Large loop levers

I own one of their .22lr lever actions then. Most unreliable thing ever. Something wacky with the firing pin or something. I need to disasemble it sometime. Might do that today.
 
The pin hits the trigger on closing the lever. No need to pull the trigger as a separate action to fire the rifle. Lots of the cap gun Winchester toys in the 1960's had a swiveling flange you could rotate to place it under the trigger. You got rapid fire out of your cowboy rifle, quite useful when the entire Apache nation charged your wagon train.
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This happened frequently in the woods in back of my Connecticut neighborhood from about 1962 to about 1967.
 
Mo,
Couldn't resist (not that I tried very hard).

It were a joke, based on your spelling. :)

The Ithaca brand is an old one, through several iterations & owners.
American company, but with an Erma connection on those .22 leverguns.

No Itahaca Nation. :)
Also no Seminal Tribe.


Jim,
I had the toy version in about '61.
Wore it out way too quick. :)
Denis
 
I own one of their .22lr lever actions then. Most unreliable thing ever. Something wacky with the firing pin or something. I need to disasemble it sometime. Might do that today.

If you need parts, Henry Repeating Arms can probably help you. Their basic .22 lever rifle uses the same design, and most parts are interchangeable.
 
I personally LOVE the large loop levers. The bigger the better methinks. :cool:

They are much easier and faster to cock in my experience, doesn't hurt that the Duke carried one as well. I don't care who you are, they look awesome and are a part of American culture.
 
HiBC,
Blindstitch,that Rifleman screw on the trigger idea is an accident that WILL happen.
Respectfully,no offense intended..the Uzi accident is really enough bad press,don't you think?

I suggest a 1940's Win 94 is worth a lot of money,unmodified.

You get to do whatever makes you happy.....I think it would be regrettable.

It isn't worth anything because I won't ever sell it and doubt I would waste the money to buy a large loop costing $125-200 depending on where it's sourced.

Besides a large loop Henry would look better.
 
The gigantic Hoop style levers aren't my thing. I like em a little big(i've got big hands), but the over the top look of those monster loops just isn't for me.
 
For those of us who are a certain age, there are three TV guns that are simply among the coolest firearms ever.

The Rifleman's Winchester.
Josh Randall's Mares Leg.
The U.N.C.L.E P38.

Practical doesn't matter. :)
Denis
 
Speak for yourself! :)

I'm STILL looking for somebody who can build me an affordable U.N.C.L.E Special!

Denis
 
Never experienced the need to have a Hoop levered weapon. Do like that 1895 Marlins change-out pictured. {Nice conservative way of resolving the age old problem of Big hands levering Small loops.} Those who do like exaggerated Hoop Weaponry. >Why not!! :cool:

IMO: As to answer.
What are they for, really? Do they actually help anything in any way, really?
They brought notoriety to those actors who were willing to used them. No doubt about that.
As for actual purpose for those of us non-actors. "I haven't a clue." :confused:
 
Apparently the origin of the bow-lever Winchester rifle happened in the late 1930s on the set of Stagecoach.

Director John Ford was looking for a "hook" for leading man John Wayne, and someone (it may have been Yakima Canutte) came up with the idea of "throwing" the rifle to cock it using the standard lever bow.

That didn't work out well, so they eventually arrived at the spin cocking maneuver using the large bow.

Legend is that the first time Wayne tried to spin cock the gun the barrel (which had been left full length) came around, hit him square on the chin, and knocked him out cold.

The barrel and magazine tube were shortened to close to "Trapper" specifications, and the combination became Wayne's signature in many western films.
 
It's been largely credited to Wayne & Canutt for Stagecoach, I've not seen many references to Ford. That's a new one.
Denis
 
I don't think John Ford actually had anything to do with the creation of the bow-lever carbine other than being the director of Stagecoach and wanting to find a new & novel trick for the movie's star to use.

He was the "big idea" guy. He left the details to others. :)
 
Interesting, for me at least, to see Wayne took a more elongated approach on his lever than Connors.
After Stagecoach, Wayne used his longer & flatter version for decades.
Connors had two types, one more squarish, but both were larger than Wayne's in sticking out farther from the gun.

Wayne didn't often spincock in his movies, kinda wonder why he bothered with a big-looper, aside from possibly some sort of personal "style in front of the camera" preference.
Denis
 
Looking cool in John Wayne's movies.
"...why he bothered with..." Same reason he had his holster on his behind and rode the same horse. It was an old Hollywood gimmick. Just like Trigger and Bullet was for Roy.
 
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