Lever action rifles - what's your favorite?

I own a Savage 99 bullet counter in .308. Th gun will shoot 2 moa consistently with Balistic tip ammo.

My second lever action is a Marlin .41mag. carbine. It is the mate to my Ruger .41 Blackhawk. This is my travel rifle. I have not been able to get better than 6moa yet. I have not put a set of peep sights on it yet.

The third lever action I have is a Winchester Wrangler. The 16" with large loop lever. It also has a peep sight. This gun I must confess I have not shot past about 50 yds. It is my fun gun when I go jeeping.

I plan on turning the Marlin into a take down when I get some extra cash. It will make it easier to take on the road.

The other gun I am contemplateing is a Marlin Guide Gun. This I will also get converted into a takedown.

Class never goes out of style.

Cheers,

ts
 
I'm surprised nobody picked my own favorite, the Winchester '92. Slightly smaller than the 94, with a much smoother action, it just fits my hands better than any other lever action. The drawback is it's only available in the pistol calibers up to .44 mag as made by Browning, and the originals are pretty pricey.

The Rossi copies are OK, but not as smooth. I did get one and smoothed the action up nicely, but it took a while. My favorite caliber for the 92 action is the one they never made it for originally, the .45 Colt.

It's funny, I spent quite a while altering that Rossi, building a copy of the Duke's rifle from True Grit, and about a month after I get it finished, they bring out a factory model in that same configuration for about half the money I spent on mine. Just goes to show you!

------------------
With my shield or on it...
 
What is Winchester's answer to the Guide Gun?

And wouldn't the .454 Casull be too much for a lever action's strength to contain, or is not much more than .45-70?
 
Here in Maine, it's almost a requirement that every hunter own a lever action. While I like and have shot a lot of Winchesters, I have always opted for a Marlin for mine. I got the first in the '60s, because Winchester didn't make a .35 Remington in the Model 94. This rifle I literally wore out, shooting 99% handloads including hundreds of pistol bullets in 'lever varmint' loads. That rifle was sold when the accuracy fell off (worn Microgrooves.) I didn't get another for ten years or so...but when the 1894c in .357 Magnum came out, I bought one. It's my favorite play gun now, and the gun behind the door of my rural home, ready to repel the ravening hordes. What can you say about a little carbine that disposes of .44 Magnum pistol power with the recoil and report of a .22? It even did a good job with 180 gr. bullet on the one smallish deer I have harvested with it.
A few years ago, I traded a chokey semi-auto for a Marlin .45-70, mostly in case I ever drew a moose permit. It has yet to be blooded, but is more fun to shoot at paper than I can describe. With some safe loads it can knock you out from under your hat. Bring on the dinosaurs!
I feel well supplied in lever actions with my two Marlins. slabsides

------------------
For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.
 
I've been shooting handguns and I've got a Mossberg 12ga pump, but I've been wanting a rifle for a while now. After lusting after ARs for a while, I decided that I just couldn't swing the money right now and thought it best to wait until after the new year. Today, I picked up a new Marlin 226CS in .30-30 for less than one third the price. The action felt smoother than the Winchester 94, and it just seemed to be a sturdier gun. Gonna head for the range tomorrow. I just wanted to thank you guys for all the good information that led me to this decision.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top