Three of the author's special .30-30 handloads. The pointed 165-grain Nosler on the far left is single-loaded only and not safe for use in a tubular magazine. He likes the Hornady 100-grain SJ (Short Jacket) in the center for small game and incidental shooting and the 190-grain Silvertip on the right for big game in timber.
Marlin also has a complete lever-action lineup with its Model 1895 .45-70 Guide Gun, 1895M .450 Marlin, Model 444P Outfitter .444 Marlin and many others, including the 336 line, such as the 336SS (stainless) in .30-30 and the 336C in .30-30 or .35 Remington. Also, there is the 336 Cowboy in .38-55. The Marlin 1894, as well as 1894 Cowboy Competition, comes in .45 Colt, .357 Magnum/.38 Special and .44 Magnum/.44 Special. The 1895 Cowboy is a .45-70.
Navy Arms Co. has a tremendous line of replica leverguns, my own Model 1892 .45 Colt being one. There's the Model 1873, famous for being the One of One Thousand that was the star of the old Jimmy Stewart movie Winchester '73. This rifle comes in various styles, including a Deluxe Border Model in .357 Magnum, .44-40 or .45 Colt. Going back in time, Navy Arms has the 1866 Short Rifle especially for Cowboy Action Shooting, the 1866 Yellow Boy and the Henry Military Rifle, along with an Iron Frame Henry. Other companies also bring in lever-action replicas. Cimarron has the Winchester in antique finish of charcoal blue, plus a special-order 1873 engraved "One of One Thousand." Taylor's Rifles include a Henry Brass Frame .44-40 or .45 Colt, plus a Henry Steel Frame .44-40.
By the time you are reading this, I will be afield with two of my lever actions, including one extended adventure: 30 days running in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. Both are guns that have undergone modification. The Marlin 336A .30-30 that left the plant during that model's first year of manufacture, according to the serial number, has been completely refurbished with new blue and wood, as well as a fine Lyman receiver sight. (A Winchester 94 is currently undergoing similar treatment with handsome new wood from Precision Gun Works.)
The second gun is a new Marlin 336 Cowboy .38-55 that took a few changes. First, it was fitted with an Uncle Mike's carrying strap. Interchanging a plain fore-end cap with one having an integral swivel stud took care of the front end. An Uncle Mike's swivel eye was installed in the buttstock directly into Marlin's proprietary bull's-eye, one of only two features I find negative on the rifle. (The plastic bull's-eye must be replaced with a hardwood dowel and "JB Weld" before installing the screw-in swivel stud. Otherwise, the stud may not hold, and--wham! Down goes the rifle, right off the shoulder.)
This was the largest group fired in Marlin's 336 Cowboy .38-55 during its maiden test at 50 yards. A 6 o'clock sight picture was used. The first shot from a cold barrel imprinted on the upper left-hand corner of the one-inch square, the next two creating a figure-eight pattern. Total group size was .8 inch center to center.
The white diamond located on the back of the rear sight was painted dead black with an indelible marker pen. It is the other feature I don't care for on this rifle. All the white spot did for me was create an optical fuzz below the front-sight's gold bead.
Finally, I had Clyde Ludwig's handsome hammer bolt replacement installed. This was a personal choice on my part. Mr. Ludwig does a fine job on this tiny fixture (414/536-1101). The Marlin rifles worked for more than 100 years without an additional safety. As one writer put it, the second safety was a solution to a nonexistent problem. There are two major reasons for lever-action survival. The first is outstanding utility. Even at this late date in the evolution of hunting there are thousands who take to the field annually with iron-sighted .30-30s, confident that at the moment of truth when that whitetail buck breaks cover, venison will be theirs. Fixed with scopes, these lever-action rifles are even deadlier. The accuracy is there. The power is there.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Precision Gun Works Dept. RS 104 Sierra Rd. Kerrville, TX 78028 (830) 367-4587 www.precisiongunstocks.com
Express Sight Systems (formerly AO or Ashley Outdoors) Dept. RS 2401 Ludelle Fort Worth, TX 76105 (888) 744-4880
My own handloads for the refurbished Marlin Model 336A .30-30 rifle with 24-inch barrel include a 165-grain Swift bullet at 2,400 fps. These feed through the magazine, but I install only two rounds with any pointed bullet, never more. When one cartridge is chambered, there remains only one in the magazine with no bullet point up against the primer of a round in front of it. I also load 190-grain Silvertips extracted from .303 Savage ammo. These achieve 2,165 fps from the renewed Marlin burning Reloder 15 powder. Meanwhile, the 19th century .38-55 shooting Winchester's accurate 255-grain Soft Point Flat Nose bullet (also withdrawn from factory ammo for handloading) is entirely adequate for elk in the timber at 1,900 fps with H4198 or Reloder 7 powder.
The other reason for the continued life of the lever action is more difficult to explain. The modern hunting picture is painted in four very different colors: deep purple, hunter green, rimrock red and midnight blue. Where I live--Wyoming--I'm privileged to fill a license as I see fit. Normally, deer, elk, antelope, moose and other big-game seasons begin September 1 for the bow. The tag is still good later as gun seasons open. Deep purple is for archery, high adventure trying to close in for a 30-yard shot with my Ferret IV all-glass-limb recurve bow. Hunter green belongs to the smoke pole, which is challenging but not as demanding as the bow. Rimrock red is for my lever-action .30-30 or .38-55. And if, for any reason, the tag remains unfilled late in the season, the color moves to midnight blue. At that time a death ray goes into action, for me a Frank Wells custom 7mm Magnum with Swarovski 2.5-10X scope or my Morrison-barreled Model 77 .25-284 wildcat topped off with a Bushnell Elite 2.5-10X.
I enjoy the powerful long-range scoped rifle and have no compunction filling a license with one. That's why they call it a tag--to attach it to a big-game prize. The other categories, however, carry a different value. Last season I took the trail for pronghorns carrying a Savage Model 1899A .30-30 that left the factory 100 years previous. I pushed the envelope with a 150-grain Winchester bullet handloaded to 2,400 fps, but I retained the open buckhorn sight. The centenarian rifle managed a fine buck at 137 yards, the distance checked after the shot with a Bushnell laser rangefinder. I would have appreciated that 'lope with a .300 Magnum too, but that evening in my lone camp as firelight played on buck and rifle, the glow was special.
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