Firstly season's greetings to all ... and now for a confession. All this buying gifts for the family has me in the mood to get something I really want, and what could satisfy more that a new rifle? I know, I know, but lever guns are just so ... satisfying.

Here's my question - two really. I want something with more poop than the .30-30s I already have. One 336 and one 94, both venerable old girls each over 45 yrs old and both shooters. Lots of deer and no complaints.

Is the .35 Rem enough of an improvement over the .30-30? For what you say ... well, deer and moose will be on the menu most of the time. Would .45-70 be a better choice? Or would it destroy too much of a deer? I imagine it would do the job on a moose. And for up to 200yds?

My gun of choice would be the 336 of course. Which brings me to the second question ... I like the idea of a stainless steel gun somehow. What are its pros and cons? More pricey I know, but not compared to an expensive bolt action. Do they shoot just the same? Any problems? I like the idea of not having to worry about rusting.

thanks for all who respond and best wishes from a noob in Northwest Ontario where deer and moose are bigger than in Saskatchewan ... ;)

Rob

I haven't shot a moose with my .35 Rem. But it's put the skids to a bunch of deer, hogs, a coyote, a turkey, and I forget all what else.

Pretty much the same velocities / trajectories as the .30-30, but with bullets averaging about 30 grains heavier or so (compare the 170gr. .30-30 load to the 200gr. .35 Rem load).

You can reload 180gr. bullets in the .35, both jacketed and cast, and get pretty good zip. I've pushed the Beartooth 180gr. "+P" hard cast pistol bullet to almost 2300fps in the 20" barrel of my Marlin. You don't want to be standing downrange catching those with your bare hands... :D

A few people reload or use the 220 Speer as a heavy bullet. Buffalo Bore sells that as a heavy .35 Rem loading.... per their specs, it would have some serious thump. Not too far behind a 220gr. .30-06 loading, actually.

I shoot a .444 Marlin as well. Only downside to the bigger bores - recoil starts to build up. Marlins don't have the best stock design for this to begin with, but a good recoil pad helps.

Of course you could just get both :D

Of course you could just get both :D

Thanks Mike ... but isn't there a limit to the number of guns one should own? Only kidding. Aprreciate the overview ... I saw a .45-70 at the local emporium yesterday in an 1895 - standard model, felt nice but buddy wanted a lot for it. 699 Cdn which comes to ~ 600 US. You gotta figure shipping and all the other garbage Cdns pay to get guns over the border into that. Still pricey for Canada.

Stainless doesn't seem to be available in anything but a guide gun, though they look good.

Would you say then that the .35 rem is at its limit 150 - 200 yds? Thanks for taking the time, best of the season, Rob

Rob,

I'm another fellow with them all. Through the XLR series, all of the calibers are offered or will be offered in stainless steel. The SS might be more user friendly for operating in wet weather but it will still get nasty looking if it isn't cleaned up after being wet. I have a friend with a SS that he didn't cleanup after being in our wet weather (Texas Gulf Coast) and it looks like crap. Worse than any of my blued guns.

I'm a fan of 35 Rem. My comments are the same of MikeG's. 180-grain Speers or BTBs but I'm not sure if Marshall ships North of the border. Somebody will know. I would take on the moose with a 200-grain bullet within 100-yards.

I sure can't say nothing bad about the 45-70 other than to plan on reloading for the caliber. Most of the stuff you find on the shelf won't have enough pop for the moose. If you use cast boolits you can eat up to the bullet hole. I've been applying for a Maine moose permit for years. When I get drawn, I will use my 444.

There are no wrong choice here. A new gun is always a PLUS. Just not sure what moves across the border to feed the thing.

I ran a couple of group buys on boolit molds for the 45-70 & 450 Marlin this year and your neighbors up North didn't have any problems receiving them. It did take longer for them to receive them compared to shipping in the lower 48. In fact... here is a picture of an Ontario whitetail hammered by a 45-70 and a Lee special order TLC460-425-RF. Always watch what is behind the critter when you are shooting something like this. Note tree in second picture.

Firstly season's greetings to all ... and now for a confession. All this buying gifts for the family has me in the mood to get something I really want, and what could satisfy more that a new rifle? I know, I know, but lever guns are just so ... satisfying.

Here's my question - two really. I want something with more poop than the .30-30s I already have. One 336 and one 94, both venerable old girls each over 45 yrs old and both shooters. Lots of deer and no complaints.

Is the .35 Rem enough of an improvement over the .30-30? For what you say ... well, deer and moose will be on the menu most of the time. Would .45-70 be a better choice? Or would it destroy too much of a deer? I imagine it would do the job on a moose. And for up to 200yds?

My gun of choice would be the 336 of course. Which brings me to the second question ... I like the idea of a stainless steel gun somehow. What are its pros and cons? More pricey I know, but not compared to an expensive bolt action. Do they shoot just the same? Any problems? I like the idea of not having to worry about rusting.

thanks for all who respond and best wishes from a noob in Northwest Ontario where deer and moose are bigger than in Saskatchewan ... ;)

Rob


I routenely shoot a marlin 1895G (.45-70) and a 336C (.35rem). The .35rem served my grandfathers hunting needes for a realy long time. It will take moose. In my hands with a 4x scope the 336C is about 100 to a 125 yard gun. I have shot it at 150 yards on paper and was able to hit the target with enough accuracy to make a kill shot on a deer but knowing my limits that would be stretching it in a real hunt. My grandfather shot a whittale at 165 yards with it. I have not idea about hornidays new ammo with it but it is suppos to stretch it out a little. As for the Marlin 1895 I love it. I have not yet taken game with it yet but i am hopeing to in January. In my best guestimate in my hands it is about the same range gun as the .35 or .30-30. The furthest I have shot it is 100yrds.

