I have been thinking about getting another lever gun, (is there something wrong with people like us who can’t stop buying rifles?) and I have been wanting a smaller caliber that will shoot further and flatter than my Marlin 1895G .45-70. (I have bolt actions that will do this fine, but I want another lever gun.)

I have been looking at the Win M94 in .30-30, and the Marlin 336 Cowboy in .38-55. I really like both guns and will probably end up with both one day, but I can barely afford one right now, so one will have to do.

My dilemma is that I would like a Winchester since I already have a Marlin, but I would rather have the .38-55, or so I think. My decision is going to come down to the usefulness of the caliber. I have the .45-70 for moose and bear, but would like something smaller that will shoot further for goat, sheep, and so forth. I also guess that I am not totally sold on the .30-30 at this time, even though I know it is suppose to be a decent round. What do you guys recommend, the .30-30 or the .38-55? What would best compliment the .45-70?

How do the two rounds compare to one another and so forth? Feel free to let me have it, long winded answers are more than appreciated. Thanks a million.

I do not know the .38-55, but have shot a .30-30 for the last 32 years. I think the .30-30 is very versitile, if you reload. Speer makes a 130g FP that you can push to about 2600 fps, that works great on anything up to deer sized game. I reload 110g bullets for plinking using IMR4759, for an inexpensive bunch of fun. The .30-30 loaded properly will shoot flat enough to take coyotes well past 200 yards, with a little practice. I have other rifles, but the .30-30 is still the most fun.

30-30 is a moderate recoil carbine shooting medium velocity bullets. These bullets are designed specifically for this cartrdige and no other. In other words, the common 150 and 170 grain flat nose hunting bullets have never been offered in any other 30 caliber. The bullet companies build these bullets for 30-30 velocities, not for 30-06. The result is lethal bullet which is very dependable to expand properly while it does its job inside an animal's body.

This is also true of the 32 Special. The common 170 grain flatnose is designed and loaded for 32 Specail and no other cartridge.

This is also true of the 35 Remington. The common 200 grain roundnose is designed and loaded for 35 Remington and no other cartridge.

All 3 of these cartridges kill animals much better than paper figures would suggest. Good used carbines at affordable pricing are not difficult to locate. Factory ammo for these 3 is also quite affordable.

In contrast, the 38-55 is a black powder cartridge that is currently loaded with smoke-less powder. I assume the companies know what they're doing. Seems to me this cartridge is focused upon competitive cowboy action events. But many hunters swear by this cartridge as a good lethal choice for big game.

If it were me, I'd go with 30-30 because of versatility and moderate cost for a good used carbine. If I felt I needed a bigger bore, I'd buy a 35 without hesitation. But if I wanted something very unique and wasn't concerned about costs, I'd buy the 38-55.
Hope this helpful. Good hunting to you.
TR

Just my .02 worth, with the versatility in loading's available to the 45/70, I'd probably go with the 30/30. Then again, with this levergun sickness we suffer from, I'd mostly likely buy both. ;)
The 38/55 and 30WCF are both great old cartridges, I doubt you'd go wrong with either.

Just my .02 worth, with the versatility in loading's available to the 45/70, I'd probably go with the 30/30. Then again, with this levergun sickness we suffer from, I'd mostly likely buy both. ;)
The 38/55 and 30WCF are both great old cartridges, I doubt you'd go wrong with either.

I have to agree. I've shot alot of deer with the .30-30 and I also own a .38-55 but have never shot anything with it so recently asked a bunch of guys on this site what they thought of the .38-55. They all said the .30-30 and .38-55 were about equal with a slight edge going to the bigger round.

I'm from northern MN and there are alot of rifles of both calibers still in use up here and most of the old timers who have used both say that if you reload, the .38-55 has a little better punch to it but there isn't much of a difference. My vote would be for the .38-55 just because its a little bit different.

God Bless,
Nothernboy

Most factory loaded 38-55's are impossibly weak...if you don't reload, stick to the 30-30. Even if you do reload, the 38-55's main advantage is the use of cast bullets at full speed....if you don't care for the performance of cast bullets, may be better suited to the 30-30.

Given a choice between the 30-30's 170gr. JSP at 2100- 2200fps and the factory offering of a 38-55's 255gr. JSP at a real-time-measured 1320fps (and I've heard the newer issue ammo has gotten less vel.), the 30-30 is a better round. Reload a 255gr. JSP to 1700-1800fps (in an modern/strong rifle) AND keep the range short, and the 38-55 generally does a better job...but is it enough to get all excited about?

Threads merged. Please don't double-post.

Hey thanks everyone for your responses. I think I will go for the 30-30, since I have a 45-70 for big punch. I do think that the 30-30 would better suite what I am looking for.

One last question? I was thinking that I would get the M94. Are the velocities and the accuracy out of the Trapper with the 16” barrel close to the 20” barrel variants? I like the compact size of the Trapper but want the extra range. Knowing the limitations of the 30-30, it would seem that the 16” barrel would not make the biggest difference. Is this true?

Thanks again.

The 24 inch barreled 30-30 Winchesters are the ones with the flattest trajectory. Whether 20 inches or shorter will cause a guy to miss a deer is a good question. I'd say not.

We have an 18.5 inch Glenfield and a 20 inch Winchester. Both our carbines have slain many mulies without any fuss. Grandad had a 26 inch barreled Winchester with a crescent shaped butt plate. Had a flip up tang sight also. This rifle also killed a stack of animals.

I feel that a careful hunter should zero his rifle so it hits "right on" at 150 yards. When a deer appears farther or you're in doubt, get a little closer for a sure shot.
TR

One last question? I was thinking that I would get the M94. Are the velocities and the accuracy out of the Trapper with the 16” barrel close to the 20” barrel variants? I like the compact size of the Trapper but want the extra range. Knowing the limitations of the 30-30, it would seem that the 16” barrel would not make the biggest difference. Is this true?

The few published velocities I've seen from the Trapper are closer to the typical 20" .30-30 than some may believe. I want to say 75-100 fps with most loads. My only gripe about the Trapper .30-30 is muzzle blast. As I recall from the one I owned many years ago, it was significantly greater than my brother's 20" Marlin. But since you already own a .45-70 Guide Gun, you know a thing or two about muzzle blast. :D

I have a variety of M94's in .30-30 and intend to swap out the barrel and extractor on one them that I've had for about ten years and shot as many times. I can replace the .30-30 barrel with a .38-55 win. or .375 win. barrel. This would allow me to shoot the .38-55 in black powder cartridges.

I am also interested in the .32 special as what makes it so "special" is that it was designed to shoot both smokeless and black powder.

Both the .32 Special and the .38-55 would be ideal companions to my .45-70 in 1895CB, and my 1894CL in .25-20 (soon to be converted to .32-20.)

If I had to own only one gun and were looking at buying OTS ammo, I'd go with a .30-30.

Haggis, e-gunparts has 32 special bbls for the 336A for around $60. Easy swap for a 30-30 336A
They may have the carbine bbls