Help choosing a lever action

[uscra112]

But don't lose that little v-shaped ejector spring! (Says the man who now carries a spare under the buttplate.)

[Eddie Southgate]

If I could afford one right now I would buy the Burgess reproduction that Taylor is selling . They are very cool looking and it is said they drop their empty's at your feet which is a huge plus to me since I reload everything I shoot and hate chasing empty cases all over the country . They are not cheap but look to be very high quality and the .45 Colt it comes in would be my choice since you can't shoot the boomers .

[ELFEGO BACA]

I have a marlin 1895 in 45/70 and a Marlin 1894CB in 45 colt.
The 1895 has been a safe queen for three- four years.
The 45 colt is out more than in the safe being shoot mostly on the range.

[smkummer]

If I could afford one right now I would buy the Burgess reproduction that Taylor is selling . They are very cool looking and it is said they drop their empty's at your feet which is a huge plus to me since I reload everything I shoot and hate chasing empty cases all over the country . They are not cheap but look to be very high quality and the .45 Colt it comes in would be my choice since you can't shoot the boomers .

I have one of these that I shoot in cowboy action. Love it. Don’t know if one can safely load above 45 colt sammi specs. My only complaint is it’s not easy to take apart and clean. The marlin 1894 is so easy to take apart and clean.

[Drm50]

What ever you pick you will be better off with a Win or Marlin. Exception is the questionable quality of new Mar made by Rem. I like the older guns and newest Levers I have were Marlins from 50s-70. The Wins & Brns that are remakes of older Win models are nice guns too. Can't say much about these fairly new companies, some may make good guns and some are assembling foreign parts into guns or just importing. The Wins and Marlins been around 100yrs of prooven design. A guy is better off looking for a high condition old model gun than buying new in most cases. And in the more popular models will cost about the same. The older model gun kept in good shape will not loose value. The new stuff is just a used gun that is worth less than you paid for it when you pull the trigger.

[beshears]

Why is no one mentioning the Browning BLR. Had one in 358, wish I still had it. Several different calibers. Easily scoped

[smkummer]

Why is no one mentioning the Browning BLR. Had one in 358, wish I still had it. Several different calibers. Easily scoped

You forgot how hard it kicked with factory ammo.

[az mule packer]

I have a several Winchester 94 30-30s, Marlin 45-70 1895ss guide gun and a Taylor's Huntsman 45 colt with Skinner sights with a 16" barrel. I've shot the 30-30 all my life since about 7yrs old. Killed my first deer with one, great guns. But, I have to say, the Taylor's 45 colt is a lot of fun to shoot and is very accurate. It has a 1/16 twist barrel. I've been shooting a 260gr LFNGC LBT molded hard cast bullet in it with excellent accuracy for a short battle. It's very handy to say the least and hardly any recoil compared to the 30-30 or 45-70.

Best of luck with whichever you choose.

[onelight]

Why is no one mentioning the Browning BLR. Had one in 358, wish I still had it. Several different calibers. Easily scoped

Those are sweet rifles shooting buddy had one in 358 we loaded for and shot a lot.
I think Henry has a similar rifle also.

[DueceMcGurk]

DVERNA hit the nail on the head. But, $5,000 hunt, prep time, one shot to take -- make mine a 45-70. Then it goes in the safe as my #6 favorite lever to shoot.

[Ramjet-SS]

Expensive hunt use a scope. A top quality scope will make most guns shoot better than there owners are capable otherwise.
Hard to argue with a 45-70 except for range then the cartridges like 308 and 6.5 creedmore win out. Even a 30-30 improved will out distance the 45-70 in most shooters hands. Now if you are talking under 200 yards the 45-70 is hard to beat. But spend more on the scope than the rifle.....

[Nathanj]

Of the two you "actually" asked about, the 44 mag or the 45LC. Personally I like the 44 in the Marlin. Load it up or load it down. Mine shoots 310 Lee Cast bullets very accurately and 240 cast equally as well. I've taken deer, bear, and hogs with it and it has performed perfectly. Recently took a 350 lb black bear with one shot with the Lee 310 loaded with 22 gr H110 he rolled over twice and surrendered. Nothing wrong with the 45LC either, I just find I use my 44 a lot more and my daughter started using one last year also.

[FergusonTO35]

Apparently Rossi is making 92's again, our local Rural King has them in stock. Externally, they look really nice. Shiny bluing and really good wood to metal fit. The levers were zip tied so I couldn't cycle the action or look in the bore.