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Posted: 11/1/2025 12:23:57 PM EDT
[Last Edit: triburst1][Edited]
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The lever action .30-30, most notably the Winchester 94 and Marlin 36/336, was the quintessential American everyman’s rifle for nearly a century. Simple, reliable and great for medium sized game and home and property defense. They were also affordable enough that it seemed that every gun owner had at least one. Even as recently as around a decade ago, it was common to see the basic 336Y on sale at Midway and Academy for around $400. Between corporate issues of both Winchester and Marlin and the popularity of the AR platform, the lever action fell out of favor with the general public. In the early to mid 2000s a used AR was three times the price of a late model used .30-30. In the last few years, there has been a huge resurgence of popularity of lever actions, but now the same used ones are $800-$1200 and new ones are $1200-$2000 guns with features that mimic the AR-15 with polymer furniture, scope rails, threaded barrels and Mlok slots. Now you can get very high quality ARs for much less than a basic .30-30.  This is wild to me. Affordable .30-30s as a basic, versatile rifle made lot of sense. Unless you’re in a state that bans semi autos, $1800 .30-30s as a slower, low capacity AR replacement…not so much. Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
“It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men”
- Samuel Adams
- Samuel Adams
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The only gun I've ever sold in my life was a model 94. I've regretted since. That being said I'm not paying $1000 for one or the "tactical" version either. I have a Remlin 336 I bought a couple years ago. 4 rounds down the tube when I bought it. I got the gun, scope, sling, and 2 boxes of ammo(one with 16 left in it) for $400 or $450. I shot one deer with it and put it in my safe. |
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I had a 90s era 94AE, sold it and bought a classic 94 top eject with no safety. If I was going to spend $1500+ on a .30-30, it would be a nice Winchester saddle ring carbine or trapper. |
“It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men”
- Samuel Adams
- Samuel Adams
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1921 Winchester model 94 in .32 Winchester special. Attached File |
America is at that awkward stage, it’s too late to work within the system, but too early to shoot the bastards....Claire Wolfe
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My 30-30 is a Model 94, 1953-4 ish date of manufacture. Have had it for almost 40 years. Blue steel and walnut as the shooting gods dictate. Only change I made was drilling one hole in the tang for a Marble's windage/elevation adjustable peep sight. Gun will never be sold, so it doesn't matter if I reduced the value of the rifle far as I'm concerned. With 150 grain spire points in the chamber and flat points in the magazine, I'm good to 200 yards. Leverevolution ammo gives me grab and go gun out to 225yds. 99% of what I'm likely to be shooting at will be in that envelope. Nothing beats hunting with classic guns in classic environments. I'll woodswalk for game all day long. Sadly, it's hard to find non-lease land in Texas to hunt on. Thankfully I have a few friends with acreage that I get invited to hunt on most years  |
One well at a time, Drill Baby Drill!
If you need more than 8 rounds in a 1911 to solve your problem, you need friends with rifles.
I don't need your PERMISSION in order to voice my OPINION
If you need more than 8 rounds in a 1911 to solve your problem, you need friends with rifles.
