seriously considering a lever gun, could use some opinions.

[AnthonyB]

Buckshot! Great to see you posting.
Tony

[northmn]

While I do not know the bullet, a lever gun should have a bullet with a crimp groove as they can stovepipe due to the spring loading issues. The side loading gate is great for continuous fire as one can shoot a few and load a few and maintain a loaded rifle without taking it out of commission. As I have never been in combat with any of my rifles I do not give that much credence. I do like the abiltiy to unload with a tube in my Henry 22 mag.
I have a Rossi 357 and shoot it a lot. It is a very nice tractor/4 wheeler rifle. While some seem to see a need to smooth them up, over a short time loading and unloading by working the action makes them fairly smooth. The Rossi is a fair copy of the Winchester 92 and is kind of cool for that. The Henry brass frame is a bit heavy and the steel ones a bit lighter. The Rossi is not D&T for receiver sights and the Henry can be adapted. For older eyes like mine I need receiver sights. I D&T my Rossi to use them.

DP

[qwiksting]

I really enjoy the insight/experience in this thread. I just purchased my first lever, waiting for it to get to my LGS. A Henry 45LC Big boy steel. I made my descision to go with Henry for pure patriotic reasons. I dont mind the tube loading as I have a marlin model 60 and its not a big deal. I also made the caliber descision to have a rifle that also accepts the cal. that my Ruger Redhawk takes. I reload so cartrige cost wasn't a factor. I am not knocking Rossi, winchester, uberti or any other variations as they all are fine firearms. You can take just about any firearm and find something that may need "some fine tuning" for individual reasons.
I am sorry, not trying to hijack the thread, but just my 2 cents worth. Again any lever action rifle is a work of art and workmanship. Those guys were pretty smart to invent them. I am hoping my rifle will handle what I load my ruger redhawk for.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

If I was just starting like I did in 1963 as a13 year old I would get a Marlin .30-30, I put a Lyman 66LA peep sight on it and cast 311041 froma single cavity Lyman. Maybe I would put a 2-7 x32 scope and use a Lee double cavity in today's world. A Win 94, even a Mossberg or Henry might be considered. The Marlin 336 or Winchester 94 in .30-30 are the 'Classic' leverguns. Things might get strange after that .32 Special, .35 Remington, .218 Bee - Savage 99's ( a .300 to start), Winchester 71 .348 (Browning clone OK), .45-70 by Marlin, Winchester, Henry, Browning or Rossi. 22's - Marlin 39A, Winchester 1894 and Henry, Oh Yeah then the pistol cartridges in Marlin 1894's and the Winchester 92, 1973 and clones. BUT a .30-30 is a good place to START.

[smokeywolf]

Have you seen this thread?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...60-26-quot-bbl

[flyin brian]

I've owned lever guns all my life but never as many as now, since I got afflicted with Marlinitis! I can't seem to stop buying them, but they make me happy and I'm having fun with them so I guess I won't stop.

I'd say my favorite overall is the Marlin 1893 in 38-55, but I've got them in 25-20, 32-40, 38-40, 44-40, 357mag, 45 colt, 40-60 Marlin & 45-70.

There is something about the 1893 & 1894 design that just works- simple yet strong and elegant. Remove one screw and you have the lever off and the bolt slides right out, ejector removed, ready for a thorough bore cleaning from the breech. Try that with other levers

[NavyVet1959]

My last levergun was a Rossi 92 in .44 mag. I was looking for one in .357 mag as a plinking rifle and I already had a Marlin in .45-70 so I didn't need anything for hunting. The price was such ($300) on the Rossi that I just couldn't turn it down.



I figure for plinking, I'll just load the .44 mag with round balls.

[kungfustyle]

I just got a Rossi 20" round barrel in 44 mag. Great little gun. However, for $500 retail you would think they would make the sights to shoot poa at 50 yards or so. Mine shot 8" high. I opted to scope it, targets are getting hard to see through a 100 yard peep. The gun slugs out at .432 which is common. So I had to get a mold and a new sizing die for reloading it. Just a thought, if you go with a 357/38 you can hunt everything from squirrel to deer with it. I don't regret getting a 44, but now I'm thinking I might want a 357/38 too.

[PerpetualStudent]

As HP246 points out, there are a few .45 bullets that can go in either .45ACP or .45Colt. I don't know if yours is one of those but even if you wind up buying another mold that new mold could feed both your guns. That's an efficiency that appeals to me and would push me to the .45Colt if I were you.

