I Feel It Coming On, Uh Oh

[357maximum]

First a little history

I in all honesty I never thought much of lever actions most of my life. My dad had some marlins that I did not pay much heed to, I was into the fastest and greatest and biggest most accurate (expensive) bolt guns I could lay my hands on.

Fast forward a decade or so

My ol man give me a Marlin 444S that he had customized from pistol grip to straight stock. He actually paid someone to reforge the tang and lever to the older straight type. That started it, I just did not realize it. Next came a browning BLR 22, I love that lil meatgetter, then a mossberg 402 in 22lr, well as you know I just traded the 402 for a 35 rem in a 1953 336 rc straight stock and for some reason I can feel the affliction coming on. I find myself feeling the "NEED" for more of them levered critters. They are just plain fun to shoot, and shoot, and shoot.......

I think I am in real trouble here, There are alot of them critters available around here, and in calibers I think I just gotta have. My next venture will be something tame like a 38 spcl, me thinks.

I thank you for listening to todays confession..

Michael

[felix]

Michael, yep, it happened to me also, about 10 years ago! From a BR type, to a tin can buster type. Folks knowing me from the old days think of me as something having been dropped off of a cliff, I'm sure. Insanity, at least, derived from partaking in Arkansas white wiskey. ... felix

[Ranch Dog]

Boy, I know where you guys are coming from. To me, a Marlin is as good as it gets. They shoot as well if not better than any big game rifle I've ever owned.

I'm lucky in that I see a lot of hunting camps and typically I'm the only fellow with a lever. It's funny in that I think the various groups of hunters expect me to pull a bolt-gun out at some point. Of course, that doesn't happen.

Old or new, the Marlin levers never fail me.

[meldrimgunsmith]

Look at this 1950 win wcf 3030

[Ranch Dog]

That's a very good looking rifle!

[meldrimgunsmith]

and its never been refinished in any way

[Frank46]

Michael, mea culpa, mea culpa. Yep them lever guns can be quite addictive.All of mine I bought used and I've been lucky that they are in good condition. .357 marlin, 44 mag marlin, win 375 big bore, win 94 30wcf, 444 marlin and a 300 savage 99R. Fun guns all. Frank

[9.3X62AL]

shoot.......

I think I am in real trouble here, There are alot of them critters available around here, and in calibers I think I just gotta have.

Michael

I know what you mean about lever guns being plentiful in Michigan. I deer hunted there in 1984, and took two wheelguns and a bolt 308 as armament. On Nov. 15 I appeared with the Rem 700, and got some strange looks from my fellow hunters, most of whom used Rem autoloaders in 30-06 or a lever gun. One of the autorifle guys asked, "What's THAT?" regarding my rifle. I said, "A Remington 700 in 308." The wag continued, saying "We have those here too, mostly in museums." The whole Michigan crowd got a large charge out of that, and I didn't even say anything about Ohio State or USC. The next day, I put the 44 Mag revolver to good use, and the museum piece references were at an end.

Lever guns are addicting, for sure.

[Old Ironsights]

First a little history

I in all honesty I never thought much of lever actions most of my life. My dad had some marlins that I did not pay much heed to, I was into the fastest and greatest and biggest most accurate (expensive) bolt guns I could lay my hands on.

Fast forward a decade or so

My ol man give me a Marlin 444S that he had customized from pistol grip to straight stock. He actually paid someone to reforge the tang and lever to the older straight type. That started it, I just did not realize it. Next came a browning BLR 22, I love that lil meatgetter, then a mossberg 402 in 22lr, well as you know I just traded the 402 for a 35 rem in a 1953 336 rc straight stock and for some reason I can feel the affliction coming on. I find myself feeling the "NEED" for more of them levered critters. They are just plain fun to shoot, and shoot, and shoot.......

I think I am in real trouble here, There are alot of them critters available around here, and in calibers I think I just gotta have. My next venture will be something tame like a 38 spcl, me thinks.

I thank you for listening to todays confession..

Michael

Quickly sir, hie thee over to the Levergunners forum and join Junior, Myself and a few others from here (many of whom are in on the .357 buy).

I won't say it is a support group, but it is a good place to feed the addiction...

