I'd like a lever gun, but need help deciding which one!

[John Boy]

Rossi '92 in 45LC ... over 15,000 BP reloads shot for CAS. No leading - no mechanical parts broken

[Griff]

One of the great things about the Uberti '73 is that your cartridge overall length gage is built in. With the gun unloaded, either open the bolt to raise the carrier, or just push the carrier up all the way and insert the cartridge from the bottom. If it fits, it'll more than likely feed thru the action... like 99% sure. There might be a few rifles where the barrel breach is not flush with the front of the carrier mortise.

I have a Uberti Henri & two '73s in 45 Colt. One '73 is a 24-¼" octagon sporting rifle, and the other is a 18-½" Border Rifle, which has the ½Oct/½Round barrel. I use all three in SASS matches and the Sporting Rifle in pistol caliber in Cowboy Silhouette. I find the extra weight of the long octagon barrel quite stabilizing for those off-hand shots.

I also have 3 Rossi 92s, two 38/357 carbines and a 45Colt Short Rifle. For those interested... you can find all the necessary information for slickin' up your Rossis, Winchester 94s & Uberti '73s at: Marauder's Rifle Tips. Long before these were posted I used much the same tune-up tips for my Rossi 1892s for my wife & son's use in SASS. If you're having any kind of problem with the Rossi 1892, you'll find a "fix" in there.

I also have a Marlin 1894 from the late '70s that I've converted to use the Cowboy45Special cartridge (think 45ACP with a Colt rim), and a "Cowboy" octagon barrel from overstock that I've shortened to 17".

If you have trouble feeding ammo from the carrier to the chamber, the best two bullet nose designs are the Round Flat Nose, (RFN) or the Truncated Cone (TC). With the case mount roll crimped into the crimp groove, these two have no sharp edges to catch on the chamber mouth. As someone else has said, think auto-loading pistol when thinking about bullet selection. The 1892 Winchester (or Rossi clone), mdl 94 Winchester & 1894 Marlin, all use an angled feed, wherein the cartridge has to turn from nose up attitude to horizontal to feed into the chamber, all the while it's being pushed forward by the bolt. This means that the bullet has to have a small enough nose to NOT jam against the roof of the chamber before it can be levered into a horizontal position. The toggle links, (1860, 1866, & 1873) are straight feed and don't suffer from the angled carrier, but... the chamber mouths can be quite sharp, and need to have a nice smooth cartridge nose & mouth to smoothly feed into the chamber. For most purposes, SWCs, Wide Flat Noses & their like need not apply!

If your 1892 is flipping loaded cartridges up thru the guides, you probably need to smooth and lighten the detent on the carrier... these can be quite strong. And trying to run the lever quickly exacerbates that tendency.

[GhostHawk]

Well I could not stand the suspence any longer. Went and got my Win 94 pre-64 that was on layaway at the pawn shop.

1100$ in the pair with tax which in my opinion is about what I expect to pay for one.

I have not been down the bore of the old one yet. But looking by eyeball from the muzzle rifling is clear, distinct and sharp. Bore looks good. Bore on the new one looks like it is not broken in yet.

In all pictures the Post 64 is on top, easily seen with the button safety in the top rear of the action. Also the lever of the Post 64 has a paracord wrap on it. I did not think the stock on the Pre-64 looked that good. Amazing what a light coat of oil and a soft cloth will do. In the shop it looked noticably faded, weathered. Now it shines, looks like the new one.

Large pictures

Enjoy.

[Griff]

Your "post 64" is actually an 94AE... quite a difference from the actual "post 64" top eject models produced by Winchester as a division of Olin Corp. 1st, it has that silly cut in the right side of the receiver, (yeah it makes it better to scope, yada yada yada...); 2nd, it's a forged steel receiver; 3rdly, it ain't a "Winchester", it's a USRA produced partial copy of the Winchester mdl 94 under license from Olin Corporation, just the same as the Miroku copies now being produced are.

Take the paracord off the lever, unless it really makes your hand fit in there better, the only thing it does is act as a trap for dirt and moisture... the perfect storm for RUST.

[mmkt]

I like the Henry