Looking for recommendations

[Lead Lug]

I am looking to buy a levergun that is inexpensive to buy and inexpensive to load for. It will mainly be for plinking and for fun but possibly for deer hunting also. Recommendations are appreciated...

[Jeff H]

I am looking to buy a levergun that is inexpensive to buy and inexpensive to load for. It will mainly be for plinking and for fun but possibly for deer hunting also. Recommendations are appreciated...

Look at the Rossi '92 in .357. I am a .44 guy myself, but the .357 tipped the scales for me with respect to how quickly the lead pot draws down. Understand too that the Rossi may require some TLC to get it doing everything flawlessly - or as flawlessly as your personal expectations demand, but it is not difficult work to do either.

Having owned a Marlin in .44 mag at one time, I can say there is not a thing wrong with the Marlins either, just more likely you will find a Rossi for less.

[Matthew 25]

Here's a second, exactly what Jeff said.

[Suo Gan]

I am looking to buy a levergun that is inexpensive to buy and inexpensive to load for. It will mainly be for plinking and for fun but possibly for deer hunting also. Recommendations are appreciated...

I put my vote for a used Marlin 30-30. Specifically look at the30as. This model was the economy version of the 336, but is the same gun without walnut and has simple unhooded front sight. These are sold for around $200 (on gunbroker, etc), then you will have shipping and FFL fees. Should be around $250 all tolled. Brass for 30-30 is relatively cheap new, and even cheaper once fired. A million molds have been cut for the old bird too, there should be no reason you can't get the whole shootin match up and running for around $300. The Rossi 357's are probably okay, don't really know, I believe they are a direct JM Browning copy of a Win 92, they start (used) at $400 plus the shipping and ffl.

I would rather have a Marlin for their ease of breakdown, 30-30 can be loaded mild to wild.

[Tracy]

I'll second the .30/30, but I would go for a Winchester if you can find one that is not too expensive. Pre-'64 is best, but anything pre-angle eject will be fine. They are lighter than Marlins, and in my experience (and I've had 7 or 8 of each, Marlin and Winchester) more reliable. Also, most Marlins have Micro-groove rifling, and they will indeed shoot cast, but not as well as a Winchester.

[Phillip]

I am looking to buy a levergun that is inexpensive to buy and inexpensive to load for. It will mainly be for plinking and for fun but possibly for deer hunting also. Recommendations are appreciated...

If you have a handgun already and want a good combo, I would go for a Rossi in that caliber. I picked up a new Rossi 24" in 45 colt for 400$ to team up with my Ruger.

If you are just looking for a leaver, I would go the 30-30 route. I would look at a used Winchester, Marlin or, a new Rossi rio grande.

[fecmech]

If you are planning to do a lot of shooting then it's hard to beat the pistol caliber lever guns. The straight wall cases allow the use of carbide dies which negates the case lube required with bottle necked cases. The plethora of plain based handgun bullets available in pistol calibers is another expense you avoid and steps required to use gas checks. Whether you use cast or jacketed I doubt that any deer would know the difference between any pistol caliber rifle .357 and up over a 30-30. IMO it's hard to beat a '92 with about 100 .38's for an afternoons shooting!

[northmn]

The 30-30 is hard to beat. As to economy, the cases are reasonalby priced, I was given a 3lb coffee can of them from someone else. Bullets can be case from 113 to 190 grains. The caliber is also very easy to load cast for. Winchester or Marlin is a preference. My Rossi 357 is fun but I admit it did give me problems which I have not encountered with either a Winchester or Marlin. The sigts had to be filed down a bit because it shot too high and I had to play with the forestock to keep it from walking. Also it is not D&T for a peep sight.

DP

[GH1]

I'm going to cast my vote for the Marlin in .357. It'll shoot .38's all day long, and there's no easier cartridge to reload. When it comes time to hunt deer load up some .357's and have at it. As long as you're within 100 yards a .357 will do the job on a deer, provided you do your job.
GH1

[jblee10]

I like my Puma 357 model 92. Light, handy, a blast to shoot. With a peep sight it is plenty accurate and I would take shots out to 100 yard or so on deer. I think lots of people are over gunned for deer anyway.

[Hanzerik]

For a cheap and easy to reload for gun, I would go with a .357. What brand is all up to you, but I prefer the 1892 actions over the Marlins...just a personal preference. Both are good.

I only have .44Mag lever guns, but if all you are wanting to do is punch paper and knock off the occasional Deer, then a .357 should fit the bill. Me...I wanted a good caliber that will take any of the game animals up in this part of the country, and is fairly cheep to reload for. Plus the .44 magnum is just a cool, versatile, cartridge to reload for. I like the cartridge so much I HAD to get a nice Ruger 4 5/8" Blackhawk to go along with the lever guns.

[Lead Lug]

Thanks for all the info and suggestions. I have narrowed it down to the pistol calibers because the straight wall cases are simply easier to reload. Also, shooting heavier rounds in such a light gun would stop being fun after a few rounds.

