Just curious, what is the largest game you have RELIABLY taken with your 30-30 Marlin? I was only thinking of three main animals when I decided on the 336, and made my purchase.


Bones

Oldbones... I've taken antelope, WT & mule deer, feral hogs, javelina, and turkeys with my .30-30s. I've killed a couple of feral hogs in the 500# to 600# range and they have all been one-shot kills with the Hornady 170-grain FP. My dad or I have never lost a hog or deer with the Hornady bullet.

We have a lot of hunters in Canada that use the .30-30 for moose hunting. It has plenty of power if the range is not too far. I know of a fellow that hunts elk and moose and uses his .30-30 in the bush, but when he has some open country hunting he uses a, 7mm mag. I like my .30-30, and never feel underguned.

I only use mine for whitetail here. but it works. :D

In 1984, I was hunting with my Dad in the Bearlodge Mts. of Wyoming. With my Glenfield 30-30 I nailed a cow elk once in the shoulder and her front legs folded up. Distance was about 80 yards. Next bullet took her through the ribs and the cow just toppled over. Finish shot into the brain at arm's length with my 22 revolver.

This elk was approx. 550 lbs live weight. Not huge but certainly not small either. Although I feel the 30-30 is a better deer cartridge than elk-getter it did the job for me. In my opinion, successful elk hunting with a 30-30 carbine nowadays could be very frustrationg as the mts are heavily hunted by archers in the early Fall. Elk are just plain spookier these days and much more difficult to approach to within 30-30 effective lethal range.
TR

Ground hogs, squirrels, and whitetail deer. Largest: 8 pt. whitetail that was full-bodied but not "huge" in central Missouri.

One of these days I may devote a Wyoming elk season to the 30-30. But I will make a strong commitment to take only a slam-dunk, short-range shot.

Life is so short that I may not get around to this quest. When you think about it for a while, you almost always come up with, "What's the point?!"

Sure it can be, and has been, done. But I can place the same limitations on myself with my 35 Whelen and have plenty of leeway to still make an ethical shot...even if a mosquito flies up my nose just as I squeeze the last ounce off the trigger. ;)

I've taken 3 Elk with the 30-30. longest shot was about
75 yards. The 30-30 is not a good Elk gun, range is
limited to 100 yards or less. But it will do the job. The second
Elk was taken at about 40 yards, the 30-30 was the best
choice as I was crawling under some 7 yr old dense hemlock
along the side of a big old knol. a longer rifle would of been
a reall hassel. He was a 3x2 on the western side of the
Olympics near Forks, Wa. back in 94. I usually go after the elk with my bow. I take the 30-30 out now and then cause
I feel mentally more confident that I have 60 more yards to
shoot. Its not much but, In the Pacific NW, going after the
Roosevelts Elk, the vegetation is pretty thick where I Hunt.
This next season I plan on deer hunting with my 30-30, and I think I'll go after a bear also. Seen a couple and my buddies
have had quite a few sightings this last season.

I bought my 30-30 for deer and black bear. Also it sure is nice to go to the local Wally world and get a box of ammo under $10.00 :D

I know there are MANY different opinions on range, caliber, ect. but even here in Colorado where the gun writers 'say' many shots are taken in the longer (200+) range I have seen than many if not most animals I know (family, friend, and co-worker hunts) of are taken WELL within the 150 yard range. When I first decided I would like to go for big game I was looking at many of the 'super' rounds; the so called 'long range' hunting round, and decided they did not meet my definition of a multi purpose round, i.e., a round I could use for self defence if need be, one that I could use for smaller game, and that would relibly take bigger meat game with as well. I think it depends not on the caliber (within reason) but the hunter/shooter who nows how to use the round/rifle to the best advantage. There seems to be a reason the 30-30 (next to the 30-06) has been Americas favorite hunting round for generations.........


Bones

AMEN to that oldbones, to many times have I seen someone go out and buy a super mag and think that they're a deer sniper. Thats those gun rags pithching the sale for ya. Heck longest shot I have ever took on deer was this last season @ 75yds with my slug gun, my buddy 80yds again 12GA slug. What a difference between reality and the gun rags want you to beleive. As you staed shot plcement is everything.

336A

Oldebones makes a valid point about realistic ranges, assuming one is truly interested in hunting rather than just shooting.

In 11 years in Wyoming my longest shots have been right at 200 yds., one each on antelope and mule deer. All my elk have been taken at less than 100 yds. and most antelope not much over 100 yds.

It just seems strange that in a culture that can name the exact yardage where a football is dropped on a field, suddenly sees that SAME distance in a hunting situation grow to "Oh! It was just sittin' there at 350 yards........"
Just an observation. I for one am not going to pull the trigger unless I am absolutely positive I (and the rifle) can do the job. On the other hand, I've seen way to many people go out 'hunting' and blame the cartridge/rifle when they couldn't hit what they were aiming at. My Dad speaks of days when he used to hunt, and they really didn't have much more than the 30-30, and they took EVERYTHING with it. I think there are going to be many, many different Opinions on what can be done with this and that. I'm just curious about what (with an accurate shot/shooter, good ammo) types of large game can/has been taken reliably with this round.


Bones

I saw a photo in a library book that showed a cattleman with two grizzlies. He shot them both with a 32 Special.

Does this mean the 32 Special is ideal for hunting grizzlies? No. But in the hands of a careful hunter it is certainly no cork-shooting toy either.
TR

whitetails. 8 with a 1952 336 RC. Love that gun. 150 grain Rem corelokts over RX7. 7 of 8 fell within 30' where shot; 4 of 8 dropped where shot. had to track one because of my poor shot placement (neck shot) nd that one went 1/2 mile, but certainly not the gun's fault.

My Marlins have killed about 30 whitetails that I know of , I can only remember one that went more than 30 yds. Most dropped in their tracks.My boys each killed their first buck with my 30-30 at which point it became theirs and Dad had to get a replacement. I really like these "little" rifles,can't say I've ever felt "undergunned".

I do not own a 30-30 but my youngest son aquired one for Christmas. He works as a butcher in Montana and uses his for his "work gun"

While the ranges at which he dispatches critters in the field is pretty close he has taken some huge range cattle and several buffalo with it. Not bad for an outdated, underpowerd kids gun. 8*)

200 pound hogs at 50 yards or so. Deer, but none that heavy.