Need help with new Marlin .30-30.

[Blev]

I just put a new Marlin .30-30 level action rifle in lay-away (happy birthday to me . I have never owned a rifle before (I have pistols and shotguns). Is there anything I should be aware of regarding rifles? Do I clean it from the muzzle or dismantle it? It has a synthetic stock and a teflon finish on the barrel and receiver. Are there any things I need to watch out for? I appreciate any advice y'all can give me.

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Blev

 

[Jay Baker]

Blev, congratulations on your first centerfire rifle. The Marlins are dandy. You don't dismantle it to clean the bore. Just run the rod and patches through from the muzzle, lever open, of course.

About the only thing I've done to my lever action rifles is add Williams Five D peep sights. The new Ashely Ghost Ring sights look like they'd do the trick, also.

Have fun. J.B.

 

[craigz]

Get yourself a Boresnake and run it through from the breech end. Then, you won't have to worry about damaging the crown.

 

[Will Beararms]

Blev:

DO NOT CLEAN the weapon from the muzzle end! There is a screw underneath the receiver at the leading end of the lever that will allow you to take the lever out and dismantle the bolt and extractor. It is very simple to do and a thorough reading of the manual will equip you for the task. You will be well advised to order several of those little screws from Marlin to have as spares. Get a real Gunsmith's screwdriver from B Square to keep from dinging up the head of the screw. A bore snake is also an option.

I am a champion of the .30-30 Marlin for Whitetail hunting at ranges out to 100 yards in heavy cover. For the cost, recoil, accuracy and fast follow-up shot potential, it is simply tops. I have seen large buck shot through brush at 40 yards that ended up on the skining rack. I have knocked bucks down inside of 100 yards never to have them get up again.

I prefer the 150 grain Remington Corelokt since it will reach out to 150 yards and can be found anywhere at anytime except during times of civil unrest.

If you hunt like I do,you will need no more than a 4X scope. You can use it at ranges of up to 100 yards or at 50 feet.

I stand by the Marlin .30-30 as the number one heavy timber/brush whitetail rifle.

 

[Prof]

Will:

I, too, have a Marlin .30-.30 and agree with what you say about dismantling and cleaning from the breech. I am mechanically-challenged and I can do it so anybody can. About the ammo, though, I have purchased both the Remington Corelokt in 150-gr and 170-gr (whatever was in stock). Will I need to adjust my sights if shooting one or the other? And do both perform about as well? Thanks.

 

[Will Beararms]

Prof:

You will certainly need to make adjustments between the 150 grain and 170 grain loads. At 100 yards and in the Remington Corelokt is perfect and they run $8.00 per box of 50.

As to the choice of the Remington Corelokt 150 grain, I can only give you my perspective from 26 years of Whitetail hunting in the thickets and Pine fields of SE AR. The shots I take are inside of 100 yards. There is always the chance that I may see a buck 150 yards away slipping across a fence row on the back side of a Pasture. Therefore, I think the 150 grain has a slight edge in distance. The main reason I like this load is because it has always worked for me and a host of other people.

You can pick up a Tasco or Simmons 4X, mounted and boresighted for under $60. I mount my scopes directly to the base with no see through mounts and I have noticed a difference in accuracy. You can take a 4X and use it at 30 yards or 100 yards with no problems eliminating the need for the see through mounts.

I advise you to look into getting a 4X. Nikon makes a nice 4X40 for under $200.00 that is top shelf. You will be amazed at the advantage a 4X gives you.

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"When guns are outlawed;I will be an outlaw."

[This message has been edited by Will Beararms (edited August 02, 2000).]

 

[BMiracle]

I too agree that you should take it apart to clean it. Marlin has provided excellent instructions on how to do this. It is super easy and takes less than a minute. As far as hunting goes, I have a few handloaded rounds that I use on my first shot. I load a 150 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip and I hand feed it into the chamber and then use Winchester power points if a follow up shot is needed. So far That Ballistic tip has dropped 'em deader than hell. CAUTION: DO NOT USE THESE POINTED BALLISTIC TIPS IN THE TUBULAR MAGAZINE. THERE IS DEFINITELY A POTENTIAL FOR AN EXPLOSION! HAND FEED THEM ONE AT A TIME INTO THE CHAMBER!

 

[Dogger]

I just picked up a new Marlin 336CS, too.

I want to hunt with factory iron sights this Fall, then consider mounting either a Leupold 4x or Burris 4x on it.

I had previous experience with an inexpensive scope and see-though mounts... and the accuracy was less than satisfactory. Of course -- it could have been me the shooter!

No more see through mounts for me.

 

[Blev]

Thanks alot for the advice, guys. I am going to clean it when I get it home so I may be asking for some more help. Take it easy.

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Blev

 

[garyo]

BMiracle

I am getting close to getting a Marlin .30-30 and was wondering if anyone had any experience with the Winchester Power Point Plus? It seems to be something like a +P for the .30-30. Ballistics on Winchester's site look good. Thanks.

 

[BMiracle]

garyo----I have never used the Win PowerPoints on anything but paper. I prefer them over Remingtons Core-Lokt in terms of accuracy though. I have heard great things about Hornady's 150 gr 30-30 round nose soft point on deer. Will try those this year. Also the PowerPoints seem to have a tighter crimp on them as well. Powerpoints 2, CoreLokts 0. I really love my Marlin 336 with scope on top!