[JackOfAllTrades]

Well, I don't know that I'm about to go out and buy any more lever guns right now. I do appreciate them. I've got dads ole pre-64 Win94 in 32special that's still a shooter. And I've got, "Mr. Lucky", a Marlin I bought new about 20 years ago that tags a pop can at 100yds on every shot if the shooter is doing his job. We can usually hit a 10" plate at 200meters off hand with it too. It's taken 7 deer by me, and one by a friend.

This weekend I watched a local shoot at our club. The competition is centered around 'Hunter Pistol', 'Cowboy Rifle'. I actually went to see if I'd be competitive with my Dan Wesson 15-2VH to find that there weren't anyone with Contenders shooting that day. Just a couple of Canadians with DW and S&W 44mags. Mingled in are some guys shooting Win's and Marlins at steel rams, pigs, turkeys and chickens at 200 down to 50 yards. Pretty simple stuff with lever gun in my book. But I've not actually gone on the fireing line against these guys yet.

What I saw were some beautiful Marlins with deep bluing and octigon barrels. Tang peep sights and such. I don't know if they're older, but they were deffinately a better grade rifle than my 336. My stocks don't even have checkering like the new models do.

I do have the micro groove barrel for 30-30. (it does bug me that this shoot, while not a real Cowboy style competition, does allow calibers other than what you'd expect) Good for me that I could bring one of my hunting rifles and quite possibly make a good showing and win some cash..

So, for you lever gun affectionato's, If I were to load some "Lead" for this rifle, what are your suggestions for a good mold to buy?

-Steve

[Four Fingers of Death]

I turned my nose up at these for years, thinking they were just a hotrodded 44mag, but have been learning a lot through this site and Paco's leverguns and now really fancy one. I had an excellent offer on my only Marlin, an 1895 in 45/70. This will free up some funds to buy one. Don't worry, I still have a 45/70 in a BPCR so I won't be deprived in the meantime. Mick.

[shdwlkr]

I know I am late responsing but just found this thread
I know only to well the dreaded leveraction diease. I got my first one way back in the 60's and sold it for something else stupid but I did it. Went for many years with bolt actions and even did the magnum think for a while then one day in the early 80's my dealer had a winchester 92 in 32-20 and I had a marlin in 32-20 I didn't really like the marlin to well so we traded things were fine untilt the early 90's the gunshop I did most of my buying from had this 24 inch lever action winchester and it just had to be mine and I got it for $200 OTD had been fired 20 times and I was happy for a while.
The came the big D and I lost everything. I was very sad for a few years then this very nice lady came into my life and I got to buy 30 firearms in a little over a year. Yea I know how lucky can a dumb smuck like me get.
Well I got a model 92 in 32-20, a model 94 in 30-30, a model 94 in 375 winchester, another in 375 that I put new wood on and a new 26 inch barrel, now I have at my smith a 92 action that is going to be made into a 256 win mag and a winchester 94 in 357 mag on layaway and I am currently looking for a 94 in 44mag and 2 model 86's in 45-70
Yes I know about leveraction diease and it will not let you go. But they are so fun to shoot and have. I never have got to the point that I like marlins, don't think there is anything wrong with them I just can't get exicted about them just like some others can't get exicted about winchesters.
I don't think the current prices are realistic over the long run and if the company starts up again I wonder what effect it will have on all those overpriced sales that have and are occuring??
my 3cents

[calaverasslim]

Boy, I know where you guys are coming from. To me, a Marlin is as good as it gets. They shoot as well if not better than any big game rifle I've ever owned.

I'm lucky in that I see a lot of hunting camps and typically I'm the only fellow with a lever. It's funny in that I think the various groups of hunters expect me to pull a bolt-gun out at some point. Of course, that doesn't happen.

Old or new, the Marlin levers never fail me.

LOL, I know what you mean. I live just outside of Elmendorf, just north of Floresville and hunt a lot out of Hondo and Falls City. They all think I'm crazy when I pull out the Marlin 35. I shore do enjoy then BBQ roasts. Maybe so, one day they'll shoot one, ya think??

[steveb]

Michael, the sad truth about this is, its probably already to late for you im afraid. For you see you have contracted a case of levergunitis. Our friend Txgun from Paco Kelly's leverguns has pretty well summed it up.

