Lever action caliber for fun time

Status
Not open for further replies.
It's too bad that new Rossi .357s don't seem to be coming in to the US. I'd love to have a 16" barreled version in stainless. :cool:

Yes, you really would! Lighter and less bulky than the model 1894C Marlin. Easy to carrying the hand. Mine is the 16” Model. Very Fast handling .357 Magnum. I paired mine with my Ruger Match Champion as a woods companion.


217D8619-FC6A-402F-A3E5-C85C75E49304.jpeg

I replaced the rear sight with a Skinner barrel mount ghostring. Surprisingly easy to use. Fast target acquisition.

F95D191F-E7A0-4AD1-A9C3-FF20C724B073.jpeg


I also put a leather lever wrap on it. Cushions the fingers when rapidly cycling the action. Dirt simple. Those are the only modifications I made to the carbine.

7D941B17-192F-44E9-9786-8293C5541249.jpeg

I also have this same model R92 in .44 Magnum to pair up with my S&W Model 69. Complete with the same modifications.
 
My favorite lever gun for fun is an 1894 Marlin cowboy limited in 44 magnum. Put that brass bead front sight on what ever you want to hit within 50 yards and go to town. You can eviscerate a bowling pin in seconds.
 
When I was younger and looking at other guys truck guns and feeling down about my parts K98 I would look at the Marlin 93-36-336 series and the Winchester 92 and 94 in the back window rack of every third pick'em up truck and wonder if one might dismount the lever and stick it in a can of "Dip Coat" a few times then cut away the plastic on the top of the loop. Made the mistake of asking a couple of guys about what they thought of the idea and almost got my Good Old Boy certification card seized and torn up. Shoot, gotta earn my Bubba Points summers.

I got to say that if I just have to have a pistol caliber Lever Rifle that someone's version of a Winchester 92....even an el tigre with the brass madalion, would be my first choice and the caliber would first choice be .357 Magnum. A bud has a nice Marlin .357 that feeds .38 Special well and shoots fine, just don't like the blocky looks of Marlins.....and The Duke never spun a Marlin.

I have to say that in .22 that short throw on the Marlin 56 is hard to beat and removable magazines are a hoot. Would not mind a tube feeding 57M or a clip feed 62 in either center fire caliber.....even with only the magazine it came with. They tain't Classic Hollyweird western, but they are cool.

-kBob
 
Winchester  1873 44-40  b3-4-2015.jpg

I got this 1873 Winchester made in 1886 in 44-40 for next to nothing. The guy's great great grandfather homesteaded the ranch and killed a lot of the natives with it.
What a stupid story.

I heard MY grandfather in the Alaskan Gold rush captured the bank robbers and was famous. When I got the orangish cope of 1907 Klondike news... The whole town was deputized and my grandfather finds a bag of Gold and hands it over..... cough cough.
I sure would not sell any guns based on handed down stories.

I have lever actions in 22, 25/20, 250 Sav, 32/20, 30-30, 303 Sav, 308, 38/40. 44/40, and 45 Colt.
If you handload, the 30-30 is very versatile.
The 170 gr.Lyman #311291 bullet loaded long can make great groups.
Old 30-30 rifles are everywhere.
 
The best lever action range time I ever had at the farm was a Marlin 39, .22LR. I would feel compelled to holster a Ruger Single Six to make the experience complete.

A .38/357 is a co-equal for fun, and low cost. If you want more thrill, go 45 Long Colt. If that isn’t enough, step into .444 Marlin or .45-70 Gov’t. Skip the morning coffee. One trigger pull of either will get your mind alert.

Don’t overlook the “lowly” now “outdated” .30-30 Win. Not many ever were made, and while they have harvested less deer than any cartridge, they are a worthwhile trip back the through history of defunct cartridges. (Tongue-in-cheek)

Heck! The cartridge doesn’t matter. The platform in any chambering will evoke smiles.

JMHO,

Geno
 
I remember back in 02 when my father brought home a Rossi lever action 357 for my sister one day. I thought that was the silliest thing ever until I got the chance to shoot it. I went and traded off my Plainfield M1 carbine for the first Marlin 1894 357 I found. Never looked back since......
Now I've got a 336 30-30, 1894 357mag, 1894 44mag, and a 39 22lr. Been on the fence about a Henry in 22 WMR.
 
Yep, it is a Uberti lookalike 1866 carbine chambered in 22 LR. Bunch of fun to shoot. It has the same toggle action as the 1860,1866, and the 1873.

"Why would 45-70 be so expensive to load?"

http://www.cheycastbullets.com/Black-Powder-Rifle-Bullets--120-Tin-Lead-Alloy_c_11.html
http://www.blueboybullets.com/products.html
http://www.acmebullet.com/bullets-reloading-brass/45-70-Hard-Cast-Lead-Bullets

And it will hold about 60 gr black powder.

I shoot a 38-55.
http://www.acmebullet.com/bullets-reloading-brass/38-55
https://www.badmanbullets.com/OnlineStore/proddetail.php?prod=38/55-230-Grain-RNFP-Qty-500
and the 38-55 holds about 35 grs of black powder.

I guess it depends on what is expensive:)
 
My favorite to shoot for fun is my marlin guide gun with peep sights. 350 gr cast bullets on top of 19 gr of trail boss. 1200 fps. Everyone that shoots it wants to take it home. Oh wait, it's my only lever action, but that's a problem I'm working on.
 
I have 3 lever actions, a 94 in .30-30 that once belonged to a mounted police unit, a 9422 in .22 rf and a Marlin 336C in .35 Rem. My favorite is the 9422.
 
I'll add a vote for the 45 Colt. I love mine (Model 92 EMF with 24" octagonal barrel), and is my wife's favorite gun to shoot. In many of the modern 92's, you can read up about loading to Ruger/TC pressures/velocities (be sure your gun can handle these loads, read up and be careful). I will say though that even at the low end, the small metal butt plate makes shooting them a bit unpleasant in a t-shirt only. YMMV.

If you already reload for 45ACP, it's a natural fit as I can make plinker loads using 45ACP bullets. If you don't reload, I'd suggest 38/357 for economy.
 
I have levers in 22, 357, 44, 45-70, 32-20, 30/40 krag, 32 special, 32-40, 308 and 30-30. Out of those, the ones that I think are most fun to just shoot and "play" with are the 45/70, .357 and the 22. They are ALL fun though. I don't have a 45lc (well I have revolvers but no rifles) but i bet it's a fun lever gun caliber too.
 
Last edited:
One nice thing about my guide gun with trail boss 45-70 loads is that the muzzle blast is so mild you can shoot it without ear muffs and not blow your ears out. I wear ear muffs anyway but the noise level is like 12 ga trap loads.
 
some of my older lever actions, but not all of them. I load for all of them with mostly cast bullets, I used to load black powder for years and now have switched to modest smokeless loads for ease of cleaning the rifles and cases.
 

Attachments

  • DSCN1374 (3).JPG
    DSCN1374 (3).JPG
    155.1 KB · Views: 6
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top