Best 45-70 Lever action rifle?

I recently picked up an 1886 Browning, made in 1986. It's better than the Winchester IMO (same manufacturer) because it does not have the tang safety or the rebound hammer. The barrel is 26" octagonal, and the rifle is a little heavy, but very fun the shoot. Quality seems first rate. I think one of the guide guns with a shorter barrel might balance better, and be a few pounds lighter. If I was going to buy another, I would look at the Henry's They have a nice looking 45-70 with a 22" octagonal barrel with a color-cased hardened receiver.

eastbank, There is one fact.You are a man of superior taste in rifles. I have been a fan of Mike V for years. That Button magazine Mdl 92 .44 WCF is a rare piece.
I would like to shoot and load for the .40-82. You not only own these rifles you know how to use them. Most people would make them safe queens. I appreciate your wealth knowledge.

cdb1 said:

How long ago did this take place?

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This occurred last year. When the rifle was made I do not know. It was new in box and the shop sells a lot of firearms.

DS, the 44-40 is a winchester model 53 with a ex bore and i shoot 10grs unique and a 200gr cast bullet. i use cast bullets in most of my lever action rifles. by the way i have a few hundred dak-260gr jacketed bullets for the 40-82 if i would ever need them, but i like cast lead bullets as they save the bore. if you get any older rifles you may want to shoot,i would be glad to help if i could. eastbank. ps, thanks for the kind words

DavidB2 said:

i am considering getting a .45-.75 lever action rifle. I am nervous about spending good money on a new Marlin or "Remlin" 1895 due to past quality control issues. If I get a Marlin 1895 it will be a JM stamped one I buy off of Gunbroker; unless I find a newer quality built Marlin. I have also been looking at the Henry Big Boy or all weather models. .45-.70s. Anyone have suggestions on the Marlins or Henry rifles in terms of warranty and customer service?

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I, have a Henry 45-70, great rifle,shoots really well. I, do not know why every one seems to complain about how the Henrys are loaded. When I go hunting I load my Henry, then go. It stays loaded untill I am finished for the day. Un loading it is no big deal either. Well, any way I know my Henry, and all its parts was made in the U. S. A. buy american workers.

Not sure they were not offered to move. Or like current employees are allowed to transfer to AL, but they loose a lot by doing so. I Do know they sabotaged the equipment.

I know more than one employee at the plant in Ilion. My uncle and grandfather both retired from the arms. As it in known locally.

eastbank said:

DS, the 44-40 is a winchester model 53 with a ex bore and i shoot 10grs unique and a 200gr cast bullet. i use cast bullets in most of my lever action rifles. by the way i have a few hundred dak-260gr jacketed bullets for the 40-82 if i would ever need them, but i like cast lead bullets as they save the bore. if you get any older rifles you may want to shoot,i would be glad to help if i could. eastbank.

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I also shoot cast bullets in my lever guns and Sharps. I have hunted most Western Big game with a Sharps. My favorite is the Gemmer 45-110-500 paper patch. It has a 6X J. Malcolm scope.

I have a Winchester Miroku rifle in 45/90 too and i love it! I would like to have one in 45/70 too if i could find one. Fit and finish is superb, i could do without the tang safety though.

DS, fantastic rifle. i shoot a pedersoli 74 target sharps in 45-70 and a CD baby sharps in 44-40 and five high walls, three in 45-70, one in 30-40 krag and one in 38-55 and a ruger # 3 in 45-70 and a browning low wall in .260. they are a hoot to shoot. i went thru the black powder phase, but have moved on to smokless for ease of cleaning as i got older(73). i still hunt our flint lock season with black powder. eastbank.

eastbank you have an amazing collection of everything I like. I have been shooting "Flinters" for ever. My builder is Steve Zinn. My Zinn East Tenn. .54 Caliber has served me well. I shoot state matches in the South West.
I have one #3 it is a .22 Hornet. My favorite Prairie Dog rifle is a tuned #1 .220 Swift. We are having heavy snows this winter. There are Jack Rabbits every where. My Mdl. 53 S&W Jet firing a 40 grs rimfire magnum bullet at 1,800 fps is a dynamic round.

My pick and what I own is a Winchester/Miroku 1886 Extra Lightweight lever gun.
An original Winchester variation would be lovely but I don't have 3K plus to drop on a deer and black bear gun.
Basically the 1886 ELW is about the same weight and handiness of a Trapdoor Carbine but holds 5 rounds and you can load much more powerful .45/70 cartridges in the gun than anyone in their right mind would ever recommend shooting out of a Trapdoor plus the rifle carries well on the shoulder or in a saddle scabbard.
I have a Williams Peep rear sight on mine, some guys swear by or at barrel mounted buckhorn rear sights and these guns are not designed for easy scope mounting.
Get a Marlin if that's a major plan.

Not a fan of the Marlins and have no experience with the Henry Big Boy versions.

I Do know they sabotaged the equipment.