I don't need your PERMISSION in order to voice my OPINION
| I toyed around with a 45 colt case necked down to 308 win in a winchester 1892. It was performing very well but the brass forming was too much of a pain so I ended up shelving it. Its been a decade or so but IIRC I was pushing a 150 grain spire point to 2400fps. It was a beast of a round, the barrel was made by a local guy. |
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I went looking at pricing for new rifles. I looked at a local retailer and on Gunbroker. The prices below are retail prices, "Buy Now" and "Current Bid" pricing. Prices for Rossi lever rifles were around $600 - $800. Winchesters were around $1200. Prices for AR-15 semi autos were down around $800. Both types had variants that would raise those numbers substantially. I saw nothing selling at $400, not even used rifles. |
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Plenty of completed auctions under $500. Use advanced search. Attached File |
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Your observations are certainly all correct. I think the .30-.30 is to the AR what the 1911 is to the glock. When you are first getting into guns, the internet tells you logically, you need a G19 and an AR. This, I suppose, is correct. But the truth is, unless you nerd out about clones and/or optimization, the AR and the glock are rather boring and soulless for most people. Yes, the G17 is logically better than a 1911, I reckon. I'd still rather carry a 1911 in a leather holster, because it's nice, and pretty and things, and it's a part of my life everyday. Yes, the AR is logically a superior firearm to my nearly antique .30-.30. But if I'm going to go wander around the woods, I'm inclined to grab the levergun these days. It's just nice. Guns are their own journey. Considering the number of folks who bought their first AR between lets say, 2012 and 2022, surely a bunch of them are for lack of a better word, bored of them. |
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Originally Posted By ToughLuckFAST: Your observations are certainly all correct. I think the .30-.30 is to the AR what the 1911 is to the glock. When you are first getting into guns, the internet tells you logically, you need a G19 and an AR. This, I suppose, is correct. But the truth is, unless you nerd out about clones and/or optimization, the AR and the glock are rather boring and soulless for most people. Yes, the G17 is logically better than a 1911, I reckon. I'd still rather carry a 1911 in a leather holster, because it's nice, and pretty and things, and it's a part of my life everyday. Yes, the AR is logically a superior firearm to my nearly antique .30-.30. But if I'm going to go wander around the woods, I'm inclined to grab the levergun these days. It's just nice. Guns are their own journey. Considering the number of folks who bought their first AR between lets say, 2012 and 2022, surely a bunch of them are for lack of a better word, bored of them. If that’s the case, I guess these are the 2011s of the rifle world, trying to combine the user interface of the lever gun with the modern advantages of the AR. Attached File |
“It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men”
- Samuel Adams
- Samuel Adams
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Daddy picked up a 1911 year model Winchester 94 while hauling cows to Oklahoma in 1971 for $65. I don't know how many deer that rifle has killed but I know it killed a charging Brahma bull in the livestock yard in Wisteria, Ok. I bought my little brother a first year Marlin 336 that someone had foolishly drilled and tapped for a scope mount. Paid a minty $160 for it in 1996. When Daddy retired, he bought a newer production 336. He's passed away now, but the 94 was given to my son, and his 336 to me, which will go to my other son. I'd eventually like to find a 94 Trapper in 45 Colt. But I'm not needing one as bad as the sellers seem to think. |
| If Ruger wants to continue to build the lever action market for the future, they need to offer an intro level rifle to give youth ans new shooters an affordable option. Something like the old Winchester Ranger or the Marlin 336Y. The Spikehorn was a fine little 16” .30-30 with basic finish and I don’t see why they couldn’t produce one now for around $600. |
“It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men”
- Samuel Adams
- Samuel Adams
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Might see a price point levergun at some point https://www.facebook.com/Ruger/posts/were-proud-to-reintroduce-the-glenfield-firearms-brand-follow-glenfield-firearms/826937226379132/ |
We are living in a Tom Clancy novel
Over 50 and reputed to be a formidable brigand
https://hr1871.com/
Over 50 and reputed to be a formidable brigand
https://hr1871.com/
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Extremely satisfying lever 30-30 gunfight. 2x Marlins vs a band of energy vampires with pistols. Between this, Yellowstone, and my childhood Red Ryder, want a levergun.  Doctor Sleep - Killing the True Knot - Forest Shootout Scene (1080p) |
