A little bit of proof that not every gun I purchase is for tactical purposes.
I’ve always liked Marlin firearms over Winchester for lever guns. Sadly, Remington’s purchase of Marlin pretty much spiraled the brand into the ground. Quality went downhill in a very pronounced way. When Remington eventually imploded, Marlin got picked up by Ruger and they have done a marvelous job of bring the quality back up, as well as making some nice variations…most notably threaded barrels. (They are a bit more expensive though…but, Ruger’s gotta recover that capital outlay somehow.)
Anyway, pre-Remington Marlins bring a bit of a premium these days. I found this .30-30 336A at Selway Armory on my lunch hour. I already have a nice 336, but its a regular 20″ barrel version. This 336A has a 24″ barrel, Lyman receiver sights, and doesn’t have the annoying cross bolt safety. And Im a sucker for the long barrelled open-sighted guns. So, it came back to the office with me.
Once you get past .30-06 and .308, I think you could make an argument that .30-30 is the next most common big-game round in the US. Regardless, I just liked the looks of this long-barrelled classic. So…here we are.
Very nice.
Very nice.
In 1995, newly married, my wife wanted a deer rifle. We bought her a Marlin 336 (IIRC, a 336CS, but memory may be failing me). Got it for under $350(!), and she put it to good use. We got more than that in meat value.
Talked to an older sheriff deputy once, he was working the gun show. As I was walking by, he noticed the Marlin 336 I had just purchased and asked to look at it. Seems before the AR platform took over the world nearly every deputy had a lever action 30-30 in the trunk of his squad car. Not as nice as a Savage 99 but I cured that by having a few of both.
I like all of the barrel length variations for lever rifles. Long barrel Savage 99s, carbine Marlin 336, Trappers in Rossi and Winchester. Each with a different purpose, imagined or real. :^)
That rifle above is handsome. Congratulations on your good fortune to find it.
Nice gun. I myself had 336 in 20 inch .30-30. But one deer hunting trip in November of 2015 my house burned down. Thank God we all got out with no injuries but I was mentoring deer hunting a 14 year old kid from my church and his brand new shotgun went up in flames also. I felt bad about the whole thing so I gave him my Marlin. But it was a very solid lever gun first sure.
My Mossberg (yes, Mossberg) .30-30 has provided a couple elk for me. Great saddle gun! More than a few people have told me that a .30-30 won’t kill an elk, as though it hasn’t been doing it since 1895.
Very nice! Terrific score! It’s always good to see the “bullseye” still in place and not being used to mark the location for a swivel/stud. Lever guns and revolvers are fine pieces of Americana.
I love those old Marlins also. got a couple models.
BUT, you know that now that you are becoming a Land Owner/ Bunker Baron so there goes your freedom for picking up stuff like this:( You wont have the same time or money for much else than working/slaving on the new location as home ownership is can be a giant money pit.
Oh, I dunno. Its just a matter of adding a line item in the monthly budget towards ‘opportunities’.
The first centerfire I ever purchased for myself was a Marlin 336C in .30-30. I wish I had kept it.
But today I keep a Henry side gate in .45-70 handy by the kitchen door, in case a bear invites himself to dinner….
There are three types of Marlins.
The Marlin Marlin. Stamped North Haven Ct. American as all get out, a must have for lever gun fans.
The Remlin. Stamped Ilion NY. You pays your money and you takes your chances. Remington was circling the drain when they put these out. The less said about these the better.
The Ruger Marlin. Stamped Mayodan NC. Worthy of the original. Ruger went back to the original technical drawings and built new production tooling. The results have been impressive. Rumor has it that Ruger will soon be bringing back the Glenfield line. A BIG tip of the hat to Ruger for their effort.
30-30 east of Mississippi is far more common except for flatlands where centerfire is not allowed ( shotgun/ blackpowder/bow)
Gun Store Owner Q.: What’s the difference between a .30-30 and VD?
A.: You can get rid of VD.
I share your affinity for vintage Marlins, and hope you’re happy with the caliber.
In leaner times, I let go of two lever Marlins in .45LC, which now cannot be replaced. If Ruger ever pulls their heads out and starts making those in SS, I’ll bite.