Thoughts on Lever Action

[Alibiiv]

AS for a lever gun, there are a lot of great options out there to choose from. I have a fondness for Marlins, have owned one kind or another for the past 35 years or more. The Marlin 336 in any cartridge/caliber has always been an extremely reliable and accurate rifle. I had a Marlin Marauda in 35 Remington that would group 1 inch 180gr factory ammo all day long. Presently own a vintage Marlin 1895 and a Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70. When purchasing a rifle I believe that it is important to remember that our eyesight is going to change as we mature (hate that dirty four-letter word "get-old"). The thing that I like about the Marlin 336 is the capability to mount a scope on the rifle, unlike the Winchester 94. I like the options that Skinner sights affords you as far as receiver sights as well as a scope mount all in one scope base; something that you might want to consider. I also have a Browning BLR in .308 Winchester that I would not hesitate to put up against any lever rifle. The BLR is extremely accurate out to 300 yards all day long, and again if you wanted to mount a scope in Skinner sights it is available. Good luck with your next purchase, not matter what you buy it will be a fun purchase; sort of like a new Christmas present.

 

[Rum River]

Nice! The wood has good figure. Original bluing? Looks in great condition in first picture.
My self control ain't the best either. A German Shepherd puppy followed me home last week. Luckily,in my wife's lap.

Yes, the bluing is original.
Dies and bullets are supposed to be on my front step today, lucked into 100 rounds original brass the other day.

Side Story:
A gentleman I am personally acquainted with just bought one of the FIVE Model 71 Winchesters chambered in .45-70. I didn't even know they made a 71 in a caliber other than .348. Of those five, TWO were made as the deluxe model - and the one this gentleman purchased is one of those two. I have held it, and was able to examine the original box with all papers - (even the Winchester hanger tag) even the detachable sling swivels were still with it! Just those swivels can go for as much as $150-$200!

Wow, just.......wow.

 

[left handed gun]

Well, I am getting a Winchester 1894 .30-30. Post-1964, so not a collector, but looks nice. Arrives tomorrow or Friday.
We'll see how it shoots for me. Right now, tough to find a place to shoot around here. Some public shotgun/skeet ranges are reportedly still open, but just about all the rifle and pistol ranges are closed. So until COVID clears up and we get back to normal, it will be a house ornament for a while.

 

[DMP25-06]

Well , I purchased a new Marlin 1895G in .45-70 . Changed the sights to XS Sights ghost ring and front blade , loaded several 405 gr. hard-cast lead bullets at modern rifle starting loads , and went to the range to check it out . The rifle shoots fair , but I am going to replace the front sight with a fiber-optic sight to help with my aging eyes .
Now for the IMPORTANT message to any of you that have 1 of these rifles . The new production Marlin 1895G rifles are equipped with a cross-bolt hammer block safety , that must be pushed from right to left to allow the hammer to strike the firing pin , and the cross-bar then extends outwards slightly more than 3/16" past the left side plate of the receiver , which makes it a potential hazard to the shooter .
I fired 1 cartridge of Underwood Ammo .45-70 , 430 gr. Hard-cast gas check @ 1925 FPS , standing , off-hand , with a solid grip , expecting heavy recoil . The recoil was SEVERE , causing the rifle to slam backward hard enough that my right thumb on my trigger hand was hit by the extended safety bolt , causing a bad cut to the side of my thumb , also my middle finger ( inside the lever-action ), middle knuckle took hard impact causing swelling and severe bruising . The recoil from this ammo , in a rifle weighing just over 7 pounds is substantial .
I have ordered a safety-delete cross bolt to replace the existing cross-bolt safety , and this rifle will not be fired until the safety is replaced .
If any of you have one of these rifles , you might want to think of changing your safety , also .

By the way , I think that those Underwood Ammo 430 gr, loads would take down a T-Rex .

DMP25-06

 

[jkwright]

I have a rossi 92 that i love. Clone of the win 92. The model 92s are much smoother than the 94s in my experience. If your looking for something light and handy to use with open sights a 92 clone in 44 mag would be a good option.

 

[left handed gun]

American Rifleman reviewed Henry lever actions in Oct. 2019 issue, one in .45-70. They shot a Buffalo Bore 405 grain that they chrono'd at 2023 FPS at 12 feet, calculating 3680 ft pounds energy. I'll bet it kicked like a mule on steroids.

I shot a friend's .45-70 a long time ago, and recall it had a pretty stout recoil.

I have to exert some impulse control for a while now. But somewhere down the line, maybe a Marlin in .44 Mag?
I have a S & W Mountain Gun stainless .44. Would be kinda neat to have a pistol and rifle chambered for one cartridge.
And I've heard the.44 mag benefits a lot from the longer rifle bbl.
First things first, need to find a place to shoot the new (to me) .30-30.

 

[jpndave]

My 1895SBL is a bit heavier 8lbs plus a 1-8X LPV scope about 10lbs loaded. Recoil is still stout with bear loads though not as severe as you're describing. It is a lot of fun to shoot with Springfield pressure loads. I plan on deleting the safety just because it shouldn't be there IMO. I'd be interested in your thoughts DMP25-06 on the fiber optic sight as my eyes could use that too if I pull the scope for some reason.

