I know this is a problem that has been addressed with Marlin lever guns, but I'd like to see if I can narrow it down before trying to tackle the problem.
I bought a lever action target rifle in .38-55 built on an old waffle top, it looks like my late '40s .32 Special. Anyway, whoever did the work, put a 26" Octagon barrel and a tang sight with globe front and it has a stellar trigger pull.
It will misfire every time, but if I cock the hammer and try again on the same round it went off 100% of the time. I put 40 rounds through it yesterday and it was absolutely consistent in this.
I am using some very old Winchester brass. Could rim thickness or primer seating depth be the problem? I used two different types of primers, Winchester and Tula, it did the exact same thing with both.
Gonna pull the bolt and soak it in some solvent and see if a good cleaning helps, but if not, what's the path of least resistance for trouble shooting this?