Lever action rifle

T

Truth&Justice

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Living in California, with the new gun laws about to come into effect on 1-1-00, I was thinking of changing my purchases from semi-autos to bolt and lever action rifles. I have several bolt actions and am happy with them, but I do not own a single lever action rifle. Are Winchester Model 94s worth the $279 asking price? If so, which caliber? Handgun caliber or 30-30? As a point of reference, I dislike revolvers, so I don't have a handgun that would shoot the same round as a handgun caliber, lever-action rifle. I value your opinions, so what do you suggest?
 
Yes, they're worth it.

Get a .30-30, by all means. Flatter shooting than most of the other traditional lever calibers, it's hands-down the single most popular centerfire rifle cartridge you'll find. Although the .35 Remington is a slightly superior caliber, it's far less common. I know a fellow who took a deer at over 200 yards with a single shot from his scoped Marlin .30-30-- the cartridge is capable of far more than most people give it credit for. With a trigger job and peep sights, you'll be amazed at what you can do off-hand at 50 to 100 yards.

But don't give up on your semi-autos merely because they're not popular... :)

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Will you, too, be one who stands in the gap?

Matt
 
For me the Winchester in .44 Mag is close to ideal, but YMMV. It makes holes big enough to see at 25 and 50 yards. I do like revolvers, so the handgun caliber was my choice. The 30-30 is a good round, the lever action suits me better than a bolt or semi auto, so the choice was pretty easy. I have a 30-30, a .44, a .357 and 2 .22's in lever action. The .44 gets the most use because of the big holes :) Since I am set up to reload for the .44, that also plays a part. $279.00 is a fair price for a new Winchester. Local prices here in Ohio are about the same to $100.00 more, depending on the model. Very good values can be found on used lever actions also. A lot of the ones that I have seen have been carried a lot, and shot very little, and a few not shot at all. Post PA and W.Virgina deer season always finds a great selection of second-hand lever actions on local dealers' racks. A lot of people here buy one for a social type of hunt, and have no use for it afterwards. Or they fall to the need more rifle syndrome, and trade it off for something bigger. Something to consider. My own 30-30 was such a rifle, and I got too good a deal to pass up on it. A guy bought it, went on a hunt, saw a deer gutted, and lost interest. My gain.

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Buddy has a 94 he bought from the widow of the son of the original owner. It was made in 1916. While the finish is not new, the weapon is tight and accurate for a piece of this type. Truckloads of deer have fallen to it.

I'm in the middle of getting one for both hunting and tactical reasons.It's a 30-30 and will have a peep sight and swivel studs. Price on the weapon itself(looks like NIB) was $200.
 
Thanks guys for the comments. One other thing, when I picked up a new model 94, it had a funky safety device that requires the shooter to squeeze tightly on the lever...and I do mean TIGHTLY. I didn't much care for it. Anyone have any experience with that safety device?
 
Speaking of lever guns, my prayers have been answered: Marlin is going to produce the wonderful Model 336 in stainless! I hope that this is a trend in leverguns that USRAC/Winchester will quickly follow up on. A stainless Trapper or Wrangler in 30-30 would be sweet.

P.S. You shouldn't have to squeeze so hard on your 94, the action just needs to be closed completely. You may want to have it checked.
 
T&J, That safety device is important to be sure the bolt stop is fully seated before you can fire. If the emphasis you placed on tight is real, then like socialdysphoric (I had to break out the old Funk 'n Wagnalls to look up the meaning of your alias :) ) said, you need to have a gunsmith look at it. I usually just hold it about as firmly as a normal pistol grip on any rifle.

Rereading your post, I see that you don't have the 94 with the tight problem, don't buy that one.
 
My eye likes the more traditional look of the Winchester but the Marlin is really a better design IMHO. Winchester makes just one centerfire lever action, every thing they offer is derived from the M94. They do (or, did) make a M94 XTR "Big Bore". (307 Win, .356 Win., .375 Win, .444 Marlin, 7-30 Waters), essentially a beefed up M94. The .307 Win is a .308 Win with a rim, far more potent than any .30-30. Winchester's pistol caliber rifle is just another M94 spin-off. To me it always seemed odd to chamber pistol cartridges in a rifle length action. That's what the Winchester M92 was for, must of been to expensive to put the '92 back in general production (Rossi makes a '92 clone that's affordable and reasonably high in quality).

