Thoughts on Lever Action

[RetiredSniper]

If it were me I would be looking at the Pre-Remington Marlin's in 44 Magnum or 357 Magnum. Marlin 336 or 1894 to be exact. Along with a 6 shot 4" barreled Ruger, S&W or Taurus revolver.

 

[rickjoty]

Well I wanted a Win '94 30-30 for years and finally went for it. Its a 1972 purchased from a pawn shop for $300. In beautiful condition. I reload for it with the pointed rubber tipped bullets from Hornady. Open sites and I can hit a shot shell box at 100 yards! I did the ballistics on that reload and even hit a steel target at 300 yards on the first try. I didn't try it a second time because I could only go down hill from there. What I don't like is the sloppy action. On unfired rounds it cycles fine, but when actually shooting, frequently the fired brass won't eject. It probably needs to see a good smith.

 

[rewiltshire]

I also see Cimarron has a 1894 in 38-55. But they want about $1300 for it.

1894 CARBINE 20

Cimarron Firearms, the leader in authentic replicas from America’s Old West, proudly reintroduces one of America’s most popular and famous lever-action hunting rifles of all time. The John Browning patented design was introduced in 1894 in two iconic cartridge chamberings, the .32-40 and the...

www.cimarron-firearms.com

 

[kamml53]

I bought a Henry Long Ranger in 6.5 CRM. It is a fine rifle, great furniture, well fitted, fine metal work, clip fed and an action similar to the Browning BLR. THe only issue I have is the trigger pull is around 5-6 lbs. Otherwise I highly recommend it. It retails around 1K, The first time out to the range it was three cold barrel shots in a cluster less than 1MOA at 50yds. Its a keeper for me and joins my Marlin 444 and 35 Rem 336.

 

[FJHutch]

I have a few levers and they are all in 45LC and work very well for CAS. I still need a model 94 and have been thinking of what caliber to get it in. I believe I will go with the 30-30 as it is original and a pretty good round for plinking and hunting.

I am considering picking up a lever action. This would not be a go-to hunting rifle, and certainly not a long range gun.
I might not even scope it.

I'd be interested in thoughts on Winchester 1894s, especially any pros- and-cons of pre-and post '64. This would be a plinker and maybe a truck gun, so not really interested in a pristine 120 year old gun for $3000++. I would not mind such a gun as a collector some day, just not today.

Others in the mix might be Marlin 336 or any of the Henrys.

Caliber-wise, I'm thinking either .30-30, for price of ammo and availability, or possibly .44 Magnum, in which case I'd have a revolver and short duty rifle that shot the same ammo.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on these choices, namely does one stand out as generally holding up better, or having a smoother cycling action, better iron sights, etc.

I've not shot lever actions much. My Dad's Henry Golden Boy in .45 LC, and a friend's .45-70, long ago. That's about it.

 

[basinman]

My first deer rifle was a 30-30 Marlin 336C back when I was 14 years old (60 years old now). I still have it and just recently stopped using it for hunting as it is in pristine shape and I want to keep it that way. I have taken countless whitetail deer with it in the swamplands here in South Louisiana. I like the Marlin design because of the flat top. I made the first couple of hunts with it using the semi-buckhorn sites and then mounted a scope and still have a scope on it (1-5 power). It is a good shooting, tough and reliable rifle. I know that Remington was turning out some bad rifles for a while but I hear they have made great improvements recently to the Marlin line after investing in new manufacturing machinery.

 

[Ranger1994]

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.

 

[Mike D Texas]

I have several lever actions. They are light weight and handy, but not suited for long range work. Most of mine are chambered in pistol cartridges to go with the revolver in the same caliber. I have a mixture of Henrys, Marlin and Winchester.

On the Marlin rifles try to find them as "JM" stamped. There will be pre- Remington and are arguably better built rifles. They are more sought after as well so they should bring better value down the road.


I only have one Winchester, a model 94 XTR in 30-30. It is a limited production rifle so it rarely gets shot.


I have 1 Henry with another one on they way. The one I have is a brass receiver with Octagon barrel in 41 Magnum. It is arguably the smoothest lever action I have ever felt. I have one of the Henry "tactical" lever guns in 45 Colt on the way as well. We will see how it stacks up against the rest.

