Big bore lever gun

K

kanomoir

Inactive
I love lever guns. I’ve got 2 Henry rimfires that are among my favorite rifles.

I’ve been lately very interested in getting a 45-70 lever action and would like to hear from those of you who have used or owned one.

I recently bought a Marlin 30-30 which I got rid of. I did not like its quality, and everything I’ve read about the hit or miss experiences many have had since Remington bought Marlin makes me want to avoid another Marlin until the bugs are worked out.

The Henry all-weather model is appealing. All of the Henrys get good reviews, and the brass model is a beauty. I prefer the gate loading to the magazine tube, but it’s not a deal killer.

The Japanese made Winchester 1886 short rifle looks good, but I’ve never handled one. I’m also intrigued by the Chiappa Ridge Runner takedown model, but, again, I’ve never handled one - it gets good reviews but is nearly twice the cost of a Henry. Right now I can handle the cost of the Winchester or the Chiappa if I can be convinced that either is overall better than the Henrys.

And then there’s the Browning BLR which isn’t available in 45-70 but is availabe in 450 Marlin which is I understand a hotter load with nastier recoil than the lighter 45-70 loads. The price on the Browning is not bad, and it is a Browning.

I’ve been around long enough to know nothing is perfect and there are trade offs no matter what I decide.

What say you?
 
I would take the time to buy a Marlin with JM barrel in whatever you wanted if that's the case. My dad has both 30-30 and 444. Great shooters and quality even though I like my Winchesters.
 
My sister now owns the Henry 30-30 brass that belonged to our Dad. It is a fine rifle, well made, shoots as good as any open sight rifle and is pretty to boot. One thing to note though compared to say a Win 94 is that the Henry is quite hefty. This may be a downside if you want something lightweight for woods carry, but the upside is the weight makes it a smooth shooter. I have two Win 94, one is a Big Bore 375 and the other a Trapper 45 Colt. The Henry is very noticeably heavier than my BB 94.

Having said that, for similar money, have a look at the Win 94 Big Bores. They were made in 307 Win, 356 Win and 375 Win. All of those cartridges are quite impressive if you ask me. If you are not a reloader though, these may not be the best thing for you.

As to the current Winchester lever rifles made by Miroku...I have not yet handled one but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who owns one giving them bad reviews on gun boards. Personally, I'm dying to get myself a new 1886 Short Rifle and have no qualms about pursuing one when I am able.
 
The Japanese (Miroku) made lever actions are extremely nice guns.. very well finished with nice wood. Their actions are very smooth and they are accurate. I have the 1873 and love it. A real head turner every time I take it to the range.
 
The Henry H010CC (45-70) is a fine shooter for me. The added feature is the 22" octagon barrel. I have never shot anything but lead bullets out of it.

I am not much on the short barrel version.
 
I have a Winchester timber carbine in 444 marlin that is light and handy, but it does kick with the 265-300gr bullets I shoot. as far as the Japanese made browning-Winchester lever action rifles they are top shelf. when I compare them to my original Winchesters they don,t come up short. eastbank.
 
Ive hunted here in Charleston,SC with a Marlin 1895GBL 45/70 for years. Love the gun and will never get rid of it. It likes the Hornady 325Gr ammo.

You don't have to worry about a hog or deer getting up with a good shot placement. Blades of grass or small bushes in the way,,,no problem,,,shoot! Its a great brush gun!
 
I've got a Winchester 94 Timber Carbine in .450 Marlin. Kind of hard to find these days but its a pretty sweet little rifle. Bit of a thumper though.
 
Browning 1886 SRC

I picked up one of the Browning 1886 carbines a few years back and absolutely love it. Nice wood, built like a tank, wood and metal are very well fitted, shoots straight, and it doesn't have the rebounding hammer safety like current Winchesters do. Made just like the original Winchesters were made, but with modern steel. It's been a great rifle and a purchase that I have never regretted for second.

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I have both a Winchester (Miroku) 1886 Deluxe short rifle and a Browning SRC also made by Miroku both in 45-70. The Winchester DSR is physically heavier than the Browning and therefore absorbs the recoil a bit better, but neither is bad. I shoot 350 gr gas checked cast bullets and about 28 gr. of IMR4198. With my old eyes and using the barrel sights I can shoot 3" three shot groups at 100 yards from the bench and off hand at 50 yards. Some days a little better and some days a little worse. I want to get a good receiver peep sight for the Winchester but just haven't yet. I really like both of these rifles and the tang safety and rebounding hammer on the Winchester doesn't bother me.

These are more expensive than the Henry's or the Marlins. If I had to choose between the Marlin and the Henry I would choose an earlier Marlin 1895CB model with the longer JM barrel with the Ballard rifling. The Henry may be a really good rifle but I personally don't like having to load through the tube.

Here is a photo of both my 1886 rifles.

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Picked a good cartridge for BIG swine. But for those tasty eating little piggys the 45-70 may prove to be to much gun for them fellers.

I was going to purchase a 45-70 Henry (single shot) awhile back for my deer hunting North of the Mason-Dixion but have changed my mind due to Henry's slow to market their new rifle and too after some second thought my already having a number of great deer rifles in different calibers.
I think I'll parlay that new rifle money into buying a better sound system for my Ranger. Yup!!
 
I had a JM Marlin 45-70 and it was a nice rifle. But I shot so many reduced loads I just went back my 44 mag. Its lighter and should kill pigs just fine. It kills the hell out of deer. Just a thought.:eek:
 
I researched this some years ago and found that with proper bullet/load selection the 44 magnum carbine will do anything the 45-70 will do in a lighter handier package.
 
Being that most modern leverguns chambered in 45 Colt can handle the "Ruger only" loads, one chambered in 45 Colt is worth a look as well.
 
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