than that...And if there is a lil ole limb,,bush..sapling,,,aww hell a big ole tree in the way I can shoot through tha sucker n kill ma deer

and It has PLEANTY enough recoil fer me plus I can take elk and moose and whatever North American Big game animal with ease...Never had a deer go ANYWHERE more than 50 yards with that old gun of my buddies and Now Im ready to get my new one in the woods this year and smack a few of them brownies

De41mag · « **Reply #6 on:** September 27, 2004, 06:25:38 PM »

I'll have to say mine is a 41 Magnum.
I don't know know if I got lucky or what. But last time at the range my 1894 grouped 10 shots into 3.3 inches at 100yds. with factory iron sights.
I see no reason to put a scope on it, with groups like that.
It took twenty years for me to want to buy a lever action, after my father early one morning shot a hole in the side of the trunk of the car with a Winchester Mod. 94.
But after Marlin announced that they would bring back the 41 Magnum, I had to have one. :grin:

Dennis

Big Blue · « **Reply #7 on:** September 28, 2004, 03:05:51 PM »

Boy that was a real tough choice! My 30/30 is the most accurate, the .35 was my first Marlin and holds a special place with me, the 45/70 is a thrill to shoot, but I had to go with the most fun to shoot, the handiest of the lot for brush hunting, my 1894P .44 mag. I have a 444P on the way, so my choice will probably all the harder in the future. Gotta love a lever gun!
Don

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #8 on:** September 28, 2004, 08:17:48 PM »

I had to vote for the 357 magnum. I know I'll probably be the odd ball here in this poll, but as long as my 1894C keeps dropping deer for me, it'll remain my favorite lever action for our SW Virginia deer.

7magWoodsman · « **Reply #9 on:** September 29, 2004, 05:58:21 PM »

Quote from: dawei

Quote from: 7magWoodsman
SNIP..........

One of the next rifles I plan to purchase is a Marlin .450, .444 or 45/70 but am unsure of which one...I am leaning more towards the 45/70.

Happy Hunting and Shooting.

A lot depends if you reload; age, stature, preferences, etc.........

I'm 6'2", 210#, 54YO. I have a 444Marlin I received as a gift. It has enough recoil I don't want to try the 45/70 or 450. Big, BS, Macho guys will say "GET THE 45/70 or 450. FINE. I'm not a WUSS or a PU$$Y, I just know my limitations. As I get older; I am far less tolerant of recoil. You may; and probably are, different. I hunt the uplands with a 20GA; deer with a 30/30; and elk with my 444. If at all possible; TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!
I hope this helps.

I have shot 444's as well as 45/70's and in general I could not tell any difference in recoil between the two.....I have not fired a 450 yet, but have been told it is about like a hot loaded 45/70, if so I have no doubt I can handle the recoil without flinching...I would like to get the 444 but at the same time the 45/70 screams American History. :?

big medicine · « **Reply #10 on:** September 30, 2004, 09:59:09 AM »

I have shoot deer with the 30-30, 35 Rem, 38/55, 444 and 45-70 all have worked just fine, but I have to say that I enjoy the 38/55 the most.

victorcharlie · « **Reply #11 on:** September 30, 2004, 11:52:31 AM »

Dawei: I've come to believe that most guns don't have to kick so bad. I put a limbsaver recoil pad on my 45.70 and the difference it made is not describable. I have taken everything, including my M77 Ruger ultralight in .243 to the gun smith to have fitted with limbsavers. Your limitations might increase if you give one a try.......and no, I don't have any connection to limbsaver, except for the pads on my rifles........but I'm high on a product that really works well.....and am convinced it's money well spent......

snowdog · « **Reply #12 on:** October 01, 2004, 03:47:48 AM »

I'm big on the 30-30, I'm sure my 45/70 will get the job done
also, but the 30-30 just carries better and all my shots are
or have been under 100 yds. I would probably like the .35
alot too if I had one. perhaps somehow this could get back to
the wife, and she will remember how hard worked to keep our
lawn, and flowers looking nice this past summer........... I have
been a really good boy.

Somerled · « **Reply #13 on:** October 01, 2004, 04:22:08 AM »

It would be great to see the .356 Winchester back. And how about necking down the .356 to .338? If only there were a better supply of bullets for lever actions in those two calibers!

toecutter · « **Reply #14 on:** October 02, 2004, 07:27:31 AM »

To me the .35 is it! It does the job well and is just plain cool. Can't really explain it but that 49yo gun I shoot it in just has a hold on me, it's simply an extension of myself. Hands down, no other gun I own handles so well. In retrospect, maybe that's why I like the cartridge so much. We'll never know!!

summitx · « **Reply #15 on:** October 02, 2004, 06:43:26 PM »

I will be using my Marlin 375 this fall in MN

dawei · « **Reply #16 on:** October 03, 2004, 08:27:07 AM »

Quote from: victorcharlie

Dawei: I've come to believe that most guns don't have to kick so bad. I put a limbsaver recoil pad on my 45.70 and the difference it made is not describable. I have taken everything, including my M77 Ruger ultralight in .243 to the gun smith to have fitted with limbsavers. Your limitations might increase if you give one a try.......and no, I don't have any connection to limbsaver, except for the pads on my rifles........but I'm high on a product that really works well.....and am convinced it's money well spent......

I will definitely check them out; they are made about 20 miles from where I live.

