Tactical lever action rifle thread: part 2

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Space Ghost

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I stumbled upon this old thread while doing a google search.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/the-tactical-30-30-lever-action-rifle.26437/page-10

I had forgot I was even on this site... Sorry people, I have memory issues from a TBI I got in an IED attack in Iraq in '05. Anyhow, I just recently got my Rossi 92 back from the gunsmith, and I still think that the lever gun is a viable tool for a self defense / home defense gun. I tell you my story, and lets keep the lever love going...



I had this one done up to travel with. (truck gun, well, Jeep gun) I will agree with some of the naysayers in the former thread in that were I ever to go back to combat again I would want my AR. In fact, my primary home defense gun is a .300 Blackout AR SBR. Very light recoil, high capacity, fast shooting, fast reloads, mounts a light, and a layout I've grown used to with 28 years of practice (and 3 combat deployments) in the Army... However, now that I'm a retired cripple, I'll be driving around the country in my CJ7, and some commie states don't like ARs. In fact anytime I leave the state I'd have to get a permission slip for my NFA SBR... (unless I build a pistol lower for it) One of my trips I plan will take me into Canada, and guess what, they don't like ARs either. All that, coupled with typical liberal gun hate, and the fact that lever guns just have a John Wayne coolness that cannot be denied led me to do up a lever gun as a defensive rifle that I can travel with to restrictive areas.

I wanted something short and handy, 16" carbine. I also wanted the octagon barrel. Nobody made one I could find, so I got a 24" rifle and had it cut down to 17". It's a "defensive" rifle so that means it only need be a close range gun, but it still has to be a potent one. I chose the .44 mag. The original lever was a finger crusher, so a Steve's guns lever was put on it. The curved metal butplate was also uncomfortable, so a Hogue recoil pad was fitted to the straightened stock. I'm right handed and left eye dominant, so a red dot is needed to allow for fast both eye open shots. A Sig Romeo 5 was fitted using a left over picatinny section from an old AR rail system mounted on the flat top of the octagon barrel. The rear sight slot under it was filled. A new rear peep sight was put in place of the bolt safety. It's a Steve's guns part. I can see the picatinny rail in the bottom of the sight when I take off the red dot, but I can still get a good sight picture. A leather ammo cuff holds extra ammo, and under it is the allen key to remove the red dot if needed. Front sight is a white bead. It shoots well, does so quickly, and at point of aim. I am very happy with it so far.

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Space Ghost

Nice, very nice!

First off I would like to thank you for your service to our country and hope that the injuries you sustained will never deter you from enjoying your guns and shooting.

I like all of the mods you did to your Rossi Model 92 and love that cut-down octagonal barrel! I saw a rifle similar to yours (color case hardened receiver with a 24" barrel in .45 Colt), at a gun show a few years back but didn't have the money for it at the time. Looked for it at the next gun show and of course it was gone.

It shoots well, does so quickly, and at point of aim. I am very happy with it so far.

I feel the exact same way about my Rossi Model 92!

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Gave my Rossi away several years ago. But my go to home defense rifle is a Model 94 30-30. Bit more power and a wee bit more reach.
Think of tactical as a Minute Man would have in 1775
 
A 38/357 lever action can be one of the most useful, practical rifles that there is. It can do a good job on both small and medium game, pest control and home defense. It's ammo is easy and cheap to reload, readily available and not too expensive in factory form...

When I hear people talk about using "rifles" for home defense some of the things that usually come to my mind are too much penetration and too loud of a report. But, 38/357 rifles don't have those negatives and are usually handy to manipulate compared to some other long guns and have plenty of capacity as well... I like the fact that 38 rounds are cheap, surprisingly quiet and perform in a rifle about like a 357 does out of a 6 inch revolver, which is known to be a good stopper.... If I was ever unfortunate enough to have to use one for self defense and the case went to trial a lever action rifle has about the least amount of "anti-gun social stigma" attached to it as there is...
 
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When I travel I usually take my Rossi 92 in 357 and Stoeger coach gun. Neither is an evil weapon in any state.
 
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from the thread title I was expecting some monstrosity with an AR stock and a quad rail on the front but I really like what you made. The case hardening and octagon barrel look great!
 
My Rossi 92 sits by the night stand at night. A 45 Colt lever action can be a most practical rifle. Why a 45 Colt? Cause they don't make a 46. Notice the stainless has been matted, what you can't see is the ghost ring sites, action and trigger job, safety removal, and metal follower. Pictured along side is my 1873, my tactical hammer and some crossbow bolts. Notice the snow on the ground. It was about zero the day I took this picture.
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Don't know if you'd get that into Canada without a reason.
It's been a few years but the paper work to take a rifle accross the border to HUNT was bad enough.
They have to be declared and approved.
 
A friend of mine goes duck hunting every year in Ontario. No issues if you plan ahead.

If it ain't black isn't a problem since there are a lot of tacticool these days that are all sorts of colors.
 
Taking a gun in to hunt isn't a problem except the paperwork.
Taking a truck gun in just because might be.

Never tried / not sure
 
I like it, and would rock something like that myself if I had one. My only lever guns are, to me, too much or not enough for reliable home defense, as one is a 94 in .30/30 and the other is a Henry in .22L.

You don't need to "justify" selecting a lever gun for a combination survival/defense gun. Not to me. I'd feel just as threatened up against a combat veteran toting a setup like yours as I would up against some punk thug toting a stolen AR. Maybe even more so.
 
That hollow point ammo will get you arrested in New Jersey. You might want to rethink your bullet choices if your route takes you through there.
 
Lovely gun space ghost. I wish I could use a red do effectivly. my astigmatism makes them a bit problematic for me.

this one is going to get shortened to 16" and be threaded for a can by spring. No real rush I suppose. ATF is going to sit on my can for nearly a year. might do the 30/30 as well.......
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