Marlin makes two wholly different centerfire lever actions. The M336 is their large frame (.30-30, .32 Spl, .444 Marlin, .375 Win, .356 Win, .38-55). The M1895 is their .45-70, and is derived from the M336. The M1894 is their small frame (.357, .45 Colt, .44 Mag, .218 Bee). The M336 has a solid top so it's real easy to mount a scope. You can scope a Winchester, they just don't look as nice. The Marlin M1894 is a smaller & handier rifle, since it's frame & bolt length are sized for pistol cartridges.

Marlin is a privately owned company, lever actions are their prime focus. I think their quality is higher and they certainly offer a ton of different versions and special runs. Winchester (it's really called U.S. Repeating Arms) has been bought and sold a number of times over the years and, near as I can tell, is run by foreign born bean counters. They make a lot of guns, but I don't know what the heck their focus is anymore, it certainly ain't lever actions.

To summarize:

If you want an affordable lever action for general purpose: get the Marlin M336 in .30-30.

If you want a powerful lever action for medium range hunting: get a Winchester XTR in .307 Win. They're still pretty common at gun shows.

If you want a fun-gun plinker: get a Marlin M1894 "Cowboy II" (or Rossi SRC 92) in .357 Mag / .38 Spl.

-- Kernel

[This message has been edited by Kernel (edited December 01, 1999).]
 
Looking at an old Winchester 30-30 I noticed two possible problems:

- possible to jam a round in the side loading gate
- clearning jams from shortstroking is a real pain

Anything else to watch out for? Also, what will a lever action do that a bolt action won't?
 
Owning lever action rifles from Winchester, Marlin, Savage. I reccommend you look at the marlin .357/.44 mag carbines. If you are looking for a more powerful long arm. I reccomend that you look for a Savage or Browning with a box or rotary magazine. This would let you use more effective sptizer bullets.

Cheers,

ts
 
socialdysphoric, have you seen the Rossi SCR92 in stainless? They've made a run (I heard 10,000) a couple of years ago. Not that uncommon, I've seen'em at shows in .357 & .44 Mag.

Corneredrat, With a lever action you can cycle the action, for a follow-up shot, without taking the rifle off your shoulder or your sights off the target. A lever action typically holds about twice as many rounds as a bolt action. Lever actions are lighter, thinner, and "handier" (a subjective term, but play around with a M92 and you'll get the idea pretty quick). Lever actions are a wholly American creation, they're traditional, they balance well, and they just look cool.

BMW, I gotta admit the Savage M99 and Browning BLR are technically superior. In fact, the Savage M99 might be the best 100% American designed longarm ever devised, tho Garand fans would certainly disagree (all modern American bolt action are disqualified since they're all copies, to some extent, of the German Mauser). The burr under my saddle is the M99 & BLR don't look like real Cowboy guns, I mean, would John Wayne carry one in his scabbard? :) -- Kernel
 
Thanks Kernel,
I have seen the Rossis, but I prefer the 30-30 in these little guns. And like you said, Marlin seems to have a better design. In general, I'm impressed with Marlin's products.

BTW If (when) I end up getting one of the new Marlins, it should make a good little Scout wannabe with a few accessories.
 
Go used! At the gun shop near me, there are about 20 used lever action 30-30s in the rack, especially after deer season is over. Lots of them in decent shape are $175 or so. I don't see how you can go wrong with that. I had one with the 16" barrel, and it was the shortest overall firearm I had. Very handy.

JP

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Nehemiah 4:18 " ... and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked."
 
I agree with Capt.John
Lots of good used ones out there- many without that UGLY extra safety the lawyers added (decided they were unsafe after almost a hundred years)
I picked up a like new '94 saddle ring carbine in .44 for $200 this summer.
and it doesn't have any unneccessary safety buttons in it.
 
CR. Another thing to look out for on pre-64 model 94's. There is a screw in the bottom plate that drops down when you work the lever. If it is all buggered up,there is a problem with, I believe it is called the cartridge stop. If it is warn, when you work the action, instead of hold back the next round in the magazine, it allows the round to go under the lifter causing one hell of a jam. You have to remove that screw and go into all kinds of machinations to clear it. A new screw and cartridge stops will fix it, but who needs the aggravation?
Paul B.
 
Truth,
IMHO,the best lever-action is the Browning BLR. They're chambered in .223 Rem all the way up to the 7mm Rem Mag with quite a few in between. I guess it all depends on what you plan on using it for.
 
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