BTW.......... Your avatar means a lot; thanks for keeping our prayers alive!

GTBuzz · « **Reply #17 on:** October 03, 2004, 07:33:26 PM »

I have Marlin rifles in .30-30 Winchester, .44 Magnum, .444 Marlin, and .45-70 Govt. Of the four I like the .444 the best. I am about to get the barrel cropped back on the .444 Marlin, the trigger done, and a decelerator put on it.

I think it will make the perfect woods rifle at that point.

tscott · « **Reply #18 on:** October 04, 2004, 06:45:44 AM »

444........Very accurate (leupold)...240gr.
Added plus is knockdown power with out meat loss.. Must be slower bullet vs. say 7mm mag........

sand draw JAKE · « **Reply #19 on:** October 04, 2004, 06:15:17 PM »

Hunt the dark timber around my place, with a pre cbs 444, it retired my 30-30 for deer, best 100-150 yard gun I've ever hunted with...Jake. :grin: :grin: :grin:

marlin*man · « **Reply #20 on:** October 06, 2004, 08:08:06 PM »

Since I live in Ohio and can't use a rifle, I've chosen the Marlin 410! It's a center fire, right? Well, it's the neaest thing I can get to a rifle and it can shoot a 2 1/2 inch 410 slug just as accurate (for me) as a rifle would at the distance I normally shoot deer. I've shot 2 deer with my Marlin 410 in one season with Winchester Super-X slugs and knocked both of them off their feet with the first shot at a range of 50-75 yards. No complaints here.

CEJ1895 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 08, 2004, 02:40:40 AM »

This is a tough choice since I've got both the .35 Rem and the 45-70 but I think the 45-70 is my go to lever gun... CEJ

Norseman · « **Reply #22 on:** October 08, 2004, 05:22:11 AM »

:lol: My favorite is the 336C in .35 Rem! More knock down power in my opinion than the 30-30, and ammo is available at Wally World, and is just a "buck" more (no pun intended-well maybe) for a box over the 30-30. I might add I have growing interest in the 45-70 though.

DWARREN123 · « **Reply #23 on:** October 08, 2004, 11:49:38 AM »

The only one I have, a 1894PG in .44 Rem. Mag.

hicard · « **Reply #24 on:** October 14, 2004, 04:42:00 PM »

I have to add my thoughts to this subject. I have Marlin 30-30, 35 Remington, 44 Mag, 444, and 45-70 and my favorit gun right now is the 45-70 1895SS Guide Gun. It is a piece of art and I just feel so comfortable with it. It kicks mild with mild to moderate loads and these loads will get the job done. Only reason I pick it over my 444 is because it is stainless steel and has a straight grip which I seem to prefer. What I am trying to say is, recoil is subjective and depends on the load. I have no recoil complaints with mine. I have a scope on mine and ghost sights for backup. It shoots as good as a bolt gun on the targets.

papajohn428 · « **Reply #25 on:** October 17, 2004, 11:10:24 AM »

As with Iowa and Indiana (and probably some other states I don't know about) Illinois doesn't allow rifles, but if they ever change the law, I'm going to have a tough time time deciding! I have 357 I love dearly, a 44 in stainless that begs to be shot daily, and a really slick 35 Remington that I have lots of confidence in. I guess if the terrain offers the possibility of a longer shot, I'd go with the 35, in the thick woods it would be a tie between the 357 and 44. But if rain is expected, the 44 gets the nod. Whew! That was like work! I need a beer and a nap......

Papajohn

Buckeye · « **Reply #26 on:** October 18, 2004, 09:26:03 AM »

Mine is 45/70,then .375 Win. then .356 Win.

Buckeye

Camp Cook · « **Reply #27 on:** October 18, 2004, 02:35:53 PM »

I don't like messing around sooooooo...........
:grin: I want full penetration when I use my 45/70 on deer............
:shock: So I load up Jae-Bok Young's 550gr Craters @ 1600fps.......
:twisted: Mind you......

you have to get real close because of the rainbow tragectory.

Cam

p.s. Actually I really use 405gr Rem jacketed bullets for just about everything.

Mac11700 · « **Reply #28 on:** October 19, 2004, 08:10:34 AM »

Isn't it kinda neat how the main choices are so close...and each have such a loyal following for different reasons too!!!!!! Just goes to show you that when it comes to Marlin deer rifles...somethings just don't change......and it amazes me that if a person grew up watching westerns as a kid...most the time he'll always have a lever gun or 2 around somewhere to boot...when I dream of deer hunting...I always have a lever gun with me...it just seems so natural...

Mac

Thebear_78 · « **Reply #29 on:** October 19, 2004, 12:19:16 PM »

Add one to the 357 mag. I didn't see it and accidentally voted for one you missed. My dad has a marlin 357 mag with a 3-9 scope on it that has killed almost as many deer as any other rifle in our house. I think its up to the low 20s now. I used to use it for stalking thru corn fields, worked great 158gr JSP @ 1650fps. Longest shot I know of with it has been 120 yards, my longest deer shot with it was 70 yards. It is extremely accurate and most shots have been neck shots. its a great little rifle. Now that I live in alaska I opted for the stainless 45/70 guide gun. It makes more sense when moose and bears are the intended quarry. It should make a dandy deer round too.

Poll

Whats your favorite "Marlin" deer cartridge ?

Author Topic: Whats your favorite "Marlin" deer cartridge ? (Read 3521 times)