On the other hand that thread Smokeywolf posted would be hard to beat. Mold, dies, some brass and the gun for that price. Makes me wish I was in a position to beat you to that.

As somebody else mentioned you can load 1 into the chamber of the Henry. You can't top up the magazine but I imagine with practice you could reload the entire magazine faster than someone with a side loading gate. So you would have one extra if you need it and a decent reload time for the whole mag.

[Rizzo]

FWIW, I recently bought a Henry Big Boy Steel .357 mag rifle.
I went with the Henry because it ejects out the side (where a loading gate would be) and gives me the option of mounting a scope or Red Dot.
Other lever rifles eject out the top so scope mounting would be an issue.
Lastly, I went with the Steel model due to it being over 1.5 pounds lighter (7.0 lbs.) than the brass model (Big Boy).

Hope this helps your decision.

[Strtspdlx]

Have you seen this thread?

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...60-26-quot-bbl

that would be a great deal of I had the money right now. Hopefully within the next several months I'll be able to save some extra money to purchase one. I've gotten so much input recently from here and amongst trusted marksmen that I think my brain is about to implode. I'm almost 100% positive I'll be buying a Rossi in 45 colt.

[smokeywolf]

Strtspdlx, I'm sure you'll be happy with the Rossi. I don't have one, but have heard little, if anything negative about them. I can tell you for sure and certain, unless you're wanting a lever gun that kills on both ends, the model '76 is just about the most fun you can have with your clothes on; especially if you're shootin' black powder loads.

[Pereira]

The thing about lever actions are, they come in all sorts of calibers, with different barrel lengths, and configurations.
Some load through the side and others at the magazine tube. Myself am like Mostlyleverguns, I own levers by Henry, Marlin, Rossi, & Winchester, and in calibers like 22 lr, 357 Mag., 30-30, 308 MX, 35 Rem., 44 Mag, and the Marlin 444, & I like them all.
They are fun, accurate, and ambidextrous. At the end of the day it just depends on your wants and desires are. But beware they are addictive.

[Nicholas]

I bought my first rifle, a brand new Marlin 336T in 30-30 almost 50 years ago for $75 hard to come by money. It is the one rifle that I would not part with, though eventually a lucky grandson will have it.

[TXGunNut]

Keep us posted, OP. If you haven't noticed leverguns are addictive. You've been warned, lol. I've lost count and my modest collection pales in comparison to many around here. The first one is awesome but soon after the second one your safe tends to get a little crowded. Enjoy, there's truly something wonderful about a levergun.

[birch]

Miroku 92 in 45 Colt is one of the finest leverguns ever made. If I had to sell my firearms, that one would be one of the last to go. It is a masterpiece of a gun.

[John Barleycorn]

Get an Uberti 1873, they are competition proven.

[dverna]

For cheap shooting, load .38 Spl cases with a 125-130 gr bullet. Shoot for less than .22LR.

I agree with you about getting a gun with a loading gate. I have had Rossi's, Marlin's and 1873 clones. If you want to mount a scope, go with the Marlin. If you want fast, go with the 1873.

[TXGunNut]

Have you pulled the trigger yet, OP? There are few bad choices, might as well buy one and join the fun!

[griffiga]

I too feel a lot like many others on this thread, and all the input may be overwhelming, but it is nice to get a different perspective on something before you actually buy. I have owned and still own several lever guns over the past 40 years and everyone of them has it's purpose. I look at it on the 80% rule - which is "what am I going to be doing with the gun 80% of the time?" If plinking is it, I would look for something in the .357/.38 or even .22 long rifle range. Also included would be the .44's and .45 (colt, .44 WCF, .44 spl/mag), pretty much anything in the "pistol" calibers. It's true that hot .357 and .44 mag loads can also be used for hunting, but 80% of the time you will be plinking. I have an Uberti 73 in .44 WCF, Uberti 66 in .45 Colt, Marlin CL in .218 bee, 2- Marlin 1895's in .45-70 and .444, Winchester 1886 in .36-56, a Winchester 64 in .30-30, two other marlin 94's in .30-30 and .35 Rem, another winchester 92 in 32-20. My most recent acquisition is a Win model 71 in .348 WCF. I used to have a Marlin 94 in .25-20 and a Marlin 93 in .32-40 but ended up selling/trading them off. If I had to pick one to use for everything (I'm just glad I don't) I would take the plain old .30-30 although my favorite is the 86 in .38-56, but it's too danged heavy to pack around the hills very far. I know this probably didn't help, but rambling got a lot of stuff off my mind.