What to look for

[sagamore-one]

I have never liked a lever action guns of any kind.
Recently I have been offered various lever rifles at seemingly good prices, Savage, Winchester, Marlin. Tonight I looked at a Win 94 from an estate.
What do I need to know to intelligently examine a lever gun as opposed to a bolt gun assuming all else is equal ( bore, finish, function) ?? Is anything specific to lever guns besides the lever?
Not trying to start a fire fight .. just am totally un- informed, un-educated on lever gun basics.
Thank you, and please forgive me if I offend anyone with my first line, I just never liked levers but I do recognize an investment potential.

[Gtek]

:mrgreen:Blonde, Brown, Red, If we all liked the same what would we argue about?
I look at the lever screw first, then the rest. That will tell you right away the amount of take down and caliber of previous owner/life. Lever in frame, I have seen several who air jack levers, this cannot be a good thing. Wood to metal fit, is wood lower than tang? Sign of hacked or sanded wood, and of coarse bore condition. Just for fun, if you get one buy some rounds. Worst thing that can happen is you will end up with a row of them like me. Gtek

[sagamore-one]

I think I'll take the plunge and try the 94 Winchester. It is a post 64 in solid mechanical condition but finish is in sad shape. Lever seems quite stiff but fairly smooth. No apparent damage and no signs of hard use.
Do you remove the bolt to clean the bore or clean from muzzle ?

[Gtek]

94's are a pain to diss. for me. you can clean from muzzle but be vey careful. Marlin is a snap. I have buddies that have went to foam bore cleaners and snakes pulling in correct direction. To each his own. Gtek

[sagamore-one]

Thanks for the info. Just trying to broaden my knowledge base.

[Canuck Bob]

The Marlin 336 shines for scope use. I own both Marlin, older Winchester, and new Winchester and would say if you are going to scope get a Marlin or Savage. The angle eject Winchester scopes well too. It has a relief cut on the top side of the receiver right side to distinguish it from other 94s.

Earlier Savage and Winchester can be pricey if it is collectable or the owner thinks it is.

I'll go out on a limb and say if you don't have a favorite I'd suggest a Marlin 336, 30-30, 35 Rem, for your first lever. They are priced right, easy to sell, and well built. I'm speaking of used guns here. The current Marlin is having problems with QC under Remington ownership.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

For me bore is the first thing i look at in any rifle , pistol or muzzle loader ,if it's bright and shiny and looks uniform with crisp edges to the rifling then i can start looking at the rest

function if i was looking seriously at a certain gun or caliber i would load up some dummies sized brass bullet no primer or powder and fill it up and empty the gun out a few times how it does that will tell you a lot about the fit of any gun. most guns that cycle rounds smoothly aren't likely to be to messed up

then i suppose it depends what you want the gun for and what the price and the haggle price are. My 336 is plain ugly , but the bore is good , if all i showed you was a picture of the bore and the targets even the inside looks decent but the outside looks like it road around in a boat for years next to the paddle which is spot on , it did , the price well it was given to me so no complaints there would i pay top dollar for a ugly gun with a bright bore no but if the price was fair to good i would consider it i like deals.

Gtek makes a good point the screws on mine are actually in good shape

[looseprojectile]

is not one to buy for an investment unless it is priced way cheap.
Post 64 Winchesters are shooters and do as well as the earlier ones.
I only have two 94s, a 25 35 and a 30 WCF. Both are flat bands,[47- 48 vintage] and both are well used with good bores and I consider them to be shooters. I got them cheap and could double my money on them if I sold them.
Since Winchester quit making them all 94s have gone up in value some.
Just my two cents.

Life is good