Why lever guns

[megasupermagnum]

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.

The better question is, why are bolt actions still so popular today? Sure they can be made cheap, but they are bulky, ugly, and only marginally faster than a break action single shot. Sure, you can learn to run a bolt action well, but put that same time into a lever, or pump, or just about anything else, and you will be running circles around a bolt. About the only legitimate advantage a bolt still holds is that they are easy to make a one piece stock for, and can be made fantastically accurate.

Reliability? I don't know what bolts you guys have used, but generally I find bolt actions to be about the LEAST reliable guns out there. Especially the dirt cheap ones. Sure a Winchester model 70 is well proven, but there is a whole heap of bolt actions that are not. And bolt action shotguns? They are the worst of the worst.

Rant over.

[Jedman]

I find most all guns to my liking. I think a pump action is probably better if you think you may need extra shots BUT, did you ever see a cowboy or anyone in a western movie with a pump action rifle ? I like single shots the best overall because there are so many ways to make a gun fire once,
Just fascinating to me how many different actions have been designed for single shots.

Getting back to lever actions, I like them because they look good, shoot good, handle good, and that's what the Rifleman had when I was a kid. There are a lot of lever actions designs also, did I say I find that fascinating?

Some people say guns are just tools, If you asked my grand kids about me they would tell you I have every tool ever invented and there not speaking about my guns.

Jedman

[Texas by God]

Academy Sports sells a non catalog Marlin 336Y 30-30 with short stock and 16" barrel. Talk about handy! What I'd want to do is to ditch the laminate wood and use walnut and do a straight grip conversion like a Winchester Trapper.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[pietro]

.

I like leverguns because they generally aren't issued with plastic/fantastic parts - especially the stocks...……

.

[rintinglen]

My favorite rifle is my Savage 1899 in 303 savage. Thanks to Graf and Sons and Privi Partisan I expect that I will be shooting it for the rest of my life. It balances well, is easily minute of deer off-hand at 100 yards, is reasonably light weight. and it fits me well.

[45-70 Chevroner]

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

Hear hear! For all you lever lovers. I have four. I haven't owned a bolt gun for about 20 years now. I sold it two my son, well actually almost gave it to him. I shoot my lever guns more than anything I have. I have given 20 or more of my guns to my kids and grandkids and still have two safes full. Because of health problems for over a year now (thats what getting old will do for you) I haven't been out shooting. But I can still read about it and day dream about it. Love this web sight, and appreaciate all the things written on here.

[hpdrifter]

To spin a commercial these days;

The question is, why NOT a lever?

[fordwannabe]

I am left handed and “back when” a levergun was more comfortable than a right handed bolt. It is the first deer rifle my Grandfather handed me. They are historic. It was good enough for John Wayne, Chuck Conners, Clint Walker, and “the boys” from the Big Valley to the Ponderosa. PLUS I like being the old fart at the range with “those old timey rifles.” Most of the guys at the range have never heard of a 38-55, 32-20, 40-82, or 33WCF. I like to show them that these old guns can still make meat, but ya gotta hunt with them not shoot three times at a half mile. The big drawback for me is the iron sights seem to have grown some kinda fuzz on them as THEY get older. Can’t seem to wipe that fuzz off either. When they are up close I don’t see the fuzz but when I shoulder it dang it there it is again 😉 Those are the reasons I do leverguns, and yes I have semi autos and bolt actions but they are tools, my leverguns are art.

[Win94ae]

I am left handed and “back when” a levergun was more comfortable than a right handed bolt.

I like my lever guns also for the ambidexterity... unfortunately the Marlin's cross-bolt safety almost caused me to miss this years 10 point. Somehow it was on safe, and I had to do a lot of left-handed fumbling to disengage it! That's when your heart starts racing!

I have the fuzzy sight syndrome too. :/

[uscra112]

Fuzzy sights easily solved by mounting a ghost ring tang sight.

[MT Chambers]

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.

Yup, bolt actions predated the '66 and the Henry/Volcanic, I was there!

[fordwannabe]

Oh and I forgot! put the sense of accomplishment you get from shooting a doe with a leupold scoped, Remington 700 in ‘06, with Walmart bought Core-lokt vs the sense I got this year using my cast bullets, in a Winchester 1886 in 45-70 with a DOM of 1892. Nuther reason I do leverguns.

[mickbr]

In Australia its difficult to own semi's, but all the other action types are unrestricted. For the large amounts of feral game here without bag limits or seasons, levers have the same benefits they always did. Decently fast repeat firepower, slimline, can be carried all day and drawn quickly from scabbards, on bikes, boats, or behind vehicle seats. They are not the fastest action, but are probably the fastest gun type to get into action. The historic cases with moderate capacity and especially pistol cartridges are not overly blasty on the ears either, even if we can wear hearing protection, the hunting dogs cant.

[Drm50]

I thinned my collection way down. I sold off all my big game magnum Bolt Actions and most of my BA varmit rifles. I’m down to 42 cf rifles and only 5 are bolt actions. I do have a couple pumps and auto loaders, early milled 8 & 14 series Rems. The rest all Levers or Single Shots, ( got 43 rifles, forgot a 219 Sav Hornet that needs repairs ) Any hunting that I may do will be eastern deer and black bear. My 1895 Winchester 30/06 will take care of anything and if it dont my 1895 Marin 45/70 will. Those are my biggest hitters I have left. Win m70fw 308 is biggest BA.

[robg]

tried a ghost ring on mine ,front sight was crisp in good light but went fuzzy when not bright .put a scope on mine.<shock horror>but now i can shoot so much better.

[Gunslinger1911]

John Wayne.

Nuff said

[Cosmic_Charlie]

tried a ghost ring on mine ,front sight was crisp in good light but went fuzzy when not bright .put a scope on mine.<shock horror>but now i can shoot so much better.

Using an XS Sight Systems mount I equipped my early 70's Glenfield with a Burris Scout Scope. Sits nice and low and leaves the hammer free. Scopes help my shooting as well.

[303Guy]

I like lever actions but I don't have one and likely never will. But I like them.

A friend had a Rossi 357 magnum. Great little rifle. I loaded up for it and shot some pretty good groups with it. I always looked at it with envy when we went out together. I carried my equally handy mini 14 for which he mocked me for, calling it my mickey mouse 14. It was more accurate with its scope and had more range than his 357 but I still liked his 357.

I wouldn't mind having a Savage 99 in 250 Savage or similar.

[Savvy Jack]

I like them because "boys" can't seem to hit the back-side of a barn with them!

The Late John Kort 300 meters 44-40 Black Powder:




"Chip Mate", blackpowder 44-40 wins Arizona State Championship March 2012.
Attachment 262635Attachment 262636

[Randy Bohannon]

No flies on the venerable 44-40 WCF , better than it was designed for that’s why it’s still around. I remember seeing my first piece of 44-40 WCF brass asked the older gun guy about it, he had nothing good to say about it. He was and has been wrong many times.