Are lever action carbines really just for fun?

The Hornday LeverEvolution ammo has breathed some new popularity into lever guns. I'd say the flat nosed ammo still had enough reach for many hunting. I've got a 30-30 lever action for hunting deer.

Winchester '94 Trapper model from the '80's in 30-30. Accurate with irons out to 130yds; lethal a bit further.

All my guns are for fun. Lever action's are like a slice of the old west to me.

Hatterasguy said:

All my guns are for fun. Lever action's are like a slice of the old west to me.

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This deserves a quote.

I have a Win 94 30-30 I have used for deer and elk. A Win 94 in .307 Win and one in 32 Special along with with a Marlin 1895 45-70 are in my future, all three of those are used for deer and the 307 and 45-70 are used for elk. Leverguns make great hunting rifles as long as they aren't fitted with a scope on top, that is just a mean thing to do to a levergun.

Every time I bring out my lever gun, I am smiling from ear to ear. It's tough in today's world to find things that do that as an adult.

In my neck of the woods the average deer is taken within 30 yards. Men lamented the demise of the first Ruger 44 Carbine and women cried. I have a few but a long Browning 44 is complimented by a very handy, useful, FUN Win. Trapper in 44 Mag too. You ask an odd question as far as I'm concerned...
Al

I've used my 45-70 for quite a few black bears and also a few deer...its hard to beat a lever gun in thick cover.

I don't subscribe to the belief that it is "only good for 100 yards and less"...300 yards is my limit with the sights I have.

Lever actions are pretty serious medicine. They are excellent for hunting and are just fun to shoot. I have considered returning to deer hunting this fall after having not been for nearly 20 years. Back then I carried a Rem M700 .270 Classic. I will be carrying either my 45-70 Marlin GG or my Win M94 44 mag. I feel well equipted with either.

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy
All my guns are for fun. Lever action's are like a slice of the old west to me.

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I picked up a Marlin 30-30 Thanks to the guys of this forum for helping me pick it out. I really want a SxS, then a six shooter. I like western guns

this being THR, that surely can not be a troll post
guessing you just really just don't know

lever action carbines come in a pretty impressive range of calibers, with no shortage of what can kill any game animal on the North American continent, and during that time between "then and now" some few folks have actually hunted with some of those caibers
(but it's only been thataway for a century or more now, friend, a long long time before some people started sticking pointy plastic in the end of bullets)

30-30 out of 18" barrel kills oversized goats today same it used to way back when
357 mag at ~2000 fps out of a carbine can do things that 357 out of a 6" Colt Python or S&W 27 cannot really do

some guys have even been known to hunt sizable game with even them wussie old cartridges like 45 colt, 44 mag, 454 casull in just them obsolete old revolvers... go figger... mebbe they thunk it was just for fun (because it was )

Your reference to .44 Mag and .45-70 spans quite a bit of capability.

I've read of several hunters who successfully use lever-actions chambered in .44 Mag to take deer. I don't remember reading about any .45-70 hunts, but I assume that cartridge has its "hunter enthusiasts" as well.

I admit to having a lever-action .30-06 that I haven't used to take a deer, yet. It has peep sights, and I would have to choose it deliberately over a scoped rifle.

I might use it for a "brush gun", as it is almost as fast on follow-up shots as a semi-auto.

If I get better at snap shots at cans at 50 yds, I'll consider using it...

I have a 336 in .30-30 and use it for groundhogs and plan on going black bear hunting with a levergun in .45-70. One heck of a smack with one handy rifle.

Wow. Even just the lowly .30-30... if you laid all the deer taken with that caliber alone... you'd have... let's see... crunch the numbers... carry the three...

...A heckuva lot of deer.

I always thought that the .357 and .44 mag leverguns would make excellent home defense carbines.

The .45-70 has a very long history as a hunting round. In fact it's been vastly more successful in that role than it ever was during its brief life in the service of the government. There's a book called "45 years with the .45-70" that covers the range of game the author has hunted with his various rifles in that chambering. Works great with everything from small game roundball to massive bear killers. Lots of people use them for bear defense around here. After the 12 ga I'd say it was probably the most common bear defense and inland fishing rifle. Esp. the Marlin 1895G. It can certainly be used for hunting as well but lacks the flat trajectory of the .338 WM. I'm sure it could be used a lot more if folks weren't so fixated on scopes.

I have over a dozen lever guns, more than any other type. I love them. They are still perfectly capable of doing the job they were designed for over 100 years ago. But honesty forces me to say that anything a lever gun can do a bolt rifle can do better.

Other than just enjoying using something that is purely American they offer no advantages. But that is not a bad thing. I know people who have sold all their guns and have chosen to hunt strictly with a long bow. They just get more enjoyment that way and I can respect the guy who chooses a lever gun for the same reasons.

I have a Marlin 44mag and a 45-70, and enjoy shooting both at the range but dont have much use for them except as plinkers... does anyone really use these for hunting, and if so, what?

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I bought an 1895XLR on my 18th B-Day, it was my first purchase, and is still my favorite gun. It's the prettiest gun in Elk camp, and has taken three Elk in three years. I mounted a Nikon 3-9x40mm Team Primos scope with their BDC reticle. I would take it anywhere to kill anything. I also don't hesitate to take a rested shot out to 300-400yrds, I understand the ballistics of the round and will use it to its full potential. The rifle will also shoot <1/2 MOA consistently with appropriate ammunition.

I have a 44 mag lever action marlin, I absolutely love it. It drops deer on the spot inside 100 yards.

I have my 30-30 1971 vintage Winchester '94.
Use it for HD, car gun, hunting, plinking, and soon with the approperiate hat feeling like a cowboy.

Hmmm...my model 94 30/30 has put more meat in my freezer than any other rifle I own.

The .45-70 cartridge was originally designed for the Army but was too big for anti-personnel uses. Too much power and was unnecessary. Luggy around a 7 pound rifle all day that could kill an elephant was unnecessary. They were also used to kill buffalo as well. Then they started seeing use a good dangerous game rifle, due to its short barrel length, fast cycling due to lever and high capacity tubular magazine a lot of hunters/hikers/homesteaders/ranchers started using them to defend against the great bears or any other large marauder like a big bull moose in full rut.

One important thing you should keep in mind is that factory .45-70 loads are down-loaded by the manufacturers for example the 405 grain remington soft points or 300 grain hollow points that are sold all most anywhere including wal-mart. The manufacturers put LESS POWDER in them because they don't want people putting it in some 120 year old clunker and trying to fire it and the gun blow up in their face. Thats why you hear alot of people say that .45-70's are underpowerd for dangerous game or inaccurate... thats cause they are firing the $20/box junk ammo thats down-loaded to prevent LAWSUITS. Factory .45-70 loads are great for deer or black bear sized game, and plinking, however there are a few manufactueres such as GARRET cartridges, Buffalo Bore, Double Tap, Cor-Bon, and Grizzly Ammunition who make .45-70 ammo that can push out a 430 grain bullet at 2000 fps... thats way more than any 1oz slug in a rifle shotgun. not event oo expense about $60/box for most of these... expensive but still half the price of any safari caliber box of ammo

This guy named VINCE LUPO took Africa's Big Five with a .45-70 marlin guide gun, he used Garrett cartridges to accomplish this feat. He used the 420 grainers and 540 grainers from hard cast lead. Both made from hard cast lead and powerful enough to penetrate and down all big 5 ssafely and effectively

Trick question, right?

Wonder what kind of response
you'd get with the question,
Are AR's really just for fun?

Same here.

Lever actions...They're not for fun, they're only for hunting.

But they often get forced to do double-duty as good fun!