My Boys Want a Lever Action

[wilkup]

I went with a BLR 308 because I needed a saddle gun that would reach a little, and it has much more pleasant recoil than a 30-30.

This doesn't make sense…

 

[xsn10s]

This doesn't make sense…

I think they came with soft recoil pads from the factory. most of the 30-30's I've seen had a steel, plastic, or hard rubber pad.

 

[RAGGED EDGE]

I would also look at Rossi. Rossi will be the cheapest and best bang for the buck.

Been there. Done that. You surely get what you pay for.

 

[P7M13]

This doesn't make sense…

BLR is much heavier than a 336 or '94.
I have a 336 and '94, and the 336 is much softer recoil.
The 94 is lightest, has better balance and faster on target.
Have had my eye on a Win 88 and BLR, both in 284 Win. Though easily a pound heavier than the 88, the BLR fits me much better.

 

[Huntz]

I never viewed a lever as safe for a beginner!! When unloading you have to cycle rounds thru the chamber. Much too dangerour for a beginner in my opinion. A bolt where you take out the chambered round and remove a clip is what I setup for my youngsters!!

Buy one with the button safety.Put the safety on and run the cartridges through the action.

 

[xsn10s]

Buy one with the button safety.Put the safety on and run the cartridges through the action.

I at first hated the push button safety on lever guns. But after using my Marlin 45-70 in Alaska I really appreciated the options that opened up because I had this feature.

 

[Jonoton]

Another vote for a BLR in .243 or 308
What I got my first few deer with at your son's age
Solid scope mounting and better than average iron sights
Drop the magazine and extract the chambered round for safety when moving about, less fiddly and convenient than racking through a tube fed gun. ***Opportunity to lose the magazine and then get sticker shock on a replacement, though!
Accurate
More versatile than a 30-30
In .243 the recoil is pleasant, more so than my 30-30 guns. I have a Mossberg 30-30 with a squishy recoil pad, and while it is certainly not painful the recoil is more significant than my .243 blr.

I also have a Savage 99 in 300 Savage, and it seems like a wonderful rifle which is a joy to carry about. Unfortunately, my specimen has a bent barrel and I can't get it on paper.

 

[Ward Thurman]

I can understand their enthusiasm for lever guns. My boys inherited a Md 94 in 30-30 from their grandfather and it was the "John Wayne gun" immediately. It is probably what led my youngest son to become the ultimate gun nut. The oldest son has used his mother's Savage 99 in 308 (now his) to fill the freezer w/ deer meat more years than not. Both guns date from the mid 1950's.

We hand load for both guns and we settled on 130 gr for the 30-30 to lighten the recoil a bit. The 308 shoots best with a fairly hot load so it has some wallop to it - it is a 99F so it only weighs just over 7 lbs. Neither one has ever bothered the boys even when young.

Ryan with his very first deer.

 

[Lenny Foffa]

Marlin Model of 1893, in 30-30. $300 for the Rifle, $250 for the re bluing and parts cleaning. I refinished the wood...........sort of. Reproduction of 1880's style scope. Yes, it shoots.

 

[xsn10s]

I can understand their enthusiasm for lever guns. My boys inherited a Md 94 in 30-30 from their grandfather and it was the "John Wayne gun" immediately. It is probably what led my youngest son to become the ultimate gun nut. The oldest son has used his mother's Savage 99 in 308 (now his) to fill the freezer w/ deer meat more years than not. Both guns date from the mid 1950's.

We hand load for both guns and we settled on 130 gr for the 30-30 to lighten the recoil a bit. The 308 shoots best with a fairly hot load so it has some wallop to it - it is a 99F so it only weighs just over 7 lbs. Neither one has ever bothered the boys even when young.

Ryan with his very first deer.
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Thanks for sharing. Does my heart good, a great way to start the day.