If you cast your own, try the RCBS 205gr. FNGC, and a case full of Varget. Works great....

Many thanks for taking the time to stir the pot MikeG, Ranch Dog and Zaproo. I'm taking notes and am near to a decision. What I hear then is that .35 Rem is a heavy weight .30-30 which in a pinch will do for pretty well anything out to 100 yds or so depending on the load.

And that .45-70 is another level beyond that, capable of some serious ouch on same critters out to 150 or so. But that if I go for the .45-70 I'm taking on another hobby too. Hand loading. Hmmm ... well I gave up smoking 10 yrs ago so maybe the bench has some more room for toys.

I've also got a number of cheques coming in for freelance work now and the money's burning a hole in my pocket. Is this bad or good? Let you know what I decide. Dropped in on another gunsmith/retailer today who sneered at the .35 and .45-70. To each his own.

I appreciate the welcome I've received on this forum with my very basic questions. Didn't get into centre fires until three years ago and I'm 55. Got some catching up to do. You guys sure help!

Rob

I would guess the gunsmith would mostly be in favor of selling you something from the inventory on hand :D

Best of luck....

If you cast your own, try the RCBS 205gr. FNGC, and a case full of Varget. Works great....

I'll second that
Like that sound "Ker Thump!"

If you want a souped up .45-70 and don't want to handload, then a .450 Marlin might be a good choice for your wants/needs.

Factory ammo for this bugger is expensive though. You'll probably reload sooner or later if you get either.

Traquer,
I have several 30-30's, 45-70's and a bunch in between. I have pretty much started just carrying the 45-70 for most everything deer and up, unless I need cross canyon distance. As far as the 45-70 itself, it can be very plesant to shoot, with standard loads, or increased to the point nearly a 458 Win.
Reloading is a benefit though and it is really fun in itself. The 45-70 is a breeze to load for. And once set up, you may find yourself loading for more calibers to boot. And you will shoot more. I have shot up several coffee cans of bullets for the 45-70 this summer. That's a lot of ammo.
Regards
Bestboss

Much appreciate the ideas ... thanks to all who've spoken up. Final question for the time being now that we're back from Xmas holidays and visiting. I took my 94 along with a new receiver sight to test out on the lake with some targets and was reminded by the YL that it might be too loud for the neighbours. Crying out loud, they're a mile away. Pick my battles ... anywho - here's the quesiton.

I'm tending towards 45-70 now instead of .35 rem. The .35 can wait. But in the 45-70 Marlin makes the "guide gun" at 18.5 inches and the "other" gun with a 22 inch barrel. I'm thinking the 22" barrel is a better idea - more accurate, less noise, ya-da, ya-da. But this is all theory for me. Who knows better from experience? Would I regret a guide gun? Is it every bit as accurate? Would the longer barrel offer any advantage? Or would it just get in the way when I'm looking for a good "bush gun"? Any thoughts or ideas?

Many thanks from a finally cold but fairly snowless Northwestern Ontario. BTW the ice on our inland lake was only 12" thick last week. We usually get 30" of ice. Lake trout were still biting. Can't beat that. Still hard to cast your lure very far under the edge of the ice though.

Rob

My perferance would be the 22" barrel having had both . Oversize bores and restictions sored the milk for me and I sold the %^ guide at a loss. .
Have a friend with the 450 and it shoots fine also another lad I hunt with has a 444 with out issues . I have a 35 rem RC and it is about perfect as a lever could be and gets used all year being very lead friendy . During the moose season how ever the tikka Battue in 06 gets the nod.
The new Marlins XLR series with the 24 inch barrels are the new thing . the 308 chambering I suppose now gets the nod.
I think they shine way too much . It is more natural for game to see something black , so the blued barrel would not show up as much as that bright stainless barrel.
I find short barrels are great when your carring a rifle and working dogs throught very heay cover , but never was bothered by a 22" to 24 " barrel on a watch.It is more important that your able to shoot "tha -- thing" and be able to hit the game at the ranges your hunting at . While the guide was great in heavy cover I found it lacking trying to bring down a deer across a Hydro line sited in 3" high @ 100 yards. The 06 brings home a pill were directed every time.

Many thanks to all who stirred the pot on this one - .45-70 Next Gun?

Well for me the suspense is over cause I brought home a new 1895SS .45-70 22" gun tonight. Micro-grooving not Ballard. I like the open sights too ... and as I've bought this gun primarily for bear defense when I'm in the Northwest Territories, I'll probably keep it that way.

Nice to have a "new" gun too. Not sure what the SS stands for cuz this is blued.

I have the winter now to begin with gearing up to hand-loading. Will be looking for some ideas on beginning with this - don't know where to start. Guess I'll try out some factory loads for now and research some previous threads.

I appreciate the generous suggestions and exchange of ideas in this forum. There's truly something special about this place ... God bless

Rob

Traquer,

Be sure to read Marshall's stuff on this site about micro grooved barrels. Here's one of several links:

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/faq/extras/marlindia.htm