Thoughts on lever actions

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chris in va said:
I’m trying to sell my AR and pick up a lever in 357 or 45c. The Henry side gate looks nice but can’t find one locally to try out. A gun store here does however have Rossi’s in both calibers, so just wanted to get your thoughts.
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If your AR is a 16" barrel, "pray and spray" rifle, go ahead and sell it. They are a dime a dozen. It would be helpful in funding a good lever action.

But, AR-15's when properly configured can be excellent, accurate rifles. My 204 Ruger AR-15 with a 26" barrel shoots tighter groups than my 240 Ruger Savage Model 12 bolt rifle. The 204 Ruger AR-15 is my favorite rifle for use on prairie dogs.
 
Yeah it’s one if the original S&W Sport, I’m just not into this whole ‘tactical’ thing. It’s dead reliable and accurate but I have a CZ bolt in 223 for that.

Part of me worries this AWB will include used guns as well. I saw a guy today selling his nice AR that looked to be a couple thousand bucks worth.
 
chris in va said:
If I may ask, why is everyone suggesting I keep the AR? It serves no purpose for me. I got it in 2009, hasn’t seen much use.
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As stated I bought my AR in 2012 and have shot it twice. The reason I’m not selling mine is there could come a time when it’s the most useful rifle I own. I’m not a doomsdayer and never think about stuff like that. But something in the back of my mind tells me to keep it.

Sell yours if you want to.
 
ColtPythonElite said:
1.) Cheaper to shoot.
2.) Lighter recoil.
3.) One ammo to have if your sidearm is the same caliber.
4.) Just plain fun....Maybe that should be number 1.
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I’m not sure I agree with that assessment. At least #1. Here, .357/44/45c all cost about as much as cheap 30-30.
 
daniel craig said:
I’m not sure I agree with that assessment. At least #1. Here, .357/44/45c all cost about as much as cheap 30-30.
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If you reload, straight walked cases are the easiest......and very cost effective.
I'm a big fan of Leverguns. To me. They balance and handle better than semis
 
The price of everything is crazy now- but if you must sell the AR you should be able to get a buck for it- then put a bit more with it and get a real levergun- it will say WINCHESTER on it!

Ok ok ok y'all don't beat me up too bad- nothing wrong with Henrys, Marlins and Rossis- I just prefer Winchesters-
 
I own four or so dozen rifles. Military surplus, M1 Carbines, a Garand, .22 rimfires of every shape and size, scoped hunting rifles for every mammal 2 and 2000 lbs., too many levers to remember, three AR's and one AK. If someone said "You can only have one rifle.", I'd unhesitantly choose my '92 Rossi in 20" .357. If I had the option to choose a rifle I don't have, it'd be a Marlin .357 with Ballard style rifling. In my opinion there's simply nothing more versatile than a .357. From light .38 Special loads for small game to ballbuster .357 loads for self defense and big game hunting, it'll do what most of us need done.

I really like the 45 Colt, and have revolvers so chambered, but I don't think it's nearly as flexible as a .357.

I know people like their AR's, but mine would be the first of my rifles to go. They're good at the job for which they were designed, but for a all-around long arm, not so much.

35W
 
If the OP does not care for the AR or need it then get rid of it. Get something he can use. Not everyone wants or even needs such a rifle.
35 Whelen said:
I know people like their AR's, but mine would be the first of my rifles to go. They're good at the job for which they were designed, but for a all-around long arm, not so much. 35W
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Thats is about where I am with it. Of what I own, it would be the first to go.
 
I like lever actions. My first centerfire was a JM Marlin 336 in .30-30 and I don't plan on selling it anytime soon.

I really like .357 in a levergun, especially as a plinker. If I was looking to hunt, I would recommend the .30-30 as a good general purpose longarm.

They make leverguns that are spicier than .30-30/.35 Rem, but outside of .45-70 and maybe .444 Marlin I would honestly recommend to look at a bolt gun if I needed anything stronger with a very few exceptions (Savage 99 in .308, for example).


I also would recommend to consider a .22 levergun if finances allow. I have a couple and they are both fun to shoot. Henry makes some reasonably priced offerings that by all accounts are fine plinkers. Good luck with whatever you decide!
 