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There are a number of ex-North Haven employees that were present right till the doors closed who post on MarlinOwners.com, including one that packed and shipped the equipment to Ilion...

They have repeatedly debunked this internet myth...

I have a pistol built by Steve Zihn, it's a wonderful little thing.

Been looking for a lever action as well. 1895 sbl Marlin in particular.

This will be my first lever action. Thinking of buying out of the box / brand new. It's been put off since hearing and reading about some "rough hewn" Remlins.

Is it safe to buy now?

I believe so.

witchhunter said:

i could do without the tang safety though.

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Oddly, because I'm pretty much a "traditionalist" in just about everything else firearm-related, a tang safety on repo lever guns never really bothered me. Scopes mounted on these rifles and carbines, on the other hand, do bother me some.

When I was in the market for a .45-70, I went to a local gunshop that stocked Marlins and Henry's. I looked them both over extensively. The Marlin had a laminated stock which seemed fine and the Henry was the steel receiver & round barrel. Cost was essentially the same. I chose the Henry because I was quite satisfied with two earlier Henry rifle purchases.
I am very satisfied with the Henry .45-70. I cannot say anything bad about the Marlin because I have not owned one or shot one.

CraigC said:

I have a pistol built by Steve Zihn, it's a wonderful little thing.

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Steve is an old friend. His little horse ranch is behind a dusty butte west of Shoshonie, Wyoming. He has done most of my match grade period correct rifles. Steve is a recognized World Class builder. He is not cheap but good. Did you see his guns in the 2016 Gun DIgest?
Which pistol did you have made? I may have seen it in the shop.

I don't have many leverguns and having bought most of them during last few years I like to make a distinction between shooters and classics. Not that they couldn't be used interchangeably, but whenever I go hunting with one, more likely than not it's a scoped recent production Marlin. For nostalgic moments and maybe when the weather isn't crap - like it usually is around here - I might grab a 100+ year old Winchester or the like. It kind of makes you an utilitarian cynic when most of the season you get snow and sleet sideways accompanied with a crisp 30mph wind and taking anything engraved or case harnened out with you is out of the question.

hg, I live in a mountain valley in the Rocky Mtns. My home sets at 7,000' we have long winters also. Heavy snows and -20 temps. Moose live in the yard. So I know what you are saying.
I love nice wood and fine metal rifles. But I must say, I seem to have become an AR-15 fan. Those little rifles ignore bad weather and abuse.

The pistol was bought secondhand. He was selling it for a customer who decided to part with it. It's a svelte little half round, half octagon .54 with a wedding band transition. Steve's work is very impressive. It's been my intent to get him to build me a rifle too.

Haven't seen the Gun Digest, will have to look for it the next time I'm able to.

Yes, I have seen that pistol. It was finished and awaiting shipment to it's owner. It is a beauty. My passion in flintlock rifles is the East Tenn. 1800-1820.
My Grt of that period was a Captain under Gen. Jackson. in the East Tenn Militia. Steve and I designed my dream rifle for that period. She is a beauty complete with "Scriptue" on the side plate.
It has a swamped 44" Rice round bottom rifling, Golden age lock and hand built triggers. It is the "original" Black rifle. It is iron fitted and the stock is dark finished. No builders name on the top flat.
As you know Steve Zinn is familiar to serious flintlock owners. He is 300 miles North of me and on a 4 Wheel drive road. He likes his privacy. The last time I stopped in to visit he was 3 years out on the orders. Thanks for your post very nice.

SwampWolf said:

Oddly, because I'm pretty much a "traditionalist" in just about everything else firearm-related, a tang safety on repo lever guns never really bothered me.

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I have to agree. I thought it was going to bug me, and bought a Browning 1886 instead of a Winchester to avoid it. But later on I got a Winchester 1892 and it's been fine. I know some people had ignition problems with rebounding hammers, and that would suck. But mine has never failed to ignite and the primer strikes look plenty deep. I think pushing the safety forward is faster than pulling the hammer off half-cock.

Dog Soldier said:

hg, I live in a mountain valley in the Rocky Mtns. My home sets at 7,000' we have long winters also. Heavy snows and -20 temps. Moose live in the yard. So I know what you are saying.
I love nice wood and fine metal rifles. But I must say, I seem to have become an AR-15 fan. Those little rifles ignore bad weather and abuse.

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Sounds so familiar, although at least you get some sunshine during the dead of winter. Our hunting club president just managed to secure us a lease of prime moose hunting property up north where the sun doesn't rise at all during the whole of December. I've been working on a russian contract Winchester 1895 musket of mid-1910's vintage, a nice and reasonably well preserved rifle with fair to good original finish, box magazine and spitzer round capability, but considering the new location it seems like I'm inevitably back in market for another stainless + laminate Marlin or equivalent if I want to stick with lever rifles. It would break my heart if I had to to install modern fluorescent iron sights or a scope on the old "russchester".