Parker

Those Model 71’s are sharp. They’re not cheap anymore either.

My two scoped Marlin’s: 1981 .444S and 1969 336 chambered in .35 Remington.

I love mine. Unique chambering and very accurate. Not the Belgium BLR but the first of the Miroku’s, BLR-81 w/steel receiver. I’ve had it since the early 80’s.

Wanted a big bore lever action so I bought the .444 Marlin in 1982 as my first lever action. I thought a cartridge in the Marlin name would be cool. I was never disappointed. Great round but becoming hard to find and no longer cheap. With hand loaded 265 gr. FP’s @ 2300 fps it will group 1 1/2” for five shots at 100 yards from a benchrest. I’ve added early Marlin’s over the years in .30-30, .35 Rem., a Browning BLR in .257 Roberts, Dad’s Win. 94 in .32 Win. Spcl., and Savage 99’s in .300 Savage.

Try: H4895 IMR4064 Varget Favorite light-recoiling load in my M1A is the Speer 125 gr. TNT over 41.5 grs. of IMR 4064. Produced for me a 5-shot group of .925" @ 100 yds. off a sandbagged benchrest. Only powders I keep around for the bottleneck cartridges I reload for are 4895, 4064, 4831, 4350., Varget, 3031.

Maybe, only you'll find fewer cast, stamped or MIM parts in the older JM Marlin's like you will in a modern Henry.

Some Marlin lumber is utilitarian. Some earlier ones aren't bad.

We stray further and further from God.......... RPP does makes some interesting stuff though. Those adj. aluminum buttstocks from Chisel Machining are pricey. Certainly makes for an all-weather piece though.

If you hit the "dog training areas" in the WMA's that stock, that's where you'll find the birds this month. Black River also has a retriever training area. I preferred Whittingham despite the long drive. Good cover, diversified, and always found game. I always found woodcock in both areas as well if your dog has a nose for them. https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/njfw/black_river_dog_training.pdf https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/njfw/whittingham_dog_training.pdf If I hunted either cover, I'd get there at 11AM once Opening Day started.

I hope you're taking advantage now of the WMA's that are stocking chukar's in the designated training areas? Might give you a leg up before Opening Day and the assault of the Orange Army. https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/news/2020/dogtrain20.htm Tip: If your dog is young, and you take him out on Opening Day, go later, after the crowds have dispersed. It will be a calmer for both you and the dog to work him. Black River, Whittingham, Pequest and Clinton are all within reasonable distance of you in Morris County.

Those prices disappeared a very long time ago with the advent of the internet and being able to reach a much larger audience than one from foot traffic.

I included a couple in the picture I posted here the other day.

It was buckshot-only into the early 70's before they allowed slugs for big game. Then they included muzzleloaders. Took them decades to become progressive.

Your grandfather was ahead of his time. He optimized a good gun to make it better.

I was notified weeks ago of some .224 Sierra bullets I had on backorder for three years. Still waiting on my .257 bullets. I'm ordering some Hammer bullets in their sampler packs in various calibers. Because they are solid copper and turned on a lathe, I'm treading on unknown ground now, and starting over.

The Winchester purist/collector would be revolted by a drilled & tapped 1927 M94 with a side mount. It's still a nice, solid gun.

Loaded factory rounds I have. Components like bullets are as scarce as hen's teeth. .35 Remington ammo comes up every couple of years or so and Federal or Remington make a batch. Only now it will be twice the price of the $33/box I paid the last time. Remington hasn't offered components like bullets for years now. Nothing is ever in stock. https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/brand/remington-reloading/ Think that .35 cal. bullet is hard to find, try finding .321" diameter bullets for the .32 Win. Spcl.!!

Thanks. Would sure be nice to find some .35 cal. bullets to reload for one of them.

Bought my first lever action in the early 80's. Have added to my collection over the years. Have stepped up things in the last ten years as lever actions have escalated in price and popularity and searching for other makes that are out of production and have become scarce. Mine vary in age from 1939 to 1984. Only one was purchased new.

null Many of the LGS's upstate NY are still like this today. This shop is several miles from my house, used guns on the floor can be fondled. The good stuff on the wall you have to ask for. Handguns of course can't be touched by a NJ resident. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/a-and-j-arms-bardonia

You are correct sir. Only made a couple trips there because of the distance. The only place around I could walk into a store and find custom 1911 parts from Wilson or Pachmayr.

Meltzer's, Edelman's, The Sportsman's Den, Navy Arms; all the good shops are gone.

I may have exaggerated with 9 lbs. But some triggers since lawyers got involved feel like you're pulling a mule up a ladder.

The .30-30 lever action as it comes from the factory (I.E. Henry, Winchester, Marlin) suffers from two maladies: open iron sights and a heavy, sometimes long trigger pull. In the hands of a novice shooter, this is a 100-yard gun. Outfit the rifle with a scope or modern peep sight, and you can extend the range. Tune the factory trigger from 9 lbs to 4 lbs. and it becomes a better shooter. Factory .30-30 150 gr. ammo carries an energy rating in excess of 1,000 ft. - lbs. out to 150 yds. Modern 160 gr. Hornady FTX ammo has a factory energy rating of 1,300 ft.- lbs. at 200 yds. In the hands of a seasoned shooter, that's plenty of oomph for deer sized game.

In the right hands, and where legal, the .223 woodchuck round is capable for taking big game. I'm sure in Southwestern states where critters are diminutive in size the .223 serves them well. Better cartridge choices like 7.62x39, 6.5 Grendel, .308, .243 in an MSR platform might be better. My cousin in MD was excited because he can now add another AR to his growing collection, as he's building a .350 Legend for deer hunting since MD legalized straight-wall hunting cartridges. I've been to many "deer camps" in my day over the last five decades and have yet to see anyone using an AR-style rifle for deer/bear here in the Northeast. I've seen Browning BAR's & BLR's, M700's, M70's, M760s' & M742;s, 336's, M94's, Ruger .44's, Savage 99's; but oddly not one AR15. Could be I'm hanging out with the wrong crowd.