Lever Action Rifle Preference

[jim-d]

I am looking for opinions. I have the chance to buy one of two rifles, neither of which I am very familiar with. A Marlin 336 in 30-30, excellent condition, shiny bore with strong rifling. The other is a Savage 99 in .300 Savage, also excellent condition, shiny bore with strong rifling. The Marlin was made in 1953, the Savage in 1951.
Condition almost identical...which is the more desirable ?
Thank you

[leftyo]

if you like pointy bullets the 99 is your winner, otherwise id go with what you find better looking.

[Oyaji]

My vote would be for the Savage however, they are both great rifles. The Marlin 336 is much more common whereas the Savage 99 is not and probably has more value.

[Griff Murphey]

I personally like the cut of the old Savage. Obsolete caliber but what the heck. I do know the newer Marlins are quite surprisingly accurate with scopes partly because they supposedly have these "micro groove" barrels. One of that era will likely not be drilled and tapped unless done post manufacture. Cannot speak for the collectibility of either one but just on esthetics I'd go for the Savage. Can't help but think Of old Teddy Roosevelt in his buckskins posing with one in that famous photo.

Speaking of old TR there is my FAVORITE lever gun: the 1895 Winchester,

[RED]

I hate the older lever action Winchesters and Marlins. Accidents with the vintage actions are common. The requirement to jack a round into the chamber then lower the hammer seems to be a simple act but has cost numerous people their lives.

Ever heard of Drury Inns, the hotel people? Little Jimmy Drury and my son were great friends. We lived only a half block away. Jimmy's dad came home from a deer hunt one fall, removed the round in the chamber of the Marlin and put it back in the tube magazine and stood the rifle in a corner. 11 year old Jimmy saw the rifle and jacked the action and when no round was ejected, assumed the gun was empty. He tried to lower the hammer but his finger slipped and the gun went bang. The bullet went through the sheet rock wall and blew his 9 year old sisters head off.

I was at the Cape County Gun Club range one day when the President of the club showed up with his sons 12 - 15 years old. They each had Winchester 94's. One of the kids loaded his rifle and suddenly there was a "boom," about 3 feet from my ear. Yep his thumb slipped...

Why anybody would introduce these guns to children and ladies is a mystery to me. There is a reason the newer ones have a real safety on them...

[clintonhater]

I hate the older lever action Winchesters and Marlins. Accidents with the vintage actions are common. The requirement to jack a round into the chamber then lower the hammer seems to be a simple act but has cost numerous people their lives...

Oh, brother, you'd LOVE the "gun-room" scene in "Home From the Hill"! (Great movie but not as great as the novel itself.) Robert Mitchum instructs his panty-waist son in gun-handling, using a Model 94.

11 yr olds probably shouldn't be handling a '94, but hammers don't "slip"--careless or incompetent shooters LET them slip. The most common boy's rifles used to be single-shots with exposed hammers, like Stevens Favorites, and they were always regarded as safer for kids than any other design.

[Dolt]

Oh, brother, you'd LOVE the "gun-room" scene in "Home From the Hill"! (Great movie but not as great as the novel itself.) Robert Mitchum instructs his panty-waist son in gun-handling, using a Model 94.

11 yr olds probably shouldn't be handling a '94, but hammers don't "slip"--careless or incompetent shooters LET them slip. The most common boy's rifles used to be single-shots with exposed hammers, like Stevens Favorites, and they were always regarded as safer for kids than any other design.

The best firearms "safety" can be found between the ears. If it is not there, no mechanical safety can take its place.

[S.A. Boggs]

The best firearms "safety" can be found between the ears. If it is not there, no mechanical safety can take its place.

You said it all, glad that someone did. Anything mechanical /electrical will fail per Murphy's Law.
Sam

[mike9905]

The Savage is the better rifle, but how is your source for .300 Savage ammo?

[jon_norstog]

I'd go with the Savage. the .300 Savage is ballistically equivalent to the 30-40 and is way stronger than the 30-30. It's an elk gun, which the Marlin is probably not.

jn