If you had to pick one Lever Action Rifle, what caliber who you choose?

[GhostHawk]

I only have 2 levers, both 94's, both dirty thirty's. One is 1944 built looks great but with a bad bore, the other is a post 64 with the lever wrapped with paracord and the safety removed. How can a cast boolit maker go wrong with the .30-30 and that long neck? Good for everything from 90 gr plinking pills to 200 gr deer slaughterers and at any power level desired.

It is kind of a race with me an the old one, which is going to happen first. It gets Rebored by JES into a .35-30-30 or I end up on the wrong side of the grass before it happens. Kind of like a staring contest. See who is going to blink first.

[BB57]

Well... if you didn't reload this past year around here you would of had a hard time hunting as 30-30 ammo was pretty much non-existent.
Thankfully I do.

RP

.350 Legend was everywhere here in NC and we are not a straight wall, 1.8” case length state. I saw three boxes of 30-30 about a month back, and that was the first I’d seen any in over a year. I saw at least a dozen boxes in SD when I was there and this past week I finally saw it show up in numbers on shelves here in eastern NC.

.30-30 production obviously took a back seat to .350 Legend production, despite millions of shooters using .30-30, or perhaps because of it. If folks can’t find ammunition for their old rifle, it creates a great deal of pressure to buy a new one when hunting season rolls around.

This past year, as in many others, I was grateful to be hand loader, and one who starts thinking the supplies are getting low when the numbers drop below what’s needed for 5000 rounds.

As a .38-55 shooter, it’s also obvious that if you don’t hand load and cast bullets, you won’t be shooting much.

[BB57]

Although I dearly love the 44-40 and 45-70, I think the 30-30 trumps all others - especially if you don't reload. Winchester made over seven million of them - all those customers can't be wrong. And that doesn't include Marlin and anyone else who made levers in the same caliber.

Those 7 million Winchester Model 1894/Model 94 rifles were not all in .30-30. They started with .38-55 and .32-40 before the .30-30 and then added the .25-35, and .32 Winchester Special. The .375 Win, .307 Win and .356 Win also came late to the party as did the not so well suited .357 Mag, .44 Mag and .45 Colt.

However Marlin also made over 6 million Model 36 and Model 336 rifles and while it also was chambered in a number of cartridges over the years many of them were also .30-30. Then there were the Savage 99 rifles in .30-30 as well as the current Mossberg and Rossi offerings.

—-

Prior to the last couple years 30-30 has consistently ranked about 4th in total center fire rifle ammunition sales. Clearly the lack of production the last year or two hasn’t been due to lack of demand, but rather a focus on producing newer fan boy rounds like the 6.5 Creedmoor, .300 Blackout, and .350 Legend. And I suspect much of the motive is to sell new rifles that use those cartridges.

Winchester lobbied hard in several states for adoption of the straight wall cartridge rules to include a 1.8” maximum case length tailor made to fit there .350 Legend, despite traditional rounds like the .38-55 having near identical performance, and similarly black powder era bottle necked rounds like the .30-30.

Legislators in general tend to be ignorant of most things firearm and hunting related as are the political appointees who run state game and fish agencies. The end result is that disingenuous lobbying lime that done by Winchester results in narrow cartridge restrictions that are not based on logic or exterior and terminal ballistic performance.

[GARANDDAD]

What a terrible thought of having to pick just one.

[MakeMineA10mm]

If you had to pick one Lever Action Rifle, what caliber who you choose? If not on the list please post it.

An impossible request!

First off, for those 37 other people who picked 444 Marlin: YES!!! We need our own group here!

Second, there are too many good choices. I use my 44 Mag Lever actions the most. But I really, really like the Triple-4. And if a person does not own a 30-30, I’m suspicious of them.

And, let’s not forget the best small game caliber levergun- 22LR!

[henryinpanama]

I went for the Rossi R92, 20 inch, in .45 Colt. My 24 gn of Lil'Gun under a 250gn XTP loads zip along at 1800 fps. In the Deep East Texas woods where I hunt, that will get the job done.

[super6]

I chose the 45-70 as it will do the job @ any thing in north America. And I have the reloading dies! Black powder? not a problem. The 30-30 comes in second for the same reason.

[firewhenready7]

Probably go with the 30/30

[Jtarm]

I’m not real experienced with lever guns, but if I had to go with just one, it’d probably be a Savage 99 .358 Winchester.

