My lever Marlin 336 off sand bags with hand loads never did better than 4" 5 shot groups at 100 yards. Gun I bought new 30 years ago for $180. Now in MO there selling used for $600+. Had my nephew return and going to sell before market changes.

If your only missing by 2 inchs at 100 yards your shooting lots less than minute of deer.

Remember, only accurate guns are interesting.

I have several 30/30s but this is my favorite it’s a marlin 93 that my Gramps bought in 1905 when he was 15 just before he left home and walked from his home in NY to Minnesota, there’s no telling how much game it has put on the table for the family, I do know it has put a many deer and bear on the family menu as well as a couple moose, elk and caribou Back when Mn had such and somewhere I have one of those photos showing him and some other men standing next to the bodies of four would be bank robbers that they chased down and shot

While gramps had several guns his 30/30 was his go to and the one he generally always had on hand and my kids have each taken their first deer with it and where we generally hunt down it’s all that’s really needed as the longest shot your going to get is maybe 60/70 yards and that’s because we cleared the brush out

Yes by todays standards it’s weak and rather anemic but if you do your part so will it



Yes not exactly a great group (by somes standards) there’s a good 8 inches from the hole in the lower right to that in the upper left but considering it was shot at 300 yards with gramps 30/30 and open sights I will take it, while I wouldn’t shoot at game at that range unless I was desperate it’s nice to know what you can do if you need to

Yes I have guns that will shoot cloverleafs at that distance but where’s the fun in that

… I also run one with a small scope for lowlight conditions

Depends on what you mean by "big game" . If you're talking deer size then yeah 30-30 will work fine within the range limitations of the cartridge. If you're talking elk, then I'm sure it'll work just be selective on the shot and willing to pass it up if it ain't ideal, (personally I prefer the 45-70 have a older Marlin in that caliber)

Yea,I would not consider deer big game.
30 30 is basically a deer rifle.

Nightlife that was great hearing history of gun. Bet could not put a price on that gun.

Do you consider black bear big game? They're no harder to kill than a whitetail.

Somewhat true Poscoe. A bear shot through both lungs or heart die real fast. On average, faster then a deer.

I seen big blackbears knocked down with 30 06 and the bullet hit bone-bear get up and run,not recovered.Go for miles theu the bush.
Seen it with 308 too.
Way more meat and heavier bone on a big blackbear when hit in shoulder..
Small blackbear different animal
Big blackbear and Moose-big game.
Deer,smaller blackbear medium size game.
Skinned a blackbear one time for a guy with a 3030 bullet flattened on the skull.Bear was killed with subsequent shots from the 3030.Another 30 30 bullet in that bear keyholed under the meat on the shoulder blade.

A poorly hit bear will run until it dies if it's a fatal wound. A deer will run a short distance and do the same. It's a coin toss which expires first.

Boco, that's irreverent.
30 cal bullets can be from 100 grains to over 200.

As for a 30/30 being an adequate bear round. Yep. Standard 170 grain in the rib cage will and does just fine.

It's Posco. A friend started calling me that forty years ago. According to him there was a black mountain man whose name was Posco Chubb. I've tried in vain to find out if there was ever such a historical figure but I've never come up with anything. The name stuck. I'm not black.

There’s no amount of money could get it out of my hands, Gramps worked as a sheriff’s deputy from late 1919 to 1938 and carried his 30/30 through the whole time it was used in several shootouts and saved his life more then once, the three bolts in the stock are where he repaired it after cracking it on a violent drunks head and thought the 2 dollars the gun smith wanted to fix it was to much

Currently I am working on putting all the family stories down on paper so that there not forgotten and the kids can pass them down as well

No,I've killed lots of bears in my day with lots of different guns.I know how they are.

My Win 94 is my favorite rifle to carry, inherited it from an an old bushwhacker and it's killed plenty of moose, caribou, and bears. I like the federal fusion 170 grainers and I keep my shots within 100 yards.

Pros, Yee Haw .300blk and you can load some interesting stuff