A while ago I decided to move up from a .22 rifle, but it turned out that all options in the house were both ugly and heavy. No fun! I spent a bit of time figuring out what would work best for me. I'm left-handed, which narrowed down the field a bit. My husband made a lot of suggestions but I knew I wanted wood, checkered, shiiiny, and fun to shoot. I decided on a Marlin 336, a 30-30...I waivered on whether to get the youth model (less weight), or the stainless steel (shiiiiny). I found both at a store, and the youth model wasn't for me - the action was really rough, and...it wasn't exactly love at first sight. The stainless turned out to be about at my max weight tolerance but the action was smooth and the metal was shiny, so I went for it.
I finally had the chance to try it out today, and I was not disappointed. I've had a smile on my face all day from it. I made my husband shoot it first, because I am a big chicken. It was great to shoot - not a bad kick at all, but big enough to be really fun. Probably a heavier gun than my special 20 gauge Remington 870 (it has a short stock, etc), but the kick is not as much. I have no problem shooting the 870, but only the first two shots are "fun." The rest are endurance. I had no problem getting 12 rounds through the 336, and grouped them decently enough (the sights are a bit weird for me, got to get used to them or change them). I could have shot more, I got tired from the heaviness of the gun, rather than getting worn out from the recoil (like the shotgun), but I was switching off with my husband because one of our kids didn't want to go with the grandparents so she came with us.
I got a little bit of a bruise from it, but not too bad, and the bruise is in the right spot, so at least I shouldered it correctly.
I finally had the chance to try it out today, and I was not disappointed. I've had a smile on my face all day from it. I made my husband shoot it first, because I am a big chicken. It was great to shoot - not a bad kick at all, but big enough to be really fun. Probably a heavier gun than my special 20 gauge Remington 870 (it has a short stock, etc), but the kick is not as much. I have no problem shooting the 870, but only the first two shots are "fun." The rest are endurance. I had no problem getting 12 rounds through the 336, and grouped them decently enough (the sights are a bit weird for me, got to get used to them or change them). I could have shot more, I got tired from the heaviness of the gun, rather than getting worn out from the recoil (like the shotgun), but I was switching off with my husband because one of our kids didn't want to go with the grandparents so she came with us.
I got a little bit of a bruise from it, but not too bad, and the bruise is in the right spot, so at least I shouldered it correctly.
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