Lever action day

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M65Man said:
View attachment 1086570
Sorry for the poor pic, best I could do on short notice. But I had get into this thread, my Levers are my original favorites! The Marlin on left I've had since 1982, it's killed the most deer, several other critters. The Mod 64 Win in middle, it's my bestest favorite rifle, as Forest would put it! It's just an extension of my brain and arms, no rifle ever handled, come to point, all the necessities, like a 64 Win! BUT, the 94 on the right, I just got last year, it's not blooded yet, but it's running the Mod 64 a tight race for 1st place, I do love open sights, and this one is an accurate jewel!
And they're all in 30-30. I've come to the conclusion, if you reload & hunt N. America, from sea to sea, equator to the artic, all I'd want is my 30-30 & 30-06, and wish I had a 308 and 300WM to cover everything! But here, my 30-30's and 06 got it all covered! But the 06 with scope is probably gonna carry the flag in my old age, maybe?
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I agree, if you only had two centerfire rifles, 30-30 and 06 would give you good coverage. You could also keep it more lever-action traditional with 30-30 and 45-70.

With 100 gr bullets, 30-30 could cover smaller game too.

A rack of 5 levers would seem about perfect: 22lr, 357, 44mag, 30-30 and 45-70. My apologies to 45 colt.
 
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Love levers.
.22 Browning BL-22
.22Mag Marlin 1894
.44M Browning B-92
.45C Henry
.30-30 Marlin

.357 is on the wants list. That Rossi would fill the empty space, just fine.
.45-70 is on the wants, also.
A Savage 99 and Browning BLR would be top of the list.

A .41M would be amazing.
As would a .30 Carbine.
 
My current levers are:
Mod 94 30-30
Henry Classic .357
Henry BB steel .45 Colt
Marlin 39A .22lr
Ruger No. 1B .30-'06[technically a falling block, but, it does have a lever]
 
Marlin 336 (.30-30)
Marlin 39A (.22LR)
Marlin 1894CSS (.357)
Win 94 (.30-30, post '64)
Henry Small Game Carbine (.22LR)
Rossi 92 (.45 Colt)
Marlin 1895CBA (.45-70, Remlin)
Henry BBS (.357)

I enjoy them all, and I think I'm done.
Most have peep sights.
I think about .44 Mag sometimes, but can't really justify it.


Lots of overlap between .357, .44M, .45C and .30-30 performance-wise. I'd much rather plink with a .357 and hunt with a .30-30.
 
I'm not ignorant to other good calibers, fate has just led down the .308 road. I started work outta HS in 1977, first payday, I bought a new Marlin 39a for my squirrel rifle. Wish I still had it! And I still don't know why I don't have a 35 Rem, when I growed up, Marlin Levers everywhere here. And a 357 is just as interesting, for me and my purposes, my Mod 19 S&W in 357, is by far my favorite handgun, always has been, bit I like the way my 4" 45acp carries also!
Shot my 06 today, finally just confirming zero after a new scope. But I tried some the new boxes of Rem CL PSP, avg vel=2,676fps, and plenty accurate for hunting. I'm impressed, glad I tried em, that's a round that'll put anything down. I already keep the 180 CL SP with the big roundness bullet it'll shoot good in most any 06, but the PSP has a better BC, I believe. 384, it'll carry better. Maybe someone might want to try em? I saw not so good reviews on them before I ordered, but I tried anyway. Glad I did!
Guess I got on the 06 to much. I've killed the majority of my deer with a Lever 30-30 and iron sights. But my eyes are slipping and a scope for me equals an 06!
 
I had a Marlin lever carbine I bought in the mid-90's new for a little over $300, IIRC. I had some fun with it, but it really didn't have a practical use so I got rid of it- I needed a good deer rifle for shooting a little further than the Marlin was up for, and I couldn't afford to have both. Kind of miss it.
 
3C9C4572-976D-42A7-9410-500A4A28601C.jpeg

I’m sure this will get some reactions but here’s my 45-70 Remlin with an EOTech. She’s a stone cold killer in the thick cedar trees. 90% of my shots are less than 50 yards and I have a dang astigmatism so red dots starburst for me pretty bad.

Not pictured but my brother has a 16” Rossi .357 that thing is a hoot to shoot. Hoping to get him on a deer with it this season.
 
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Ill have to dig a little deep to list the cartridges i have in lever guns... Levers are my favorite. I want a 38-40 to go with an old Colt New Service i have.

22, 22M, 22 Savage HP, 32-20, 243, 300 Savage, 44 mag

221Fireball, 222, 223, 30 Herrett, 357 Herrett, 357/44 Bain & Davis, and 44 HotShot if you count Contender pistols
 
SwampWolf said:
I can't imagine hunting with a rifle sans provisions for a sling of some sort.
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I used to feel that swivel studs were very desirable, almost semi-mandatory...

Over time I grew to appreciate the smooth and unbroken feel of a rifle with no studs. They are certainly useful and no denying that. Just saying that I see the other side of it now is all.


For the record - "provisions for a sling" doesn't have to mean studs. They make a few slings designed for rifles without, but I don't run into them particularly often or easily. Would love to buy a couple or three.
 
SwampWolf said:
I can't imagine hunting with a rifle sans provisions for a sling of some sort.
Click to expand...
Once you carry a lever gun hunting you will no longer yearn for a sling. They just feel natural in your hand. They come to the shoulder without even thinking about it.
 
SwampWolf said:
I can't imagine hunting with a rifle sans provisions for a sling of some sort.
Click to expand...

Me neither. AAMOF, I added a set of GrovTec sling studs to my R92 in .357 yesterday. The lower stud conventionally screws into the stock while the upper stud clamps around the magazine.

Both the R92 and my Interarms 65 in .44 WCF wear Hunter Company Carrying Straps. I even put one of those on a Cabela's Hawken (made by Investarm and basically the same as a Lyman Trade Rifle, if the LTR was available in a lefty version). That sling has the aesthetics of a simplified US M1907 sling and looks right at home on a lever gun.

I previously had a lace-on muzzleloader sling on the .357 but those are less than ideal. The butt cuff covers the buttplate which means you need to unlace it to dry it if it gets wet in the field, and the loop around the barrel and magazine moves around.
 
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Dok, love that Marlin 92, it's a jewel! KMed, you ought to just send that Octagonal 86 to me, ease your burden! We need to rename you to "Abraham, father of many Levers!"
 
I’ve always secretly admired the Marlin 30-30. When I purchased my first rifle at age 18, that was the one I had been eyeing. As it turned out, I instead happened on a Savage 111 in 30-06 at my local Kmart (when Kmart was cool enough to sell guns/ammo), and that set off a rather loyal following of Savage by myself. Although I’ve not owned any levers myself, I’ve always harbored that “young man’s” fascination with them. I remember one day at the range after getting my Model 111 and thinking the 30-06 was the end all, a man came to shoot with his rather solid looking Lever Action. Much beefier looking than the Marlins I had held so many times before. Then, sitting next to me, I assumed it was a 30-30 because ALL lever Actions were, right?? (My thinking back then). But after lighting off a few with a significant “BOOM” that made my 30-06 blush, I asked him what it was. For the life of me, I can’t remember what make/model he said, but it was my first interaction with a 458 Win Mag. I was more than a little impressed at the time.

Ahh! Young memories.
 
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