Classic Lever-Action Rifle

I love my .357 Ruger GP100 / Marlin 1894c combination so much I duplicated it in 44 Magnum with a Marlin 1894 and a Taurus 44 Tracker. No I won't win any distance matches but if the Zombies come I'm in pretty good shape

Got to agree with jmr40 about the 45-70 as an entry rifle. Matter of fact, for an entry rifle I usually recommend a 22 of some sort, usually a bolt rifle. THe Marlin 39 is a lever action that trace it's ancestry to 1891 and had many famous users. And revovlers can be found chambered for it as well. Probably not what you want but still a good entry level idea.

I'm following the rule that most shots are taken under 200 yards and since I love the look of these guns and the larger calibers can reach out to that distance I figured it would fill my need for an entry rifle.

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It depends where you live, most of my shots have been under 40 yards.

I've owned a Marlin 45-70 for almost 40 years and like it, but it ain't an entry rifle. You need something you can afford to shoot a lot, and enjoy it at the same time. You get good by sending lots of rounds downrange. You won't do that with a rifle you cannot afford to buy ammo for, or if it kicks so hard you don't enjoy shooting it. I'm still recommending a 30-30 as a first time rifle. Consider a few things. Yes you can shoot a 45-70 out to 200 yards, or even farther, but with standard 405 gr loads you will have 4 FEET of bullet drop and only 1000 ft. lbs. of energy left at 200 yards.

A 30-30 will only drop 8 INCHES at that range and still have 990 ft. lbs. of energy. I know the heavier bullet will out penetrate and will be a better killer at that range, but unless you are moose hunting the 30-30 will still get the job done on deer size game. And do it at a fraction of the cost, and with 1/2 the recoil. A 30-30 will hit you with only around 12 ft. lbs. of recoil vs 23-24 for the lightest 45-70 loads and up to 40-50 ft. lbs. of recoil for the really hot stuff.

Not bashing the 45-70. It is a good round. I just don't recommend it for someones "entry rifle".

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jmr40, gave you some really good advice here.

My Marlin 1894 .357 is a great gun. Just a fun gun to shoot. There are very few rifle ranges in my area. Most pistol ranges will let you shoot pistol caliber carbines though. Which may or may not be a factor for you.

Go to marlinowners.com
They have a forum dedicated to the M1894. All the info you can get on those rifles.

re: .308MarlinExpress and .338MarlinExpress. Most here don't have any experience with these rifles and most will only spout internet myth. Both are excellent cartridges in excellent rifles. The .308 duplicates the .300Savage but in the Marlin platform. The .338 approaches or equals the .338Federal in the Marlin platform. I have the .338 and it's one of my all time favorite firearms. It essentially matches the performance of the .30/06 with 180-200gr bullets. The only issue with the Marlins is that they are relatively new and limited it avaiability, ditto ammo. The 2009-2011 rifles have some q/c issues but the new Marlin is dealing with those. Currently Marlin isn't producing the limited production models, concentrating on the .30/30. The .35Rem, .308ME, .338ME, .444, and .45/70 aren't currently being made. Latest rumor is that it will be 2013 or later before full production is resumed. I don't know about the 1894 and various calibers.

I reload for the .338ME, and have a substantial brass collection. I also cast two different style bullets for it, so I'm set indefinitely for ammo. Hornady hasn't expressed any shortage of sales for loaded ammo for either. However, most owners that don't reload have bought/hoarded substantial stocks according to indications... Hornady also just released a 140gr FMX for the .308 (flex tip GMX).

I also have a .45/70 (and other l/a calibers). The .338ME is fully capable of matching the .45/70 in field performance and exceeds it in many areas. Kinetic energy isn't the only thing that measures cartridge performance. SD (sectional density) and BC (ballistic coefficient) is also important, not to ignore bullet construction. The greatly favor the .338, hence the reason for it's development and production. The ONLY time I'd be hard pressed to choose the .45/70 would be regarding the great bears (grizzly/brown). Here, I'd still pick the .338 except for following a wounded bear into the alders. Here, I'd want my .375Ruger....... And a 300-350gr bullet at 2,550fps or so, plus a back-up with a 12ga shotgun and OOO-buck. My .45/70 (guide gun) would be my second choice, but only because I cast a heat-treated 400gr cast bullet that I load to 2,000fps+. But this load only exceeds the .338ME with my handloaded 250gr Hornady RN at 2,250fps inside 100yds.....

Do research your choice at marlinowners.com

Why are you ignoring the .30/30 ??? Except for applicability in the handgun, it has been meeting/exceeding "needs" for over 100yrs.

Too bad they haven't made a gate loading .22 LR lever action in 110 years since the first production run of 1892 Marlins. Because I ALWAYS recommend a .22 to learn the basics (Jeff Cooper said "You can learn about 80% of what you need to know with a .22.) After that it is always good for economical practice and just plain fun.

I don't find a medium to big game hunting rifle much fun to plink with. Even the .30-30 has kind of a mean kick because the rifles are light and their buttplates narrow.
My target rifles are heavy enough to soak up the recoil to a considerable degree. But I would not want to hump them in the woods.

Just my opinion, maybe based on my own lack of skill, but I don't think any of the cartridges mentioned are 250 yard game getters. I'm not familiar with the .308 Marlin express, which may be such an animal. The 444 and .45-70 are 150 yard guns with iron sights. Yeah, I know what Billy Dixon did, but the OP sounds more interested in appearance than performance and not all that experienced with long guns.

taurus 357 pump http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=403&category=Rifle

Henry Big boy in 357, 44 mag and 45 colt. They look good and, like all lever guns in pistol caliber's, hard to find. I like to get one in 44 mag but if i could find a Marlin in SS I might just get that.

