My Boys Want a Lever Action
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HaroldNRAEndowment
Well-Known Member
The 30-30 or the 35 Remington are great in the Marlin 336's. In the Late 1970's I bought a Marlin 336C in the 35 Remington and when my father looked at it and saw how inexpensive it was, and the quality, he immediately bought one in the 30-30 a week later. Both performed very well and the recoil is very moderate on both. Both the 30-30 and the 35 Remington is about the same class of power, but the bigger diameter of the 35 Remington has a little advantage attached to the effectiveness but not much.
That being said, I do not know how much you want to spend. If I wanted to reload for optimization, I would prefer a lever action that has a Rotary Bolt and clip fed. Both the Browning BLR and the Henry in the Long Ranger version are a good choice. The next statement is for the Henry. I have not investigated it yet but they are offering a side load tubular version, probably to reduce cost in the 30-30 that is a new model as of this year. That one Might not be a Rotary bolt and something I would investigate before buying, If I decided on a rotary bolt for optimization of reloading. I have not picked up a Henry, but I know if you get the short action such as a .308 W, 6.5MM Creedmoor, or a .243 W, the throw on the lever is much shorter which is advantageous for anyone and especially for a young child. The Marlin lever actions will have a longer throw on the lever than the short action Browning BLR. After being used to the Marlin, I had a friend that had shown me his Browning BLR in a .308 and all I could say is wow, when the lever was thrown. He did not have to take his thumb off the stock to fully actuate the action and really smooth. Also keep in mind if reloading with ones face on the stock the short action is fairly comfortable, but when one goes to the standard action such as a 30-06 the bolt comes closer to the face, while reloading a round into the chamber and one has to be more cognizant of not having ones face too close to the back of the bolt.
Best regard and do what makes sense for the budget and bringing your children along into hunting.
That being said, I do not know how much you want to spend. If I wanted to reload for optimization, I would prefer a lever action that has a Rotary Bolt and clip fed. Both the Browning BLR and the Henry in the Long Ranger version are a good choice. The next statement is for the Henry. I have not investigated it yet but they are offering a side load tubular version, probably to reduce cost in the 30-30 that is a new model as of this year. That one Might not be a Rotary bolt and something I would investigate before buying, If I decided on a rotary bolt for optimization of reloading. I have not picked up a Henry, but I know if you get the short action such as a .308 W, 6.5MM Creedmoor, or a .243 W, the throw on the lever is much shorter which is advantageous for anyone and especially for a young child. The Marlin lever actions will have a longer throw on the lever than the short action Browning BLR. After being used to the Marlin, I had a friend that had shown me his Browning BLR in a .308 and all I could say is wow, when the lever was thrown. He did not have to take his thumb off the stock to fully actuate the action and really smooth. Also keep in mind if reloading with ones face on the stock the short action is fairly comfortable, but when one goes to the standard action such as a 30-06 the bolt comes closer to the face, while reloading a round into the chamber and one has to be more cognizant of not having ones face too close to the back of the bolt.
Best regard and do what makes sense for the budget and bringing your children along into hunting.
rickjoty
Well-Known Member
A friend of mine went to work for a pawn shop fixing guitars. He mentioned they also sold guns. I said if I was to buy another gun it would be a Win. 94 3030. He said, we have one!! I bought it. beautiful condition. 1972. Man does it shoot. I reloaded with LeverRevolution and the rubber tipped Hornady 160 FTX. I make small stuff jump at 100 yards with its open sights. A guy I was shooting with said he had a 1x2 foot steel target at 300 yards. I had done some calculations. Guesstimated elevation. Hit it with the first shot. Then I quit. Why mess with success. I wanted to be able to say I hit a 300 yard target 100% of my tries. This gun is a bit tricky when loading and bringing a new round into battery after a shot. Maybe the chamber needs to be polished. Sometimes it leaves a brass in the receiver.
B1s BmagX2
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure what you're looking for? Boys that young, and I'm only guessing, are probably wanting to learn to shoot? Although I had my first 22 when I was 8. If you can find an older Marlin 39a 22 for a decent price I'd jump on it like "white on rice"! I owned one years ago and I kick myself in the arse for ever parting with it. The Henry's are great, but the older Marlins are very well made and accurate. Like the previous threads are saying the new Marlins are too **** expensive!! For bigger bore, I'd go, Henry, Winchester, Marlin, etc. For deer, the good old 30-30 or 35 Remington are great for moderate ranges with tolerable recoil. Keep in mind though the straight-stocked rifles are going to have more felt recoil than a standard "pistol" grip stock.
VTbluegrass
Well-Known Member
A nice one is going to be kinda expensive no way around it but I don't think you will lose a dime on a used pre-freedom group Marlin 336 or Savage 99 of someone changed their minds about wanting a lever gun. I am very interested in the Ruger/Marlins whenever they show up but time will tell. Even if Ruger hits a home run and turns out quality 336's the older one will still be desirable.