I have owned 2 Rossi rifles, a .357 and currently a .44Mag. I had a Marlin 336 with a 20 inch barrel and currently a Winchester commemorative model 94 with a 26 inch octagonal barrel in 30/30. I have had nothing but good service from my Rossi rifles. The .357, which I stupidly sold, had a 24" octagonal barrel that nearly eliminated what little recoil the .357 has and it was extremely accurate for a lever gun. I have a Rossi 92 in .44 Mag with a 24" octagonal barrel that I shoot in metallic silhouette. Again the heavy long barrel soaks up the recoil even shooting max loads. If I could get that .357 back I would do it in an instant. The action on a new Rossi is a bit stiff but no more so than the Marlin 336 I had. My 44 has gotten much smoother after shooting it quite a bit. Some owners have complained that their Rossi rifles don't feed the shorter rounds, 38 Spcl and 44 Spcl and others have no problem. When I shoot the pistol cartridge silhouette matches I just load the 44 Mag case down to hot 44 Spcl level and avoid that problem. The lower charge prevents damage to the lesser grade steel metal silhouettes. Same can be done with 357.
I've kept mentioning the 24" or longer barrels because I shoot metallic silhouette and the extra sight radius is desirable for using iron sights. A 30/30 in a 20" barrel has a bit of recoil and can get tiring after awhile. At a silhouette match I will shoot 80 to 120 rounds of 30/30 but with the longer heavier barrel I have no problem with recoil. That many rounds through a 20" barreled rifle is more than I want to contend with. For plinking/range shooting I would opt for the pistol cartridges and especially the 357.
As far as cleaning a lever gun, the 92 and 94 models are a pain to take apart where the Marlin 336 is much more cleaning friendly.
Henry makes good rifles and their customer service is excellent, a good choice. This is based on my reading on what Henry owners have said about their guns. I've competed against people shooting the Henry Frontier .22lr rifle and they are just as reliable and accurate as my Marlin 39A.
As far as the AR, in my opinion, keep it unless you need the money from it's sale to buy the lever gun.
 
Rossi are fine guns just count on adding another 75 to 100 bucks for a good action job and you have a sweet rifle from then on out.
 
I'd buy the Henry without hesitation . I have no experience with the rossi but made in the USA means something significant to me. Henry's are excellent.

Between 357 mag and 45 colt, I'd go 45 . but overall (I know you said pistol cartridge , but...) 45-70 is the boss. Load a 300 grain at 1,000 if you want or a 400+ grain at close to 2000fps. It can do way more at idle than the 45 colt can do at full throttle, it puts out monstrous power without all the fuss. Grab some trailboss for light loads and I think you would be pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to shoot 405 grain bullets at 1000 fps, a kid can easily handle the recoil if they can hold the rifle steady.

I use a 45-70 Henry for a do-all rifle, mild to wild. I don't shoot a lot of heavy loads but if I want the big power I just put the appropriate cartridge in, no problem.

The components are large and easy to handle and you can load black powder if that's your thing and still have a lot of power. Another thing is the case capacity , it's excessive which means that lighter copper bullets that normally limit case capacity due to length can be driven at full velocity - I like the 300 grain barnes tsx for things that need an expanding bullet. I like mcb 405 gr coated bullets for pretty much everything else at all velocities.

I've got a bolt action 357 rifle that I like a lot, it's handy and light but it can't dream of being anywhere near as powerful as a rifle round. It's a case of one can do everything the smaller cartridge can but the smaller cartridge can't do 1/4 of what the bigger cartridge can. I like big cartridge cases and I cannot lie.
 
My Marlin 1894 in 44RM is one of my favorite guns, period. I like my 357, and my 39A and my 1895 GG in .45-70.

id like a .30-30 but don’t need it.

I’d also like some cool obsolete pistol caliber that you can’t find anywhere (e.g. .25-35).

Greg
 
The Rossi is a fun rifle. I had a 20” in .38/.357 years ago, but it wouldn’t ever feed a round no matter what bullet profile was tried.

My current Rossi’s are both 16” carbines; a.38/.357 and a .45 Colt. (My other pistol caliber lever is a Win 1894 Trapper in .44 Mag.) Both of these Rossi’s work very well, no feeding issues at all.

Of the two, the .45 Colt is my favorite. Loading the magazine up with the cigar butt-sized rounds and mowing down a bunch of my reduced-sized silhouettes is a recipe for a great afternoon. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
chris in va said:
They are $599 and $749, and I can/do reload and cast for both calibers. I don’t have a use for the AR, just not my thing. I’ve been wanting a centerfire lever for years as I really enjoy my Henry 22.

The Henry side gate steel would have to be shipped here so it would be a leap of faith on that one. I just have to figure out if I want a 16” or 20” version of one.
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With iron sights. The extra 4" of barrel is huge.
I have a Rossi 357 that I did an action and trigger job on. I then installed a Williams fool proof peep sight.
The trigger job and action smoothing weren't necessary. I would never go back to the buck horn sights.
 
I have a Henry Brass .30-30. I like it, though unless you have access to affordable ammo or already have ammo for .30-30 id recommend skipping it as 30-30 has really gone crazy. I've only come across it once in my area since last summer and that was yesterday and it was $60 a box for regular PPU soft points. A quick look on ammoseek shows that it is indeed $3 a round.

I to am waiting for the new side gate loading Henry's in a .357/38 setup. I have 600 rds of .38spl and I can still find .357 just at high prices
 
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