Do good lever guns still exist?

I've been shooting an 1892 Rossi Puma in .357 since 1987. No issues, more than pleased with the quality and performance.

Trainloads of old Marlin 30-30s out there for good prices. No need to think of buying new.

that Mossberg comes in a 16 inch 30-30 in stainless

I have no complaints about my Rossi. I've run at least 5,000 round through it with no problems that couldn't be traced to my lousy hand loads. Is it as pretty as the others? No. But it shoots just as accurately as any of them and it was dirt cheap.

I think the Pedersoli 86/71s sure look nice. Corresponding price tag though. Same with the Chiappa '86.

If you want a pistol caliber, I'd go Rossi. I haven't heard an real complaints as of late, and any issues that do arise, should be able to be promptly fixed in this information age.

If you want .30-30, I'd go used. My LGS has a few Winchesters running around $300-400. I'm sure there are plenty of old Marlins out there too

Id go rossi or old marlin. Henry .22s are awesome, the centerfires are junk comparitively.

Rossi is the best value available for a pistol caliber rifle.

i looked at 3 marlins the other day. all were pretty crummy.

none of them had the issues that were being reported (canted sights, poor machining, machine marks) but the stocks.... they were terrible. fit was ok, but not great. you could tell it was checkered, but it was more like stippling than checkering. there was one diamond, and it was the big one in the middle. if it managed to make it through their QC with something that obvious then what else was missed.

You seem to be a pretty high-maintenance fella for a guy on the hunt for a lever rifle. Why not try a custom bolt gun?

In all fairness, I decided not to jump to conclusions, and read all the way through Post #6 before replying.

Pick up an old Marlin. They are pretty easy to find on the used racks of gun stores. Mine was made in the early 80's so it does have the crossbolt safety. Other than that it has been an amazing rifle, never to see Remington procedures.

If you want new you are pretty much forced to buy Winchester. Their new guns are top quality. It is either that or buy used.

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Actually I heard their new firearms are suffering in the QC department ever since the factory switch.

My Rossi has been fantastic. I bought mine fully intending to have to tune it up but the trigger is great and have no feeding problems with 240gr Missouri bullet co SWCs or Hornady XTPs.
Shoots great too! Used it to harvest a nice doe this past year.
Mines a 16" stainless steel version in 44mag.

GAMEOVER44 said:

Actually I heard their new firearms are suffering in the QC department ever since the factory switch.

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Winchester lever guns are produced by Miroku in Japan. There's been no factory switch since 2006, when New Haven closed. I own a new Miroku-built 1873 in .357 and it's nothing short of wonderful. Easy to handle, accurate, just a joy to shoot. Very, very nice wood on it too.

If you're referring to the move of Model 70 assembly - not manufacture - from SC to Portugal, I've heard the exact opposite. Stock quality and wood-metal fit are supposed to be much improved.

Marlins on the other hand.....

PRM said:

I've been shooting an 1892 Rossi Puma in .357 since 1987. No issues, more than pleased with the quality and performance.

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This.

My .454 Rossi/puma legacy is an incredible buy for the money. Fit, finish, action, quality - it's all there. Don't believe the haters - check some out for yourself. Bought mine new 6-7 years go.

Also shoots 45 colt as well as it handles the 454 round.

I personally like the older Marlins and I own three.
A .30-30 that I stole from a local FFL about 15 years ago, a 39-A Mountie, and a .35 Remington that I bought from a neighbor a few years back.
The Micro-Groove rifling to me, is no joke and with reloads, the rifles are capable of super accuracy.
My 39-A is a well cared for rifle built in the early 60's and I installed a vintage era 6X Weaver scope.
The .22 of course shoots some ammo better than others but the rifle is by all accounts, GREAT!
IMHO, you cannot go wrong with an older Marlin rifle .
Stick with the 336 though.

Don't forget that Rossi lever action rifles have the Taurus locking system, whether you like it or not.

I don't have any "new" lever guns and don't have a problem with my Marlin and Winchester rifles the Brownings seem the smoothest to me.

Captcurt said:

If you want new you are pretty much forced to buy Winchester. Their new guns are top quality. It is either that or buy used.

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I was really lusting after a new '73 in .357mag until I saw the made in Japan jazz stamped on the weapon. Sure it's outstanding but that just feels wrong.

I just inherited a Browning 81 BLR in 257 Roberts still working on handload for it but its like new also have a Marlin 336 in 30.30 no comparison in quality.

A couple of years ago I bought a Marlin 39a NIB. From the start, I had about 30% light strikes and 20% failure to eject. Accuracy rarely exceeded 2.5 moa (largely due to the rebounding hammer). I also had to replace the carriage plunger which had a tendancy to stick and lock the action. Modifications are available for fixes to all, but out of the box my 39a proved more trouble than it was worth. Later I found out that modifications to make the rifle functional were the rule rather than the exception.

If you ever consider a 39a, steer toward an older (pre safety) model. Definitely avoid or replace the rebounding hammer. The action on a 39a is all steel construction that should only get better with time, so don't shy away from a used.

The Miroku Winchester leverguns are better-built than anything the old USRAC plant put out in years.

The Marlin stocks are now laser-cut checkering, and I was told the factory had adjusted the lasers to be cutting better patterns.

They are aware.
Denis

If those beautiful new Winchesters were just made in the USA I'd spend the almighty high dollar to get one. I just can't get past the fact that they are japanese made. I'll never own one. But that's just me.

My South Carolina made Winchester Model 70 is the finest gun I have ever owned. And I've owned a few.

The old Marlins are nice. Winchester are top eject,that makes mounting a scope a problem Henrys arent all made of brass. they make a 45/70 and a 30-30 with a steel receiver that looks ok, the Savage 99 was a cool peice if you can find one I would like to eyeball the Mossberg .

If you're willing to pony up the cash then a Browning BLR in 358 Winchester is the berries, assuming you reload.

6.5 pounds and will kill anything on the continent. It handles like a dream and shoots like a bolt gun. Trigger isn't super, but is no worse than many JM Marlin's I've seen.