Lever action carbines for home defense

[ravencon]

While most folks favor either a shotgun, a pistol caliber carbine or a rifle caliber carbine as part of their home defense arsenal I'll bet there are a few THRs who utilize a lever action carbine for HD.

If you're one them what is your set up: model, caliber, ammo, special sights, accessories, etc?

What is your reason for chosing the lever action over a more convential choice?

Thanks for your time.

 

[gunsmith]

I have a marlin .357 lever

I just like shooting it, I feel that a .357 coming out of a long barrel like that will be a good "man stopper" and it's really accurate.

I don't have the bells and whistles on it like I do my tacticool AR

 

[Preacherman]

Lever actions have been a good defense for something like 140 years and counting, ever since the first Henry came out in about 1860. They're fast to operate, accurate over combat ranges, and carry enough ammo to get the job done.

I don't use my lever-actions as defensive guns, simply because I have others that are more suited to the job: but if semi-auto's were banned tomorrow, I'd happily turn to my lever-action carbines as an excellent alternative.

 

[craig]

i got my wife a .357 marlin. she likes it pretty well. don't use it for primary home defense, but it's such a good critter gun i wouldn't hesitate to use it for home defense. i'm gonna get a .44 marlin to go with hers. hers is one fun gun.

 

[ECVMatt]

I have a couple..

I like my .357 Marlin with Ghost rings and my 18.5 inch Marlin 336 in .30/30.
I really like the .30/30 because it is so versital. You can shoot 55 grn acellerators all the way up to 170 grn Nosler Partitions. I generally use the 125 HPs around the house and then go to 150 Rem Green Box in the woods or desert. I have Ghost Rings and a light attachment on the .30/30. I use the light mostly for camping trips in areas were bears a common. The light lets me illuminate the target w/o the hassle of holding a light.

The .357 is my wifes favorite. She does not like handguns, but shoots that thing like hellfire. It is very accurate and easy on the shoulder.

Matt

 

[roscoe]

I recently bought a .45 Colt levergun and I really love it. I can empty the magazine pretty quickly, and I can get ammo that ranges in power from 600 foot-pounds to 2000. It is plenty accurate, compact. What else can I say? I would not feel unarmed carrying it for self-defense, unless the situation was very dire.

 

[earthworm]

Light weight,light recoil,usually fantastic accuracy,decent range,fast second shots,politically correct,wide range of ammo readily available,decent capacity,
interchangibility with handgun,fun to shoot,,,,,,,what's not to like?
For an excellent discussion on this go to www.warriortalk.com section 'Rifles in Combat' & find 'The Tactical 30-30 Levergun' by Gabeught to be required reading.
Preacherman has an excellent point:leverguns may not be the "best" & are certainly not the most modern tools on the market but they're quite adequate.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

While I rely on other guns for home defense, my Marlin 336 is semi-ready to go.

If I ever HAD to walk around the neighborhood w/ a rifle - ala NOLA Katrina - it just seems like the "right" gun. Handy, unobtrusive and just natural.

Mine is the 20". Carbine would be even nicer.

 

[bad LT]

After watching my first CAS event, I almost feel sorry for anybody that tries to break into the home of one of those competitors armed with their lever action...

almost

 

[earthworm]

Correction!

The actual thread is 'The Tactical 30-30 Lever Action Rifle'.
Another good thread is 'new options for levergun users-safe pointed tips'.

 

[IrvJr]

I use a Winchester 94 Trapper (16" barrel) in .44 mag/ .44 sp. It's compact, lightweight, fast handling, easy to load, and easy to shoot. Also, when loaded with a .44 mag round it's pretty peppy and a good HD type of gun. It's also an accurate 100 yard gun and a lot of fun at the range.

I just use the factory iron buckhorn sights, which are pretty quick to aim (although I prefer the military style peep sights on my new model mini 14 better). The only accessory that I tried to use with this gun was an elastic butt cuff that held 5 rounds of ammunition. It would be convenient to have this cuff available, but the cuff (which is made of nylon, with an elastic core) kept on slipping off of the stock, so I don't bother using it any more.

 

[georgeduz]

if you dont own a 30/30 lever than you are wrong,or maybe your not an american.

 

[foghornl]

Don't have a "pistol calibre carbine", put I can press my Marlin Mdl 30AW into emergency service if needed. 6 rounds of .30/30 will make a big dent in the Bad Guy's plan.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

Winchester Model 94 30 30 is a great start in home defence if you must use a lever action. Down side is that they are slow to reload is the SHTF. That being said I would prefer a rifle where you can pop in a magazine from the bottom. I am very comfortable in shooting the winchester that I have. it's very accurate and lets out a big boom.

 

[Father Knows Best]

After watching my first CAS event, I almost feel sorry for anybody that tries to break into the home of one of those competitors armed with their lever action...

I've been a CAS competitor for three years now. I think I'm pretty good with the rifle, but I'm certainly not great. I can routinely nail ten out of ten 12-inch steel plates at 25 yards in five seconds. A really good run, double tapping five targets, will be under four seconds. That's with a 20" barrel 1866 Winchester replica in 44-40, launching 200 grain bullets at a muzzle velocity of 1,150 fps. I don't think I would be much faster with a semi-auto, as most of the time comes from recovering sight picture between shots and finding the next target.

