Tough one. I picked .357 since it goes so well with a revolver and can do an awful lot of what needs to be done in FL. It'd be hard to give up my .35 or .30-30. Good cases could be made for those too.
.357 Mag / 38 Special
.44 Mag / 44 Special
45 Colt
.454 Casull
444 Marlin
45-70
44-40
450 Marlin
30-30
35 Remington
Tough one. I picked .357 since it goes so well with a revolver and can do an awful lot of what needs to be done in FL. It'd be hard to give up my .35 or .30-30. Good cases could be made for those too.
It would be nice to see some love for a classic like 33WCF. But out of those options you can't go wrong with a 45-70.
N. Florida here. 38/357 for me. Very versatile for anything around here. Squirrel to deer to hog.
.38-55, followed by 38-40
1895 Winnie in 35WCF!!
I own lever guns in more than a dozen calibers and truly enjoy the pistol caliber '76 and '92, the '86 in 45-90 and 50-110, '71 in 348, '99 in 250, '95's in everything!!! but I have a soft spot for the forgotten 35 caliber.
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44 mag
Not on the list but 348 Winchester would be my choice
Didn't vote for any of the above.
If I had to pick a phantom caliber it'd be a variable 30-45 caliber.
"What makes you think I care" ........High Plains Drifter
Rick C.
Always liked the 44-40 cartridge though I don't own anything chambered in it. But I did have a lot of fun in the woods with a buddies old 300 Savage from his grandpa, that lever gun went bang every time unlike my Winchester Semi Auto 243...click...
I would have to go with the old favorite, the .30-30. I've had a number of them over the years, Winchesters and Marlins both. I would like to sit down and get another 1894 saddle ring carbine someday, but the prices on them have gotten more than I can afford.
I think as a gun though that I had one of though was a 1894 SRC in .25-35 once, that gun was a lot of fun to shoot and would have loved to have taken a deer with it.
On a side note, if ammo wasn't so bad, I know where there's an early Savage 1899 in .303 Savage that would be a lot of fun to play with.
Whatever cannot be remedied, must be endured.
30 40 krag
Tough choice, but it is clearly between 30-30 and 45-70 and 357. I nod to the 357 because of its applicability to revolvers.
If you were to ask what I think is the best lever rifle cartridge...it would be the same answer I would give for any rifle...30-'06 A BLR with safety on hammer/steel/2-7x glass on top.
.30 Carbine Marlin Model 62 with a Ruger .30 Carbine revolver!
Im on the hunt for a henry big boy. I was torn between a 45c and a 44m, mostly thought of the colt cause its a bigger boolit. But, I think the mag wins out. I’ll have one....eventually. Plus I have four molds for 44 this far. Wanting to add more.
45-70 would probably be the most practical for me, but .41 mag or .44 mag are on the short list.
Boone and Crockett Club member
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Pope & Young Club member
This is a fun thread lots of fun opinions. I have boat load of lever guns. Some real potent ones all the way down to 22 WM.
I am so fickle when it comes to favorite. Right now the 30-30 is winning out because of the Levereveolution powder and being able to take the 30-30 to some really good performance in light packable rifle. Throw in 190 grain boolits at just over 2000 FPS and you have some stout loads for just about anything. Then load up some 125 grain Sierra Game King HP and it is one heck of flat shooting varmint rifle. Brass is easy to come by no most people leave it lay at the range. Man this really hard to break it down to one choice.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |