45-70 vs 30-30 in Marlin lever rifle

[The Annoyed Man]

BTW, after having bought and shot my Marlin a little bit, I thought long and hard about side-gate loading versus the Henry system with the magazine tube loading..... A side loading gate was one reason why I bought the Marlin in the first place. But after loading rounds into the rifle with it, the spring on the loading gate was so stiff that it was difficult to feed rounds into the magazine that way. I have the beginnings of arthritis in my hands, and it's just too much of a pain (literally) to load the rifle through the side gate. Like I say, it wasn't so much the magazine tube spring, it was the loading gate spring that was the problem. While shooting for chronograph data, I finally gave up and started loading individual rounds through the ejection port. Since I can't imagine ever having to do some kind of speed reload under combat conditions with this rifle, it seems irrelevant to me whether a side loading gate is theoretically faster than the Henry system or not. It simply doesn't matter. If I was in the kind of situation where speed reloads of a .30 caliber rifle were necessary to my survival, I have several other rifles that fit that bill, and I'd most likely be carrying my well-scoped SCAR 17S instead, with its 20-round box magazines, 3.5 lb match trigger, and a suppressor.

So frankly, if unscrewing and pulling out a tube to put 6 rounds into the magazine takes a minute longer to reload the rifle, I'm OK with that. And my guess is that, given the pain in my hands and the stiffness of my Marlin's loading gate, it probably wouldn't actually take any longer to load a Henry than to load my Marlin.

If anybody has any suggestions for lightening up that loading gate, I'm all ears.

[fire128]

try this site.....lots of good info http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/do-yo ... nsmithing/

[mrvmax]

BTW, after having bought and shot my Marlin a little bit, I thought long and hard about side-gate loading versus the Henry system with the magazine tube loading..... A side loading gate was one reason why I bought the Marlin in the first place. But after loading rounds into the rifle with it, the spring on the loading gate was so stiff that it was difficult to feed rounds into the magazine that way. I have the beginnings of arthritis in my hands, and it's just too much of a pain (literally) to load the rifle through the side gate. Like I say, it wasn't so much the magazine tube spring, it was the loading gate spring that was the problem. While shooting for chronograph data, I finally gave up and started loading individual rounds through the ejection port. Since I can't imagine ever having to do some kind of speed reload under combat conditions with this rifle, it seems irrelevant to me whether a side loading gate is theoretically faster than the Henry system or not. It simply doesn't matter. If I was in the kind of situation where speed reloads of a .30 caliber rifle were necessary to my survival, I have several other rifles that fit that bill, and I'd most likely be carrying my well-scoped SCAR 17S instead, with its 20-round box magazines, 3.5 lb match trigger, and a suppressor.

So frankly, if unscrewing and pulling out a tube to put 6 rounds into the magazine takes a minute longer to reload the rifle, I'm OK with that. And my guess is that, given the pain in my hands and the stiffness of my Marlin's loading gate, it probably wouldn't actually take any longer to load a Henry than to load my Marlin.

If anybody has any suggestions for lightening up that loading gate, I'm all ears.

Good point, those 45/70 rounds are a bear to load.

[bigtek]

So I'm looking at picking up a Marlin lever action rifle soon and I'm trying to decide between a 30-30 and 45-70.

It will mostly be just a range gun, but the extra power of the 45-70 sounds fun. I do reload so finding ammo in store doesn't worry me.

I would choose 45-70 over 30-30 in that case. The 30-30 is handy as a ranch gun in the truck or on the ATV rack. However, as a range gun and "bucket list" hunting gun, the 45-70 is more versatile. You can load at 44 Special level for plinking and 44 Magnum level for meat hunting in brush. You're not stuck with heavy 45-70 loads unless you're in the mood for recoil or you need the entra oomph for tough targets.

[mrvmax]

So I'm looking at picking up a Marlin lever action rifle soon and I'm trying to decide between a 30-30 and 45-70.

It will mostly be just a range gun, but the extra power of the 45-70 sounds fun. I do reload so finding ammo in store doesn't worry me.

I would choose 45-70 over 30-30 in that case. The 30-30 is handy as a ranch gun in the truck or on the ATV rack. However, as a range gun and "bucket list" hunting gun, the 45-70 is more versatile. You can load at 44 Special level for plinking and 44 Magnum level for meat hunting in brush. You're not stuck with heavy 45-70 loads unless you're in the mood for recoil or you need the entra oomph for tough targets.

