WHATS THE BEST LEVER ACTION CALIBER FOR A S

[Dutch4122]

I think that the question of which is cheaper would depend on the cost per round (in your area) of the calibers that you mentioned.  I assume that you don't handload, but if you did the .357, .44, and .45 Colt could be assembled for dirt cheap.  The .44 Magnum and .45 Colt would work fine on deer at 100 yards and under although the 30-30 would have a more flat trajectory and offer more range.

[coug2wolfs]

Wow, that's a loaded question.  Around here, 50 rnds of Winchester 44 mag 240s will run $23 or so if you don't reload.

On the other hand, I've seen 20 rnds of Federal 30-30s at Wally World for $7 and some change.

Don't sound like hunting is big on your list, maybe a lever 22???

Coug

[Rick Teal]

You don't say what you may be occasionally hunting, so I'd have to go with the .358 Winchester.  It'll kill anything on the continent, and is available in used Savage 99's, BLR's and Winchester 88's - the three best lever actions ever made. :twisted:  :lol:

[Dutch4122]

I'd go with a Marlin Lever Action in .35 Remington if Black Bear is what you will hunt.  I've been told by some who have used both that it works better on Black Bear than the 30-30.  Shouldn't be much difference in cost (at least its not in my area) between .35 Remington and 30-30 factory ammunition.

[savageT]

Whoa,  just a cotton-pickin' minute cowboy!!!!! First you talk about a lever action in 30-30 or pistol cartridge (cowboy action) and then you jump into some serious big game.........Which is it???  If black bear is on your list, I think you better be lookin' for Marlins in something like a 45-70.
Now that 30-30 or 44 mag. is fine for white tail or maybe that occasional cougar, but NOT anything beyond 150 yds.  Just my traditional feelings.

savageT

[myronman3]

for cheap shooting,  22lr hands down.  for shooting AND hunting deer,  blackies, and couger i'd steer you towards a 44 mag.   50 rounds per box(everywhere i have seen a box of 20 rifle ammo and a box of 50 pistol ammo is about the same price) and will kill out to 100 yards;  which i have to ask,  how many times do you actually shoot over that distance anyway?  and,  if conditions allow a shot longer than that,  could you make the shot anyway?  my experience tells me most folks are worthless over the 100 yard mark.    dont tell me how good you are,  show me.   so i think that the 44 mag is about perfect for a low cost short-range carbine.   plus, if a fella wants get fancy,  there are alot of specialty loads availible for the 44.  tell me that a garrett hammerhead wouldnt kill the largest of blackbears within its range limitations.    for those reasons,  i say 44  mag

[Adobe Walls]

I will always support anyone interested in a .30/30. They will do yeoman service as a lightweight moderately powerful rifle. In fact they will suffice with a slight handicap on any large game typically hunted in the lower 48. You must get intimate with one if you expect it to perform in extreme applications though. Puts the monkey on the hunter and shooter for sure, but much satisfaction can come from it like muzzle loader hunting. For "deer" rifle cartridges, the .30/30 ranges from inexpensive to a screamin' bargain from time to time. It also realoads nicely with only a few extra nuances when compared to bolt action rifles. Get one and play with it a lot. I would however ask a person who knows '94's well to help critique any you consider buying. There were some real sorry specimens made between 1964 and the mid 70's that are best avoided. Later production rifles are a lot better made. As were the pre 1964 versions.
 If you want to shoot bear with your .30/30 then be sure to choose 170 grain ammo. The Federal Premium with the Nosler Partition bullet probably being the best of the bunch for that purpose. Any 170 will serve but that one was for sure made for the job without a doubt.AW

[southern utah]

I prefer the stonger Marlin in model 336.   Go with the 170grs on the big aminals. You could always buy a 450 Marlin  , 45/70 or a 444 if you want some power and don't reload. Might even be enough to stop one of those big whitetails though I've never seen one out this way. We don't get to many of those close 100 yard shots out here in the desert. We would use tree stands if we could find a tree.

[dabigmoose]

Kds
The 30-30 is a excellant round and can be found anywhere.Here in
Alaska they can be found in every village and are used by a lot of native people due to there reliability in the winter and their portability on dogsled or snow go.I killed Moose,Bear and Caribou with one as it
was my first Rifle given to me at a potlatch for a Relative.
There are a lot of lever guns in alaska and the 30-30 is very prevalent
in the bush villages and lot of them get there by being gifts in ceremonie called a potlatch.For you that dont know a bout Alaska Native culture here is what a potlatch is about

 The most important potlatch is held when a loved one passes away and they cannot forget them. So they decide to have memorial potlatch called "Qhotiit".They Gather Berries,Fish,Ducks,Moose and otherwildgame Traditional foods for the Feast.The one making the potlatch saves many things, like mooseskin, fur, boots, mittens, hats, blankets,rifles Usually 3030 lever actions ,other rifles , and many other items. At the end of the potlatch the gifts are given away. The strongest part of the potlatch is the love expressed through the giving of gifts. When the gifts are given, the people are giving strength to the giver of the gifts. In a way, the person giving the gifts is giving part of their love and grief for their loved one away, and helps the healing of the loss. Long ago they used to have this type of potlatch for 2-3 weeks. Today we have it for 2-3 days. This type of potlatch is the most important Dene'athabascan tradition.
 In all of the potlatches, at the end of the potlatch there is a celebration of dances and games for the honor of the one giving the potlatch. It is the people's way of saying thank you.

