Thoughts on lever actions

[3Crows]

unless you have access to affordable ammo or already have ammo for .30-30 id recommend skipping it as 30-30 has really gone crazy.

The .30-30 ammo in normal times, if we ever see them again, is widely available and affordable. I picked up a bunch of Federal Hammer Down at Walmart for $14.99 back in the summer. Reseller ammo on those internet sites is not indicative of normal pricing. The .30-30 is usually widely available, if not the most ubiquitous center fire rifle cartridge, and more so than most pistol cartridges. It is an easy cartridge to reload and very flexible in loadings as well. In any case, I would not choose a rifle based on the current weirdness in ammunition pricing (driven by resellers) and scarcity (largely due to the former).

Here is a few of my .30-30 home brew rounds, a copy of the Lever Revolution in nickel cases and 34.0 gr of Lever Revolution powder and 160 grain FTX per this:





The 160 grain FTX bullet stomps deer and pigs though for (large, tough) pigs I may still prefer the 170 grain Sierra also per above chart:

 

[chicharrones]

The .30-30 ammo in normal times, if we ever see them again, widely available and affordable. I picked up a bunch of Federal Hammer Down at Walmart for $14.99 back in the summer. Reseller ammo on those internet sites is not indicative of normal pricing. The .30-30 is usually widely available, if not the most ubiquitous center fire rifle cartridge, and more so than most pistol cartridges. It is an easy cartridge to reload and very flexible in loadings as well. In any case, I would not choose a rifle based on the current weirdness in ammunition pricing (driven by resellers) and scarcity (largely due to the former).

In normal times Ammoseek has found me ammo cheaper than I can get locally. And I have bought it from some of those places listed by Ammoseek in the past.

Clearly, all bets are off right now, though.

 

[MOPanfisher]

Having recently had shoulder replacement and going through my safe thinning out things I can't or won't shoot anymore left me with some cash in my pocket. I stopped by a LGS yesterday morning and after not seeing anything that interested me I asked if they had any lever action .357 rifles, yep got one in a box we just got in this morning, haven't made a tag for it even. It was a little Henry Big Boy steel carbine. I fondled it a bit and left, made it about 4 miles before I turned around and went back and bought it. So far it is slick and smooth, feeds swc just fine and is quote possibly the most fun little gun I have owned in a long time. I have a couple .357 Mag revolvers so ammo/reloading stuff is already on hand. Quickly worked up a load of 6 gn of Hodgdon Universal and a 158 gn cast lead swc, shoots fine and almost recoil, can even shoot it without earmuffs without ringing. Shoulder still not back to fullnuseability but this slick little gun has fallen right inot the niche of something I can load for, with little to no recoil. May or may not have a real purpose for it, but I suspect as handy and fun as it is it will figure into more things than it should because it will be with me.

 

[Steve Milbocker]

While my 1873 Miroku in 45 Colt is a beautiful rifle that I really like I probably never would have bought one in a pistol caliber that was not an original chambering had I not lived in Southern Michigan at the time. I had decided I wanted to take a deer with a 100 year old rifle but a bottleneck cartridge is illegal there. I wanted to use an original in 44-40 as there was one available at my local gun shop. But even though the case has almost no bottleneck I couldn’t justify taking a chance so I bought the replica. Being a native Michigander and being a product of the 1950s,I have always considered the lever gun, be it a Winchester or a Marlin to be a 30-30 by default Now I live in Northern Michigan and I can hunt deer with a proper “deer rifle” So I have this 1893 Marlin in 30-30 that was built in 1900 to continue my quest to kill a buck with a 100 year old rifle

 

[Paul R Zartman]

I have a 1937 '94 in 30 30, and a Henry Brass sidegate in 36 Remington. Both are fun to shoot. The internet might be getting 3 bucks a round for these, but locally you should be able to find alot less.
I bought my Henry for cheap at a pawn shop mainly because ammo was expensive, I had no dies to reload, I found once fired brass and bullets locally, I had primers and powder...went to the local commercial reloader and he cleaned and loaded my 35 brass for $34 a hundred...more than one way to skin a cat...I have a little over a buck per round in them.

 

[ExAgoradzo]

.25-20 or .32-20 maybe?



Stay safe.