My rifle really likes the 325gr Hornady FTX loaded hot in front of RL7. Cloverleaf groups at 100yds.Tends to throw hardcast which is frustrating.

 

[DMP25-06]

jpndave ,

After I get the safety bar changed out , I will be going back to shoot the rifle again , with first time use of fiber-optic front sight . I will post my opinion then .

Thank You ,
DMP25-06

 

[Slick8]

I'm a fan myself. I have an 1895 marlin in 45-70 which will shoot 5-6 inches at 300 yards for Hornady leverevalution.

I'm looking to add a 1894 in 44 mag.

 

[Skimbleshanks]

Shot my dads Marlin lever guns when I was growing up. I think they were 336s. One 357 mag and one 30-30. Both were nice enough. The 357 was way more accurate. The 30-30 had a micro groove barrel and must not have liked the ammo we were feeding it. Crawling through the PNW forests was a joy with those short rifles.

 

[jpndave]

jpndave ,

After I get the safety bar changed out , I will be going back to shoot the rifle again , with first time use of fiber-optic front sight . I will post my opinion then .

Thank You ,
DMP25-06

Which safety block off and front sight are you going with?

 

[DMP25-06]

Which safety block off and front sight are you going with?

Beartoothmercantile.com sells the Marlin Basic Safety Delete for $18.00 . I ordered it 10 days ago and USPS tracking shows that it is to be delivered on Monday , 04-20-2020.

The fiber-optic front sight that I purchased was on E-Bay , Item # 113986549064 , green fiber-optic for Marlin 1895SBL , for $31.86 , which included shipping and tax .
The information from the seller on E-Bay says that this sight is ONLY for model 1895SBL , but it fits perfectly in place of existing front sight on my 1895G , and it is exactly the same overall height as my XS Sights Ghost-Ring front blade sight at .538". 2 mounting holes are spaced at 1" C-C .
I think that the seller offers red fiber-optic also .
The front sight arrived within 4 days after ordering .

I have not shot the rifle with the fiber-optic sight yet , as I am waiting until I replace the Safety-Delete , before shooting again .

It may be 2 weeks before I will be back at range to shoot again .

DMP25-06

 

[milo-2]

I just bought a Henry Steel in 357 Mag. So far I really like it with the open sights. Haven't decided if a scope is going on it or not. I've only put a few boxes of ammo through it so far, it cycles great, shoot accurate as I am. My adult sons and I have a blast at the range with it and the 357 Ruger GP100. Only thing I'm not used to is the tube feed. Henry makes a good reliable gun, check out their warranty. That's one reason I went with them.

I did the same, 357 big boy steel. No way could I make out the iron sights and the target, so I bought the scope rail and stuck a new Kahles red dot on it. I do need a cheek riser with it set up this way.
Having a blast with it as a fun gun to play with while rifles cool off. My ammo, 125gr XTP's at 1850fps, accurate beyond what I imagined. Every once in awhile I will slap a bipod on, not a great fit, and a rifle scope, we can beat up a 5" plate at 300 yards easily, never a first rd hit though. By 400, things become slightly more complicated. I do have some 140's I want to try also, and throw 110's in the mix too. Not sure why I am not a heavy bullet guy for 357.
Read your manual before you load up 38 spec that are not the same length as 357 mag rds, not good.

 

[jpndave]

Beartoothmercantile.com sells the Marlin Basic Safety Delete for $18.00 . I ordered it 10 days ago and USPS tracking shows that it is to be delivered on Monday , 04-20-2020.

The fiber-optic front sight that I purchased was on E-Bay , Item # 113986549064 , green fiber-optic for Marlin 1895SBL , for $31.86 , which included shipping and tax .
The information from the seller on E-Bay says that this sight is ONLY for model 1895SBL , but it fits perfectly in place of existing front sight on my 1895G , and it is exactly the same overall height as my XS Sights Ghost-Ring front blade sight at .538". 2 mounting holes are spaced at 1" C-C .
I think that the seller offers red fiber-optic also .
The front sight arrived within 4 days after ordering .

I have not shot the rifle with the fiber-optic sight yet , as I am waiting until I replace the Safety-Delete , before shooting again .

It may be 2 weeks before I will be back at range to shoot again .

DMP25-06

Thanks for the reply. I don't see any reason that sight wouldn't work the same on the 1895G. Both are heavy 18-1/2" barrels. I'm interested how it works out for you. I would like to have backup sights on my rifle. I'm toying with getting a little lower front to keep the rear down lower under the scope. I tried a Burris Veracity 2-10 on it and it was ok but the scope had a windage issue and had to go back plus it was plenty big IMO. I have this on it now but haven't shot it. I'm direct with Athlon and for the money they are tough to beat.

Rifle Scopes for Close Range | Argos BTR GEN2 1-8x24 | Athlon Optics

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athlonoptics.com

This I what I really want for it, mil version:

Razor HD Gen III 1-10x24 FFP

Please Select Reticle | 34mm Tube

vortexoptics.com

I have seen most of the safety deletes and am probably being too fussy. I'd like one that looks like another factory pin/screw, like it was meant to be there.