I have a feeling the choice of manufacturer and caliber will come down to what I find available at a price I can afford. I have enough faith in my gunsmithing ability to make even the cheaper guns function reliably. Along with reloading, working on my own guns just adds another dimension to the sport. I find all aspects of shooting to be very enjoyable and doing everything yourself gives great satisfaction.

[Longwood]

I like big bullets.
I have a Rossi 92 lever action and a Taurus Thunderbolt pump.
I went with 45 long colt in both for several reasons, some of which you already mentioned.
I do a lot of shooting out in the rocks, sand and dirt of the desert where I can see the bullets hit when I miss with the big bullets. Things roll around when I hit them.[smilie=w:

I used to shoot with 22's, 38 super and special, 357 mag, 44 mag and a bunch of rifle calibers in single shots till my eyesight went and I sold my pistols.
My friend that I shoot a lot with, has a couple of 45 Single Actions so we share guns and shoot the same ammo in everything.
A single action colt that is not 44 or 45 seems out of place somehow and since the 45 Long Colt can be loaded very cheaply and pretty mild for fun shooting, why not go for the bigger than 44 mag shells.
They do impress the kids!
I sometimes shoot as many as 100 rounds in one outing with my 45 Long Colt rifles and I am 69 years old.

[EDK]

East of the Mississippi river, 357 is a good choice. West side...and further west...I think the 44 is a better choice. 45 Colt isn't bad, but there are some dimensional problems in some guns. You definitely need to reload to get maximum performance out of a 45 Colt. If you want to shoot any caliber very much, you need to reload.

I've had a 44 MARLIN for about 40 years now. I had a '92 converted to 357 back in the 60s, but it became second place to a 44 real quick...especially when I got into 44 handguns. The handgun caliber choice is another factor to consider. There's 357 and 44 MARLIN Cowboys in the safe...and an assortment of 357 and 44 handguns to go with them.

Any of the hand gun calibers would work with your criteria.

:Fire::cbpour::redneck:

[btroj]

Like others have said, a 30-30 is never a bad choice. They can be had cheap, are easy to cast and load for, and are accurate.
A 357 is nice too but they are pretty hard to find in many areas.

[405]

OK. Least expensive AND most versatile. Probably a used Marlin in 30-30. No way- no how will a 357 nor most of the PISTOL rounds do as well as the 30-30 for big game hunting in a carbine/rifle except for really close shots. All the lever guns I own and shoot are older Winchesters except for 1 Marlin 94 in 357. Then there are those who feel perfectly comfortable shooting deer with a 25-20 [smilie=b: go figure

[Artful]

before I state a cartridge/lever gun - I'll ask a question have you looked at what's on the used shelf down at the local gun/pistol parlor and checked the sale ad's in the paper?

I'd suggest that first - you can reload a 30-30 or 357 or 44 mag quite economically with a good plain base boolit mould and a pound of pistol/shotgun powder like unique. Go with what's clean inside (shiny bore and not overly worn parts) - I prefer Marlins generally but have the odd Winchester or Savage or Rossi, It's a matter of what you find to rescue - don't be afraid of one showing a little outside wear or even rust if your at all handy with gun stuff.

If you want recommendation at to what's really economical on components, look at smaller bores and most popular round out there, the 22LR but it ain't legal in most areas to hunt deer with (not that it hasn't killed enormous numbers of them). I love my Marlin 39 but I admit my friends Henry 22 is even smoother.

My experience is once you have had a good lever gun you'll find yourself looking for companion lever guns in other calibers.

[6pt-sika]

Then there are those who feel perfectly comfortable shooting deer with a 25-20 [smilie=b: go figure

While I am not an advocate of the 25-20 as a deer cartridge never forget the fact that the great "Jordan Buck" was killed with a 25-20 many many years ago !

But then he did shoot the deer nine times I think :shock:

[6pt-sika]

My experience is once you have had a good lever gun you'll find yourself looking for companion lever guns in other calibers.

That ain't totally true LOL's !

Of the 26 I have now all but one are of the same caliber !


:bigsmyl2:

[adrians]

mine is a pre 64 win 94 in 30-30 ,but for value for your buck a marlin 336 (used) is a good choice ,,,, 30-30 is a great "middle of the road" round.
venison in the freezer for sure:evil::coffeecom:twisted:

[45r]

The 30-30 or 45colt would be pretty good from the experience with my Marlins.Both are easy to load and will kill deer pretty easy.I wouldn't pass up a good deal on a 35rem,its pretty good also.

[Artful]

Hard to find a cheap 45 colt lever gun - I been looking for 3 years now. And the 35 Rem is a great caliber as you find lots of 35 cal boolit molds to choose from. I had cast some for a friends Remington trombone (pump) deer slayer - very nice rifle - liked that they had put a brass medallion on it that looked like a cartridge base showing the caliber. The thing about looking for an inexpensive used gun is you never know how long it's been on the shelf waiting for you to come rescue it.