Or he could load 550 grain hard cast to kill anything in North America. You would be surprised at the penetration those have.

[mupepe]

Thanks everyone! The 45-70 seems like the way to go then. I don't mind the Henry loading. Am I mistaken in thinking that was the original design anyways? If so, that's enough of a reason and novelty for me to be okay with that design. If I'm ever in a situation where I need to reload quickly (dangerous animal) then it would probably be quicker to pull out my back up 44 magnum anyhow.

[tbrown]

Thanks everyone! The 45-70 seems like the way to go then.

[puma guy]

Thanks everyone! The 45-70 seems like the way to go then. I don't mind the Henry loading. Am I mistaken in thinking that was the original design anyways? If so, that's enough of a reason and novelty for me to be okay with that design. If I'm ever in a situation where I need to reload quickly (dangerous animal) then it would probably be quicker to pull out my back up 44 magnum anyhow.

You are not mistaken. Henry's modified version of the Volition, later Volcanic Repeating Rifle, became the Model 1860 Henry and had a tubular magazine with no loading gate. Oliver Winchester took over the company, had the rifle design modified and improved including the patented loading gate and the Winchester '66 was born.

[mupepe]

thanks! even more of a reason to go Henry then for me.

[Soccerdad1995]

I have both a Henry and a Marlin in 30-30. I love the Henry, but the loading method was enough for me to also pull the trigger on a Marlin. To me, it isn't about speed as much as safety. I usually shoot at a public range, and it is difficult to pull the plunger all the way out and then to reinsert it while keeping my hand completely behind the firing line, and keeping the gun pointed down range, as opposed to up.

Even ignoring the public range issue, any loading design that requires my hand to go anywhere beyond the end of the barrel just feels very uncomfortable to me.

[puma guy]

I have both a Henry and a Marlin in 30-30. I love the Henry, but the loading method was enough for me to also pull the trigger on a Marlin. To me, it isn't about speed as much as safety. I usually shoot at a public range, and it is difficult to pull the plunger all the way out and then to reinsert it while keeping my hand completely behind the firing line, and keeping the gun pointed down range, as opposed to up.

Even ignoring the public range issue, any loading design that requires my hand to go anywhere beyond the end of the barrel just feels very uncomfortable to me.

The original Henry tube magazine had many pitfalls. It didn't require extracting a long inner tube and follower, but the design was flawed. The entire tube was open on the bottom exposing the spring to water; dirt and debris would get inside and the pivoting shroud would rust up and stick if not kept oiled. The follower could be encumbered by the shooter's hand and since there could be no forend gripping the rifle could be pretty dicey after firing a few rounds from the rifle. That's why King's patented loading gate was added when the Golden Boy came out in 1866 and it obviously was a good idea since it's still around today.

[G.A. Heath]

I'll also add that if you manage to find and buy a Henry with a Color Case finish then you will be supporting a Texas business. Henry, among others, uses a company in Friona Texas to do the Color Case Hardened Finish.

[Scott in Houston]

I haven't been on this forum in a while due to family medical issues, but came here to review some things, and found this...


My only comment is that, of all my rifles, my Marlin 30-30 that I've had since the '80s, is my favorite utility rifle.
It's incredibly accurate within 150 yards even with regular factory ammo.
It's the rifle that I feel like, if I had to make the shot of a lifetime, I'd use it... over any AR or deer rifle.
The ammo is plentiful and rather cheap.


All that being said, I've been itching for a 45-70 for years. There's something about it. I don't know... the day I need to take out a vehicle by shooting through its engine block, I'll wish I had the 45-70.

If I didn't own either, I'd buy the 30-30, but I'm biased because I love mine so much.

[mupepe]

I did decide to go with the Henry after I went and held both in person. The fit and finish difference was huge. I'm going with the brass octagonal 22" barrel Henry in 45-70. I chose the 45-70 since I for the most part this will be a collection, conversation and fun range gun. The 45-70 fit that bill more in my mind.

[puma guy]

I did decide to go with the Henry after I went and held both in person. The fit and finish difference was huge. I'm going with the brass octagonal 22" barrel Henry in 45-70. I chose the 45-70 since I for the most part this will be a collection, conversation and fun range gun. The 45-70 fit that bill more in my mind.

You know you're gonna have to post pictures and give us a range report!