Why lever guns

[Mr_Flintstone]

Like many here, I own different types of guns; but always find myself coming back to a lever action as my overall favorite to use/shoot. The sheer longevity of the lever action says that I’m not the only one. What is it about the lever action rifle that makes it still so popular in the age of ARs, AKs, and poly-pistols? What do you like about the lever action?

[Wheelguns 1961]

I think it is the same reason single action revolvers are still popular. They are just cool!

[Elroy]

I can't figure out how the lever guns ,being so complex,and expensive to manufacture precede the simple,and more inexpensive to manufacture bolt gun..I do like the old lever actions from the old west,but I bet they cost a man a huge percent of his income back then.

[Win94ae]

I bought my first one because it was cheap.
I bought my second one because I thought it would be better than my revolver for deer hunting, I was wrong.

[dverna]

If I had to have only one gun, it would be the AR15. And the main reason is if the SHTF. Fun to shoot, accurate, can take deer if need be and plenty of firepower if things go south.

My most used rifles are .38/.357 lever actions rifles. I have three!!! I shoot mainly targets and plink, so they get used the most. Cheap to load, long case life, no case preparation except for cleaning, and I can load hundreds per hour on a progressive.

I have nine lever action guns (after downsizing), so I must like them a bit. LOL

[Shawlerbrook]

Like said above, they are just so cooooool !!!

[MT Gianni]

The spare parts list for a lever gun is a new set of springs and a firing pin every 50 years. I don't know what the spare set of parts for an AR is but more than an SKS. I got into them as I liked being able to have a second shot with out removing the gun from my cheek. Then I found I didn't need a second shot.
They do fit a scabbard nicer than anything else does, horse or 4 wheeler.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I think that, besides the lever action itself, it has something to do with their shape. The carbine style is short, handy, and all of them are narrow. Most of them are a lighter weight than a bolt action, although the latest generation of bolt actions is getting pretty light also. I'll never forget the time (about 25 years ago!) that a hunting partner and I topped a steep hill. I was breathing hard, and he seemed hardly fazed. He was carrying a Win. '94 and I was carrying a sporterized '06, probably a 2-3 lb. difference. Next trip I also had a '94. There's something just right about them. They seem to jump to the shoulder and the sights are right there.

[M-Tecs]

Bolt actions have been around longer, are generally more reliable and accurate. That being said levers are easier to carry by hand or on a horse in a scabbard. Levers have old west romance appeal.

As to reliability I have have three lever guns go down one me due to broken parts with maybe 10,000 rounds fired. Shot boltguns more and never had one go down one me for a broken part.

Between competition, prairie dog shooting and general shooting I have well over 100,000 rounds thru AR's and I have not had one go down for a broken part. I do replace the three piece gas rings with McFarland One Piece Gas Rings.

[dragon813gt]

Why? Because they are accurate fun to shoot rifles that will serve any practical purpose outside of military operations and extreme long range shooting.

[downzero]

I can't figure out how the lever guns ,being so complex,and expensive to manufacture precede the simple,and more inexpensive to manufacture bolt gun..I do like the old lever actions from the old west,but I bet they cost a man a huge percent of his income back then.

Labor was cheap then.

[Tar Heel]

Love them.
Attachment 260690

[375supermag]

Hi...
Hard for me to make a judgement here...
I just bought a new Marlin 1894 in .44Magnum to go with my Cimarron 1873 in .45Colt and plan to buy a Henry in .357Magnum later this spring/summer.
Also own and shoot several different bolt action rifles with Sako being my favorite. Often found at the range with some AR-15 and SKS rifles as well.

Could be I just like rifles and don't want to pick a favorite design.
Pretty much have the same problem with handguns...own a bunch of different designs in all different styles, finishes and calibers.

I think I just like guns and enjoy shooting them.

[TNsailorman]

I saw a demonstration of a lever savy man shooting a 30-30 on a timed run of 5 targets at 100 yards(1 gallon water jugs). He was shooting a Marlin 336 that was stock, no gunsmithing or other enhancements. I don't think a AR would have taken down those targets any faster. The rifle never left his shoulder and he shooting as soon as the rifle came out of recoil. Very impressive and he made a great statement for the lever action as a defensive arm. I have watch a lot of "experts" on Lee Armey's show that compared bolt rifles to semi autos and it was plain to see that they did not know how to properly operate a bolt rifle. All would pull the rifle part-way or all the way off their shoulder to operate the bolt and then some would have a balky reload(working the action for a new shell). I was taught by old timers that when the stuff hits the fan, the rifle does not leave the shoulder. And they stressed the importance of doing this when on the range or in the field. It takes a little practice but it is the way to go when speed might count. I think that might be one reason that the European countries stayed so long with the cock on closing feature. It works better on the shoulder fire than the cock on opening system. At least this has been my experience for nearly 70 years.

[M-Tecs]

[Bazoo]

Why do leveractions have such an appeal? Part of it is balance. They combine the perfect balance between compactness, style, firepower, and the ability to be brought into action quickly and swiftly.

I think romance of the west plays some part for people, but not everyone. Example, I don't really care for colts peacemaker, but I love Ruger Blackhawks. So why then do I favor leverguns? I've been trying to figure that out myself for nearly 20 years.

I keep both a levergun and a boltgun on shoulder when cycling the action.

[dragon813gt]

Having a rifle and a reviver chambered in the same cartridge is certainly handy. Forgot to mention this in my first post. I know having loads tailored to an individual firearm yields the best results. But you can certainly get by w/ one loading for both that will yield accurate results on target.

[dverna]

My CAS lever actions were tuned...when I was training every week I could fire 10 rounds in 6-8 seconds and that was NOT fast. I have seen guys do it in half the time. Of course these are mouse phart loads in .38 Spl's.

The .30/30 has been named the Appalachian Assault Rifle for good reason. One of the reasons I kept the .30/30's is in case AR's are ever banned. A tube full of .38's in a Marlin 1894 loaded to near .357 levels are not too shabby for a close in defensive platform either.

[indian joe]

I can't figure out how the lever guns ,being so complex,and expensive to manufacture precede the simple,and more inexpensive to manufacture bolt gun..I do like the old lever actions from the old west,but I bet they cost a man a huge percent of his income back then.

good argument when you look at the later lever guns - not so much comparing a toggle link - much simpler action, and the mechanism was already proved functional before the self contained metal cartridge - lever gun beats all as a carry gun - plus the cool factor.................

[444ttd]

cuz they are kewl!!!!!!

the first rifle was given to me by my pappy. it is a win m94(1973) in 30-30. i can't remember how many deer i shot with it. the 30-30 is an ok cartridge, but i wanted something more. the '06 in a rem m700 mountain rifle was the first rifle i ever bought. its gone, but i had/have many bolts and single actions galore. this past year, i got the m94 out of the safe and i gave to JES Reboring to make a 35/30-30 out of her. jesse does a GREAT job!!!!!! i load 200gr fn gc with 20.0gr of 2400/dacron and it goes 1726fps. also i bought a williams fp peep sight cuz my eyes don't line up on three things(back sight, front sight and the target) anymore. i killed my doe last season with the 35/30 and i was impressed. the 35/30 is more than i ever need or want. if i could back, i would give it to my gunsmith(RIP) and make the m94 into a 35/30 and then i wouldn't buy anything else.

shooting the m94 in