Lever Guns,Overlooked By Many But Still Fun.Got One?

[357smallbore]

Tried and true Winchester 94 in 30-30. Mine is 40 years old. Keeper and will one day go to my son. Love to shoot it

 

[Scooter22]

I love lever actions. I have .22LR(2), 25-20(1), 30-30(4), .357(1), 348(1) and .444(1). I,d like to add a 45-70 and a Savage 99 in any round.

 

[Obturation]

I've got members of the marlin , Henry & winchester family in my safe, my favorite is my marlin 39 made in 1957, second favorite is my Henry 45-70, least favorite is my red headed step child of a winchester model 250 in 22 rimfire. It's still an accurate and good functioning gun but it's ugly, plasticy and just weird - I still like it though , I had to trade 100 rds of 45 acp for that rifle so I got a great deal on it.

 

[Armybrat]

A couple of real fun guns (Winchester 9422XTR & Colt New Frontier .22)

 

[Armybrat]

So much fun I had to let my grandson have it... an all metal catapult... various calibers.
(it is a lever, of sorts)

 

[George Dickel]

I have two. Wish I lived somewhere where it would actually be fun to shoot them, as I've yet to shoot either. One is a Henry 001 .22LR purchased new in 2015, and the other is a '68 Winchester 94, purchased in 2018 (I think.)

I've got plenty of ammo for the Henry, but not so much .30-30 for the Winchester.

I shoot metallic silhouette at two ranges, both south east of Sanford, FL a few miles. Seminole County Gun and Archery Club and Chuluota Sportsman's Club near Chuluota. Not knowing exactly where you live I don't know if these are reasonably close enough for you. Put some feelers out there might be a club that holds informal silhouette matches near enough to you it would be feasible for you to participate. There also might be some cowboy matches near you. Some require cowboy attire, which can be expensive, and other don't.

 

[bannockburn]

Jeff olson

Anytime you need help cleaning out your gun room or just cleaning the guns in your gun room, I'm your man!

I mean you've got more lever action inventory there than most well stocked gun shops!

 

[earlthegoat2]

1894SS .44 Mag
336 Texan .35 Rem

Gotta 444 and 1895CB lying around somewhere.

 

[bannockburn]

Only one I have at present, a Rossi Model 92 in .45 Colt. Goes perfectly with the three revolvers I have for that same cartridge and it's also a handy little carbine that's very quick to get on target with.

 

[MacAR]

Only one I have at present, a Rossi Model 92 in .45 Colt. Goes perfectly with the three revolvers I have for that same cartridge and it's also a handy little carbine that's very quick to get on target with.
View attachment 931653

Don't mean to derail the thread, but I've been looking at the Rossi 92's and the 16" .357 specifically. Is yours decently accurate? Varmint worthy to 100 yards is what I'm looking for, plus the fact I can have a rifle/pistol combo in the same caliber.

Mac

 

[Telum Pisces]

Amen.

Now someone needs to post a picture of a real lever gun. If it don't have a side gate loading port it ain't a real lever gun.

The only allowable exceptions are original Henry's and 22LR, otherwise its got to have a side gate.

-YMMV don't take me too serious on this.

Not take you serious??? I am sorry, but the first real lever gun didn't have a side loading gate! It was a Henry!

Just poking fun. But I know some people are dang serious about their loading gate or non-loading gate discussions!

 

[Telum Pisces]

Only one I have at present, a Rossi Model 92 in .45 Colt. Goes perfectly with the three revolvers I have for that same cartridge and it's also a handy little carbine that's very quick to get on target with.
View attachment 931653

I am a big fan of "big loops." Thinking of putting one on my Henry 45-70.

 

[3Crows]

You all have beautiful rifles, even the ones they forgot to put a loading gate in ! Those Savage 99s are like a grail rifle .

 

[chicharrones]

I have two Marlins. A 39AS and a 1894 CSBL and I love 'em both.

I will say that I was loading, cycling, and dry firing some Azoom snap caps in the 1894 tonight and my carpal tunnel/arthritic right hand had me wishing for a front loading tube mag. I hate getting old.

View attachment 931716

View attachment 931717

 

[Riomouse911]

The lever is one of my favorites. My first three centerfires were lever guns; an Ithaca 66 ,410 “lever action” break open single shot I got when I was 12 and my Dad gave me a Savage 99F in ,308 Win. when I turned 16. When I turned 18 the first rifle I bought was a Win 1894,.30-30 like my Grandfather had.

The Ithaca was later given to a friend for his boy’s first gun, and (sadly) I needed $$ and had to sell the 99F and Win 1894 (And a .338 Browning A-bolt) to pay the rent for a few months and get my car fixed.

Today I have a bunch of levers; 2 Henry’s in .22 and a really nice 22 mag, 3 of the Win 1894’s in .30-30, two 1895 Marlins in .45/70, a .336 in .35 Rem, a Win 1894 trapper .44 mag and two Rossi 1892’s, one in .357 mag and one .45 Colt.

Don’t ever sell a lever gunner short, the man who operates one often is one who knows his way around a rifle.

Stay safe.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Uberti 1860 Iron Frame Henry. 44-40. Notice the is no loading gate.