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I can see the point of the modern tactical black lever gun for certain applications But for me the old classics are it. Over the years I have owned a 94 in 30-30, a 94 trapper 45, Rossi 92 in 357 and a couple original early 1900’s Winchester model 92’s in 32-20 and 25-20 Ultimately one of the very few rifles that is on my bucket list is an original 1873, preferably in 38/40 or 44/40. The first centerfire lever gun, which Winchester produced right up to WWII . ( the books say they were discontinued earlier in the 30’s, but rifles built from warehouse parts clean up soldiered on for a few more years) compared to the 92, action is unrefined and clunky and for a pistol caliber gun they are heavy, but they are still square one. |
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As the owner of 10 semi-autos from .22 to 30-06, including 2 ARs as well as 8 leverguns from .22 to .308, I think another element not mentioned is the fact that the manual operation of the levergun vs just pulling the trigger gives the opportunity to be more engaged with the operation of the platform which I find adds to the enjoyment of the shooting experience. Further, in this age of much higher ammo costs, a levergun, especially a pistol caliber like the .357, .44 or .45 can be a cheaper option as it's easy to bust off 10 rds in a hurry with an AR but the manual action of the levergun slows the rate of fire down significantly. With target peep sights on most of my rifles, both semi-autos and my leverguns are capable of close to 1 MOA accuracy which is enough for me to use either platform type to hit bowling pins at 200 yds. At that range the pins are a 2 MOA target. While I enjoy my semi-autos, especially my M1 Carbine, Ruger PC .40 cal, and my M1A, I actually have realized that my leverguns are taken most often out 'woods walking' rather than any of my semi-autos as they give me a more simple, comfortable experience. |
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Just picked up my 1st levergun from a estate of a distant family member. 1952 Marlin 336RC .30-.30 in really nice condition. Only thing that sucks about the caliber is there doesn't seem to be any FMJ out there for people like me that want to actually plink with their 30/30. Everything is SP/expanding and outside of cheap for sure. Attached File |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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Originally Posted By Czechers: Just picked up my 1st levergun from a estate of a distant family member. 1952 Marlin 336RC .30-.30 in really nice condition. Only thing that sucks about the caliber is there doesn't seem to be any FMJ out there for people like me that want to actually plink with their 30/30. Everything is SP/expanding and outside of cheap for sure. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/300247/1000015602_jpg-3681265.JPG There’s a reason for that. Imagine the tips of FMJs resting against primers all through the mag tube under recoil… |
“It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men”
- Samuel Adams
- Samuel Adams
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Originally Posted By triburst1: There’s a reason for that. Imagine the tips of FMJs resting against primers all through the mag tube under recoil… Originally Posted By triburst1: Originally Posted By Czechers: Just picked up my 1st levergun from a estate of a distant family member. 1952 Marlin 336RC .30-.30 in really nice condition. Only thing that sucks about the caliber is there doesn't seem to be any FMJ out there for people like me that want to actually plink with their 30/30. Everything is SP/expanding and outside of cheap for sure. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/300247/1000015602_jpg-3681265.JPG There’s a reason for that. Imagine the tips of FMJs resting against primers all through the mag tube under recoil… If they're flat enough does it matter? Lots of people use 38/357 FMJ in leverguns and I've never seen any reports if issues or warnings against FMJ. |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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Well, an entry level AR-15 is $400 and you can get a PSA dagger for $300. It's no surprise that the once low priced and common lever gun has fallen out of favor, same with AK-47 rifles. I would like to pick up one of the new Merlin trapped guns, but $1,200 is hard to justify. |
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Originally Posted By triburst1: If Ruger wants to continue to build the lever action market for the future, they need to offer an intro level rifle to give youth ans new shooters an affordable option. Something like the old Winchester Ranger or the Marlin 336Y. The Spikehorn was a fine little 16” .30-30 with basic finish and I don’t see why they couldn’t produce one now for around $600. I’ll say it again….I wish I bought a 336 Y back in the day. Handy size! The only thing I don’t like is the choice of birch furniture. Marlin walnut was always good looking. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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Originally Posted By Czechers: If they're flat enough does it matter? Lots of people use 38/357 FMJ in leverguns and I've never seen any reports if issues or warnings against FMJ. Here's a .38/.357 FMJ projectile: Attached File And here's a .308 FMJ projectile: Attached File Guess why you wouldn't want the latter pressed against a primer in a magazine tube under recoil..... 
