Let's talk about Lever Action Rifles

[lovemachine]

Where can you find the old Winchester 94's?

 

[calcot7]

That sounds pretty bad a_ _! Looking forward to some pics!

I actually like pump rifles a little better, but no modern production models exist other than rimfire. Any rifle in .38/.357, .44 mag or .45 Colt is fun and versatile. and a long barreled rimfire loaded with shorts takes all day to empty!

I currently have a Marlin 1894 in .357, mostly stock except for a soon to be installed XS rail and peep, a stock Marlin 336 in .30-30 and a much modified older 336 that I call my cowboy assault rifle. That one is at the smithy being drilled and tapped for some Skinner winged sights. I already had the barrel chopped to 16.5", shortened the stock a bit and put on a low profile pad and had the whole thing finished in Birdsong Teflon Green. Last step will be a black textured finish to the wood.

 

[nipprdog]

Where can you find the old Winchester 94's?

At gun shows going for $800-$1000. One of my favorites is my 94AE Trapper Compact in .357. Overall length is under 32".

Bought it back in the late 90s.

 

[trailrider]

Where can you find the old Winchester 94's?

they show up in these classifieds quite a bit. Old meaning 60's and 70's?

 

[Mgderf]

Nothing beats a good lever gun, in my opinion.

I have,
Henry H001 .22Lr
Rossi R92 .38spl/.357mag
Marlin 1894 (JM) .44mag
Rossi R92 .45Colt/.454Casull
Mossberg 464 .30-30
Mossberg Roy Rogers signature edition .30-30

I've taken deer with the Marlin, and with the .454 Rossi.
I just picked up the .357mag Rossi, and the rest aren't legal for deer, yet...

Two years ago I took 2 doe with the .454 in about 4 or 5 seconds. Boom, lever, boom.
I actually took a shot at a 3rd one but completely missed. The two I hit ran opposite directions. One dropped after 20 feet, the other at about 20 yards.

Yeah, I like lever guns...

 

[lovemachine]

I have a Marlin .38/.357 and absolutely love it. I was already set up to reload this caliber, so that was the main influence with my choice. I have one of the Remington/Marlin rifles that seems to have a bad rep, but I've not had a problem with my rifle. I am also due to receive my father's Winchester 30-30 that mistakenly went to a cousin. I enjoyed that one, too. However, I don't plan to reload this caliber.

What do you mean it has a bad rep?

 

[1911ly]

What do you mean it has a bad rep?

Since Remington took over Marlin the quality has been questionable. I here the quality is improving. When I bought my first lever gun about a year and a half ago I looked at 5 or 6 Marlins and ended up with a Henry. I am hopeful that the quality is going to improve. I really want a 1895CB.

 

[easy]

Lever guns are great! Light weight by comparison to most others. Carry well in the field in the hand. Just made for that type of carry. Really dig my Marlin 1894C.
As far as no 'modern production' pumps, there are the Timber Wolves in .357/.38 and .44/44mag. Produced up into the early 90s. I have two made by IMI in 357. Great guns, accurate as any other pcc. Zero recoil. Cost is a bit high these days but they do show up on the auction sites from time to time.

 

[gregkl]

Shooting cowboy action I am around a lot of different levers. I have a Marlin 1894 in .357/38spl.
One heck of a good, no nonsense, throw it down beat it to death and it'll run gun. Downfall is it has to be slickered up for it to run smooth. They all do, at least for shooting competition. Know my way around them well. Easy to take apart, easy to get replacement parts.
Also have a Cimarron in .357/38spl. Short stroked myself with PWG parts. Timing on these are everything! The newer ones WILL break the bolt tab. Not if, but when, there is a fix. Uberti, Taylors they will break. Parts are a bit harder to get too. Guns more expensive too. The new Winchesters seem to be a good gun! So far! Rossi, well, you get what you pay for. They can be slicked up too. Its not to difficult. Henry they are finicky on case length it seems. Not a bad rifle.
The Marlin will eat anything. The Uberti, Cimmy, Taylors like the flat point round nose. Rossi same ... Henry same. The Winny same. Love my 73!!! I know her inside and out. Great gun to bad the bolts are junk. The older ones are a way better gun in my opinion. Good luck.

Not sure if I am following you completely. I think I want to go with a .357 and get it set up for cowboy action though I probably won't do any. I get you saying the Marlin is good. New and old? For the Cimarron when you say timing are you talking about how old a one to buy as in timing the age or are you referring to the timing of the action?

And are you saying that I should just pass on the other brands, including the Henry's which seem to be highly regarded?

Sorry if these questions are dumb but I am a noob to this use of a lever gun. I have an old Marlin in .35 rem but that wouldn't work too well in cowboy action!

