Thread: Lever guns - What do ya reckon?

I bought a Marlin 336 30/30 last year, absolutely love it, it’s the complete opposite aesthetically to my plasticy Tikka which I value for its practicality but have no pride in ownership.
What surprised me is just how well it’s suits the vast majority of my hunting, I scurry around the bush where you’d be lucky to see more than 50-70 meters ahead, I’d assumed I’d have to limit shots to 100m for deer given the ballistics (it doesn’t like the soft plastic pointed bullets) so I’m interested to hear talk of 200m or is that just for goats rather than deer?
I really like how balanced it feels in the hand and for me at least how easy I find to have it in a state of even safer “semi ready” when expecting a shot than a bolt action ( hammer on half cock, lever not fully returned so bolt not in battery as well as having safety on, all very easy to correct as I bring the gun up)
Impressed by its accuracy as well, had hoped for 2” at 100m at best but just a smidge over an inch if the gods are smiling, ammo is half the price of the 6.5CM so happy days!
It’s also a nod to nostalgia as my first centrefire was exactly the same rifle over 33yrs ago��
Even managed my first deer in ages with it last year, dropped like a sack of spuds.
Anyway that’s my pointless reply but I like it so much I had to write a little rave!

FP

Originally Posted by flyingpillock

I bought a Marlin 336 30/30 last year, absolutely love it, it’s the complete opposite aesthetically to my plasticy Tikka which I value for its practicality but have no pride in ownership.
What surprised me is just how well it’s suits the vast majority of my hunting, I scurry around the bush where you’d be lucky to see more than 50-70 meters ahead, I’d assumed I’d have to limit shots to 100m for deer given the ballistics (it doesn’t like the soft plastic pointed bullets) so I’m interested to hear talk of 200m or is that just for goats rather than deer?
I really like how balanced it feels in the hand and for me at least how easy I find to have it in a state of even safer “semi ready” when expecting a shot than a bolt action ( hammer on half cock, lever not fully returned so bolt not in battery as well as having safety on, all very easy to correct as I bring the gun up)
Impressed by its accuracy as well, had hoped for 2” at 100m at best but just a smidge over an inch if the gods are smiling, ammo is half the price of the 6.5CM so happy days!
It’s also a nod to nostalgia as my first centrefire was exactly the same rifle over 33yrs ago��
Even managed my first deer in ages with it last year, dropped like a sack of spuds.
Anyway that’s my pointless reply but I like it so much I had to write a little rave!

FP

if your shooting between 1-2" at a hundred thats still only 2-4" at 200...you simply need to know your drop at that range.....and thats not hard to find out with a bit of carboard box.....PROBABLY will be a matter of aiming for top of shoulder and projectile will end up lower in the chest.... if yo uhave confidence that you KNOW where its going..no worries at all.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

if your shooting between 1-2" at a hundred thats still only 2-4" at 200...you simply need to know your drop at that range.....and thats not hard to find out with a bit of carboard box.....PROBABLY will be a matter of aiming for top of shoulder and projectile will end up lower in the chest.... if yo uhave confidence that you KNOW where its going..no worries at all.

Thanks MD, poor choice of words on my part with ballistics, what I really meant was knock down power, looking at the charts etc it looked like 150m max from memory but given the max line of sight where I hunt is so short I was just happy to consider 100m as the max range as I’d sighted it in to be bang at that range. When I first got it I’d hoped the Leverevolution ammo would stretch this but as I said it throws the 160gn around the target with gay abandon and I’ve been warned off the 140s as “barrel burners” (his words not mine) what are other folks experiences with them?
I’m happy to play conservative with it and crack out the Tikka if going somewhere where longer shots are on the cards

FP