Torn Between two rifles Marlin 336 30-30 & Remington 700 308

I use my .308 for hogging as well. 168gr of fun does bad things to hog brain pans.

Treeguy said:

Get a Marlin .35 for deer & hog hunting

Oh after watching that show on the remington 700 and its issues i feel different about that company..not good ( they have produced faulty rifles in the 700 model and take no action to recall or fix them) Boooo on them

Lever guns are nice...cheap bolts are not

Lever guns point nice with open sights also

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That show about the Rem 700 was complete ********. It was determined that the trigger was grossly misadjusted, and rusted!!

That is why all branches of the military use the Remington Model 700 as the basis for their precision rifles.

Also, using an iron sighted rifle gives up at least the first 15 minutes and last 15 minutes of legal hunting in the woods, some times more if it is an overcast day.

Good luck

Jerry

.308

It will suit your purposes much better than the .30-30

Nothing against the .30-30, but Id never choose that over a good .308.

Get the .308 it is one of the most versitile rounds available and will do fine against almost all NA large game. Plus you can still get relatively cheap surplus for plinking.

Also consider a Savage.

28Shooter said:

Deer and Hogs - sounds like brush hunting to me, I'd go with the Marlin.

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+1

Like my 30-30.

BlackBart Knows where this is.

How about this http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/308marlinexpress/default.asp

Oldcarjunkie said:

Like my 30-30.

BlackBart Knows where this is.

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Lol, never saw that pic BUT I know EXACTLY where it is. About 500 yards straight in and to the right. The place I call "Broadway" because it looks like a train crossing tracks except those tracks are deer going every which way.

What other pics have you been holding back on me?

camotruck said:

How about this http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/308marlinexpress/default.asp

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I'm not looking into getting a speciality round, but this rifle sure is tempting.

BlackBart said:

Lol, never saw that pic BUT I know EXACTLY where it is. About 500 yards straight in and to the right. The place I call "Broadway" because it looks like a train crossing tracks except those tracks are deer going every which way.

What other pics have you been holding back on me?

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none, i just got bored and took a pic while i was kicked back.lol

Jerry M said:

Plus about 500!!!!!!!!!!!

Buy two (or more) scopes for the 700. Buy a red dot (or a Leupold 1.5X5) when hunting in the tremendously heavy timber where these monster hogs live, are shot at muzzle distance, and a 3.5x10 or 4.5x14 for the remaining animals you hunt in North America.

I shot this Caribou at 70 yards with a .308, with my 3.5X10 Leupold at 10 power.

Good luck

Jerry

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And with any factory 170 gr .30-30 load, the hunt above would have ended with this very same pic. Nice caribou BTW.

Bisleyfan44 said:

And with any factory 170 gr .30-30 load, the hunt above would have ended with this very same pic. Nice caribou BTW.

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True but only because of my superior stralking skills...LOL

The brochure advised being ready for shots out to 300 yards. I practiced at Bridgeville Rifle and Pistol club out to 400 yards. I would never have considered taking a .30-30 class rifle on a trip of a life time. Apparently other hunters agreed with me as while I was there hunters had the following calibers: 7mm-08, .308, .30-06 (2), .270 Winchester, .257 Weatherby Magnum, 7mm Remington Magnum & .300 Weatherby magnum.

FYIW my hunting partner shot his at about 275 - 280 yards, but he used a .30-06.

Good Luck

Jerry

Bisleyfan44 said:

And with any factory 170 gr .30-30 load, the hunt above would have ended with this very same pic. Nice caribou BTW.

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Rhys good to know

This is an interesting thread, I used to use an old 30-30 for practically all my hunting growing up, but in hindsight it would have been nice to have something with a little more arm behind it. But it only failed me a couple times (couldn't get close enough). Do you ATV or Horse in? 30-30 is nice to have in those situations, but if you are going to be sitting all day waiting for a shot, might as well go with the 308.

I'm gonna be hiking into the mountains near my brother in law in upstate PA, I don't know what my brother has in store down south for pigs in the future. The more I read suggestions and check out gun stores and fondle rifles the more I'm liking the Marlin 336 30-30. The last time I went into the hills with my brother in law I carried a AR-15 with quite a bit of ammo and was winded, and I'm in good shape.

kgain673 said:

I'm gonna be hiking into the mountains near my brother in law in upstate PA, I don't know what my brother has in store down south for pigs in the future. The more I read suggestions and check out gun stores and fondle rifles the more I'm liking the Marlin 336 30-30. The last time I went into the hills with my brother in law I carried a AR-15 with quite a bit of ammo and was winded, and I'm in good shape.