GambJoe, you missed the part in the OP where the guy has a fetish for a loading gate

I think you're over-focusing on a very small feature, but if you must have a loading gate I gave you a selection of options way back upthread.
Of course, there is the used market also, which is harder to casually look up online. Searching for .357 rifles on gunbroker/armslist/gunsamerica/whatever isn't impossible, though.

But if I were in your shoes, looking for a gun to run high volume through and realy develop skill with, I'd just get a Henry H001 of some type and shoot $20 of ammo through it every week (that's 550 rounds of cheap bulk .22lr around here)
After I was confident in my skills with a levergun and knew for sure what features I did and didn't want, then I'd go looking for a centerfire version.

my favorite 94 marlin 44 mag sporter made in 1973 and a old model ruger vac in 44 mag and a marlin mounte .22 made in 1967 with a ruger .22 bearcat. eastbank.

Ah, no...

dprice3844444 said:

taurus 357 pump http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=403&category=Rifle

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Most of the Cowboy Action shooters who bought the Taurus pump gun ended up using them for tomato stakes. Highly unreliable, feeding issues.

dprice3844444 said:

taurus 357 pump http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=403&category=Rifle

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Not in production. Feed sensitive to bullet geometry.
[edit] What Coyote said

Nothing wrong with either a 357 or 45-70. A middle of the road approach is a 30-30. As for recoil, its worse from the bench than it is from field positions. At the bench, I tend to feel I've had enough somewhere between 40 and 60 rounds of 30-30. From a rifle class I've done with mostly standing, I can shoot easily 150 rounds a day without feeling beat up. Used Marlins are a great deal. Also, this year Winchester just released some very nice lever actions in 357. I handled one and could see owning it as well for a plinker.

I started off with a 30-30 like alot of folks, and because i live in Kansas, migrated to the bolt action for longer range guns for my hunting needs. A 30-30 will kill any deer and hogs, and with special effort attention to detail, elk, bear etc. What the 30-30 does best, is gets you used to shooting a hunting ready gun for less expense. Its relatively accurate, easily scoped with the appropriate gun, and can be all you ever need. As I mentioned, I got my 30-06, 7mag, 338WM, etc. and have migrated back to Marlin 30-30's, 308MX, 32 win, 35 rem, 44, 45, 357, 356, 375 and 45-70. In some cases, I have multiples of several calibers. I prefer the 45-70 and 30-30 for my hunting and plinking now as they actually make it all more fun and exciting. If I was very serious about getting a longer range buck, the 308MX would get taken out. Its tremendous! Lever actions give the game a fair chance, and at the same time are perfectly adequate for my needs. Ammo can become very reasonable when shooting cast bullets, and recoil can be very tame depending on your choice of components. A 30-30 is always a good choice. The new leverevolution ammo can extend your 30-30 range to 250 yards. Here is my last 30-30 buck taken with conventional 170gr. Core lokt reloads at 159 yards. Mind you, most of my hunting is now bow hunting!

or does the action of the gun play a larger part than I realize?

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keeping the sights on target while working the lever would be one of the reasons, there are more, like ammo being an order of magnitude cheaper

+1 to what JMR40 said at 16 bucks at box and It's always on the shelf. 30-30 is a great choice with minimal compromise as a first rifle. More than likely you'll have it forever.

If your going for a 30-30 then most likely it will be a winchester or marlin. I have 2 winchesters and want to swap one for a marlin. No problems with the winchesters but I feel a marlin shoots a little softer.

Though I haven't tried it at 250 i'm told hornady leverevolutin is good at those ranges. I keep my shots around 100-125 due to personal reasons.

As far a carbine - revolver combo. I use blackhawk and security-six with a marlin lever gun.
I found .357 first, haven't tried 44 yet but if I stumble across one i'll probably do the same thing.

Infamous, my suggestion is a .44 Mag. Both in a revolver and rifle. You can shoot .44 spl out either and that will set up for when you feel the confidence to shoot full .44 Mags. My preference is the '94 Winchester, but the '92 version is even slicker. Had an 1894 Marlin in .44 Mag, good gun, but was partial to cartridge length.

Personally I do have a '94 Winchester Trapper (16" barrel) chambered for .44 Mag and a 7 1/2" Ruger BH convertible (.44 Mag, .44 Spl, .44-40). The Trapper has harvested 13 Whitetail, one Black Bear, and one Bull Elk up in the Bitterroots by the Clark Fork.

Have anyone of those been taken at 200+ yards...yes. One of the Whitetail deer was shot at a measured 233 yards (+/- 3' per range finder). Used a 2' hold over(open sights) and the bullet impacted the lower right shoulder, passing through upper lungs and severing the aorta. But in general, my purpose is not to see how far I can shoot, but how close I can get stalking.

The .44 Mag is comparable to the .30-30 at a 100 yards, but probably much stouter around 50 yards. With P+ loads and leverevalution bullets, it retains enough energy much farther.

Then once that is mastered, you can migrate up the food chain and get a .444. Which in a pinch can shoot the .44 Mags or the .44 Spl too.

Oh yeah, nothing wrong with a .30-30, there is an unwritten law to be a real American, everyone has to own a .30-30 at least once in their life.