Advice Needed on My First Lever Gun

A

Amsdorf

Moderator
OK, so I need a bit of schooling.

I'm very interested in getting a good old fashioned lever gun.

What is the "best/top of the line" out there in terms of QUALITY, not necessarily price, and from there....moving on down...what other options are out there?

I'd like to shoot something as close as possible to what was commonly used in the late 19th century, terms of caliber/chambering.

Thanks guys.
 
Winchester (Made in Japan) probably the best current production. Henry makes great guns made in the USA but no loading gate (not a problem if for fun) Uberti (Italy) makes nice gun and Rossi 92's (not top quality but many fans) Browning BLR as good as it get but with box magazine not traditional lever gun. Marlin made a good gun but I would investigate before I got a current production model. Wild West Guns takes the Marlins and makes some cool high-end guns. Mossberg 464 only in .30-30 would work. If I had the $$$ I would get a Model 92 Winchester.
 
If quality is paramount and tradition is not, Browning is the one to look at.
Very accurate as a rule, and as strong as many bolt actions. They are smooth and as reliable as any lever action.
 
Lever guns

I would lean toward either the Winchester 94 or Marlin 336 in .30-30. they are tried and true lever guns with ammo readily available at any commercial or mom and pops store. I have a 336 that i have had since i was 10 (now 26) and it performs flawless. My dad has always shot a Winchester 94 and he has had good luck. However, we have had two Marlin 44 Mags and both had issues with the action sticking. just my .02.
 
Get yourself an original 1892 in any of the pistol calibers and you will not regret it. If you are hunting I'd get a 1894 or 1886. The Miroku Winchesters are good but for the price I'd rather have the real thing.
 
Well that all depends on what you're wanting. A cowboy lever or a modern lever. Cowboy lever I'd go Winchester. Modern I'd go with the BLR. Personally I like the older Winchesters without the tang safety (in 45 colt). currently on the wish list.
 
I'd like to shoot something as close as possible to what was commonly used in the late 19th century, terms of caliber/chambering.
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Look at getting an Italian clone of a Winchester for new production. They are the closet you can get without buying the real thing. I'm partial to the 1873, but you can get one of the 1876s that will shoot a real rifle bullet like the 45/70.

http://www.uberti.com/firearms/1873-rifle-and-carbine.php

If you look around long enough, you may find a 1893 marlin for a decent price, then you will have the real thing (a real Winchester is expensive). Here's a shooter on gunbroker going for a reasonable price right now:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=298270797
 
I'd look for a Winchester Model 1886 "Extra Light Weight" repo, chambered in 45-70 Government. A big, strong lever-action known for its smoothness of operation, power and reliability.
 
Marlin qualifies, with lever actions dating from the early 1880s.
There's plenty of them around, too, at very reasonable prices.
If the the quality of the newer ones is suspicious, finding a nice older one won't be difficult.
Depending on how historically authentic it has to be, the ones in modern and easy to find calibers would probably be the most useful.
Their internals are similar to the Winchesters, but a little less complicated and they eject out the side, rather than straight up.
A good feature for scope use.
 
The best quality production firearms (bar none) made today, in terms of material, fit, & finish are those made in Japan by Miroku Gun Co, branded for other firms like Winchester & Browning.

If you wanted a pistol-type cartridge, the short-action Miroku/Winchester Model 92 is available in .44-40.

If you wanted a "Buffalo" type rifle, the Miroku/Winchester Model 1886/86 is available in .45-70.

If you want a longer-range, "plains" rifle, the Miroku/Winchester Model 1895 is available in .405 Winchester (or .30-06 ;) )

Lesser quality (and cost) clones of the Model 86 & 92 are available from importers of Italian & South American rifles, in much the same chamberings - and some clones of earlier/weaker Winchester designs like the Model 1873, etc.

.
 
I have a couple of current production Winchester 1892's in .357mag and they are very nicely put together and finished rifles. Expensive, yes, but very nice products (nice high polish blueing, pretty good wood, sweet tight and slick actions).

If you want a replica of "the gun that won the west" sort of deal, I'd be looking at an 1873 in either .357mag or .45 (the wild west was pretty much over by the 1890's). Personally, I like Cimarrons (which are Uberti - I think most of the US importers of cowboy-style western rifles contract with Uberti for production). I've shot a couple of them as well as a few other brands, but I think my next lever gun will be either a Cimarron or a Navy Arms 1873.
 
You just haven't given enough info about why you want the gun and what you expect out of it. It's almost like you asked which girls are best to date.
 
My friend picked up a used '70s 1894 Winchester for $100 at a gun store/pawn shop for $100. It needs refinished, but it was still a good deal. So just do some looking around
 
Late 19th century screams 1894 Winchester in .30 WCF (.30-30) close second .32 WCF.

The .30-30 (thirty-thirty), as it is most commonly known, was the USA's first small-bore, sporting rifle cartridge designed for smokeless powder.
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jmortimer Winchester (Made in Japan) probably the best current production. Henry makes great guns made in the USA but no loading gate (not a problem if for fun) Uberti (Italy) makes nice gun and Rossi 92's (not top quality but many fans) Browning BLR as good as it get but with box magazine not traditional lever gun. Marlin made a good gun but I would investigate before I got a current production model. Wild West Guns takes the Marlins and makes some cool high-end guns. Mossberg 464 only in .30-30 would work. If I had the $$$ I would get a Model 92 Winchester.
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I dunno - they're all so ugly - but, I only have Winchesters and the Browning BL22 -

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AWINCHESTER95-1.jpg


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ABL222.jpg
 
+1 for the mossberg 464

It was my first gun and I have not regretted the purchase.

I've put several hundred rounds through it (mostly the cheapest ammo I could find) and it hasn't hiccuped once. Only complaint is the semi buck horn sights and that's only because I am still not used to them yet (although I still do get good groups).

Of course there are going to be more expensive and popular rifles but as far as quality goes it's great to me. I've heard some complain about the "cheap" wood that it has but once you start breaking it in it gets a nice brown finish. It also has good safety systems which I really like.

Bottom line is that there are probably better looking guns out there, but you can't go wrong with the mossberg 464.
 
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