30-30 Puzzlement

[24thMICH]

Am I nuts or is this something some of you guys have experienced also?

I'm used to shooting my 30-30 Winchester '94 (made in '52) and thinking nothing of it.
The 30-30 has always seemed like a reasonably mild cartridge.

Then I inherit a Western Field 30-30 from my deceased father-in-law that's essentially
a Marlin 336 which had been made for Monkey Wards.

I shoot the Western Field and all of a sudden, my shoulder is taking a beating. I put a
Limbsaver on it, and it doesn't seem to quiet down the recoil much if at all.

Fer cryin' out loud, I find myself starting to flinch!! :-0 From a 30-30!!! :-0

The durn thing hits harder than my Marlin .308, something between the .308 and
the 30-06 Tikka I used to own.

My boss tried it and basically agreed with me (and he shoots a 30-06 most of the time).

Am I crazy?? Or is there something going on here???

[JReed]

I would say it has to do with the difference in the shape of the stock. Does the Western Field have the pistol grip?

[Blaine]

My pistol grip 336 does not seem to recoil so that it bothers me much. I shoot 170 GreenBox. It does kick, and going thru a couple boxes will leave you a hair sore, but........

[Griff]

Stock shape has a LOT to do with felt recoil. As does weight of the gun. Compare the two from these two viewpoints and you may find your answer.

[1894cfan]

Gotta agree about the shape of stocks; I've got a '41 Win. 94 with a steel buttplate that I've been putting quite a few Win 150gr factory rounds through that really hasn't been bothering me all that much.

[Hankster]

Weight of the gun has an impact on recoil... but another is the "drop" of the stock. An M-16 has an almost straight back stock, and recoil is minimal. You get a gun with a stock that "drops" alot, and you'll get a cheek banger, AND a shoulder thumper! Don't have the Marlin here to measure, but judging by Photo's only, the Marlin buttstock drops more than the 94 does..... could be your answer. Straight back is a push.... DOWN and back is a HIT!

[Pop Watts]

I just think you are getting soft.

Man up and take the recoil!

Pop.

[Marc]

Are you sure it is your shoulder that is taking a beating? The Marlins whack my cheek bone harder than the Winchesters. That will make you flinch! I put a receiver sight on my Marlin 336A which raised the sight line a little and I don't notice it now.

[J Miller]

I have the same exact problem. I've shot Win 94s for decades with no problems at all. Let me shoot a pistol gripped Marlin 30-30 and my cheek and shoulder get pulverized. I've gotten to the point I just will not shoot one.
The Marlin 1894s with the straight stocks are fine though. They must be shaped like the Win 94s, or at least are close to it.

Joe

[jnyork]

The shape of stock and how it fits you are very important as far as "percieved recoil" are concerned. For me, I can shoot a pistol-gripped Marlin 336a in 30-30 or 32 Special in a 60-shot silhouette match and never worry about the recoil, doesnt bother me a bit. A friend has a Winchester , some sort of commemorative with a 26" barrel, it beats me to a pulp, cant stand more than about 5 rounds or so.

My BIL gave me a little 20 guage single shot break open, maybe Iver Johnson or some such, 3 shots was all I could take before the tears would be running down my cheeks, hurt my cheekbone so bad I got rid of it.

[Idahoser]

Maybe a previous owner had a LOUDENER installed?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WKM9GDuX0Y

[madman4570]

Maybe its the way different people shoulder a gun?
Boy, my Marlin 336C .35Rem (with pistol grip)is very soft shooting?
We just got to toughen you guys up some!




Kidding!--------

[olyinaz]

Sheesh, I thought it was just me. Some of you might remember that Glenfield (Marlin) I found lurking a month or so back (got a great deal on it and posted some pics), well I took it to the range for a first outing a couple of weeks back and it beat the carp outta me! I felt like a wuss and did the duffle bag drag back home to watch some football and try to man up!!

I dunno, maybe it is indeed the stock drop but I've owned a Win 94 for 25+ years and I thought I noticed a difference too.

Cheers,
Oly

[Idahoser]

Lemme tell you how to fix that. This is what did it for my wife.

She was leery of the .30-30, she just knew it was gonna kick her butt, so naturally that's what happened, self fulfilling prophecy.

So we took the Garand, the Mosin Nagant 1938, and the Swiss K-31 and had a range day. Did some comparing of which was the worst kick and all that (Garand is a sweetheart, by the way).

Then, before we left for the day, we put a few through the '71 Model 94 and man, you should have seen her face light up at how pleasant that thing was to shoot!

[J Miller]

Back in the late 70s early 80s a friend of mine had a Glenfield Mdl 30 in 30-30. He and I went shooting many times and every time I'd shoot his Marlin I'd end up with a bruised cheek. I tried every different way I could to hold that carbine and could not find a hold that didn't end up hurting me.

I'm not a recoil pansy in the least, but after a while it does get to you.

Joe

[.45colt]

Joe I need to shoot My model Glenfield 30 as I just mounted a Williams 5D reciver sight.hopefully tomorrow, and then I can give a full pansy report. .
the worst gun I ever shot was My Dad's "Shortsmans long range" 16ga single shot. it had about 3" of drop in the stock and weighed around 51/2 lbs. when I was around 14 and dying to shoot anything that sucker beat the snot out of Me one day. I never forgot it. .

[madman4570]

For sure the only one that can say how a paticular gun kicks is that person. I agree it dont matter a hoot if say I think it dont bother me.You have to be the one shooting that paticular gun. Recoil effects different people in different ways and it doesnt make anyone a wimp to not want to get bruised up if there is a better way.
Shooting should be fun not a "pain"

[Buffboy]

You are not crazy Mitch. The fit of the two rifles are very individual IMO. My best friend had a 336 30-30(irons) and so did his dad(scope+recoil pad). I shot both to check some reloads I'd made for them and his dad's kicked the snot out of me, while the iron sighted one didn't bother me. He was about the same size as me and his experience was the same. His dad's had a longer length of pull because of the pad(didn't cut stock). Odd in that longer length of pull usually tends to lessen felt recoil IME it doesn't with the marlins, it seems to make recoil worse. I shoot my 38-55 marlin quite a bit with it's crescent buttplate & straight stock, then my wife's 336 in 35rem with it's pistol grip quite a bit as well, both with irons. Neither bothers me and I've shot other 336s with scopes without pain but they were all standard length of pull(both with & without recoil pads). The Marlins don't usually bother me, now the Winchester 94s do, worst recoiling traditional lever I've ever shot was the 94 I had in 44mag, that belted me all out of proportion to it's power as the 30-30 I had didn't seem near as bad. To make it even more confusing for me, the Puma 92 in 454 doesn't bother me much but it has a pad(standard LOP).