[Rockyg]

Hi new to the forum. I have a 336ss stamped Oct 2015 so a Remington-made rifle. I’ve done a few mods like a happy trigger and loosening band screws etc. it shoots ok with cheap federal ammo but sprays 8inch groups at 100 yards with Hornady LEVERevolution 160grains. Just wondered if others have had a similar experience?

 

[Rifle Shoppe]

Over the past 10 years, I have had about 50 percent of the 8 or so 336s I've owned...shoot the 160 gr LE ammo accurately. It is puzzling to me. I reload and have found that by reducing the LE powder charge by 0.5 grs..accuracy gets a little better.
All 35 rem 336s I have owned shot the 200 gr LE very well.

 

[GJinNY]

Welcome Rocky. You'll find loads of info and many kinds, of helpful folks here. YAY for the 336SS. It's a beauty.

I have the last year JM 336SS that I have been trying to get to group with hand-loaded 160 gr gummy nose bullets for years.

I have tried imr3031, Rel 15, LeverEvolution, and imr4064 and currently messing with imr4350.
I can't seem to get 1" or less consistency. Best is 1 1/2" to 2".

Don't be enamored by the looks of these bullets or the speed. Just find the ammo your rifle likes.

The 150gr or 170gr Corelocks are usually a winner.

 

[MS9x56]

I also own a 336 in 35 rem that shoots the leverevolutions well. I found that it was actually more accurate albeit definitely slower when I hand loaded the bullets with 4895 powder. It went from 2" groups to .75 inch. I can't explain it but there's no denying the results.

 

[GasGuzzler]

I think you mean LEVERevolution.

Welcome. Lots of .30-30 shooters here load their own.

 

[beenthere409]

I sure have experienced the same thing. My experience with Leverevolution is that if your gun likes it, it'll shoot OK; if not, then it never will. But honestly, it is no big loss beyond the ammo's purchase price, as its supposed advantage is mostly hype.

 

[gcs]

Mine, and my son's 30-30 shoot them very accurately, but some guns don't seem to like them... but an 8" spread seems extreme...I think I'd look for a reason other than the ammo.

As for hype, don't believe it. They're not the hammer of the Gods, but they make that 30-30 act like it's on steroids...

 

[Mop]

Welcome from the banks of the mighty Mississippi!

I have shot factory LeverEvolution rounds in 45-70, 35, and 30-30 (I have not reloaded any). In 45-70, neither of my guns liked them, a Buffalo Classic and a 1895GS, 35 I bought them for my 35XLR and the best I could do would be somewhere between 2"-3" @ 100yds. My TC Contender in 35 likes them fine. Then I shot them in one 30-30, 336A and they do good in that one.

Now I am nearing 65 years old and I don't shoot like I use to so, quality or quantity so I'm sure some of it is me. Just from reading this forum, I would say it's probably 50-50 either you like them or you don't. I will say that those deer that I have shot with them are not hard to find but they don't kill any deader than other bullets.

Try them, if they work for you, good. If not just move on to something that works for your gun.

 

[Tar_Heel 336]

Beyond the projectile design, maybe it is a weight-preference thing - What weight is the Federal ammo you are using? Some on this forum have reported having better results with their 30-30's using 150 grains whereas others, like mine, seem to prefer the 170 (although it does "well-enough" with 150). My 336W also seems to prefer Remington Core-Lokt over others for consistency but also does fine with other brands (i.e PPU, Winchester, Federal and Monarch [which I think is an in-house brand for Academy Sports]).

You may need to invest a little more time (and a lot more now-a-days) money to find what your rifle truly prefers. I have a box of the 160 grain Leverevolution myself, however I have only fired off maybe five rounds total as it is the only box I purchased due to the price and availability (back in 2013). I've never purchased a second box just to shoot - I guess I should take my own advice and invest some money into finding out more about its performance in my rifle-

 

[94win30wcf]

I use IMR 4895 in the 30-30 and 303 sav with gummy tips. it works very good. the 303 shoots clover leafs.

 

[beenthere409]

"As for hype, don't believe it. They're not the hammer of the Gods, but they make that 30-30 act like it's on steroids..."

It's easy to see if you study the claims. In their advertising, they compare the 160 gr. LE load from a 24" barrel with a 170 gr. load from a 20" barrel. But compare it to a 170 from a 24" barrel, and suddenly the difference shrinks. Then, compare it to a 150 from a 24" barrel and the velocity advantage just about disappears altogether.

Its only REAL advantage in an apples-to-apples comparison is a pointy bullet, which makes it shoot just a hair flatter and retain more energy at a longer range. But, so what? If you're shooting a .30-30 out to, say, 150-200 yards, the LE stuff offers nothing a regular load won't do, and at longer ranges, you'd be much better served with a .308.

