Minnesota North Outdoors

   While doing a little research for this blog I came across an old magazine advertisement for the Marlin 336 that had the following statement on the page: "This one puts meat in the freezer."
    Talk about truth in advertising!

     For my money, the Marlin 336c .30-30, which has been in production since the late 1940's, is arguably one of the best guns for hunting deer ever made.
     In fact, I'd argue it is THE best deer gun for hunting in northern Minnesota: Great caliber, compact (20-inch barrel), light (averaging 7.5 to 8 pounds with a scope) and tough as nails.
    But that's just me.
    Others poo-poo even the thought of owning such a basic lever-action rifle for killing deer.
    Believe it or not there are those that would argue the .30-30 doesn't have the knock-down power (whatever that is) of the big caliber cannons and that because it's not a semi-auto with a clip full of shells that can be fired as fast as the trigger is pulled, it is somehow not worthy of a place in the field come November.
    Let's be honest, it all comes down to bullet placement. A .22 will kill a deer if your shot is true.
    If you're a good hunter with a semi-sharp eye you should have no problem bagging trophy bucks with one shot from a Marlin 336.
    And when it comes to caliber, a well placed shot from a .30-30 will do the job every time at just about any reasonable distance - especially in the up to 200-yard range you often find in the woods and brush in northern Minnesota.
    I know people who have hit and killed deer at nearly 300 yards with a .30-30 so I know that that is possible at well.
    I wouldn't recommend trying that on a regular basis, though. If I was going to hunt big open fields and clear cuts knowing many of my shots would be at that distance I would look at other calibers.
    But for around here, where the deer hunting land scape is dominated by trees, brush and 100-yard shooting lanes int the deep woods, it's pretty tough to find a better hunting partner.
    I'll admit I'm a little biased when it comes to this subject. I've been deer hunting for nearly 25-years and during that time I've only hunted one season without a Marlin .30-30 in my hand.
    One year, just weeks before the firearms opener in November, I decided I need to buy a Savage bolt action .30-06 and take that into the woods. That experiment ended poorly and with a trip back to the store to buy the gun I use now - the stainless steel version of the Marlin 336.
    Since that time I've killed some of the biggest and best deer of my short hunting career. I know it's not just the gun or caliber but a .30-30 just works for the way I hunt. On average, each shot has been around 100 to 125 yards and each deer has been found within 100 yards of where it was when I shot.
    In northern Minnesota that's typically what hunters are dealing with.
    While the .30-06's or .270's of the world have their place and they are both great deer cartridges, arguing that a .30-30 can't reliably do the job is just crazy talk.
    It's a tough cartridge that's more than capable of downing a deer of any size. While you might not blow a giant hole in the animal and drop it where it stands - unless of course you hit it in the neck or back - you're going to get your buck.
    That I can guarantee!

   

The basic specifications of the 336C: Approximate weight 7 pounds; 20-inch Micro-Groove barrel with full length magazine tube; 6+1 cartridge capacity; overall length 38.5"; hammer block safety; adjustable folding semi-buckhorn rear sight and hooded ramp front sight with brass bead; tapped for receiver sight and scope mount; detachable sling swivel studs; comes with an ambidextrous off-set hammer spur for scope use.