Full magazine or Half magazine

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Comparing posts (with photos) of levers available here in Australia, with numerous rifles in USA, it seems the early settlers favoured half magazine rifles here against full magazine rifles commonly avail able in US.

Today, full magazine rifles would outnumber half magazine by 1:4. Perhaps we didn't have Indians surrounding wagon trains?

I have quite a number of 1/2 magazine rifles but only 2 with full.

[square butte]

I have always liked the half magazine levers. I have one like yours in 25-20 - But in general they are harder to come by in the US. Been looking for one in 32-20 for years but still have not found one. Appreciate the photos

[veeman]

Never owned a half mag, never cared for the look of them. They just look, incomplete.

[Kev18]

I have a half mag/ button mag 1886 also. They are really rare and few were made compared to the full mag tubes. I have the winchester book and they say the specific number of each model made.

[glaciers]

Hey, Bad *** Wallace, nice carbines. Got the ladder sites also. Only have one button mag at this time and have only owned maybe 5 or 6 total. Can't quite read the box but those look like 38-40's.
A picture you posted here, on another thread of some of your Martini's, you listed 2 - 300 Sherwoods. I had one made up by Wesley Richards if memory servers. Sweet little takedown rifle. If you don't mind what make were yours?

[Bazoo]

The reason half mag guns were not as popular back in the day is simple. Folks lived and died by their guns, and the more ammo they could have in gun the better their odds. You might run into hostile folks, Indians or bushwhackers, or a grizzly, montain lion, or moose that needs persuading.

And don't forget that not everyone was a crack shot, but everyone had to feed themselves. While the common opinion is that you'll only get one shot at game, that's hogwash. It's not uncommon to get repeated shots at a single animal or group of animals, and when it means going hungry, you take whatever shots you have.

[bob208]

one other advantage of a full mag. is if you and the extra ammo get separated ou have more in the gun. could ther have been a restriction on mag. capacity for import?
I have two button mag. carbines a 94 in .38-55 and a 92 in .44-40. rifles are more common with button mags.
now here is a rare duck a 94 rifle with a 2/3 mag. I have one with said mag. full octagon barrel pistol grip stock with the I type checkering. it is .32 Winchester special.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Can't quite read the box but those look like 38-40's.

You are correct 38/40's: a pair of consequetive 4 digit serial numbered carbines made in 1892 for the prison service - rare as rocking horse poo!

[Drm50]

I have a 25/20 & 32/20 m53 Wins that have the button magazines. When I got the 25/20 I kinda wanted to trade it for a 92 full mag in 25/20. After I loaded for it, it grew on me and I tracked down a 32/20. Both have a little external wear on wood but metal is high condition and they bough have bores like a new dime. I also have turn of century Marlin 94s in 25/20 & 32/20, both rifle versions tapered octagon barrel with full mags. Bores are dark but both excellent shooters. I look at a lot of old levers and the smaller the bore the fewer that have good bores. A couple years ago I bid on a 1886 45/70 half mag carbine. I bid on nothing waiting for it. My total nut was $6500 and I was willing to blow it all. Gun was NIB with hang tags. Needless to say it went for about three times that.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Those are really nice, and rare, Mr. Wallace. If you were able to sell them over here you'd probably glean enough money to sit by the swimming pool and drink Foster's Lager for a couple of years. As for full vs. half magazines, I can only speculate that in the historical hey-day of lever actions, perhaps 1866 - 1900, the western frontier was in full swing at the beginning and then slowly in decline, and it was an advantage to have as many rounds available as practical. Half mags have always been looked at here as sporting rifles. Not offered new very often, and during my lifetime when they were, they always cost a bit more than the standard full magazine models. I would say that the one exception to that would be the Savage '99s, but they're a bit different in design. Also, we had a Winchester 88 and Browning BLR long after the close of the Old West, and both were marketed as sporting rifles. Another interesting exception would be the Winchester 1895 with a built in magazine for pointed cartridges, but that's the only one I can think of during the bad old days.

DG

[ulav8r]

Have never handled a button mag, but got to hunt with my uncle's Mod. 92 that had a blind magazine. Had about a 20 inch half octagon barrel and a rifle style buttplate. In 32-20 it held, I seem to remember, 3 rounds in the magazine. I think he bought it used in the very early Thirties. It has been 50 years, so the capacity and age are not certain.

[Texas by God]

I've converted a couple of 94s to 1/2 mag and they are handy. Of course the factory version is more desirable!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Shawlerbrook]

I like them all.

[indian joe]

Never owned a half mag, never cared for the look of them. They just look, incomplete.

I agree 100% ---- they look like something fell off

Hoowever the redeeming feature is the half mag guns are way less prone to vertical stringing on the target

still dont like the look of em tho

[missionary5155]

It is all a matter of what each individual likes and needs.
But personally I have never had to pop a corn cruncher with more than one cast slug.
If you need 10 for popping steel you might want 10 in an extra long tube.
Mike in Peru

[bikerbeans]

I have both full and half mags and all i care about is that they are accurate enough for my purposes.

BB

[smkummer]

Like them all. I need a full mag. for cowboy action. Love my 2/3 mag. on my 35 marlin waffle top. I think on a hunting rifle, the 2/3 mag. get less banging around when going through brush or in and out of a truck.

[TheGrimReaper]

I don't have any half mags.....but I think they look really classy!

[Bazoo]

I don't like the look of half mags, but that aside, I prefer to have more bullets in the gun for all situations.

[Dan Cash]

If you enjoy the half magazine guns, only load 3 or 4 cartridges in the magazine you have. Personally, since I use a rifle for the same purposes as my great grandfather, I want a full length magazine and the longer the better.