Best levers?

I love Lever Guns and have owned alot of them and there are two that are built tough as nails and shoot very well. First is the Browning BLR and second is the Marlin 336. I own a couple of Winchester's and one Henry, 3 BLR's, 4 336's, and have had a Rossi, and Puma in the past. None of the other lever guns I have owned or shot even come close to my Browning's or Marlin's as far as dependability, and shooting accurately. When I say Marlin I mean real JM stamped Marlin's not this crap made today by Remington.
 
Don't be afraid of a modern (Japan) made 1895 Winchester. I have two of them and love them. I have a saddle ring carbine in .30-40 and a take down rifle in .30-06. These are among the nicest rifles I own. I also own a modern Winchester 1886 "short rifle" and an older Browning 1886 saddle ring carbine both in .45-70. Both are fantastic. I also own a Uberti 1873 short rifle in .44-40. You will not be disappointed with one of them either.
 
For shooting from a bench a modern Browning with its straighter stock will kick less than an original, but those old crooked stocks were there for a reason. If you carry an original '86 or '95 in the field enough, you'll find yourself making off hand and running shots that you wouldn't have believed possible.

If you find an original '92, you'll find that it will stand up indefinitely to shooting provided you don't try to load too hot for it.

As for price, if you look long enough you might find a worn or re-finished original for a price in the range of the Browning, particularly in the '86 if you're willing to accept less popular cartridges such as the 33 WCF, 38-56, 40-65, or 40-82. These old cartridges are not that hard to load for and completely adequate for anything less than the big bears.

The Browning is a very nice gun, something to be proud of, but it is not the same as an early Winchester.
 
Never shot a BLR, a Sako Finnwolf, or a Chester 88.
My picks are a Model 99 in 300 Savage, a Marlin 375 in 375 Winchester,
and a Chester 94 in 30-30 :D
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I do like Marlins...but I don't want a gun that's gonna break easy or jam up all of the time.
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My marlin 1894 is my favorite rifle, it has never jammed or broke. It is a New Haven CT made rifle but has never given me the slightest reason not to trust it.
 
I bought my Marlin 1895 gbl over a year ago. It's one of if not my most used rifle with well over 1500 rounds through it in the last year and a half and I've never had it jam, in fact I haven't had any problems with it whatsoever. For $539 nib I can't find anything to complain about as far as fit and finish go either. These days people find something to complain about with every firearm on the market ... except Glocks those are perfect in every way and if you have a problem it's your own dang fault. I don't and never have payed attention to these people because if I did I wouldn't own any guns. I'm not saying it's impossible to buy a problematic Marlin levergun because every manufacturer produces a lemon once in a while, but that doesn't mean every gun they make is junk either. Marlin makes a good levergun at decent price. I'm not saying Marlin makes the best levergun because they obviously don't. I'm just saying they aren't nearly as bad as some people would lead you to believe. I will get a Marlin 1895 stp one of these days those are sweet little rifles.
 
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When I saw the thread title the 99 Savage was the rifle I thought of...

It certainly is among the finest lever actions ever made, anywhere.
Unfortunately they haven't been made for over 20 years now. :(
 
there is a a Savage 99 in 300 Savage in my LGS, and not for a bad price IIRC, but alas 300 Savage isn't easy to find, nor is it affordable, unless you're a hand loader, and then components ect. might not easy to find.
 
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Grab that 99 Silvermane...

.300 Savage is a fine deer and black bear cartridge. It was Savage's 1920 answer to a compact .30/06 for their rifle action and in fact served as the design model for the .7.62X51mm/.308 cartridge. It uses .308 projectiles and standard LR primers and the cases can be fairly easily formed from .308 brass, although they are still produced on an annual basis. It's worth handloading to see why these rifles were so popular as woods and saddle guns for so long. :)
 
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I have (4) Sav 99
I have (3) Ruger #1
I have (2) Win 94
I have (1) Win 92
I have (1) Win 95
I have (1) Sav 72
I have (1) Marlin 335
I have (1) Davenport 1891
I have (1) Win 1885 [Uberti]

I have hunted with the Ruger #1s, the Sav 99s, and the Uberti.

There is nothing wrong with my Uberti 1885 copy. I have no complaints.

I bought a 1901 30 government [30/40 Krag] Win 1895 at a pawn shop in January, took it apart, and got out more than a pound of dirt.
The 1895 is hard to get back together and there is nothing on youtube.
 
silvermane_1; I have been shooting and reloading the 300 Savage over 15 years,
great cartridge , easy to reload, but picky with bullets, it likes Sierra Pro Hunters and Speer Grand Slams in 150 grns the best.
At 2600-2700 fps it'll do everything I need it to.
 
I would agree with some of the other posts, the Miroku made Brownings and Winchesters are supposed to be high quality firearms. My understanding is that FN originally wanted to produce the Win 94 in the US, but the cost would've been higher than the current Miroku made version. If that's true, I find it highly unlikely that Winchester fans would pay an extra premium for US made. The flip side being that there are plenty who still refuse to buy a Miroku Win 94 because its made in Japan. My feeling is if it's a quality built gun then it shouldn't matter if it's made in Japan, the deer sure aren't gonna know the difference.

It's your money so I say go with your gut and get what you want
 
The flip side being that there are plenty who still refuse to buy a Miroku Win 94 because its made in Japan.
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I don't care where a gun is made. One of my favorites is a Winchester 97 clone made in China.
 
I like a Savage 99. I have '71 vintage in 308 that's a very good shooter.

I also like the older Marlins. I have a golden 39a and a friend has a 444 that I covet. I would love to tell you how well it groups with 265gr. Hornadys, but no one would likely believe me.
 
The Winchester and Browning leverguns made by Miroku are probably among the finest ever produced. I don't care where they're made, they're fine rifles.
 
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