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Originally Posted By Tamarit_167: Here's a .38/.357 FMJ projectile: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/610845/PrecisionDelta_38_Cal_158gr_FMJ__54503_j-3686201.JPG And here's a .308 FMJ projectile: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/610845/12611_jpg-3686204.JPG Guess why you wouldn't want the latter pressed against a primer in a magazine tube under recoil..... I'm not dense. I am asking why isn't there blunt nose FMJ 30-30 out there. |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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Originally Posted By Czechers: I'm not dense. I am asking why isn't there blunt nose FMJ 30-30 out there. Originally Posted By Czechers: Originally Posted By Tamarit_167: Here's a .38/.357 FMJ projectile: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/610845/PrecisionDelta_38_Cal_158gr_FMJ__54503_j-3686201.JPG And here's a .308 FMJ projectile: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/610845/12611_jpg-3686204.JPG Guess why you wouldn't want the latter pressed against a primer in a magazine tube under recoil..... I'm not dense. I am asking why isn't there blunt nose FMJ 30-30 out there. It’s one of two reasons. Either not enough people out there in the past 100+ years have any reason to want a flat nose FMJ .30-30 or there is a big demand for it but ammunition companies hate money. |
“It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men”
- Samuel Adams
- Samuel Adams
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Originally Posted By triburst1: It’s one of two reasons. Either not enough people out there in the past 100+ years have any reason to want a flat nose FMJ .30-30 or there is a big demand for it but ammunition companies hate money. Originally Posted By triburst1: Originally Posted By Czechers: Originally Posted By Tamarit_167: Here's a .38/.357 FMJ projectile: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/610845/PrecisionDelta_38_Cal_158gr_FMJ__54503_j-3686201.JPG And here's a .308 FMJ projectile: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/610845/12611_jpg-3686204.JPG Guess why you wouldn't want the latter pressed against a primer in a magazine tube under recoil..... I'm not dense. I am asking why isn't there blunt nose FMJ 30-30 out there. It’s one of two reasons. Either not enough people out there in the past 100+ years have any reason to want a flat nose FMJ .30-30 or there is a big demand for it but ammunition companies hate money. Couple of options: 1. Buy flat nose jacketed rounds with exposed lead points 2. Cast your own 3. Buy cast/coated bullets online and load them to moderate plinking velocities. My belief is there wouldn't be enough savings per round to make buying it worthwhile for enough people to sustain that product/SKU. I don't see many people plinking with .30WCF. |
Malcolm X was right about liberals.
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Originally Posted By Czechers: Just picked up my 1st levergun from a estate of a distant family member. 1952 Marlin 336RC .30-.30 in really nice condition. Only thing that sucks about the caliber is there doesn't seem to be any FMJ out there for people like me that want to actually plink with their 30/30. Everything is SP/expanding and outside of cheap for sure. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/300247/1000015602_jpg-3681265.JPG That’s why I went .357. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By Czechers: I'm not dense. I am asking why isn't there blunt nose FMJ 30-30 out there. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/101818140?pid=289338 These work pretty good. |
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Originally Posted By m6z: Well, an entry level AR-15 is $400 and you can get a PSA dagger for $300. It's no surprise that the once low priced and common lever gun has fallen out of favor, same with AK-47 rifles. I would like to pick up one of the new Merlin trapped guns, but $1,200 is hard to justify. A Marlin 357/38 with a suppressor and 38spl is the most fun I've ever had with a gun. It's completely hearing safe. You hear a whoof and the ring of the steel. With 357 it's still super quiet, but maybe not hearing safe. Everybody that shoots it loves it. |
I love a good double entendre.
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I grew up on the high plains out west and absolutely despised the .30-30 and lever actions in general just on principle as they are just not great long range tools. But then I moved and was now hunting in heavily wooded mountains, often with lots of jack pine and brush. Hills were steep, ranges were short and shots were often fast. I walked into a pawn shop and they had two pre-64 Model 94 carbines in the rack and I bought one in excellent condition (for $275, in 1991). I put a recently re-introduced Lyman No 2 tang sight on it, loaded up some Hornady 150 gr RNSPs and after very little load development discovered it would shoot 5 shot 1.25 MOA groups at 100 yards. For shots out to 150-200 yards, that was more than enough accuracy. I found it to be light, well balanced, fast handling and extremely well suited to the terrain I was now hunting in. I was an immediate convert. I've owned 5 of the pre-64 carbines over the years and found that all of them will consistently shoot 1.5 MOA 5 shot groups using factory Winchester 150 gr RN ammunition, when equipped with tang or receiver sights.  