Hickok45 has a video where he picks the last lever gun he’d sell and went with a Brownjng 1886 repro .45/70.

[BrianL]

My grandfather had a rifle hanging on the wall forever, a Winchester Model 64 rifle in 32 Special. My father wanted one just like it but could only find one in 30-30. My older brother got that one when my dad died. I bought one just like my granddad's a 1952 Winchester model 64 (his was much older). That was not an option in the poll but I also have a 94 in 32 Special, 1953, that my son and then his son got their first deer with so I guess that it is a family thing.

[BoBSavage]

If you had to pick one Lever Action Rifle, what caliber who you choose?

Caliber - .308"

Cartridge - 30-30

[bluesman423]

My favorite would be a 16" Rossi 92 in 45 Colt.

[Castaway]

I’ll never have another Rossi. Bought an M92 in 45 Colt years ago. Would not reliably feed a Lee 255 or a Hornady 250 or 300 XTP. Groups at 50 yards ranged from 5-15 inches. I loaded it low and slow and up to Ruger rated loads with a variety of bullets. Removed the forestock to apply wax and found the channel for the barrel and magazine tube had a gash between them. Called Rossi and they wouldn’t make it good because the warranty had expired. Tried to explain this wasn’t from abuse or fair wear and tear but a manufacturers issue. That was the last straw. Took it to a pawn shop and passed on my problem to someone else. There’s a fellow named Steve whose name keeps popping up on the internet that’s said to do remarkable things tuning the Rossi copy of the 92, slicking them up for the Cowboy action crowd. I maintain if the Rossi’s were any good, Steve wouldn’t have found this niche and excellent reputation making a shoddy product to the condition it should have been when it left the factory

[BrianL]

I had two Rossi 92's, one in 44mag and the current one in 357. Both fed/feed everything but why are they so danged short????

[farmbif]

well I guess somehow I'm not surprised there is more interest in the 45-70 than the caliber that has taken more whitetails than any other the 30-30. I guess everyone needs a modern lever action dinosaur killer

[BoBSavage]

well I guess somehow I'm not surprised there is more interest in the 45-70 than the caliber that has taken more whitetails than any other the 30-30. I guess everyone needs a modern lever action dinosaur killer

What interests me is that most that choose the 45-70 do so for short range work rather than the long distance work for which it was designed. The 44 Magnum is fully capable of handling such short range work. The 444 Marlin was designed to replace the 45-70...another interesting area.

[Photog]

I like Levers! I have
Marlin 56 in 22
Win 94 in 30-30
Chinese 1887 in 12ga
Uberti 1866 sporting rifle in 38spl
Uberti 1866 carbine in 38spl

Fav is the 1866 sporting rifle, heavy barrel and super accurate. I get 1400 fps out of it with 125gr boolits and can hit 6" steel at 100yds.

[Outer Rondacker]

Im still on board with a 38/357. Can do most of what I need it to in a lever. I do love all my levers including my 45/70 but from a reloaders stand point I can load more for less and shoot more for less with a 357mag.

[bigbear]

Winchester 71, 348Winchester. Best of them all, obviously!

[FergusonTO35]

I’ll never have another Rossi. Bought an M92 in 45 Colt years ago. Would not reliably feed a Lee 255 or a Hornady 250 or 300 XTP. Groups at 50 yards ranged from 5-15 inches. I loaded it low and slow and up to Ruger rated loads with a variety of bullets. Removed the forestock to apply wax and found the channel for the barrel and magazine tube had a gash between them. Called Rossi and they wouldn’t make it good because the warranty had expired. Tried to explain this wasn’t from abuse or fair wear and tear but a manufacturers issue. That was the last straw. Took it to a pawn shop and passed on my problem to someone else. There’s a fellow named Steve whose name keeps popping up on the internet that’s said to do remarkable things tuning the Rossi copy of the 92, slicking them up for the Cowboy action crowd. I maintain if the Rossi’s were any good, Steve wouldn’t have found this niche and excellent reputation making a shoddy product to the condition it should have been when it left the factory

My late model 92 .357 has been good, however my dealer is a stand up guy who will take care of you even if the factory won't do it. At the time I bought mine, it was over $300.00 cheaper than anything else new or used. Now that Henry's have come down in price and are available, I doubt I will ever roll the dice on a Rossi again. I wish them well, but a Henry for not much more is a much better deal all around.