Deog
Member
I have 4 jm Marlins, sold the Winchester 94 and never looked back.
Do good lever guns still exist?
- Thread starter Chain Smoker
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Sure as long as B.C. Miroku keeps making them there will be excellent lever guns available. I will say it's a blessing second hand American-made lever guns like 1894, 1899 and Model 88 are still readily available. Sadly the best ever made the 88 is getting more difficult to find.
76shuvlinoff
Member
I suck it up and buy older Marlins. Kind'a spendy but no regrets yet.
56 39A
77 39A
79 1894c .357
01 1895cb 45/70, I hate the safety but oh well.
I still have to fill the JM 30/30 slot (among others) but I don't hunt and am in no rush.
56 39A
77 39A
79 1894c .357
01 1895cb 45/70, I hate the safety but oh well.
I still have to fill the JM 30/30 slot (among others) but I don't hunt and am in no rush.
stiab
Member
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2007
- Messages
- 638
I think there are enough JM Marlins out there used that you don't have to worry about the quality of newer guns. From my personal collection I have sold four JM Marlins within the last two months (.35, .35, .30-30, .357), and am selling a fifth one tomorrow (.444). Still have two pre-safety. Also have bought two Savage 99's within the last year, and a Winchester 88 is my everyday deer rifle. There are plenty of quality used lever guns available, no need to buy "new" unless you just want to.
dagger dog
Member
Steve's Gunz is a Rossi specialist, he offers a small plug to take the place of pigtail safety, a real good DVD on disassembly, stainless magazine followers, and spring kits that will make a Rossi smooth as snot on a brass doorknob.
He can do your slick up if your not game, you'll get back a topnotch lever gun, and he sells Rossi's already done. You'll spend less and get a semicustom gun.
forward observer
Member
Here's a real good lever gun
OK, so you want a good lever gun. I've got just the ticket. Click on the link below for instant lever gun nirvana:
Original 1873 in factory new condition
It's an original standard Winchester 1873 sporting rifle with 24 inch octagon barrel in 38-40 caliber that has been restored to factory new condition by Doug Turnbull. No fancy wood nor engraving but it does have a color case hardened receiver. This feature cost $5 extra back in the day when this particular rifle was about $20 retail. I think Turnbull has raised the price just a bit now.
Anyway for only $10,500 you can have an original 1873 made at the New Haven plant, but restored to "factory new" condition.
This effectively eliminates all of your issues with the current crop of lever guns, so you can thank me in what ever manner you deem appropriate.
A 10% finders fee would be perfect.
Cheers
P.S. I was going to suggest that the mods just sticky this thread since it seems to repeat at least once a week, but then I might not have the fun of making new smart alec posts-----although I am tempted to bring back my Marlin/Winchester equestrian analogy photo's from an earlier version of this same type thread.
OK, so you want a good lever gun. I've got just the ticket. Click on the link below for instant lever gun nirvana:
Original 1873 in factory new condition
It's an original standard Winchester 1873 sporting rifle with 24 inch octagon barrel in 38-40 caliber that has been restored to factory new condition by Doug Turnbull. No fancy wood nor engraving but it does have a color case hardened receiver. This feature cost $5 extra back in the day when this particular rifle was about $20 retail. I think Turnbull has raised the price just a bit now.
Anyway for only $10,500 you can have an original 1873 made at the New Haven plant, but restored to "factory new" condition.
This effectively eliminates all of your issues with the current crop of lever guns, so you can thank me in what ever manner you deem appropriate.
A 10% finders fee would be perfect.
Cheers
P.S. I was going to suggest that the mods just sticky this thread since it seems to repeat at least once a week, but then I might not have the fun of making new smart alec posts-----although I am tempted to bring back my Marlin/Winchester equestrian analogy photo's from an earlier version of this same type thread.
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Sheepdog1968
Member
You can find pre-cross bolt safety Marlins from 1970s and early 80s anywhere from 350 to 700. I've been happy with the quality of those.
jeff-10
Member
I have a new Marlin 336. Very accurate and very well made. Out of all my recent purchases that one was by far the most satisfying.
The BLR is one of the best but there are tons of older Marlins or Winchesters out there for $350 or $400. I bought both in 30-30 in the past few years and have no complaints. Henry makes the 30-30 in steel with a round barrel and it is probably very good, as Henrys are. And of course, they are made in America, New Jersey actually, not too far from me. Beretta/Ubertis are excellent and when I wanted a 357/38sp this 1873 is the one I bought when they were running a special sale, paid less than $800. It has an ocatagon barrel but is still a couple pounds less than the Henry, my other option. I sill might get the Henry one of these years as the brass reciever is beautiful and worksmanship top notch.