I've been to a couple of state championship and other "big" matches, where they hold "fastest rifle" competitions. Winning times for 10 shots are often in the 2 second range.

 

[461]

In the right hands a Levergun is a very formidable weapon choice. I have a Marlin in .44 and a Winchester in .357 and feel pretty good about each of them for defensive duty but the .44 is the Tacticool version as it's a stainless version, I call it my "Hillbilly Assualt Weapon"

I think ten rounds of .357 or .44 should be able to handle any homeowner problem and if it doesn't then I think I would have moved a long time ago.

 

[TallPine]

I used to have my 30-30 under the bed as the primary HD gun. The only problem that I had with it was that it is somewhat a pain to unload, whereas with a semi-auto (with no round in the chamber) you can just pop out the mag and hide it or take it with you when leaving the house, or if you have people visiting, etc.

Also, the 30-30 was somewhat of a family heirloom and I didn't want to lose it to the cops temporarily or permanently in the case of an actual defensive shooting.

That said, I really prefer lever actions - they just fit in my hands better than anything else I'm really thinking about getting another (replaceable) 30-30, or maybe a .357 or .45 LC lever action.

 

[Pocomoke]

Rossi 1892 clone in .45LC with 250gr. lead bullets at Cowboy action levels seems jus' fine to me. Love the light weight carbine, east handling and fast shootin'. Lever guns, the original homeland defense rifle.

'Course there also Marlins in 30-30 and .45-70 for other work with that type of arm.

 

[merk]

I dont have a lever action rifle, but I feel the same way about that as I do about using my bolt action Nagant. If ive got an automatic(such as my .22) or my pump shotgun handy(which is already rigged up with my home defense kit, 4 shotgun shells, and a pair of handcuffs) then im going to use those. Sure, the Nagant may drop him faster, the fact that I can pump out more rounds(5 or 6) with my .22 and shotgun(about two) in the time it takes me to recycle the bolt on my Nagant makes me feel more comfortable using something else.

 

[BryanP]

I have a Marlin .357 levergun. There are several other firearms in my house that I would reach for first in a defensive situation, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use it. I'm sure it would be more than effective. I've never tried hollowpoints through it

 

[tellner]

My wife loves the Marlin 30-30. It fits her. She is accurate with it. It will bring the ones that don't usually come. What more do you really need? Half a dozen hits with it are better than misses from flinching with the 12 gauge.

 

[TexasRifleman]

I don't use one for defense, but I'd sure hate to be on the breaking and entering side of the door of a man that did.

Potent weapons in the right hands.

I'm a fan of the big loop levers, to keep it sort of on topic. Would you think that would be a good accessory? I find I'm a lot faster with one but I'm not really sure why.

 

[1911Tuner]

Leverguns

I've been pretty much a lone voice in the wilderness in many circles when it comes to lever-action carbines. They have much to offer as a general-purpose longarm...not the least of which is their light weight and fast-handling qualities. The M-94/30-30 Winchester was an effective weapon in 1900 and it remains so today.

Powerful enough to bring down a sizeable black bear or large Whitetail deer
with good bullet placement.

Accurate enough to engage human antagonists out to 150 yards...which is the outer limit of where most rifle shots are taken...and a bit further if fitted with a Lyman flip-up aperture sight and zeroed for 250 yards for shots clean out to 300.

Lends itself to the shoot one/load one drill without opening the action. Works nicely with a looped butt cuff.

Ammunition is cheap and avaliable everywhere...even in some places that don't sell firearms.

Low recoil for them that need it. Fast and smooth into action when carried at port arms with chamber empty.

Simple to operate, without a plethora of bells, whistles and flip this/push that safety levers and mag-release buttons.

In the Trapper-length, pistol caliber carbines, they offer 9 rounds of .44 mag or .45 Colt at the ready, plus a full compliment in a butt-cuff. An ideal trunk
or pickup rifle in the urban areas...with the same manual of arms as its rifle-caliber twin waiting at home.

I like'em...a lot!

 

[MBane666]

Am a big fan of the lever gun as a home self-defense long gun. I have a Winchester Trapper .44 Magnum set up for just that — fast, light, easy to shoot, easy to load, inexpensive, etc. So easy to shoot I used to use it to train brand new shooters. The longer barrel gives the 240-gr Black Hills JHPs a little boost, too.

Both my Sweetie and I shoot CAS, which means we're constantly practicing with the lever gun.

Plus plus, if I ever have to go to court over a shooting, I'd rather have my attorney hold up "John Wayne's gun" than one of my ARs (even the one with the yellow furniture...), just because I think my time in court might be a bit easier.

I'm thinking of doing an episode of SHOOTING GALLERY focusing on the lever gun as a self-defense option, including some tips from top CAS shooters on running a lever gun at high speed.

Michael B

 

[High Planes Drifter]

I keep my Marlin 336 in my truck. Dont feel undergunned at all with it, thats why its there. I have my scope mounted on flip-over mounts and I am pretty proficient with my open sights. I can nail 8" steel pie plates at 100 yds. all day long with them. I keep it loaded with 170 grain Remington Core Lokt. I have seen what this bullet does on living things; I hunt with this gun often. It is VERY destructive. Thats very assuring in itself, actually knowing what the gun/bullet is capable of doing to a living being. I am looking forward to trying the new Hornady Leverevolution.