"Gunitis" is a serious, but not necessarily fatal disease. It's most virulent form is "levergunitis". While relatively easy to diagnose, this is an extremely difficult variation to successfully treat. If caught early enough, it is possible to manage it, but only through a treatment protocol developed by a professional psychotherapist experienced in dealing with it's siren call. Treatment is expensive, and has a relatively low success ratio. "Levergunitis" has been described by wives, girlfriends, mistresses, and other professional analysts of the male mind as the most stubborn form of "gunitis". It will metastasize very quickly in the right host, and many unwary sportsmen & women succumb to it annually

You see I have a severe case of it as well even though I have more of a Winchester type strain but nevertheless just as serious and complex as the Marlin type strain. You can really only do one thing about this type of infectious disease . You just have to...





For Michael and the rest of you guys, if you havent been over at Paco Kelly's leverguns, stop on by and check it out. A great leverguns site with lots of nice and knowledgable people. If you got a question it usualy gets answered right quick....Steve.

[versifier]

I do have the micro groove barrel for 30-30.....

So, for you lever gun affectionato's, If I were to load some "Lead" for this rifle, what are your suggestions for a good mold to buy?

-Steve

Start with a Lee soupcan, of ww's, and size it to at least .310, depending on what your bore slugs out to. Seat it over some RE-7. I also use the Lee C309-150-FN in the .30-30, but this is a very forgiving and user-friendly cartridge that seems to like most anything I've tried in it. The long neck and moderate powder capacity make it one of the most cast-friendly and easiest to reload cartridges out there. I like the flatter trajectory and longer effective range of the lighter boolits, but there are many of the opposite persuasion who like to go as heavy as possible, and the .30-30 is versatile enough to keep all of us happy. Just use a heavy crimp and be aware of your OAL to make sure whatever boolit you choose cycles properly through your action.

[alamogunr]

I think I am in real trouble here, There are alot of them critters available around here, and in calibers I think I just gotta have. My next venture will be something tame like a 38 spcl, me thinks.

I thank you for listening to todays confession..

Michael

Michael: When I was in college I worked for a company that marketed flower and garden seeds. My job was to pick up the displays after the season. I finished up the summer working a 3 or 4 county wide area in western Michigan from Traverse City to
Muskegan (?). On weekends I could do as I pleased and I remember going into a gunshop, Williams I think, and seeing a double rack of lever actions on one wall. Some were as low as $35. I didn't even have that to spare back then. I can't believe what I have paid for some of the seven I now have.
John

PS I blame part of my addiction on the Leverguns, forum.

[alamogunr]

Michael: When I was in college I worked for a company that marketed flower and garden seeds. My job was to pick up the displays after the season. I finished up the summer working a 3 or 4 county wide area in western Michigan from Traverse City to
Muskegan (?). On weekends I could do as I pleased and I remember going into a gunshop, Williams I think, and seeing a double rack of lever actions on one wall. Some were as low as $35. I didn't even have that to spare back then. I can't believe what I have paid for some of the seven I now have.
John

PS I blame part of my addiction on the Leverguns, forum.

I should have mentioned that was in 1963

[S.R.Custom]

I never really thought about it until this moment, but I've got the Levergun jones especially bad...

When I was six, my favorite cap gun was a Model '73 copy. The "sideplate" hinged up, and that's where the roll of caps went in... When I was eight, my BB gun was the Daisy model '94, You know, the one with the spring loaded BB follower under the barrel... At the age of nine, my first rifle --courtesy of my Grandfather-- was an Ithaca model 49 single shot...

Since then, the stable has included model '94s in 32 special and 30-30, a new model '92 in .44 magnum, and a Marlin .444. Current inventory includes a Savage 75th anniversery model '99 in .308, an older Winchester 9422 (2nd year production S-L-LR), a Browning BLR in 7mm Magnum, and two Browning BLRs in .358 Winchester, one of which I just brought home today from the gunshow in Missoula.

I've got a few bolt-guns, too, but I don't talk about those...

[Boomer Mikey]

For over 30 years I never was interested in lever guns because they didn't have the accuracy potential of bolt actions. Boy, was I wrong! None of my bolt actions (many) have the combination of accuracy, fire power, and fun meter potential my lever guns have.

My first lever gun was a Marlin 336CB 38-55; that was 11 lever guns ago. I need HELP! Now I want a 444 Marlin and a 358 Winchester (like everyone else); however, if I could find a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington I could rechamber it to 358 Winchester.

The list of wants never gets smaller,

Boomer

[Old Ironsights]

Well Supermag & Boomer, it looks like you will just hve to join a support group.

http://leverguns.sixgunner.com

Welcome to the Doomed.