I still own four of them and most now sport vintage Marbles or Lyman tang sights as the older sights are much better quality than the new versions.  I acquired a 1926 Model 94 26" Sporting rifle several years ago and started using it to take advantage of its superb balance for off hand shooting as well as the ballistic efficiency of it's 26" barrel. The 2390 to 2400 fps velocity you see on factory 150 gr ammo boxes is the 26" velocity and 20" velocity is down around 2260 fps.  The Lyman 1A sight on it with it's flip out small and large aperture is near perfect and clearly shows folks back then had it figured out for a practical tang sight for field use under differing light conditions as well as for shots on moving game.  I found a Post 1963 Model 94 classic and discovered it was a solid 2 MOA rifle, despite its post 63 lineage and installed a receiver sight on iit when I discovered it shot well. It's the replacement for the 1926 Sporting rifle that I am sometimes not comfortable carrying in the field.   I had also added a Big Bore 94 in .375 Win to add a little more short range punch or to extend the effective range about 50 yards. However, .375 Win became very scare when Winchester moved to a 7 year production cycle for it, before discontinuing it completely. Unfortunately so did suitable .375" bullets. Cast bullets are far less than ideal in the .375 Win, given its long throat generous throat diameter and fast 1:12 rifling. That resulted in my acquiring a Legendary Frontiersman in .38-55. As commemoratives go, its not overly flashy and they are well made and are also solid 2 MOA rifles. And a the time they were by far the cheapest .38-55 option.   The .38-55 is very cast bullet friendly and 1.5 to 2 MOA accurate at black powder (255 gr at 1200-1300 fps) velocities or with gas check cast bullets at traditional smokeless velocities (1700 fps). Buffalo Bore .38-55 heavy bullets achieve 1950 fps with a 255 gr jacketed bullet, only 50 fps behind the .375 Win. .38-55 has become my preferred round and Ihave acquired a 26" Uberti Model 94 as well as a Miroku made 20" model 94 take down.  I tried the new production Marbles tang sight made to work with the tang safety on the Miroku made WInchester and it sucked. It now has a receiver sight.  ----- The common feature of these rifles and carbines, and to the OPs point, is that they are still in a more or less original configuration with tang or receiver sights. No extra weight or bulk of a scope to increase the weight, degrade the weight and balance and slow them down, and no pic rails or other tactical garbage to snag on brush, add weight and bulk etc. In that regard I just don't see the current tactical fad beyond anything other than a marketing ploy as its nothing of value to what is already a very practical design. |
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Inherited my dad's 336. He wasn't the sentimental type, and nor am I. It was fun, but I sold it to free up cash for more FAL kits about twenty years back. No regrets. Lever guns are fun. If I ever get another, it'll be .45-70. |
"What is socialism? The most difficult and tortuous way to progress from capitalism to capitalism." -Stated at an intel conference, East Berlin, Oct. 1988
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"Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." -H.L. Mencken
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Originally Posted By Crash1433: The only gun I've ever sold in my life was a model 94. I've regretted since. That being said I'm not paying $1000 for one or the "tactical" version either. I have a Remlin 336 I bought a couple years ago. 4 rounds down the tube when I bought it. I got the gun, scope, sling, and 2 boxes of ammo(one with 16 left in it) for $400 or $450. I shot one deer with it and put it in my safe.  and later regretted it. Thankfully, it was to a friend, and about 6 years later, he asked if I wanted to buy it back, and I did. Shot a nice doe with it last year.
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Originally Posted By CplRick:
The line of credit on the Race Card is maxed out, sorry.
Originally Posted By refurb:
Your life isn't actually longer if you don't drink. It just feels like it is.
The line of credit on the Race Card is maxed out, sorry.
Originally Posted By refurb:
Your life isn't actually longer if you don't drink. It just feels like it is.
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I had a 94 top eject with a peep sight in 30-30. Friend sold it to me for $300, I sold it back for the same. We agreed that gun never leaves our family, he and I are the only owners. That being said, I've been wanting to pick up something I can suppress in a .357 lever gun, because reasons. |
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Originally Posted By ProfessorFalken: I think "tactical" lever actions are gross. They're anachronistic, which some of us like. 1911s with rails, WMLs, 18 round mags, and red dots are not everyone's cup of tea, but it's adding modern capabilities to an obsolescent platform. |
I sell firearms produced by the finest child labor in the world, be it Filipino, Muslim, Mormon, Arizonan, or Texan.
