lever action which caliber and manufacturer

Status
Not open for further replies.
Bartojc

Bartojc

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Messages
1,506
Location
Michigan
Thinking of a new lever action lately. I own a model 94 in 30-30, and a Henry in 22 WMR so I have some familiarity with a lever action. I'll admit though I rarely shoot either.

The new rifle would be used for deer in the straight walled cartridge area of MI. I currently hunt northern MI which allows bottlenecked cartridges. That could change, and If I liked the rifle it could be used in northern MI. Range would generally be 100 yards or less.

I have a Blackhawk in 45 Colt and reload for it. Fairly familiar with the cartridge, and have dies, and powders on hand. Any reason not to look at 45 Colt in a lever rifle ? My other choice would be .44 Magnum. Is the 45 Colt viable out to 100 yards without getting to crazy with the loads ?

I'm thinking Henry in All-Weather trim, but I'm willing to listen to other arguments. Looks like one could be had for around $1000 +/- $100. I've shot a friends Henry in .357 and really liked it. I'm sure Rossi might be cheaper, but I'm not sure they are as nice. Maybe I'm wrong I've only looked at a few Rossi's and they did not seem on the same level.
The Winchesters are out of my range price wise. If there anything else I should be looking at ? I'm not sure when/if Ruger will produce a Marlin in 45 Colt or 44 Mag anytime soon. If they do it looks like they'll be a few hundred more than the Henry just looking at the new 1895.

My biggest issue of all would probably be finding one, but I'm not in a hurry so I can wait and shop I have other firearms to fill the void.

-Jeff
 
Think you'd be fine with a Henry in .45 Colt. I have one with the 20" barrel, blued/walnut. I load mine mid-range and ispretty accurate. You can always up your load a grain[I use Unique or Universal] and be good at 100 yards.
Edit: I shoot 250gr coated cast rnfp bullets from Missouri Bullets.
 
.44 or .45 will do the job.

Henry, Ruglin, Marlin, Winchester, Browning, or Rossi will fill the need.

Keep an eye out, work the action (for smoothness), and a price you can live with.
 
I'd go 45 colt or better yet, 45-70. Folks may think I'm nuts but I like my Henry better than my final remaining winchester or all but 1 of my old Marlins. To me it just makes sense to get the big gun, if you want power, you got it. If you want a 300 grain @ 1000 fps, you got that too. No one regrets having more than they need.
 
Lots of good recommendations here so far.

I'd go with a Japanese made Miroku Winchester Model 92 in 44 Magnum or 357 Magnum. Their "Short" model has a 20" barrel, which is about optimal for these pistol cartridges. They also offer a 24" barrel "Sporter" in 357 Magnum, but IMO that's a bit too long for a pistol cartridge. The velocity will be less than the 20" barrel with certain rounds.

I've got an older K Series Rossi 92 in 357 Magnum with 20" barrel, which is every bit as good as the current Winchesters made by Miroku.

I get an average velocity of 1880 fps with Federal American Eagle 158 gr semi jacketed soft point (Model AE357A). Another favorite round is Remington 158 gr Semi Jacketed Hollow point (Model R357M2). It leaves the bore at about 1840 fps. Both are deer slayers within 100 yards.

The Federal American Eagle is zipping along at about 1535 fps with 825 ft-lbs of energy at 100 yards from my 20" Rossi.

I don't know enough about the current production Rossi 92s, so I'll let others weigh in on that.
 
A couple of points. The straight wall cartridge law for hunting in MI limits me to 1.8" for the casing. That eliminates 450 Marlin, 45-70 Govt., etc. I will reload for whatever I get. Budget ? Good question ..... In this case I've concluded that I'll spend around $1000 +/- 15%

From the replies it looks like everyone thinks that 45 Colt is good out to 100 yards, esp if I reload for it. If buying new it feels like Henry and Rossi would be the contenders with what I'm looking to spend. Used may open up a possibility with Marlin, but who knows with used prices today.

If it matters I would probably put a scope on it. I know....... insert all the comments about lever actions were meant to just have irons. My eyes aren't what they used to be and if I buy the rifle it's going to get used in the field and not be a show piece.

