Good quality, attractive, reasonably priced lever-action 12ga?

[threeseven]

Lately a few mates and I have been thinking of picking up some shotguns, to be used at the range and for hunting pigs/rabbits/foxes etc. I see a lot of talk in the shotgun forum here about semi-automatic and pump-action shotguns, but here in Australia we are limited to single and double-barrel break-actions, and lever-actions.

Originally I was thinking of a nice, 16" Boito side-by-side in 12ga, but my cravings have shifted over to a nice lever-action in 12ga. Problem is, most of the lever-actions I'm aware of are .410 or 20ga.

I'm after something that has nice looks and wood, blued, but not beautiful. I don't have an outrageous amount of money to spend, but I'm willing to pay for quality. I also want it to be light, and short (I prefer the look of short weapons, 16" barrel would be great). I wouldn't mind something along the lines of the ADI Lithgow Model 1887 replicas, but they only made 50 of those so I don't like my odds of finding an affordable example

So who makes good 12ga lever-guns? Thanks in advance.

 

[Smoke]

Can't help you. Only lever action shotguns I've seen were .410

Bolt action
Pump
Semi
doubles
single

WHy not a good pump? How is the law regarding shotguns over there?

Smoke

 

[Jesse308]

I don't know of any 12ga lever-actions, I have only seen them in .410.

It really sucks that you can't have pumps or semi's.

 

[MrAcheson]

Norinco makes a copy of the Winchester 1887 12 guage lever action. Its a nice gun. If you don't like communist labor, then you Aussie's might be able to find Tristar's reproduction of the same gun. Those never made it to the USA to my knowledge.

 

[Spinner]

Sounds like the Norinco copy of the 1887 Winchester is what you're after.

A pic of one can be found here http://www.coyotecap.com/sales.htm

Without bashing Aussie gun law, why are lever action shotguns allowed but not pump action? There is absolutely no logic to that. I know that the incident at Port Arthur had a huge influence on Aussie gun laws, but that guy didn't have a licence and was a two bob. So the legislators make the people who didn't do anything wrong pay for the actions of a nutter. Crazy!!

Spinner

 

[Mellow_1]

Spinner,
I have never been to austrailia, but have you ever seen a gun law that did make sense? As far as I know there is no such thing as a logical gun law.

 

[Spinner]

I have never been to austrailia, but have you ever seen a gun law that did make sense? As far as I know there is no such thing as a logical gun law.

Oh, ain't that the truth!!!

Spinner

 

[fallingblock]

G'Day, Spinner.....

"Without bashing Aussie gun law, why are lever action shotguns allowed but not pump action?"
************************************************************

Bash away, the gun laws here are just plain senseless.

It is assumed by the shooting fraternity that the folks who drafted the post- Port Arthur legislation had no knowledge of the existence of lever
action shotguns, therefore they weren't 'banned'.

Pump action rifles also escaped the ban, despite there being a goodly
number of old rimfire pumps in circulation.

 

[Spinner]

So essentially the intent was to ban any shotgun that wasn't a single or a double? In the Port Arthur situation that wouldn't have helped.

As I recall the guy who went postal at Port Arthur walked into a crowded cafe and took deliberate aimed shots at people .... it wasn't spray and pray. Against an unarmed bunch of tourists (perhaps he misunderstood the phrase "tourist season"?) it wouldn't have mattered if he'd had a single shot firearm, the result would have been the same.

As is so often the case, the problem was the existing gun laws were not enforced and this particular nutter slipped thru the net ..... meanwhile all the law abiding gun owners who have never gone mental and started shooting people have their firearms "bought back" and banned.

Crazy!!

My sympathies to all Australian firearms enthusiasts. I just hope that NZ never ever gets to that stage. I will certainly try my hardest to prevent such a thing through words and deeds and would encourage you all to strongly support whatever organisations you have to maintain or improve your current firearms legislations. Anti-gunners only succeed through misinformation, fear, ignorance and apathy. It is up to each and every one of us to prevent that from happening.

Spinner

 

[MrMurphy]

Aside from the mentioned Commie and Tristar 1887 Winchester replicas, the only other leveraction shotgun available is the new-made Winchester 1894 .410 (they took an 1894 rifle smoothbored it and made it into a shotgun).

 

[fallingblock]

That's about the story, Spinner....

Martin Bryant was a wealthy nutcase who did not possess a firearms licence.
He had been repeatedly reported for shooting near neighbours homes and the police knew of complaints from the local gunsmith about Martin.

Just one concealed carry firearm among the victims in the "Broad Arrow Cafe" that Sunday could have made all the difference.

There are many unanswered questions about the Port Arthur shootings, and they'll remain unanswered for a while, as the Federal Attorney General's office has sealed the records of the investigation and trial for thirty years.

Keep a close eye on your Police Minister there in New Zealand.

Matt Hobson and Phil Alpers think the Thorpe Report should be fully implemented in N.Z., despite the findings of the Parliamentary Subcommittee (twice) to leave the current firearms laws as they are. The Arms Act Amendment III is slated to be brought up yet this year,
I understand. Despite 'Hulun's' troubles with the public access brouhaha, there are enough anti-gun zealots within Labour and the fringies that they hope to pass the Act quickly.

Oops!

Sorry! To keep this on topic, Marlin also is producing a .410 lever action:

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/leverActionShotgun/410.htm