LeverLove-Hunting Pics

[M65Man]

Always plenty topics on hunting rifles, and it seems in last 40-50 years people automatically think Boltgun! And I understand this, and I've killed plenty game with bolts, especially a trainloax of squirrels. But when I think deer rifles, my favorite subject anymore, I think of what's best from where I hunt. And I most always deer hunt on foot, still hunt, sit, move again, go by instinct from what I've learned and scouted. And i hunt big thick, rough, mountains. And when I choose my rifle, it's by what's best for this type hunting. I've yet to shoot a deer past 75yds, that being only one. Several near 50yds! One at 10yds.
For me personally, rifle choice is probably gonna be my Mod 64 Win 30-30, or one my other Lever 30-30's! But no rifle carries light, comes to shoulder, and easily I can make a plenty accurate shot, most always standing & off-hand as especially my Mod 64&reciversighted. It's to my shoulder, balanced perfectly, ready to fire so easily with confidence! And a scope is hardly ever an advantage under these circumstances!
But there's a few more Levers & their cartridges I wish I had!
But regardless of preference let's see um, hunting pics especially, or any pic, or tell about em. I love looking at them!

 

[d2wing]

Love my 30-30 94

 

[Hugger-4641]

Haven't taken any pics recently with my Model 94, maybe next year. This year the only lever gun pic I have is this doe I took with my Henry 45colt at about 80yds

 

[Gerd33]

I've been stuck on levers since my father acquired a Marlin 336 30-30 in the mid 1980s for me to use as my first deer rifle.
Over the last few years I've branched out to other calibers.

This one from 2020 with the 336 in .35 Rem at about 30yards.



Last year and this year I've been hunting with .444 Marlin.

This doe came down the hill from above me about 25 yards out.




Buck from this year came out just before the end of shooting time. I heard him crunching him in the leaves and was silently telling him to hurry up before it got dark.
He came out in front of a brush pile, broadside at about 60 Yards seen in the second photo.



My daughters "unicorn" (Spike buck with one tine broken off) from a few years back with "her" 30-30.
We were sitting behind a brush pile on a small field. She was leaning against my shoulder asleep when I saw him coming down the hill in the woods across from the field.
I nudged her awake while waiting for him to come down the hill and cross the drainage on the bottom side of the field. He came out in the open about 30 yards directly in front of us.

 

[Steve Milbocker]

Miroku Winchester 1873 in 45 Colt. Cowboy Action loads work just fine for Michigan Whitetails

 

[Steve Milbocker]

The Cowboy Loads in 45 Colt work pretty good for squirrels too

 

[Hugger-4641]

The Cowboy Loads in 45 Colt work pretty good for squirrels tooView attachment 1192972

Is that a common color for squirrels there?
Around here all we have are Greys , Whites, and Fox squirrels which have a lot of red.

 

[Steve Milbocker]

Is that a common color for squirrels there?
Around here all we have are Greys , Whites, and Fox squirrels which have a lot of red.

Depending on what part of Michigan you’re in. When I lived in SW lower Michigan we had more Fox Squirrels than anything else but in the North I see way more grey/blacks. Reds, commonly referred to as Pine Squirrels are common everywhere I’ve lived here.

 

[.45Coltguy]

Well, I haven't deer hunted since 2012, but, have taken a Ca. coastal Blacktail with my Mod 94 on the right; 30-30 of course! Really like my levers.

 

[John Dunbar]

SWEEEEET!!

 

[Micro]

 

[earlthegoat2]

Both of these taken on consecutive days in MI a few years ago. 1894SS 44 Mag.

 

[Art30/30]

Proof you can hunt open country with a Marlin 336 30/30. This shot was about 90 yards.




I’ve posted this a few times already. The 35 Remington and a 200 grain soft point. This muley was about 100 yards +/-




My son wanted to use a 30/30 for his first deer. I loaded some 125 grain hollow points in a “popcorn load”. Worked like a champ at about 90 yards.



Talked my father in law into putting away the 25/06 for one season. He used a 1963 Marlin 336 for his buck.

I don’t have my pics of the elk, buffalo and coyotes we have gotten. I have 45/70s, 30/30s a 44 mag and that 35 Remington. I still shoot long range with the bolts but love to HUNT with the levers and open/peep sights.

 

[35 Whelen]

375 Marlin-

1886 production '73 Winchester in 38 WCF-

1866 Uberti 44 WCF-

35W

 

[M65Man]

Outstanding, leverguns are for hunting, and perfectly capable of making long range shots when needed!
My Marlin was made in 1977 same year I graduated HS, and bought new by an old co-worker, which sold it to me in 1981. I still have a few rounds of the first box of Rem 170CL I got then, and the box.
After I graduated and went work, my first payday I bought a new Marlin Mod 39a 22lr for a squirrel rifle. I sure wish I'd kept it!
But back then, it just seemed 30-30 levers where roaming the woods everywhere, and a few who graduated to the 35 Rem, probably a better cartridge! I beat myself up still for not having a Marlin in 35 Rem also! And for sure I should've gotten a Marlin in 308 Express, great cartridge!