Savage 99s only go up in value if you don't hurt it. I've bought and sold two. Selling the first was idiotic and still something I regret( early 50's model with great wood) the second was a boring economy model from the 80's that didn't have any character but I had it for 4 years and sold with does for exactly what I had in it.
Savage 99s only go up in value if you don't hurt it. I've bought and sold two. Selling the first was idiotic and still something I regret( early 50's model with great wood) the second was a boring economy model from the 80's that didn't have any character but I had it for 4 years and sold with does for exactly what I had in it.
I bought a Henry Long Ranger in 308 a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful rifle, but about a 4 MOA rifle. Maybe OK for elk at close range! I sold it. I had a Marlin years ago that I was very happy with.
Levers are stupid money right now as mentioned previously. If you can find one I'd certainly grab it or if you can be patient the new Ruger Marlins should be really good. Ruger is a great match for Marlin IMO and Marlin fills a hole in their line.
I have a 45-70 1895 Remlin that is very nice and problem free. It's one of my favorites. My eyes almost necessitate an optic. I find the LPVO a perfect match. I would like to try the hammer bullets for it. It likes 325 FTX bullets and will cloverleaf them at 100yds.
My son now has my pre64 Winchester 94 in 30-30. That is also a fun rifle and super smooth. Scopes on those don't work too well and I prefer the Marlin. He loves and appreciates the rifle so that's a win both ways.
I have several BLR takedowns and they are also really cool. I'm in process of rebarreling two with one being a two barrel set. They are less traditional but can shoot modern pointed bullets for better long range performance. Triggers on those aren't great but can be made decent. The BLR safety is one of the best designs out there, second only to the Winchester 70 with 3 position IMO.
I have a 45-70 1895 Remlin that is very nice and problem free. It's one of my favorites. My eyes almost necessitate an optic. I find the LPVO a perfect match. I would like to try the hammer bullets for it. It likes 325 FTX bullets and will cloverleaf them at 100yds.
My son now has my pre64 Winchester 94 in 30-30. That is also a fun rifle and super smooth. Scopes on those don't work too well and I prefer the Marlin. He loves and appreciates the rifle so that's a win both ways.
I have several BLR takedowns and they are also really cool. I'm in process of rebarreling two with one being a two barrel set. They are less traditional but can shoot modern pointed bullets for better long range performance. Triggers on those aren't great but can be made decent. The BLR safety is one of the best designs out there, second only to the Winchester 70 with 3 position IMO.
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CHAGA50
Well-Known Member
The 35 Remington is a great starter choice . It works on everything in the lower 48s . I got one for my daughter when she was young and she still has it . Its just a simple BANG FLOP Kill !!
Trooper1
Well-Known Member
I might have missed it, but are these for their first rifle? Are you starting out with a .22 or center fire? Is the lever for the coolness factor? What is the purpose/primary use for the rifle? A Marlin 336 in 30/30 was my first centerfire rifle, and I still have it. Plastic buttplate, and recoil was a little stiff. And not the best choice for the hunting I was going to do. A friend loaned me a .243 model 70, and I never hunted with the 30/30 again. Much less recoil when I was young, and made me a better shot. I still shoot the Marlin on occasion, and it would be hard to beat for a close woods deer gun. But the .22's in a lever would be fun…and I keep looking at the Henry from time to time. One of these days I may just ''pull the trigger"!
ccmain
Well-Known Member
My first deer and elk were taken with a Marlin 35 Rem when I was 12 that my uncle gave me for changing sprinklers and helping with the haying in the early 70 s.
bigmo58
Member
If you want a 30-30 then the 336 marlin is a good way to go. But for better hunting calibers I'd recommend a Henry long ranger or a browning blr. You will get bolt action performance in a lever gun.
couple quick questions . I know Ruger bought Marlin but I thought they have not started manufacturing them yet? Are the larger caliber Henry' receivers steel or cast forged alloy? Side note I inherited my dad's 30-30 1953 model 94. What a hoot I have had with that. Used 94's are not that bad priced on the used market compared to the new ones. Never meet a Marlin 336 owner that didn't love it.
The new Henry Long Ranger lever rifle has an aluminum receiver but so does the new Browning BLR's.I have 2 BLR's with a steel receiver and both are very accurate.I'm pretty sure pistol caliber Henry rifles have steel or Brass receivers and possibly their 30-30 also has steel receiver also.
The new Henry Long Ranger lever rifle has an aluminum receiver but so does the new Browning BLR's.I have 2 BLR's with a steel receiver and both are very accurate.I'm pretty sure pistol caliber Henry rifles have steel or Brass receivers and possibly their 30-30 also has steel receiver also.
I'd find your boys a nice used Model 99 Savage in a 243 Winchester, 308, or 300 Savage. Also the 250-3000 Savage is very nice. Ammo still made for all of them and your not limited to shooting round nose style bullets as your are with tubular style bolt feed guns. If you're lucky and take your time you may find one lurking in 284 Winchester. I collect them and own all the calibers mentioned. Fantastic rifle.