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Originally Posted By UnluckyDiablo: I had a 94 top eject with a peep sight in 30-30. Friend sold it to me for $300, I sold it back for the same. We agreed that gun never leaves our family, he and I are the only owners. That being said, I've been wanting to pick up something I can suppress in a .357 lever gun, because reasons. I wonder how heavy you could go with .360BH, kind of a .357 Ultra Maximum 🤔 Originally Posted By backbencher: Originally Posted By ProfessorFalken: I think "tactical" lever actions are gross. They're anachronistic, which some of us like. 1911s with rails, WMLs, 18 round mags, and red dots are not everyone's cup of tea, but it's adding modern capabilities to an obsolescent platform. Some of the ones I see online are just ridiculous, like AR scope mounts in particular, but I like milder examples. I have a RPP handguard on my Henry .44 X, the stock fore end was fine but I wanted to add a side mounted sling and light and it also feels a lot better in hand. I'm not planning on anything else save a low mounted, low powered scope and some kind of ammo storage on the stock. Practical tactical setup. |
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Originally Posted By brachiosaur: I wonder how heavy you could go with .360BH, kind of a .357 Ultra Maximum 🤔 Some of the ones I see online are just ridiculous, like AR scope mounts in particular, but I like milder examples. I have a RPP handguard on my Henry .44 X, the stock fore end was fine but I wanted to add a side mounted sling and light and it also feels a lot better in hand. I'm not planning on anything else save a low mounted, low powered scope and some kind of ammo storage on the stock. Practical tactical setup. Originally Posted By brachiosaur: Originally Posted By UnluckyDiablo: I had a 94 top eject with a peep sight in 30-30. Friend sold it to me for $300, I sold it back for the same. We agreed that gun never leaves our family, he and I are the only owners. That being said, I've been wanting to pick up something I can suppress in a .357 lever gun, because reasons. I wonder how heavy you could go with .360BH, kind of a .357 Ultra Maximum 🤔 Originally Posted By backbencher: Originally Posted By ProfessorFalken: I think "tactical" lever actions are gross. They're anachronistic, which some of us like. 1911s with rails, WMLs, 18 round mags, and red dots are not everyone's cup of tea, but it's adding modern capabilities to an obsolescent platform. Some of the ones I see online are just ridiculous, like AR scope mounts in particular, but I like milder examples. I have a RPP handguard on my Henry .44 X, the stock fore end was fine but I wanted to add a side mounted sling and light and it also feels a lot better in hand. I'm not planning on anything else save a low mounted, low powered scope and some kind of ammo storage on the stock. Practical tactical setup. Member when See Through scope mounts were all the rage? |
I sell firearms produced by the finest child labor in the world, be it Filipino, Muslim, Mormon, Arizonan, or Texan.
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Originally Posted By Czechers: I'm not dense. I am asking why isn't there blunt nose FMJ 30-30 out there. Because 30-30 has always been a hunting cartridge, so the bullet companies make hunting bullets for it. If you want to go plinking with a 30-30, the traditional bullet was a cast bullet, usually cast at home. Today you can buy a powder coated semi-wadcutter design cast bullet from lots of companies if you want to load up some plinking ammo. |
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I see sort of what the OP is talking about but there are many things driving the prices and types of rifles . The lever gun and the AR were never in direct competition. The lever was built with a fair amount of hands on work to fit and finish many parts both metal and wood . As human skilled labor got more expensive the lever gun got more expensive. The AR is designed to be assembled with interchangeable parts by mostly assembly line workers. Price went up and down over the years with much of the price driven by demand and competition . I am very pleased that most of my buying years for lever guns were when everyone had a uncle George with a lever gun or two leaning in the back of a closet. As uncle George retired to Florida somebody yanked the old Marlin or Winchester out of its hiding place and used it to pop Bambi or was traded for some newer gun. The availability kept the prices fairly low. I own lever guns from 22lr to 45/70 with quite a few different rifle and pistol calibers . All were bought used and most all were $250-$400 . Don't need any of them but I like them. The whole firearm industry has a grand history of boom and bust driven by the economy and big wars. I live smack in the middle of central Connecticut and I am within 50 miles of 95% of all the grand old firearm names , most of which have been run into the ground one way or another . Yeah, it is kind of crazy that if I want a brand new Marlin with walnut and blued steel I pretty much have to pay Ruger $1400 to build me one |
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Originally Posted By triburst1: If Ruger wants to continue to build the lever action market for the future, they need to offer an intro level rifle to give youth ans new shooters an affordable option. Something like the old Winchester Ranger or the Marlin 336Y. The Spikehorn was a fine little 16” .30-30 with basic finish and I don’t see why they couldn’t produce one now for around $600. Ruger is selling every one they make for $1,000+. I really don’t see them producing a bare bones model in the future. How much could they realistically shave off the MSRP with birch stocks and poor bluing? IDK, I think those days are gone. |
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My Model 94 30-30 is my camping gun, since it goes across state lines easily, especially going to Kaliforniastan. Its a great shooter, has plenty of horses behind the bullet, and isn't "scary". Just like anything, older guns become popular again. |
A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both. - Dwight D. Eisenhower
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