Trail rifle. 44mag, 357mag, or 30-30?

[jocmurph]

I am looking for a basic lever action rifle. I have been leaning towards the 44mag, 357mag, or a 30-30. I would like to be able to use it to hunt deer, but that is not a priority. I would like something that is reliable, not going to break the bank, and has ammo that is also not going to break the bank, and available. Does anyone out there have any opinions, advice, or personal experience? Anyone know if any of these available for sale? Thanks for the help.

 

[wtfd661]

I am not a hunter by any means (unless you count hunting for a good deal at the grocery store ) but from what I understand its ok in Indiana to hunt with a pistol caliber round in a rifle but not a rifle round (if I am wrong it won't take long for someone to point it out ) so I would say the .44 mag (which just so happens to be something I have been Jonesing for)

 

[Mark 1911]

Go with a .44 mag. I have a Marlin model 1894.

 

[teddy12b]

In Indiana I think you're going to be better off with either a 44mag, or 357 mag. You can't hunt with a 30-30 in IN so if you ever decide to sell your new rifle it's going to be tougher. Besides the caliber being legal for hunting, I'd still lean towards the 44 or 357 because the rifle will hold more ammo. I have a puma 92 44mag 20" that holds 10 rds. I've hit steel plates out to 150 yards with it back when I practiced with it all the time. You're going to have about the same capabilities with all three calibers, so why not pick one that's be easier to resell and holds more ammo. At that point, if you want softer recoil go with 357, if you want to really beat something up more for whatever reason the 44mag is going to be a good choice.

Are you going to want a sling on your rifle?

Are you going to want a scope?

Do you have a preference between stainless or blued?

 

[Bapak2ja]

Go with a .44 mag. I have a Marlin model 1894.

Good model, if you can find a true Marlin. Look at the Remlins (Marlins made by Remington) carefully. There have been serious quality control issues with those units.

.357 has the benefit of allowing you to practice with cheaper .38SPL ammo. It is a major advantage over the .44mag.

 

[IndyGunworks]

357, for the reason stated above.

 

[Hookeye]

Good model, if you can find a true Marlin. Look at the Remlins (Marlins made by Remington) carefully. There have been serious quality control issues with those units.

.357 has the benefit of allowing you to practice with cheaper .38SPL ammo. It is a major advantage over the .44mag.

Not in my book. How much practice does one need?
A box maybe to learn the rig, zero it and after that it's hunt and check zero for the season once a yr.

It's not like a .44 mag is super far removed from a .22 rf rifle.............yeah it has a bit more recoil, but the basics are the same.
Unless you suck, then maybe boxes and boxes of ammo in practice could be of benefit, but if you suck that bad............you're probably going to waste a ton of $ before you get halfway decent.

Now, if you just want to shoot for fun, then yeah cheaper ammo might be the way to go............but then I prefer my rifles to be set for a specific load, so that would mean reloading or buying factory from same manufacturer, same bullet weight/design.

Just going out blasting pop cans and stuff for fun.................even at today's insane prices, rimfire wins.

 

[Hookeye]

You can shoot deer with a .30-30 rifle in Indiana, but not during the regular sporting season.
Nuisance under special permit allows for stuff outside the hunting cartridge spec.

BTW, I had a pre Remlin 1894 in .44 mag, and just working the action for a couple of days smoothed it up to decent.
Scoped, it shot pretty well too.

But the stock design not best for scope usage, so I sold it, went with something else in shortened .35 Rem.

 

[roadrunner681]

I am looking for a basic lever action rifle. I have been leaning towards the 44mag, 357mag, or a 30-30. I would like to be able to use it to hunt deer, but that is not a priority. I would like something that is reliable, not going to break the bank, and has ammo that is also not going to break the bank, and available. Does anyone out there have any opinions, advice, or personal experience? Anyone know if any of these available for sale? Thanks for the help.

well forget 44 and 357 if you want cheap factory ammo, but there are several rifles that are good choices, the rossi 92 is not a bad rifle but it has a hideous safety on top the bolt and the stock sights sucks, but you can remove the safety( its not needed) and replace it with a peeps sight if you want to thats what i did with mine before i sold it good shooting rifle though. there's the marlins 1894s but be wary or the Remington made ones the old ones have JM on the barrel and the new Remington ones have REM there good rifles and the one to get if you going to use a scope or red dot in my experience i would go with the marlin 1894 for 44mag or 357 since i like using red dots and i like the stock sights on the marlin better. now on 30-30s there the marlin 336 and the Winchester 1894 the marlin 336 is a excellent gun well at lest the older ones are and the one to have if your going to use any kinda of optic. then theirs the 1894 Winchester which is a amazing rifle( my opinion) there going to be more expensive but they will last forever and hold there value well there's the pre 1964 models whitch are milled and beautifully made and post 1964 modes which are also very nice but they dont have the collector premium that the pre 64s have cause they have some stamped parts and there not as nice but there very functional and i think the angle eject models came about after 1964 which are made to use a scope with. just remember that 30-30 is illegal to use during the regular deer season. if you must have a hunting rifle i would pick a 44 mag there's not a deer alive that will take a well place shot from one.