-Jeff
 
Bartojc said:
I have a Blackhawk in 45 Colt and reload for it. Fairly familiar with the cartridge, and have dies, and powders on hand. Any reason not to look at 45 Colt in a lever rifle ? My other choice would be .44 Magnum. Is the 45 Colt viable out to 100 yards without getting to crazy with the loads ?
Click to expand...
I think 45 Colt could work for you even with Colt SAA safe loads, as long as you account for the fact it's not gonna leave much margin for error.
Bartojc said:
A couple of points. The straight wall cartridge law for hunting in MI limits me to 1.8" for the casing. That eliminates 450 Marlin, 45-70 Govt., etc. I will reload for whatever I get.
Click to expand...
Just curious would it be legal to cut 45/70 case to 1.790"?
 
Barjoc: "... The straight wall cartridge law for hunting in MI limits me to 1.8" for the casing. ..."
Mavracer: "Just curious would it be legal to cut 45/70 case to 1.790"?"

I suspect there would be some game warden in Michigan who would go by the caliber designation on the barrel.

Personally I'd avoid the slightest appearance of trying to work around game limits (especially if hunting on public land). Locally we had a hunter using a 3.5" magnum shotgun with the magazine limited two rounds for migratory bird hunting. A wildlife agent inspecting his gun was able to stuff three 2.75" shotgun shells into the magazine and cited the guy for exceeding the two round magazine limit. Whether the guy was trying to sneak around magazine limit or not I am not sure, but the wildlife resources agent felt he was, and it cost.
index.php
 
My pick would be to get a Marlin 336 in 30-30 and send it to JES reboring to have it bored out to 445 super mag, or 375 winchester and just trim the brass back to 1.8". Both would be thunder on deer and would shoot a lot flatter than 357, 44, or 45 colt.
 
If you’re looking to scope it, I’ll suggest you look for an angle eject Win 1894 Trapper (I have one, great gun), a Marlin 1894 .44 Mag or a Henry .44 Mag lever gun.

You may have to save a bit longer, unless you find a smoking deal (or a rusty boat oar) as any one will probably be North of 1K. But, you’ll have the short, straight cased rifle your local laws call for with the option to very easily scope the gun for your peepers. :thumbup:

Good luck with your search, let us know what you find.

Stay safe.
 
Riomouse911 said:
If you’re looking to scope it, I’ll suggest you look for an angle eject Win 1894 Trapper (I have one, great gun), a Marlin 1894 .44 Mag or a Henry .44 Mag lever gun.

You may have to save a bit longer, unless you find a smoking deal (or a rusty boat oar) as any one will probably be North of 1K. But, you’ll have the short, straight cased rifle your local laws call for with the option to very easily scope the gun for your peepers. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I feel like I'll be looking for a 44 Mag and a 45 Colt and take whichever I find first. :) What's the worst that can happen ? I'd have to buy a 44 mag revolver to go with the rifle. Yeah, that would be horrible.

If I want new the Marlin doesn't exist right now, and a little googling last night showed the Henry is scarce. I see a couple on Gunbroker but I'm not in that much of a hurry and prefer local. You might be right, by the time they show up again they'll be north of $1k, hopefully fully not too much.

-Jeff
 
The upper limit I believe is 450 bushmaster. I haven't checked to see the available platforms. A 45 or 44 will both get the job done but in a hunting only senerio the 44 would be my choice based on trajectory and bullets available that have better designs. I would most likely be loading a jsp at the fastest accuracy node I could.
 
I recently bought a henry Big Boy X in 45 Colt specifically to use for a thick woods/brush gun. At first I put a 1-6 power Ar scope on it but didn't like the balance. Bought a Sig Romeo 5 red dot and it keeps it nice and light and maneuverable. Loading for it today and taking it out tomorrow.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Huntolive
  • Locked
Lever Action 44 Magnum?
2
Replies
39
Views
4K
RainDodger
RainDodger
P
  • Locked
Lever action .22?
2 3
Replies
52
Views
4K
thomis
thomis
L
  • Locked
44 mag lever guns
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
scaevola
S
S
  • Locked
Lever action conundrum
2 3
Replies
59
Views
3K
Tommygunn
Tommygunn
Solomonson
  • Locked
Which pump 22 for action shooting -- Rossi Gallery 22 or Henry Pump Action 22?
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
Solomonson
Solomonson
Back
Top