 

[Mr Fixit]

Work well out of my 336W of 2001 vintage, this is a 300 yard target, which comes up to 5 shots under an inch....so yea, I'm ok with 'em. Haven't really sat down and put a lot of through any of the other 30-30s though. One more thing....EVERYTHING must have been right that day!! 🤪🤪🤪

 

[10acres]

If you don’t reload, find the best shooting factory ammo for your particular rifle and stick with it. Some rifles are very finicky with ammo. Welcome to the forum, there’s a lot of good info and people here.

 

[Lever Jac]

Welcome to the forum. What does the tip look like after the are cycled through the magazine?. I had some that the tips were deformed and opened up my groups but not as much as your getting. I think it all comes down to what your rifle likes.

 

[Grampa Grump]

Hi new to the forum. I have a 336ss stamped oct 2015 so a Remington made rifle. I’ve done a few mods like a happy trigger and loosening band screws etc. it shoots ok with cheap federal ammo but sprays 8inch groups at 100 yards with hornady leverlution 160grains. Just wondered if others have had similar experience.

Hi Rocky,
Welcome to the forum from SA. Sorry I can't help with your problem but, I'm sure someone here will crack it. As stated above some barrels just don't like some bullets. With the price and availability of ammo and components like it is, it's probably as well to stick with what works at present and leave the R&D till later.
regards,
Chris

 

[duffus]

Hornady LEVERevolution 160grains Factory stuff (what I've shot) is loaded hot, recoil is a lot different. Best I've done with it was an almost 3 shot cloverleaf @ 100 from a lead sled. SIL 308MX did a real cloverleaf with factory stuff - we were having a shoot off competition. 2002 JM 336 'Dick's' off the rack, with happy trigger. I use a lot of LeveE with cast (30/30) and the FTX in 300 BO with great results. What bands did you loosen? Run a $ bill along side the barrel to see if HG is touching? Another area is the barrel relief for the mag tube. Yup, 8" @ 100 is way too much.

 

[LakeOFan]

I have tried .30-30 LEVERevolution ammo and did not find it to be any more accurate than copper jacketed 150gr soft point ammo. I hardly did a scientific test but that was my observation. All of my hunting is at distances less than 100 yards, probably most shots are 50 to 60 yards, so the increased velocity of LEVERevolution is not significant to me.

 

[Da Duke]

Stop the insanity and shoot another bullet.

 

[gcs]

I'll not argue that other bullets are inferior, they all work and produce dead deer, I will say that while the paper ballistics may not show a huge improvement, the results on the ground are significant.
When I tested them against the 170 and 150 gr. bullets I've been using, the LE's had more penetration, larger expansion and massive internal damage, this resulted in "faster" kills, usually in sight of the shot and often just bang flop. Less then ideal hits also were effective. With similar shot placement I've noticed a big improvement with the LE's and thats having taken over 50 deer with them alone, that's way more then needed to see the average...I don't care if they shoot farther or faster, I care that I can easily find deer taken at dusk, in snow or rain, and on small properties. They are "better" for me, YMMV.
But accuracy is important, find and use what you feel works for you.

 

[Rifle Shoppe]

Hello RockyG....I have worked on my Marlin 336s to inprove accuracy...as you have. I think the 2 major improvements I made were.....replace trigger with a wild west ( as you have ) or. A RPP trigger....I have used both makers and got a nice 2 lb 14 oz pull weight from either.

The second improvement was to convert the rifle to a Button Magazine. This gets rid of the front barrel band entirely. You can buy a Button Mag kit from RPP. I did that first and installed it on a 35 rem , my main hunting buddy.
Great results...only downside is a 3 round mag capacity...but you can add 1 in chamber if you like alot of firepower.

The 336 pictured below is my conversion of original magizine to Button Length. I did use a larger #10 screw to retain the rear barrel band and secure the mag. It involved drilling out the Barrel band slightly larger then tapping the hole to accept the #10 screw, which I made from a blank screw. Very secure , and no worry about the screw breaking, as some original, thin screws have a reputation of doing. I also had to open the half circle cut in barrel and mag to accept the larger diameter screw. Do that slowly...if you go too big ...you will have wobble....

These improvements are only going to help you hunt at longer ranges...say 150 to 250 yards. If all your hunting is from 50 to 100 yds...or meters in your case ! The accuracy is probably just fine with the full magazine.............

I guess you can test this out by removing your Mag tube and front band. Replace the rear band and screw...then shoot the rifle single shot and see how the accuracy is.........better or same ?? Happy shooting

Both 30-30s