And finally I have a stainless Rossi model 92 in 454 Casull. It is not nearly as refined as the others I have but the price reflect as such. But it is a very light weight thumper and the only one chambered in 454 Casull that I am aware of unless you go to a custom

I have 2 JM stamped Marlins; 1 in 41 magnum - model 1894 and one in 450 Marlin - model 1895 XLR.

 

[ntsqd]

What about building an W94 lever into what you want? Anyone able to recommend a 'smith to do the work? I'd like a button mag, pistol grip, crescent butt-plate 24"-26" rifle in .30-30AI with a tang peep and a 17A front sight.

A good friend who shoots way more high power LR than I do handed back my crescent butt-plated .375 Win M94 after two shots. I think that I need an M94 in .44 Mag

 

[Will Gray]

When thinking about what rounds can do always good to remember the Elmer Keith story of killing an elk at 600yds with a 44 Magnum revolver after the hunter he was guiding messed up the shot with a rifle. The 44-40 at 100yds is still at 1521fps, 1028 ft-lbs energy. Zeroed at 100yds its is point and shoot to 135yds

 

[bls8433]

Agree with many of the comments; I have Winchester 94, Marlin both in 30-30 (post '64 versions), Savage '99 in 300 Savage and a Winchester 1866 in 33WCF.
Use them all when I want to woods carry.
Winchester 94 - easy to carry
Marlin - feels a little more tight and accurate
Savage - shoots like a bolt action, love it but doesn't have the Cowboy feel
Winchester 1866(built in 1894). Love to carry this piece of history. Appropriate patina and wear - wishing it could tell stories of the past.

 

[ILVTOHT]

I am considering picking up a lever action. This would not be a go-to hunting rifle, and certainly not a long range gun.
I might not even scope it.

I'd be interested in thoughts on Winchester 1894s, especially any pros- and-cons of pre-and post '64. This would be a plinker and maybe a truck gun, so not really interested in a pristine 120 year old gun for $3000++. I would not mind such a gun as a collector some day, just not today.

Others in the mix might be Marlin 336 or any of the Henrys.

Caliber-wise, I'm thinking either .30-30, for price of ammo and availability, or possibly .44 Magnum, in which case I'd have a revolver and short duty rifle that shot the same ammo.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on these choices, namely does one stand out as generally holding up better, or having a smoother cycling action, better iron sights, etc.

I've not shot lever actions much. My Dad's Henry Golden Boy in .45 LC, and a friend's .45-70, long ago. That's about it.

I have a Winchester 94AE trapper 44mag. Very accurate iron sight carbine. But it's for sale! I just don't use it and Personally I think the marlins are more reliable.

 

[John Klingenberg]

I live in lever gun country. Every store has dozens of them. They're everywhere. I'll throw my coin in. If you go with a pistol caliber go Winchester. Marlin never had it quite figured out for pistol calibers. There are dozens of YouTube videos showing you how to fix the feeding problems. When it jams up it's not a quick fix. Rifle caliber they are great. I don't care for the microgroove barrels and if you shoot cast bullets they get really messy. The Winchester 1894s are great in pistol calibers. I like the AE models for their reliability but I don't like the look of the safety. The trapper models or any model from 16-20 inches is a great way to go. The 16" is superb in every way to me. The 73 or 92 style is a handy rig in a pistol caliber. I ran a trapline for two winter's with a 73 in 38-40. It took deer in the thickets with no problem. Two things. Don't over look an older model that's lost its collector value for whatever reason. The older guns are generally smoother to function and a lot of hand fitting back then. Also...don't overlook the Savage 99s. They come in some great calibers and are every bit the quality and function of a Marlin or Winchester. There are three Ruger guns I see here a lot that I find pretty darn good for the money and are always found in lightweight carbines. The bolt actions in 44 mag and 357. The lever and semi auto in 44 mag. The semi is really short, runs at or around 5 lbs and usually shoots like a dream.

 

[thwatson2]

I've got 4 levers, 22,38/357, 30-30 and 45-70. I bring them to range at my hunt club and everyone drops their guns and shoot them,. My Rossi m92 in 357 is a favorite for plinking and my 45-70 is a blast for hunting. Can't go wrong with Winchester 86