Thoughts on Lever Action

[Methow Packer]

Marlin Cowboy in 45-70 is a ton of fun...

I too like the Marlin cowboy 45-70 with the 26" barrel. It's Ballard type rifling. Shoots amazing and very versatile. I've had a beautiful Win .44 mag with octagon barrel. Nice rifle and capable of unloading cartridges without emptying the magazine tube. The .44 mag honestly is lacking in energy compared to the 30-30. So my choice would be both the Marlin in 45-70 of your configuration and a nice light slender Win 94 in 30-30. I'm a retired cowboy but still ride a lot and have carried both rifles often as a saddle gun. Highly recommend ghost ring sights for both especially if you have aging eyes like me. 30-30 for everyday carry chasing yotes and plinking. For big game of course the 45-70. That's my two sense

 

[freddiej]

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.

lefty, sorry, My dad was a southpaw .. I own no less than 6 lever guns. I grew up shooting them as target, plinking, and hunting rifles. I have Winchester 1894's/'94's and 94-22's, marlin 444S big bore (444 Marlin), and a 1894 big bore "guide gun" (444 Marlin).
My 1970 30-30 was lost to an ex-girlfriend. but my 32 win specials are still around. they shoot like you can not believe. I recently inherited my dad's 1951 1894 30-30 and his 1952 32 win Special. I am pretty familiar with lever guns and if you want a "truck gun" two suggestions.. Post '64 win '94 (1965 to 1985) guns are good/solid. just keep it in a hard case in your truck. the marlin 336 (30-30) is a good solid gun but it needs to be in a hard case in your truck as well. now the different calibers Marlin 1894, 1895, 336's all have various calibers they are chambered in.. the 1894 has some great chamberings for handgun cartridges. I prefer the 44 magnum but they can be had in 460 S&W and 500 S&W magnums (superb chamberings). the 1895's have those big chamberings of 444M, 38-55, 35 Rem, 45-70, 450 M, and some others. the 336 is basically the 1895 with smaller cartridges (30-30, 30 rem, 32 rem, 35 rem, 32-40, and others)
the 336 marlin and the '94 winchester are great levers. the 336 is a stronger action. the marlin is easier to put a scope on. I like the scout scopes of Leupold and Burris when you do scope them and XS has bases that can not be beat. I have built a few big bore levers with low power scopes, 2X, 4X, 1.5-5, and 2-7. great brush and pig guns for sure. for some reason red dots and reflex sights are very popular on lever guns these days..
Okay I have muddied the waters a bit.
Levers are great guns for the back seat of your truck, they need to be in cases or in a sling style holder on the back of your seat, something to protect them. do not keep them fully loaded (magazines to the limit) unless you intend to change the springs ever 3 to 5 years. personal experience talking at this moment. I used to carry a 1970 win 94 in my truck and my current SUV. I went to use the gun one day and the magazine would not feed a round into the carrier. I had to tear it down and replace the mag spring before it worked again.
I recently started to leave that gun out of my Dodge because people around here, people of Mexican persuasion, keep breaking into my SUV and stealing tools, guns, ammo, change, food, water, and other things. at the rate I was getting broken into you would have thought this was Nuevo Laredo,Mexico; not Carson City, Nevada, USA.
Depending on where you are at, the Marlins might be less expensive than the Winchesters. also if you want a lever gun in a pistol caliber there is another choice.. look for a Browning 1892 they came in 38/357, 41 mag, 44 mag, and 45 colt.

 

[Savage 12BVSS]

The one that I love the most is my savage 99 in 308.

I grew up carrying a savage 99 308 just like my Dad had, still have both but they never get carried anymore. Hunting in Maine it was either a 99 or a pre 64 94, Our 99's were scoped and our 94's were open sights. Killed a lot of deer with the 99 but killed my biggest buck in the rain with the 94 30/30 170gr silver tips. Dave

 

[338 dude]

I'm kind of partial to a 444 marlin myself

 

[Rum River]

One thing I've always liked about the Marlins is that by removing the lever pivot screw they easily disassemble to clean from the breech end. Only four parts involved: Pivot screw, lever, bolt and ejector.

 

[cam2hunt]

Rossi Model 92 Puma in .454 Casull.

The nice thing is can shoot .45 Colt through it and the recoil is like shooting a .22! I've harvested deer with it a few years ago and my daughter carries it now when she comes along deer hunting. She calls it "her gun". ;-)

 

[Tulsa Reiner]

My son has a Henry in 30-30 (not the Golden Boy) that he loves shooting. Nice thing is the ammo is readily available and not expensive. They are very well made.

 

[Lee Goodwin]

The kid has a Sears 30 30 lever, made by Winchester, the stock is blonde, the receiver is painted, and chipping paint. Open sights. $200 a few years ago. Shoots fine. Feeds ok.
I never liked the look of a scope on a lever.
If the money was available, or I stumbled onto a package deal, I would like a 45 70 or 30 30, or whatever, lever with a cool old peep sight.

 

[Eric Alexander]

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.

Henry has just brought out a nice lever in 6.5 CM. It is not expensive and allows pointed bullets while the tube feed 94s don't. Other considerations should include an okder Savage 99 whose rotary mag also allows spitzers. Stronger actions than the weak 94.
Why start out with a lever that limits your options?

 

[central iowa guy]

I too love the lever guns. I have 2 model 94 AE in 356 win. One to hunt with, one to look at. The looker is a Rocky Mountain Elk Fountain rifle . Also have a RMEF blr in 7 rm. Neither of the RMEF rifles have been fired.

I handload for the scoped one. I shoot a nosler partition 225 first and load flat points into the magazine for follow up. Its taken a bunch of work but i can beat 358 ballistics, coming up on 35 whelen velocity with the partition. Shoots real flat. A one shot elk gun out to 300. Never shot one father then that. Love that gun.

 

[Pinoniper]

You will love having a handy lever rifle. If you don't think you'll be shooting much beyond 150 yards or so, I'd go with the 44 and be able to use the same cartridge as your sidearm. It'll kick a lot less too, which makes it more fun to shoot. As to which rifle, I think they are all quality pieces, so try to handle them and see which one you connect best with.

 

[tmfisher57]

I have a Marlin 336 in 35 rem. I love the rifle and am happy with my choice. Chose the 35 because it's a bit different. It's a helluva shooter! Ammo is easy to come by although not as easy as 30-30. With buffalo bore ammo, it's a 150-200 yrd timber elk hammer.
My dad opted for a Mossberg 464 "Brush Carbine." Stainless with a black and grey laminated stock in 30-30 16.5" barrel for the Oregon coast brush. It's a dream to carry and shoots lights out also.

 

[Gcan]

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 build and shoot bolt and gas guns but I buy levers whenever I can. I love them. I love to carry them, shoot them and hunt with them. Only an auto is faster but the levers are easier to carry. There's some tactile and familiar about cocking & decocking a hammer. They are narrow and ergonomically friendly. Personally, notwithstanding collector guns, I think the Marlins and Henry's are better guns than the 94. For shooting fun a 357-44mag are a ball. I know this will cause a firestorm but I would not hunt with either caliber past handgun range. I don't know how many deer I've taken with a 30/30 lever gun. I truly enjoy my 45/70 marlin. I shot iron sights exclusively when I was young. I have scopes on a couple now.

I'm building takedowns now.

in short, you cannot go wrong with any good lever gun. You can buy a half dozen Calibers for the price of many factory bolt guns.

Lastly, a beat up bolt gun is a beat up gun. A worn and used lever gun usually has 1000 stories.

 

[beto]

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 like the Marlin 45/70.