What's a good entry level center fire Marlin for my son?

[Browning 9 Guy]

I'd like to give my son a good entry level center fire Marlin. It's to build his self confidence and hopefully give him a lifelong love of shooting. He's 14 so the rifle would stay in my locked cabinet when I'm not there. Can anyone recommend a caliber that won't leave a bruise on his shoulder (he's a little short and light for his age). I have my eye on the 30-30. Any words of experience, and is the 336 reliable and Well made? Would the 30-30, 44-40 or 45-70 fall into the bruise category

[dpe.ahoy]

If you want to give him a rifle he will love to shoot, look for an 1894 C in 357 mag. Then get him a 30-30 after he gets the grin off his face from shooting the 1894. Both will serve him well for the rest of his life. The 45-70 will be too much for him to start. 300+ grains of bullet at 1800 fps kicks, can't get away from Newton's law. DP

[bigjeepman]

I think it's great you're going to get your son his first Marlin centerfire. You can find a used Marlin 336 in 30-30 just about everywhere and factory ammo is still pretty inexpensive. In case you find a .35 Rem Marlin 336, the recoil is very close to the 30-30 in my experiences and the .35 Rem is a great caliber. However, if you can locate one, an 1894C would be a great Marlin to start him off with as recoil is almost nothing and shooting .38's or .357's is a blast out of a rifle. The 1894's in .357 are bringing more money than a 336 30-30 so that might be a factor in your decision making.

Here is a recoil chart you can use to compare recoil in different rifles ... http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Good luck with your search ... enjoy the adventure with your son. Looks like DP beat me to the 1894C suggestion ....

[kentucky shooter]

The 45-70 is in the bruise category for most unless you reload and can load down some trailboss plinking loads. The 30-30 is considered mild by most and a perfect hunting rifle for light thin-skinned game out to 150 yards. I dont think you could go wrong with the 30-30. For purely plinking and smaller game the .357 mag could be considered. They are a blast to shoot in a rifle. the 44 mag is also tame in a rifle and offers more range and power for hunting than the 357. If i could have 2 rifles, i would get a 30-30 and one of the two pistol calibers i mentioned. If i could only have 1, it would be the 30-30.

Hope you and your son enjoy whatever you choose. And yes, the marlins are great rifles, but try to find a good used one made prior to 2009.

[grilla720]

The 30-30 was my first centerfire at 13. In my opinion you won't find a better 30-30 than the 336. Just find a used one that's JM stamped on the left side of the barrel above the reciever (not REP) to avoid any of the QC problems that have been plaguing them since Remington bought them. 45-70, .444, .450 would definately be more than a youngster would want, you might look into a 25-20, ammo is sort of expensive, but it's easy to shoot.

[wags2477]

As an adult shooter new to Lever Actions, my 1894c in .357 is just SWEET. Light, manageable, relatively cheap, capable on medium game, able to use .357 or 38 special rounds.

[Halwg]

What I would do so as to not turn him off to recoil, is get a 30-30 and either buy the 125 gr Reduced Recoil loads, or if you reload, load the youth loads using the 125 gr or 130 gr as listed in Hodgdon's youth load section.

I loaded the 125 gr Sierra HP over 4895 powder as shown in Hodgdon's youth loads for my 8 year old nephew. My brother took him out on the mentored hunt in PA last year and he shot a nice 6 pt buck at 142 yards using that load. Recoil is very mild and it's still a very lethal load/

I would STAY AWAY from the pistol calibers. The 357 (contrary to what folks say on here) is not a real good deer caliber, and the 44 mag will actually give you more felt recoil than the 30-30. The 30-30 is the gun he needs. After he gets proficient with the lighter recoiling loads, it's easy to go to the full bore 170 gr loads, or even the LE loads.

[dpe.ahoy]

IF you reload, Hal has good recommendations. You didn't state the rifle was for hunting, only to develope a lasting relationship with shooting, so I still go with the 1894C in 357 mag/38 special. And for someone of lighter stature, the 1894 is shorter and lighter than the nomal 336, thus easier to handle. DP

[glockmeister]

Browning9Guy, most other have said it before, 1894C or reduced recoil loads in 30-30, either would be great. Personally I would go with the 94C, teach him with the .38 load, when his skills and confidence build up then go to .357 loads, once he has mastered the 94C then he could move up to a 30-30 or more powerfull caliber. If you reload or can find the reduce recoil load then you could start him on those loads anf work up. Either way, make it a Marlin and please get pictures for us of your son and his new shooter. What ever you do, don't let him shoot hot loads until he is ready, that is the fastest way to ruin a new shooter. Take care and please keep us in the loop, also get him on MO as well. Just keep on keeping on, John.

[Plumber]

I got my first 336 in 30-30 when I was 13, and shot my first deer that year. When at the range my Dad put a sand bag between the gun and my shoulder. He said,"when you shoot at a deer you won't feel the kick". And he was right. My two younger brothers both used that gun on their first deer. I got the gun back, and have used it on many more deer. It's just big enough for what it was designed.