 

[1911ly]

Not sure if I am following you completely. I think I want to go with a .357 and get it set up for cowboy action though I probably won't do any. I get you saying the Marlin is good. New and old? For the Cimarron when you say timing are you talking about how old a one to buy as in timing the age or are you referring to the timing of the action?

And are you saying that I should just pass on the other brands, including the Henry's which seem to be highly regarded?

Sorry if these questions are dumb but I am a noob to this use of a lever gun. I have an old Marlin in .35 rem but that wouldn't work too well in cowboy action!

Just my If you go with a new Marlin "go over it well" Or buy a nice use one. And you can't do wrong on a Henry. They are awesome! I have ran a variety of ammo without issue. Some don't like the loading from the front of the tube. That's a preference thing. It doesn't bother me.

 

[kludge]

As for caliber, I have to ask, Wha'cha gonna do with it?

This is one of those categories where caliber is the first question to answer, not the second or third.

As for the pistol calibers, if you are hunting, I would just get a .44 Mag, unless you are already committed in some other way to another cartridge (like I am) to the .45 Colt or .357 Mag. Unless you have to be 100% authentic for cowboy games I would avoid the .44-40 and .38-40. If just for plinking, the I'd go .357 Mag and reload and shoot .38 SPL mostly. You can knock off about 1/3 of your reloading costs that way.

For big game east of the Mississippi, I think the .35 Remington has it in spades, though the .356 Win is a more powerful cartridge. And if not for very poor quality killing the Marlin brand for several years, I would like to think that the .338 Marlin Express would have survived and would be the bees knees of lever gun cartridges.

If you still need more power, I'd skip the other medium bores and go up to the .444, .450 Marlin, and 45-70.

Then you have to choose your style, and that just depends on what you think looks good.

I ended up with a Rossi 92 "trapper" length 16" barrel in .45 Colt.

 

[hopper68]

Ruger used to make a model 96 lever action. It is magazine fed instead of tube fed and has a shorter throw than other lever actions. They came in .17HMR, .22lr, .22mag, and .44mag. Mine is .22mag and used the same magazine as my Ruger American Rimfire .22mag. Both are fun to shoot.

 

[Expat]

I have a Henry in .45 colt. It is a lot of fun to shoot with the so called cowboy loads.

 

[selinoid44]

Not sure if I am following you completely. I think I want to go with a .357 and get it set up for cowboy action though I probably won't do any. I get you saying the Marlin is good. New and old? For the Cimarron when you say timing are you talking about how old a one to buy as in timing the age or are you referring to the timing of the action?

And are you saying that I should just pass on the other brands, including the Henry's which seem to be highly regarded?

Uberti, Taylors, Cimarron are dang good rifles. That's what I prefer. People will buy them and add a short stroke kit. The problem is when they install the short stroke kit they don't time the action or don't do it correctly. This will cause problems. Ive seen Pioneer Gun Works install those aluminum carriers to make the rifle lighter. In my opinion they are junk! They wear to fast and cause problems. Uberti newer rifles have a problem with the tab breaking on the bottom of the bolt. This tab is there to support the brass as the extractor grabs it and brings it rearward to eject the brass. I have fixed mine by milling it and building and installing a new stronger tab. Some will run regardless if the tab is broken or not. I like the new Winchester rifles. I have shot a few and they seem to be a good rifle. The Marlins are good too. I know ppl are saying there is issues with the Remington/Marlins but I am sure they have resolved their problems with new machines. The others... Rossi, Henry etc... well in my opinion just aren't there yet.

 

[1911ly]

Henry's aren't there yet?? WOW

 

[selinoid44]

Sorry dude... Come to a cowboy match and watch em run. You WILL see what I mean.

 

[Ngdonut]

The Winchesters and Marlins are great. I will definitely say that my favorite though is the Henry's. Buttery smooth actions, very accurate, and great looking. I am also a big fan of the 45 LC caliber. Very versatile. You can buy cowboy loads, which are for "plinking" (milder recoil). You can also buy the +P Bear Loads, which come out about as hot as a .44 magnum.

 

[remauto1187]

I have a 1975 Glenfield 30A(Marlin) 30-30 and a 1987 Marlin 336 .35Rem and both are great shooters.

 

[danielson]

Thats been on my list for a year or so. Thats alot of gun for the money...

Marlin 1895 Guide Gun, .45-70; can be fun to shoot with light cowboy loads or brutal with full on Buffalo Bore loads. Highly recommended!

 

[chef larry]

I would like a lever action rifle in .38/.357. Are the Rossi rifles any good for quality?