Best choice for a lever action.

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I have both just because I can.

A Marlin 1894CS in .357...a real HOOT to shoot.

and a Winchester 94AE Trapper (16 inch barrel) saddle-ring carbine with large hoop....44 magnum. Dang it kicks but it does do the job.

Be well
Bob

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marlin

The Marlin 336 is my choice ,Over the years Ive had Winchester 1894 and several 336s they shoot well the action is sweet and they look good particularly the earlier models 90s 80s and 70s.
 
I consider a pistol caliber lever action to be primarily a "fun gun." If I wanted a serious hunting rifle in a lever action, I'd look for a .35 Remington (first choice) or .30-30.

So with that qualification, I'd buy a rifle in the same caliber as my revolver. I shoot both .357 and .44 mag revolvers, but since the 1894 is a "fun gun," I opted for .357/.38 as it's cheaper to feed, even (especially?) for a reloader. Light loaded .357s (or .38s) make fun plinking rounds, and full house magnums are adequate for deer sized game--although I choose to hunt with a real rifle cartridge.

If I were really a lever gun guy, I'd have levers in .357, .44, .30-30, and .35 Rem. Since I'm not, I only have one 1894 in .357/.38.
 
rcmodel said:
A .357 Mag lever-gun would handle anything you and your truck are likely to run across in Lower Arkansas.

Unless of course, those Big Foot rumors are true?

In that case, I might go for the .44 Mag, or a 30-30 Winchester carbine.

rc
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Or a Marlin 1895 in .45-70 if you are planning on encountering another "Hogzilla"...

I've heard it said that the .44mag makes a better rifle cartridge than it does a handgun cartridge.

If you reload yourself, the .357mag Marlin makes for a pretty economical gun. I can reload .38 or .357mag for about the same price as .22LR these days AND if I load a low power round, it's even quieter than the .22LR round. Great for those pests around the property -- armadillos, 'possums, etc...
 
My 1894 in 44 Mag is about a lb or 2 lighter than my 336 30-30. I like them both, but the 44 mag gets shot more cause straight wall pistol cartridge is easier and faster to reload and it's noticeably lighter when stalk hunting.
 
ssyoumans said:
My 1894 in 44 Mag is about a lb or 2 lighter than my 336 30-30. I like them both, but the 44 mag gets shot more cause straight wall pistol cartridge is easier and faster to reload and it's noticeably lighter when stalk hunting.
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I've also had better results reloading straight walled cases than bottlenecked cases. I have a handgun in .357SIG and so far, each reload session that I've tried ends up sometimes making keyholes in the targets.
 
I have two Marlin lever guns, my first was a venerated 336. I stole it really I got it from a card player who didn't really like it and was holding it for a long over due 150.00 debt. My next was an 1894C in 357 to go with a very nice Ruger GP100. I will purchase a third in 44mag and another Ruger revolver to accompany it. I'm making sure my bases are covered when the zombie apocalypse comes.
 
MrDig said:
I have two Marlin lever guns, my first was a venerated 336. I stole it really I got it from a card player who didn't really like it and was holding it for a long over due 150.00 debt. My next was an 1894C in 357 to go with a very nice Ruger GP100. I will purchase a third in 44mag and another Ruger revolver to accompany it. I'm making sure my bases are covered when the zombie apocalypse comes.
Click to expand...
But you need one in .45-70 in case we have a Hogzilla zombie apocalypse...
 
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