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Well, if weight is a concern I wouldn't go with a 336, they are a good 7 to 8lbs if memory serves me. It's a great gun don't get me wrong, but heavier than an AR, and only takes 6 rounds. Split the difference, get a BLR chambered in 308, says it weighs 6.5 lbs, not sure how accurate that is. And MSRP is only $750. You get your 308 and your lever gun, solved.

I've looked at the BLR and be honest, I can't stand looking at it.

Deep Creek Rock said:

That show about the Rem 700 was complete ********. It was determined that the trigger was grossly misadjusted, and rusted!!

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Jerry M said:

That is why all branches of the military use the Remington Model 700 as the basis for their precision rifles....

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LOL, exactly.

....Also, using an iron sighted rifle gives up at least the first 15 minutes and last 15 minutes of legal hunting in the woods, some times more if it is an overcast day....

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This IS a big deal. Been there, done that, put a 2-7x on my deer shotgun even. Not only that, but except at 'pointing distances', iron sights are only faster if your scoped rifle is not set up to fit you or you have the wrong scope.

Jerry M said:

True but only because of my superior stralking skills...LOL

The brochure advised being ready for shots out to 300 yards. I practiced at Bridgeville Rifle and Pistol club out to 400 yards. I would never have considered taking a .30-30 class rifle on a trip of a life time. Apparently other hunters agreed with me as while I was there hunters had the following calibers: 7mm-08, .308, .30-06 (2), .270 Winchester, .257 Weatherby Magnum, 7mm Remington Magnum & .300 Weatherby magnum.

FYIW my hunting partner shot his at about 275 - 280 yards, but he used a .30-06.

Good Luck

Jerry

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Agreed, especially the bold portion. I spent a bunch of money to go to WY in the early 80s to shoot goats and one of the guys in our party had his trusty .30-30. They spend a LOT of time trying to get him a reasonable shot, and more time than that running down a cripple. I shot my two with a scoped M700 in .280 at 80 and 250 yards and it was actually kind of routine because the equipment was correct for the job. Always prep for the worse and hope for the best...

At typical deer/pig distances, the 336 vs 700 choice just about has to be driven by personal preference, not just caliber. Both rounds work fine inside about 200 yards, but after that, the .308 is able to carry on while the .30-30 loses velocity rapidly, not to mention the .308 can drive the same bullet 350 fps faster to begin with. Picking the superior (in every way) caliber is a no-brainer, one would seem crazy to choose the .30-30 over the .308 for any reason other than platform.

I like them both, but have always gravitated to the 700s for hunting due to their versatility and the ability to easily reach out when necessary. I still have a few 336s, 1895s and even an old rattletrap M94. I also have a few M700s in several styles, and have had at least one in most calibers over the years. The weights on the two rifles are within ounces of each other, and carrying comfort is in the eye of the beholder. I've humped my 336 all over Garrett County and I never found the elver guns especially easier to handle than a sporter weight 700. Both rifles can be scoped, but scoping the lever gun isn't always graceful or efficient.

If you plan to hunt anything but deer & pigs in thick stuff with this rifle, I'd suggest the .308. If there might be other game/locales on the itinerary, you'll almost surely wish you had something appropriate. Almost anywhere in MD that allows rifle hunting will offer some longer shots at times. Dorchester Co has big fields and long, arrow-straight logging roads, western MD has hill-to-hill opportunities if you look for them. If your hunting is indeed limited to the D&P thing in cover, then it's really academic and either caliber/rifle will suffice.

E.Shell said:

At typical deer/pig distances, the 336 vs 700 choice just about has to be driven by personal preference, not just caliber. Both rounds work fine inside about 200 yards, but after that, the .308 is able to carry on while the .30-30 loses velocity rapidly, not to mention the .308 can drive the same bullet 350 fps faster to begin with. Picking the superior (in every way) caliber is a no-brainer, one would seem crazy to choose the .30-30 over the .308 for any reason other than platform.

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If you plan to hunt anything but deer & pigs in thick stuff with this rifle, I'd suggest the .308. If there might be other game/locales on the itinerary, you'll almost surely wish you had something appropriate. Almost anywhere in MD that allows rifle hunting will offer some longer shots at times. Dorchester Co has big fields and long, arrow-straight logging roads, western MD has hill-to-hill opportunities if you look for them. If your hunting is indeed limited to the D&P thing in cover, then it's really academic and either caliber/rifle will suffice.

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Voice of reason, people it's REALLY not that frigging hard to figure out. Look at the stupid assed ballistics tables. May I add, there really is no such thing as a "brush buster" they will ALL deflect.