 

[Rodfac]

This one is from a few years ago....rifle is a Savage 99 in .300 Savage. A 1950 gun, it'd been drilled and taped for Weaver mounts when I bought it. That's an El Paso Weaver 4x mounted on it. The buck there, had crossed a bean field below my old stand and the shot was a DRT at just over 100 yds. Best regards, Rod

​

 

[Rodfac]

This one is a Marlin 1889 in .38-40...I don't hunt with it, but do love to plink. The peep, a Lyman IIRC, was on it when I bought it and someone had redone the stock and fore end; but the bluing and case hardening is original. She's a sweet old thing that hangs beautifully from offhand...and will toss beer cans around out to 100 if the shooter knows his business. The 2nd pic is a close up of the receiver area.

I use home cast 200 gr truncated cones designed for the .40 S&W and cast them as large as I can. The mold with straight wheel weight alloy throws them at ~0.404"...enough for that old black powder rifling to handle up to ~1200 fps. Hornady swagged flat points work as well, but at a lower pressure to keep from stripping in the rifling.

Best regards, Rod

​

 

[.45Coltguy]

This one is from a few years ago....rifle is a Savage 99 in .300 Savage. A 1950 gun, it'd been drilled and taped for Weaver mounts when I bought it. That's an El Paso Weaver 4x mounted on it. The buck there, had crossed a bean field below my old stand and the shot was a DRT at just over 100 yds. Best regards, Rod

​

Everything in that picture is just right. Grand old rifle, round and scope. Perfection Rodfac.

 

[Bazoo]

I love my leverguns. I do a lot of plinking and fun shooting with them, but I do hunt some. I took my first deer with this Winchester 94 in 30-30. It was made in 1970.

I've not hunted with this Winchester 92 in 44 Magnum yet, but I am itching to.

 

[Art30/30]

Outstanding, leverguns are for hunting, and perfectly capable of making long range shots when needed!
My Marlin was made in 1977 same year I graduated HS, and bought new by an old co-worker, which sold it to me in 1981. I still have a few rounds of the first box of Rem 170CL I got then, and the box.
After I graduated and went work, my first payday I bought a new Marlin Mod 39a 22lr for a squirrel rifle. I sure wish I'd kept it!
But back then, it just seemed 30-30 levers where roaming the woods everywhere, and a few who graduated to the 35 Rem, probably a better cartridge! I beat myself up still for not having a Marlin in 35 Rem also! And for sure I should've gotten a Marlin in 308 Express, great

When I was 12 up here in Montana a lot of people still used the 30/30. Always arguing Winchester 94 vs Marlin 336. My Ol Reliable is a 1977 Marlin 30/30. I have Winchester and Henry 30/30s too. I think I have about 4000 pieces of brass and loaded rounds. I’ve used 32 grains of W748 and any 170. I have enough WLR primers and powder along with bullets to shoot it forever. Matter of fact back in 1983 it was 30/30 kids, 30/06 or 270. That’s it for most of my hunting childhood.

 

[M65Man]

Here some better looks at my levers.
My Marlin was my first centerfire rifle, and only centerfire for Lotta years. Back then, my love was 22lr, aka squirrel rifles! The second is a Mod 94 made very early in 64. The ones with the supposed bad reputation. I bought it only 2 years ago, primarily to pass on to a grand kid, because it was as clean as an old rifle I ever seen. Haven't killed anything with it, but it shoots everything I put in it accurately, and some loads very accurate! I'd like to kill at least one deer with it before passing it on. Hey, this rifle is flawless, in every way! The Mod 64 is a 1971 NRA Centennial Mod 94 written on the barrel, but Win did this commemorative edition for sales. The same rifle in 1972&73 where marked Mod 64a. I always wanted an original pre 64 Mod 64, but just never found one. I bought this rifle unfired from a collector. Now knowing what i know about it, I wouldn't trade it for any other, it's perfect in action, very accurate, even with some loads out to 200yds+. It just shines with a receiver sight which I put on myself, good decision. To me, it's entirely a Mod 64, which in reality it is!
I always put the leather butt cover on the rifle I'm using. It has 3 layers of leather belt I cut and installed to give 14" l.o.p.
I added the Marbles tang sight to my Marlin about 10 years ago. And I filed the folding barrel sight down flat leaving only a shallow u groove, and front sight filed down to just a littleflat spot. Barrel sight zeroed at 100yds and tang at 200yds. It's as versatile a hunting rifle as I know ofvsighted this way!

 

[Speedo66]

No photo, but my hunting rifle was a Belgian Browning BLR in .308.

For hunting the Catskill Mts, it seemed to me the perfect woods gun combo of short, light, accurate, and powerful.

 

[Savage30L]

Despite having owned various lever guns all of my life, I've done very little hunting with them, and can't remember ever taking game with one (for many years I hunted deer in situations or places where modern rifles weren't allowed, and had to use shotguns, muzzle-loaders, or my trusty bow). Now I'm back in KY and can use a lever gun. My aim is to use this Marlin to take a deer next year:

 

[Lennyjoe]

Haven’t put any meat in the freezer yet with these 2 lever action 45-70’s, but plan on rectifying that this year.

 

[Hugger-4641]

Here's my modest collection.
I'd like to add a 39A and a 44mag soon, but otherwise I'm happy with these.