Looking for a lever action

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Hey, all. With the exception of my brother's Remington 870, my home is long gun free, and I would like to change that. I went to a local used gun shop yesterday and fell in love with a few old Winchester lever actions and a few old short barreled 870s. I would love to drop $400 or so on a new toy, but I know nothing about these old rifles, or any rifles for that matter. Leaning more towards a lever action rifle than another 870.

Can somebody please offer me some help in the form of what models to look for? I really don't know what caliber I want or anything. It will just be for fun, not hunting. Might bring it to the gun club once every few months. Maybe some desert trips to shoot at bottles or whatever.
 
Sounds like a lever gun shooting a pistol caliber would be good for you. A rifle chambered in 357 Mag so you can shoot 38 Specials would be nice. I'd like to have one myself. But the last lever I got was a 45-70 intended for deer hunting. Would not be fun to plink with like a rifle shooting 38 Specials would be.
 
The type lever action you might like is dependant on what you want it for. Deer hunting? General plinking? Simple truck gun?

The standard is the .30-30 and all leverguns are measured against that caliber. If you want something heavier, get the .45-70. Something lighter? Get a pistol calber. If you want to scope it, you'll want a solid top, like the Marlin. If you don't care for scoped leverguns, you might prefer the Model 94 or 92. There's really a lot more to leverguns than you might suspect by just looking at them on the rack.

I might suggest that you spend some time over at Leverguns.com, reading articles or browsing the forums. Those guys are levergun fanatics and experts.
 
bought a marlin 1894 44 mag yesterday. If you don't want it for hunting just breaking bottles how about the Henery 22?
 
I have 4 lever rifles.

Henry .22 LR
Marlin 1894c in .357
Marlin .444
Browning BLR .300 WSM

I am considering finishing up with a Marlin .44 magnum rifle so that I have matching rifle/revolver for my .357 and .44 magnum revolvers. With Buffalo Bore ammo, I can take a 305 gr. bullet to about 1800 fps out of the rifle which is with in the 45-70 range.

A hunter in Montana in the Gravelly Mountains allegedly killed a grizzly bear with a .357 revolver about two weeks ago according to someone posting on TFL that knows that person. It all comes down to shot placement.

Choosing the right lever rifle depends on what you wish to use it for. My Marlin .444 is my woods gun here in Idaho, the BLR is my elk rifle (once I can get my state residence issues ironed out that is) and my other two are for plinking.

Lot' of choices out there, some easier to find than others. The Marlin 1894c is very difficult to find. I had to settle on a used one in good shape but it works fine.
 
If you are getting a Lever-action to shoot SASS/CAS with...Marlin 1894C in .357 is the most economical.

If for Hunting deer in the Southern USA...a .30-30 or .35 Marlin 336 will do you justice :)

If you live up North, or in Alaska...you're dealing with Big Critters, and the .444 Marlin & .45-70 rule the roost...Marlin Guide Guns.
as you may run into a Large Bear or Wolf that wants to eat you...and you better have enough gun.

That being said...don't get a New Marlin. Get one that's pre-2005. Marlin QC pretty much went in the dumper after 2005,
when they got sold to Freedom Group...and Disgruntled Workers were all that were left after that point.
I do have a 2008 Marlin 1895SBL, and its GREAT! But I also checked it out completely, including a field strip inspection,
before it left the counter. Zero issues meant it came home, happily :)

But you better know how to inspect a rifle before getting a 2005-2012 Marlin, make sure the barrel is indexed properly,
that all internals are in proper working order, that the wood & finish looks perfect, etc...

Marlin makes some truly AWESOME lever-actions...best I've ever owned. And since Winchester's can't be scoped easily...
and the Mossbergs kinda suck in comparison...an older Marlin is usually the best way to go :)
 
It can be a real addictive sickness. I traded my only AR15 for a Marlin 336BL, and I couldn't be happier. To be fair that was my second experience with an AR15 and I just am not comfortable with them. The Marlin is easier for me to make hits with.

Read up a bit before you buy a new Remington made Marlin they were having some growing pains. If possible just look it over close.

now back to the sickness......I read about an interesting Rossi .410 lever action in the American Rifleman, don't forget the Marlin 308MX...close to 308Win performance in a lever action package. My list seems to be longer everyday with lever guns I would like to try. Henry, Mossberg, and Winchester are some others you may want to look at too. Some are looking at the Rossi Ranch Hand.

As you can see I have leveritus bad, there seems to be only one cure......more lever guns in the safe. :D

Good Luck
 
+1 .357/.38 in a Rossi 92 or Marlin (a separate thread here btw)--preferably 20" carbine for the best all around. The novelty-oriented Rossi Ranch hand is not a good one for a lever newbie IMO. The Henrys tend to be heavy, and the Winchester 94 action not originally designed for the short/pistol rounds, to me ideally favoring especially the Rossi 92, itself patterned after the famous Winchester 92 (1892). Nevertheless, the 94s have their ardent followers as well and worth a look.
 
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I like the Marlin

I've owned Marlin and Winchester. The Marlin carries a slight edge over the Winchester in more ways than one.

Here is a picture of my 18" Marlin 336.
 

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Those little Texans are one of my favorite lever actions, Skidder- and I'm a dyed in the wool Winchester man.
 
Winchester 94s in 30-30 caliber - very practical and versatile caliber -

IMG_2491.jpg


BUFFALOBILL94A.jpg


AWINCHESTER942.jpg


BROWNING BL22 (LR,LONGS, & SHORTS)

ABL222.jpg


Winchester 95 in 30-06 - hard to beat for hunting or the range -

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Or - just showing it off for admiration of fellow shooters at the range -

AWINCHESTER95-1.jpg
 
I recently bought a Henry 22LR levergun. It shoots as accurate as any bolt rifle I've ever owned. But action is smooth as Teflon!

Try one and you'll love it!!

Jack
 
Thank you all so much. Very helpful and thanks for not being rude to somebody who knows nothing about levers. My first love was revolvers, and then I got really into semi auto carry guns.

I didn't even know lever actions were available in pistol calibers. I would love a .38/.357 to match my revolver, or maybe even a .44 mag to step it up a bit. Now I just need to research whether I want a new Rossi or an old beat up Marlin.
 
I don't know what desert you would visit to shoot bottles. In my case, I was in the Mojave years ago. To me, the name Rossi just doesn't fit. My dream is to become a Desert Rat. And if I ever accomplished that, I'd have an old beat up Marlin.
But now you say you didn't know about pistol cartridges in rifles. So the idea of the .38 sounds good. Another option would be to abandon the low budget if possible and go for a new Henry Big Boy in .357Mag. Matter of fact, your topic caused my to really think about this because I've been wanting a lever gun for about the same purposes as you. I'd like to shoot steel plates and bowling pins. I'm composing an email to my dealer at this writing to get the .357 Mag Big Boy.
 
I have a 1894 Winnie in 30/30. I would prefer a pistol cartridge though I don't shoot it all that much. Eventually I would like to get a six shooter so having them both in the same cartridge would be a big plus!
 
I have a puma 45 colt that I love.

I really like the pistol caliber weapons. The 44 maggie would be a great choice.

Look around town, check the pawn shops two. You can sometimes find deals on them. People get rid of the because they are not black, nor plastic, and don't have 1919 rails all over them.

Truley great guns.
 
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