 

[Jbow]

I deer hunt with a Henry 44 love it

 

[IndyGunworks]

Have you considered Henry rifles OP?

 

[freekforge]

I like the Winchester 94AE wrangler in .44mag. Its short and packs a decent punch

 

[snapping turtle]

If you want to hunt deer in this state you could cross off any 30-30. (Shame on Indiana)

if you want to deer hunt in Indiana that leaves the 357 mag and 44 mag. The marlin 1894, the Winchester 1892 and the 1892 copies like the Rossi ECT. Henry also makes a lever action but I have little experience with them. The marlin and the Winchester would be my personal choice I have a marlin in 44 mag. You can do the 336 marlin with brass 1.8 inches or shorter just do not have any regular ammo with you when you do.

if deer hunting is not the hunting you were looking to do but small game them that opens up a few doors. The Winchester 9422 mag is about as good as it gets in a lever rifle. Made for the 22 mag and downsized to 22 lr not the other way around like most everything else. The 22 mag is just about the perfect round for fox and can do coyotes if you do not mind blood trailing them a bit. Not to much for tree rats and will kill ground hogs rabbits and coon well. Marlin made the 1894m in the 1980's and the model 57 lever action so there are a few choices in 22 mag. Marlin made 336's in 219 zapper and 1894 in 218 bee but them and the 1894m are mainly collectors pieces anymore. Browning makes the blr in 223 and 243/22-250 if you want to mainly dog hunt.

if plinking and mainly tree rat hunting you can get many lever rifles in 22 lr. Marlin 39a's browning bl-22 Henry's winchester ruger Remington Mossburg and Ithaca to name a few. I like them All but the marlins and Brownings and win 9422 are better than most all the rest.

i am saying you can get just about anything from 22 short to 450 marlin in a lever gun still so there is a perfect one for you available somewhere. If you get up in my area we could shoot some anytime you want.

 

[engineerpower]

I would base it off compatibility with your other guns. Unless you have a .44 Mag wheelgun, automag, or Deagle, the .357 Mag is going to be more easily fed and more likely to be a shared caliber.

 

[Steve B]

I have used my 44mag 1894 with cowboy loads in 44 SPL & mag for rabbits. Works quite well actually. Load it with standard magnum loads and go shoot deer. Very versatile round.

 

[45fan]

I have a Rossi in 44 Mag. Great rifle, and havent looked back since picking it up. For Indiana deer, the 357, 44 Mag, and even the 45 Colt are all viable options that would be legal for deer during the regular firearms season.

The 357 would be a little on the light side, but with rifle velocities, and good shot placement, I wouldn't hesitate to use it out to 75 yards or so. 44 Mag would be better in power, but more pricey to feed if you don't reload. The 45 Colt would be just as viable of a choice as the 44, if you reload, but heavy loads for deer hunting would likely be more difficult to pick up unless you reload.

The further you are looking to reach with your rifle, the longer you will likely want the barrel for the sight radius. As far as the brand, Rossi will most likely be the lest expensive, and least refined. The Marlins and Henry rifles are going to be more, but also be of better finish quality. The Winchesters will most likely be the more expensive ones, but I cannot say that the difference in price over the Henry and Marlin is justifiable, especially if the intended use is a trail gun that will likely be scratched and exposed to the elements.

 

[Leadeye]

Wouldn't cross 45lc off the list, particularly if you reload.

 

[teddy12b]

Back when I bought my 92 I was on the fence about it because I'd always been a marlin guy up to that point. I got on a marlin gun forum and started reading reviews. At the time it seemed very hit or miss on whether or not the new marlin 44mags would feed reliably and function. After reading a lot about the "Marlin Jam" I decided to take a chance on the puma 92. I'm not disappointed in what I bought, but I'll be the first to admit that working the action on a henry rifle just feels incredible. I think Henry makes a heck of a product, but I just can't justify buying a rifle fro that much money that's so pretty and then go scratch it all up or sit in the rain with and wait. I picked up a Winchester 44mag once at a gunstore just to hold it and work the action and for whatever reason it felt kind of clunky to me. I don't know why, but I remember at the time being glad I bought the puma 92 over the real deal. Maybe it was just because my 92 had been worked and cycled a lot of ammo at the time. With whatever rifle the OP decides on there's a lot of really great options out there.

 

[bocefus78]

I love my jm stamped marlin 1894 44. So does everyone else who has shot it. If you reload you can also run the mag cases at special levels and really cut down the plinking costs.

 

[snowwalker]

I have a Puma 92 454 Casull that also handles 45lc that works out very nicely. When the family asks about it I tell them that it is my Yeti gun.