Marlin levergun in varmit .22

[WyomingWhitetail]

So a few years ago a friend gave my dad an old beat to hell, wore out, 30-30 marlin lever action. It was so wore out i unscrewed the barrel by hand but the action seems ok. Ever since then i have wanted to take that old marlin (dont even remember if its a 95 or a 336 or what) and rebuild it into a .219 zipper, .219 Donaldson wasp, or .218 Bee to have just a fun little plinking/varmit gun. I would be interesting in hearing how these three calibers stack up to one another and how they would feed out of the 30-30 action. I know the .219 zipper came in lever guns so it should be fine. What about the wasp, it has sharper shoulders so will it hang up? Not sure on the .218. Any input is welcome as are suggestion for good marlin parts or just pictures of sweet marlins.

 

[natman]

I'd recommend the 219 Zipper or the 22 Savage High Power. Both are based on the 30-30 and this will be a big help in getting them to feed properly through a lever action. The 22 HP has an advantage in that ammo is still available from Norma and dies may be a bit cheaper and easier to find. It does use an odd .227 diameter bullet, so that could be a point in the Zipper's favor. There are also some flat nose .224 bullets available, which would be favored for a tubular magazine.

The 219 Wasp is a shortened and improved version of the Zipper. Because it's shorter feeding might be an issue. The 218 Bee is based on the much smaller 32-20 case and would require major surgery to feed through a 336.

 

[WyomingWhitetail]

I will have to look into the savage as i don't know much about them. Looks like it will probably end up a zipper then as I just want a neat little carrieing gun for varmits and stuff.