get a lever action in 44 mag or 357 would be better.

For a post-hurricane or similar situation which is my most likely SHTF scenario I would have no problem with my 336. While it may overheat with suppressive fire, why am I really laying down suppressive fire? For the true use of the rifle I think it can very well be used, yes an AR does the same job as well as others better, it is not one to count out.

Plus it's as American as you get and can take deer and plenty of other game.

I subscribe to this philosophy. A levergun is an excellent choice for any survival situation, because frankly, if you aren't a trained combatant, you probably have no business getting into firefights with strangers. Look at it this way: If you are not a pro, you probably will succumb to a single bullet, and that's all it takes. Better to escape and evade, and avoid conflict, stay at home, hunker down, and ride it out.

So many variables is everyone's survival plan, but the single thing that we all talk about the most is our weapons, but we rarely talk about NOT using them as a choice. Therefore, a lever action rifle is a decent choice because you really should be avoiding any sort of shooting at other people if you want to stay alive yourself. Remove yourself from the danger, and the danger will be less-likely to land on your lap.

It is good enough for Sheriff Longmire.  

I have killed a LOT of deer with a 30-30, so yes I think it would be a decent survival and defense weapon.

By defense I mean holding off a couple bad guys who are either surprised that your armed or have no firearms. Trying to hold off any group of armed people by yourself is a pipe dream at best.

I have decided that if S really did hit the fan and I had to flee on foot I am taking a 22lr with a couple thousands rounds of ammo and my Glock 17 with a handful of magazines.

OK, here's my two cents,


FIRST CENT:
No, in that I would not recommend selecting a .30-30 for home and community defense, as in, a .30-30 wouldn't be in the list of the top 5 or 10 firearms (or firearm types) I would recommend you consider purchasing solely for that purpose.  Additionally, if you own any of the alternatives that would be on my recommended list, neither would I recommend the .30-30 as the first choice go to gun for that purpose.  There are many better choices.  Frankly, I'd even recommend a .357 lever gun over a .30-30 for nearly all home and community defense proposes, depending just how rural your situation is.

SECOND CENT:
Yes, in that if you already own a .30-30 (preferably with iron sights or some sight/optic setup sufficiently suitable for quick, close-in work) , or are already going to buy one for other purposes and don't want to shell out additional cash for another gun, a .30-30 would be a decently acceptable home and community defense firearm, absolutely.

I have read a lot of Mel Tappan also.  A big piece of his theory is also about the location of your survival and the community of your survival.  In his book "Tappan on Survival" , he is quite impressed with the Marlin 1984CS 357 lever rifle.

I have owned ARs, AKs, Bolts, etc...I always come back to my 357 lever as I shoot is much better!  I do not think it is a matter of training or equipment - I think it comes down to fit of the firearm and my "enjoyment" in shooting it well.  I am not law enforcement nor military.  I have played at being Walter Mitty - I guess I'll keep what I shoot well.

The major problem with a lever action for general military issue was the difficulty in assuming a low prone position and cycling the action.   Around 1870-1900 that was considered to be a much more important attribute than it is now. Currently, you're no worse off with a lever gun than you are with an AR-15 and a 30 round magazine in terms of height in a low prone position.

Another major problem was that generals of that era were also very concerned with logistics and the potential problems that would result from fielding a service rifle with a high rate of fire.  They opposed moving away from a single shot until forced by works events, then they had to be pushed by negative combat experience to adopt a rifle capable of being reloaded with stripper clips.  As late as the mid 1930's there was still significant opposition to adopting the M1 Garand due to the feeling that high rates of fire would supplant good marksmanship.

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Some lever guns are simpler than others, bit on average, and contrary to popular belief, lever actions are not all that complex.  Some, like the Winchester Model 1886, 1892, 1894, and 1895 as well as the Marlin 1894 all have well over a century of history of being used in very demanding conditions with minimal maintenance and still functioning just fine.  In fact, you can argue that the simple mechanical design is more reliable than a gas operated semi-auto rifle.

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Tappan was a big fan of  semi-auto rifles in .30-06, .308 and .223, with a preference for the .308 given it's greater range.  My impression from Tappan's little essay was that he was a big flat state out west kind of guy, and when I lived there I agreed with him.  I agree less here in NC.   One of his prime considerations however was ammo availability and the popularity of the caliber, which would make ammo a strong trade item.   In that regard, .30-30 Win will score just a highly as .30-06, .308 and .223.  There are about 7 million Model 94s out there, and most of them have been chambered in .30-30.  There are also about 6 million Marlin 36 and 336 rifles and carbines out there and again most of them were chambered in .30-30.   It's a popular round that can be found on the shelf of pretty much every walmart and sporting goods store in the US.  

As I recall Tappan himself made a distinction between home defense where simple and easy to operate was preferable to having the "ideal" assault rifle that your wife and kids may not bother to become proficient with.  In that regard, a lever gun scores very highly, even by Tappan's yardstick.  

At his "retreat", Tappan wanted a full on assault rifle with good sustained fire capability to hold off the hordes of people looking to steal your supplies.  A lever gun still scores well there, although reloads are a bit slower.   I that regard, i prefer a lever gun with a loading gate to one  loaded through the tube itself, as it's much easier to reload or top off a gate loaded lever gun while on the move, or from a low prime position.

Tappan also valued telescopic sights, with a good set of iron sights to back it up.  A lever gun is not so hot with a telescope as it really destroys the handling, but then again with the .30-30 the effective range is on the order of 230-250 yards - about the range Tappan rated the .223 as being good for - and a scope is not needed over those distances.  In that regard, a lever gun with a tang sight will deliver very effective fire our to 230-250 yards with no worries about knocking them off zero.

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Lever actions also served well as patrol rifles in may rural police departments, particularly out west, and they still have a lot going for them in terms of extending an officer;s effective range, offering reasonable accuracy and a good rate of fire, as well as being compact and easy to carry in carbine form.  Don't forget .30-30 will cut right through Level IIIA body armor, or that a carbine in .44 mag or .357 still offers all the terminal ballistics of those rounds, plus the advantage of a few hundred feet peer second more velocity.  

 

While far from a top choice, I would not hesitate to grab one if danger presented itself.

A 30-30 lever gun would beat the hell out of a rock or a sharp stick if that's all you had to rely on.  A local guy that teaches concealed carry courses and owns a gun shop tells a story about taking a carbine course and some guy bringing a Winchester 94 in 30-30 to run the course just to prove he could.  He said the guy had made his own speed loader tubes and did pretty good in the course.  I would like to see it done just for fun.  Have you looked into 357, 44, or 45 lever actions?  A little less range but you could carry more ammo easily if the need occurred and still have decent power.

Your goddamn right it is ...........................................  

I own a Winchester Rangef 1894 in .30-30 much like the one pictured here. The main difference between the two is that mine has no tang safety or cross bolt safety. Just the rebounding hammer.
























 
 

 

I grew up shooting lever action rifles. I've killed a lot of deer and other game with both a Marlin 336 and win 94 in 30-30.

For home defense, it's not the best tool for the job but it's definitely serviceable.  More than one member of my family keeps such a rifle handy for just such an occasion.

If you want one that bad, just do it. You won't regret it.

ETA- I responded to this thread ages ago... Lol at least my answers are consistent.

A person could do a lot worse than having a 30-30 or 357 lever action for their go to first line defense rifle for home or travel. One big advantage is that it is viewed by many as an all American choice not viewed as an EBR. It has been doing the job all over this country for over 150 years. The OP question is for modern day defense and survival it doesn't have to be able to take the place of the squad automatic weapon.

It will do the job....unless you are up against a person of equal talent with an AR15.