POTLATCH RULES
When the gifts are given away, children do not walk around because of spiritual beliefs. Right now we are trying to teach that again. Memorial potlatch is a very respected thing. No alcohol or drugs are allowed because of the respect. Young girls are not allowed to walk around in this special potlatch. In all potlatches, you cannot get up and go. You need to sit and listen to the speeches, because that's who we learn from. Elders discipline younger people if they do not listen. Many speeches are made in memorial potlatches.

The Dene' have very strong spiritual beliefs about animals. Long ago the people believed the animals to have spirits, and so they are given alot of respect. The food served in potlatches were put on table-clothes and if crumbs were dropped on the floor, you could not step on them. Today, large rolls of paper laid on the floor are used to put your dishes and food on.

If you are invited to a potlatch, you need to bring your own utensils, like a plate, bowl, cup, and silverware. That way, we do not need to use paper materials and waste anything.

The food at the potlatch is always served according to the movement of the sun around us. The sun moves in a clock-wise motion. If a server offers you food, you cannot refuse a serving. If you are full or cannot eat a certain food, you still need to take the food. You can give it to someone who will eat it, or you can save it to take home and eat later

I have seen as many as 100 rifles given at a large village potlatch
some times they are fired as a salute.
Dabigmoose

[Adobe Walls]

dabigmoose,
That was interesting. It's nice to hear that modernization and a "faster" lifestyle haven't  erased the .30/30 or respectful,  practical traditions in the far north. From a practical standpoint, giving useful functional gifts that will become memorial family heirlooms makes more sense to me than the pickup loads of flowers that accompany so many funerals down here in the "enlightened" lower 48. My Grandmother always asked that flowers be given to her while she could see them and smell them, not after she was gone. Makes sense to me.AW

[Adobe Walls]

KDS,
If you really want to spend the extra loot you save wisely, consider a basic (bare bones) reloading setup for .30/30. You could do this for about the difference you are talking about. It's a very economical cartridge to load. It's easy to get 200 rounds per pound of powder. And there are several excellent bullets to use out there, some as cheap as 8 cents each in bulk. It's also no trick to scrounge once fired cartridge cases from people that don't reload .30/30's.( and most .30/30 shooters don't) Your cost per box of ammo will drop to about half of the factory stuff and you will, over the long haul be able to shoot the heck out of your rifle and develop that "intimate" relationship  that makes a .30/30 really perform for you. One fun aspect of loading your own is being able to down load plinking ammo that's not out of line as a small game load. Valuable practice with virtually no recoil! In case you haven't figured it out, I'm really a fan of the old .30/30. It's one of the best cartridges EVER.AW
P.S.
If deer season is over where you live; Used .30/30's may be buyable for a bit less than pre-season prices. AW

[Mingbogo]

I vote for the 44 Magnum. It is potent enough for hunting most game while ammo are readily available. Good luck.

[ButlerFord45]

Something to consider: the Winchester '94 was not designed for use with pistol length cartridges,  it was "modified" to work with them.  I do know personally several people that had the '94 in pistol cartridge,  and most damned them for unreliable feeding.

Consideration number two:  38-55

$175 is a good price for a beater, or truck gun (not meant as an insult) and 30-30 has been around for over a hundred years for good reason.  It is more than addaquate for black bear if you are a hunter rather than shooter (get close enough).

Just another opinion


Butler Ford

[coug2wolfs]

$175 is a good price for a beater, or truck gun

I smiled when I read your passage...so they call em truck guns all the way down in Kentuck huh?  :lol:

The other catagory we have up here is the Swamp gun.  Ruger makes excellent swamp guns ( and that's not a slur against Ruger by any means! ).

A swamp gun is one in which, you drop it in the swamp an you don't cry, it was butt ugly afore it went in!  And two; if it falls out of the truck an you run it over before you realize it fell out, just pick it up an use it, it'll work :eek:

Coug

[ButlerFord45]

Coug, Since we run our trucks through the swamps, the gun has to do double duty.  My favorite truck/swamp guns have always been a marlin 336 (36, or 30a) and a ruger single action.  Almost never have to wash the mud out of anything besides the barrel to make'em work!


Butler Ford

[John Y Cannuck]

Got to admit, I used my 30-30 '94 to break ice for the canoe once. Shot a deer with it, same day. Was it unloaded, as I paddled, and broke ice :eek: ? I hope so, but I don't remember.  :oops:

[xxclaro]

You got good advice, but if you want a levergun that handles great, shoots really accurate and packs a punch, find yourself a Winchester Model 94 Big Bore in .356 winchester. Loaded right it'll do for almost anything, and blows the good ol' 30-30 out of the water. Ammo is pricey, if you think 30-30 is expensive, but yoy really should reload. It not expensive, and you learn alot. Good luck

[ddunn]

You can get the same general thump from a 30-30 or a 44mag (factory loads).  

I guess I am different.  I would (did) get the 44magnum.  It carries more rounds in the mag and you can also get a pistol in the same cartridge to go along with rifle.

[Plainsman]

I would agree with buying the $175 .30-30 and looking into some 'economical' reloading equipment and components.  The .30-30 ammo is cheap to begin with, but reloading opens the door to custom loads and CHEAPER loads for practice and plinking.

Look at Lee Reloading Equipment, you can get a whole setup, dies, and components for your first 100 or so rounds for around $100.  

The .308" caliber is the easiest to find cheap components for, esp. bullets. The bullets themselves tend to be the most expensive component.

I've shot .30-30's, .308's and .44's for quite some time, but I ended up with the .44 as I use the same caliber in handguns.  If I didn't have the handgun consideration, the .30-30 would be in rack in it's place.

Buy the .30-30 and don't look back!  

Good luck!