Marlin Model 1889. 38-40. Shipped between 1889 and 1894.






Marlin Model 1894. 44-40. Shipped 1895






Winchester Model 1873. 38-40. Shipped 1887.






Winchester Model 1886. 45-70. Shipped 1886.






Winchester Model 1892. 44-40. Shipped 1897.






Winchester Model 1892 Carbine. 44-40. Shipped 1918.






Winchester Model 1892. 32-20. Shipped 1911.






Winchester Model 1894. 30-30. Shipped 1895.






Winchester Model 1892 Carbine. 30-30. Shipped between 1943 and 1948.

 

[Rexster]

I bought two lever rifles in the mid-Nineties, a Browning Lightning BLR, .308 Winchester, and a pre-cross-bolt Winchester 94 Trapper, .30 WCF. In spite of its less-traditional appearance, a lack of a loading gate, the BLR became the favorite. The 94 was a particularly rough specimen, whether loading, working the action, or pulling the trigger, and would have needed some serious, proper attention to smooth it out. When it came time to thin the herd, selling the 94 was not a difficult decision. I later added a Takedown BLR, also .308.

Now that we live in “interesting times.” I recently ordered five more BLR magazines.

I added a Browning/Miroku design copy of the Winchester 1892, .357 Magnum, and a Winchester 94 AE Trapper, .45 Colt, last year. If/when I can again, finally get to a place to shoot them, I will test for function and accuracy. I bought these pre-pandemic, but had not yet gotten around to vetting them, when the world changed.

 

[bannockburn]

MacAR

Don't mean to derail the thread, but I've been looking at the Rossi 92's and the 16" .357 specifically. Is yours decently accurate? Varmint worthy to 100 yards is what I'm looking for, plus the fact I can have a rifle/pistol combo in the same caliber.

I tend to think of my Rossi as being quite capable at around 50+ yards with the factory iron sights. Not to say it wouldn't deliver out at 100 yards, just that I would might have a hard time keeping up my end of the deal. That being said I could definitely see getting another Rossi Model 92 in .357 to go with a couple of handguns I have for that cartridge.

 

[AlexanderA]

If it don't have a side gate loading port it ain't a real lever gun.

The 1860 Henry didn't have a side loading port. Neither did the Spencer. These are classic lever guns.

I got reproductions of both of these when I was doing Civil War reenacting. Later, I added an Uberti copy of the Winchester '73. Gorgeous guns.

 

[Charlie98]

I have more lever-actions than any other type in the herd... and that includes ARs. 2 Savage 99's, a Browning 71, a Marlin 1894 .41MAG, and a Pedersoli 1885. I have had a good number of others... Marlins 1895, 336 (2), a Winchester 1894 100yr Commemorative, a Winchester 9422, a Browning 1886 SRC (the One Rifle I Regret Selling...) a Winchester Trapper, and my brother and I had a full factory set of matching Browning 71's. There are a number of other levers that are on the To Get list...

 

[C.R.]

I like the ol lever action guns also , I've got 3 a Henry H0001 .22 a Henry .22 mag. and a Marlin 30AS . the Marlin was my first centerfire rifle ,nothing fancy but she works . Something about blued steel and wood . I want to gat something in .44 mag ,to match my revolver , and one in 32-20 because my Grandfather had one , someone stold that one

 

[rkittine]

Had a bunch over the years, but now only a Henry Golden Boy and a Marlin in .44 Magnum.

Bob

 

[FFGColorado]

Son has a stainless Henry BigBoy is 38/357, that I shoot often. We just bought together a Henry Classic in 22...can't wait to shoot it.

 

[eastbank]

three of my favorite out of many, a 30-30, a 32-40 and a 32 spl. all saddle ring carbines. 90 precent of my lever actions have been working rifles and show it, but have ex bores and i shoot them.

 

[mcb]

Not take you serious??? I am sorry, but the first real lever gun didn't have a side loading gate! It was a Henry!

Just poking fun. But I know some people are dang serious about their loading gate or non-loading gate discussions!

Some do take it way over the top. I really do appreciate and like the side gate loading hence both of my limited collection of lever guns having the side gate loading. I find it very utilitarian to be able to top off the gun in the woods and have used that feature more than once. I personally would not by a center-fire lever gun that did not have the loading port but I know others enjoy and use their Henry's that don't have them. Each to his own.

The 1860 Henry didn't have a side loading port. Neither did the Spencer. These are classic lever guns.

I got reproductions of both of these when I was doing Civil War reenacting. Later, I added an Uberti copy of the Winchester '73. Gorgeous guns.

I expressly exempted the original Henry. If I was really being a stickler I would only exempt Rimfire Henry's but I will let the modern center-fire reproduction pass since 44 RF ammo is so hard to come buy. But nearly any lever gun that has a hand-guard after the Henry had a side gate loading port. That was until the new Hernry company came along making their version of the lever gun. And the few odd ball lever guns along the way that were usually chambered in rifle cartridges not pistol cartridges.

And as cool as the Spencer is as a historic weapon (and one I would not mind owning) I never though of them as a lever gun in the proper classic old west style. The Spencer was always a pre-cursor to what the lever gun would be not a true lever gun to me. YMMV on that as usual.