[Steve Smith]

A friend is looking for a dark timber elk gun, and wants a .45-70 lever action. He'll be putting a williams type rear sight on it and upgrading the front. Short of that, he doesn't know what else to choose. There are a lot of options from Marlin.


What says the group?

[DJJ]

Guide Gun owner here.

You're right about all the permutations available. Choices seem to be (working from memory here):

Barrel length - GG short, SS medium (20 or 22") and CB (CowBoy) long - 24 to 26"

Ported or not (choice on GG, don't think it's available on the others)

Straight or pistol grip - GG straight, SS pistol, CB your choice

Front sights on the GG & SS are screwed-in ramp; CB are dovetailed directly into the barrel (for that matter, CB models may not have drilled & tapped receivers. Might be wise to check)

GG & SS have sling swivel studs. I'm not sure if the CB does.

Older SS models have the Micro-groove rifling. All new models have conventional deeper grooves.

I've found it's hard to keep the rifle pulled into the shoulder with the straight grip. All the force ends up between the side of my little finger and the lever loop. It's also an unnatural angle for the wrist.

If I were doing it over, I'd choose an SS or a CB with a pistol grip. In fact, if your friend decides on a ported GG, I know someone ;) who has a very lightly-used one (with action job & Decelerator pad by Wild West Guns) he might be persuaded to part with.

[cratz2]

I do prefer a curver pistol grip to the straight grip. I'd think, if I were in your friends position, that I'd be looking for about a 22" non-ported barrel and a nice recoil pad. Should be ideal for that use.