Exactly.

what I like about the idea is that some farmer needed to put meat on the table, o he took his Winchester or Marlin and got something for his wife to cook. A piece of history that is in our country now, history.

And, those old guns are gorgeous!

Greg

 

[bigmike45]

My old Model 94 Winchester in 30-30. My new Henry Big Boy Carbine in .41magnum. I also had a Savage Model 99 in 300Savage that my oldest son fell in love with, so he got it for his birthday when he turned 30.

 

[BlueHeelerFl]

If I may ask, why is everyone suggesting I keep the AR? It serves no purpose for me. I got it in 2009, hasn’t seen much use.

I personally would not sell any firearms due to the uncertain political future facing gun owners, and it might get harder to buy anything in the not so distant future.

I also had to sell most of what I owned due to financial problems that started in 2004. I've started collecting again, but I would not sell off my new collection again if at all possible.

That being said, if you really have no use for the AR sell or trade if for a lever gun

 

[Offfhand]

This Win 94 was made in 1928 and had a facelift by Griffin & Howe.

 

[Steve Milbocker]

Offhand, I’d like to take a video tour, like a museum visit of your collection of fine vintage rifles. Extraordinary!

 

[army_eod]

Well lever actions actions have fallen victim to the ridiculously high pricing issue. I went on gun broker today and looked at them and they are ridiculously high priced.

 

[MOPanfisher]

Offhand that rifle is a piece of art that goes bang.
Right now is a sellers market. If you don't like or want the AR you certainly wouldn't have any trouble selling it and ammo,mags etc separately or together to sweeten the deal. My recent little lever gun has changed my desire to buy another AR. Don't get me wrong, should I find one well worth the price I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. But the little Henry I don't kow hiw to explain it, it's like an old worn pair of jeans or boots, just comfortable. And as for easy to teach a woman to use it couldn't me much easier, work lever, pull trigger, repeat. I am considering adding a railed base to the Big Boy so I can put a red dot like a Burris Fastfire on it. But so far I just can't make myself do it. I am resisting so far but the calling is strong.

 

[Rexster]

I’m trying to sell my AR and pick up a lever in 357 or 45c. The Henry side gate looks nice but can’t find one locally to try out. A gun store here does however have Rossi’s in both calibers, so just wanted to get your thoughts.

If I may ask, why is everyone suggesting I keep the AR? It serves no purpose for me. I got it in 2009, hasn’t seen much use.

1. My wife’s Rossi .357 is a sample of one, but first impressions are important, and, well, I am unimpressed. The action is rough, and it does not feed. It has become relegated to wall-hanger status. Her stainless Marlin .357 is nice.

2. If you dislike the AR15, well, sell or trade it. Just be aware that it may soon be difficult to get another one, so, be certain. I may never have bought into the AR15 system, had it not been the standard patrol carbine, if I wanted to carry a rifle with me, on the job. After owning them for a while, one gets used to them being around, and family members become accustomed to them, so, no point in divesting, after I retired.

We added his-and-hers pre-owned Winchester 94 AE Trapper Carbines, both .45 Colt, and I added a Browning B-92 .357, just before the panic-demic started, so, we were caught without much ammo for vetting them, but first impressions are good.

I do not shoot them very often, but really like my Lightning and Takedown Browning BLR lever rifles, both .308 Winchester. In the future, I hope to spent more time far from towns, getting about on foot, so these could well become much more useful. These feed from drop-free, quick-change-able box magazines.

Notably, I have been able to find .308 Winchester ammo much more readily, during the panic-demic, than .30-30, .357 Mag, or .45 Colt. Henry makes rifles that shoot .308 Winchester.

 

[CraigC]

It was a levergun sort of day for me. Local shop has had some new Rossi's trickling in and I've handled them when possible. They are REALLY nice. Even the actions are fairly smooth. I would not hesitate to buy one and almost bought a 20" .44Mag carbine today. However, I already have two Marlin .44's and right next to it was one of the now-discontinued Puma .454's. It's still NIB with the hang tags. I've been eyeballing this rifle for close to a year but never brought it home because it was more than I wanted to pay. I've been waiting, hoping someone else would buy it and save me the misery. To no avail. It's now mine and I am happy.

 

[chris in va]

Is the Marlin really that much better than the Rossi that it's worth another $500?