9 fingers
9 fingers
C.R.
Member
I see that now Henry is building 30-30's and 45/70's here in Wisconsin . Im thinking I ought to start a slush fund . they will have the steel receiver with a round barrel .
Surculus
Member
That's funny! Admittedly, Mossberg's 500 has kind of dominated the market for budget home defense for decades, but lest we forget, they originally brought it out because the rifle-owning demographic had begun shrinking around that time. Up until then, they were known for their rifles. Let us not forget their company motto: "Mossberg - more gun for the money!"
I have hunted and shot in competition with rifles for over 60 years (1953).
My rifles have been the traditional sporter made from military actions to over the counter commercial to some customs. I have a complete battery of pre-64 M70's for instance.
Most of my woods hunting has been in Vt where I have had a place for half a century. Other hunting has been done on the East Coast from PA thru ME.
When I saw how difficult it was to get a shot at a buck in VT I chose what I know is the best rifle for me. It a 99 Savage F in .358 Winchester.
I practiced with that optimum rifle on running deer targets along with my all year around competition and rifle testing.
It has the most power I can handle well for any shot.
The lever action appealed to me as a woods rifle.
I also bought a M88 Winchester a few years ago for the fun of it and compared them again today.
The 99F is to me a better design. While the M88 looks like a bolt action and handles ok it's not as easy or good to use.
The trigger pull on the Savage 99 is crisp with no take up. That's what I want. It's pull is 4 lbs.
To add that the 99 Savage is a true Control Round Feed action just like the great dangerous game rifles. The 88 is only a push feed with spring loaded plunger ejector.
The 99 weighs 8# 2oz with it's 2-7 Leu.
The lever on the Savage 99 is much easier to operate and cocks the rifle on the closing stroke where your grip and hand is stronger.
The 88's lever cocks on the "outstroke" which is bad, clumsy and harder to do!
The trigger pull on the 88 is a long take up. It's smooth on the sear but not a 'rifle' trigger. It's 4.5#.
The M88 weighs 8# 1oz with a 4X All American
My rifles have been the traditional sporter made from military actions to over the counter commercial to some customs. I have a complete battery of pre-64 M70's for instance.
Most of my woods hunting has been in Vt where I have had a place for half a century. Other hunting has been done on the East Coast from PA thru ME.
When I saw how difficult it was to get a shot at a buck in VT I chose what I know is the best rifle for me. It a 99 Savage F in .358 Winchester.
I practiced with that optimum rifle on running deer targets along with my all year around competition and rifle testing.
It has the most power I can handle well for any shot.
The lever action appealed to me as a woods rifle.
I also bought a M88 Winchester a few years ago for the fun of it and compared them again today.
The 99F is to me a better design. While the M88 looks like a bolt action and handles ok it's not as easy or good to use.
The trigger pull on the Savage 99 is crisp with no take up. That's what I want. It's pull is 4 lbs.
To add that the 99 Savage is a true Control Round Feed action just like the great dangerous game rifles. The 88 is only a push feed with spring loaded plunger ejector.
The 99 weighs 8# 2oz with it's 2-7 Leu.
The lever on the Savage 99 is much easier to operate and cocks the rifle on the closing stroke where your grip and hand is stronger.
The 88's lever cocks on the "outstroke" which is bad, clumsy and harder to do!
The trigger pull on the 88 is a long take up. It's smooth on the sear but not a 'rifle' trigger. It's 4.5#.
The M88 weighs 8# 1oz with a 4X All American
Model 88 Erratic Feeding
"Model 88 Erratic Feeding : Sometimes the model 88 will not always feed the nose of the cartridge properly. If nothing else can be found that can contribute to this failure, look at the speed of the lever cycling. This gun needs to be operated rather abruptly, as close to the model 100 gas operation as possible to allow the ammo to feed right. Also, at this same time the gun has to be held either at right angles (right and left) to the ground or tipped to the right if anything. DO NOT TIP IT TO THE LEFT so you can see what is happening. If it is tipped left and and at the same time fed slowly, the ammo feeding can be erratic depending on which side of the magazine the cartridge is fed off from."
"Model 88 Erratic Feeding : Sometimes the model 88 will not always feed the nose of the cartridge properly. If nothing else can be found that can contribute to this failure, look at the speed of the lever cycling. This gun needs to be operated rather abruptly, as close to the model 100 gas operation as possible to allow the ammo to feed right. Also, at this same time the gun has to be held either at right angles (right and left) to the ground or tipped to the right if anything. DO NOT TIP IT TO THE LEFT so you can see what is happening. If it is tipped left and and at the same time fed slowly, the ammo feeding can be erratic depending on which side of the magazine the cartridge is fed off from."
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