 

[chicharrones]

Is the Marlin really that much better than the Rossi that it's worth another $500?

Which specific Rossi and Marlin are you comparing?

 

[chris in va]

Standard R92 20" vs Marlin in 357. Doesn't really matter, can't seem to find one less than a grand anyway. The Henry side gate is really nice but again...expensive.

 

[CraigC]

Is the Marlin really that much better than the Rossi that it's worth another $500?

Not in my opinion. The new production Rossi's are nicer.

 

[Dunross]

You would pretty well have to have two specific Marlins and Rossis in hand to make any valid comparisons. Depending on what year they were made the quality of each can vary wildly. Back in the '80s when my Marlin 1894 was made their quality was much better than Rossi. Five years ago I would say they had swapped places. Last year when Remington had finally figured out what they were doing I'd put the better quality back with Marlin, but not head and shoulders above.

 

[CraigC]

IMHO, the JM Marlins were not as nice as people seem to think. They left a lot of machine marks and many surfaces were bead blasted to cover it up. Never handled a NIB Marlin that was what I considered smooth. My 1895 is a more recent production rifle and it is better fitted & finished than any JM I ever touched. However, I also handled a brand new 1895CB two or three months ago and it was atrocious. I've also handled three post-pandemic Rossi's and they were better fitted and finished than any contemporary Marlin. I think they have made huge strides to improve their product while people still judge them by what they produced 20-30yrs ago.

 

[Mosin77]

I’d agree. JM Marlins are very nice compared to the junk that Remington was putting out when they first started making the Marlin guns, but they’ve been “workmanlike” and made to a (low) price, for a long time. I have an old waffle-top pre-micro groove 336 from the late 40s and it blows away anything made by Marlin in the last 50 years for general fit and finish. Even then, however, it’s obvious the rifle was made for the working man.

 

[BlueHeelerFl]

At this point if you find a decent Marlin, Rossi, or Henry you should grab it.

 

[3Crows]

IMHO, the JM Marlins were not as nice as people seem to think. They left a lot of machine marks and many surfaces were bead blasted to cover it up. Never handled a NIB Marlin that was what I considered smooth. My 1895 is a more recent production rifle and it is better fitted & finished than any JM I ever touched. However, I also handled a brand new 1895CB two or three months ago and it was atrocious. I've also handled three post-pandemic Rossi's and they were better fitted and finished than any contemporary Marlin. I think they have made huge strides to improve their product while people still judge them by what they produced 20-30yrs ago.

Thank you, my opinion also of Marlins going way back into the late 60s. They were good, workman-like guns for hunting, not collectors items. And as for as Remington Marlins being junk, whatever, my two are among the best Marlins I have owned for accuracy and function. And I am a Marlin lover. I am not sure what is meant by "fitted" as in metal fit or wood fit? My 336S and 1895SBL are fine in every regard, the metal is better overall than most JMs and the stock fit on the 336S is slightly worse, the SBL being a CNC milled laminate, it fits fine, as should be expected of a working gun meant to live in the elements rather than hiding from the elements in a safe.

 

[chris in va]

Thanks guys, I have a Rossi 357 lined up, can’t wait.

 

[ciwsguy]

I’m trying to sell my AR and pick up a lever in 357 or 45c. The Henry side gate looks nice but can’t find one locally to try out. A gun store here does however have Rossi’s in both calibers, so just wanted to get your thoughts.

I have a marlin 1894C 357 magnum (Remlin 2018 mfg) that delivered with a heavy trigger. I installed a Wild West guns trigger which improved it greatly. I also installed a skinner peep sight which required replacement of the front sight because it needed a taller sight. My marlin cycles well but really needs larger diameter bullets than stock factory .357 to be accurate.
Beyond that, I have no experience with other brands but was considering the Henry. At the time they did not offer a side loading gate but now they do.
Since Remlins are no longer made, I recommend wait until things settle down a bit in the firearms and ammo world and the Ruger built Marlins become available. Then do a comparison between the Ruger built Marlin and the Henry side gate.
If you can’t wait, then I would jump on the Henry sight unseen. Henry has very good customer service.
Wonder if there are any hickok45 reviews on the Henry side gate .357?
BTW, hope those WSPMatch primers are working well for you. I haven’t yet had a chance to load the S&B SR primers.