which caliber for lever gun?

[EdLaver]

.30/30 or .44 mag as mostly everyone has suggested.

 

[rcmodel]

Gun weight being equal, the .44 Mag carbine will kick slightly harder then the 30-30 carbine.

30-30 150 grain @ 2,300 fps:
Free recoil = 10.54 ft/lb
Velocity of firearm = 10.22 fps

30-30 170 grain @ 2,100 fps:
Free recoil = 11.09 ft/lb
Velocity of firearm = 10.48 fps

.44 Mag 240 grain @ 1,800 fps:
Free recoil = 13.59 ft/lb
Velocity of firearm = 11.60 fps


rcmodel

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

I had the same dilemma as you not that long ago...I went with the .44 mag.

I went with the .44 over the .357, because I wanted a little more gun, and I went with it over the 30-30 because I will eventually want to buy a companion .44 revolver to go with it.(that is the main reason for choosing it over the 30-30)

 

[AH-1]

anything less than the 45/70 is just that LESS.
if you handload it is "the" lever action to own as they say mild to wild.
pete

 

[JG2000]

I have the Marlin 1894S in .44 and love it. It shoots .44 special all day long with no morning after pains in the shoulder. Throw in the 240gn mag and deer/hogs drop fast also the short barrel is nice if your in the brush and need to get the gun to shoulder quick. I've shot the .357 and felt it was lacking in power for more then short range shots or cutting paper. I'm sure those of you shooting the 45-70 think the same thing about the .44

 

[tinygnat219]

What caliber for lever gun?

What an odd thing to want to shoot. This thing shoots other things.

 

[Jack Halloran]

Slight thread hijack here. I'm looking for a lever action for home defense. 30-30 is out because I don't want the round to go through the BG and into the house next door. It's between .44 and .357. Thoughts?

 

[roscoe]

Either is plenty for home defense - you can get .357 ammo that has enormous power from a rifle. The .357 has less recoil, and ammo is cheaper (meaning you may practice more), so in this case the nod goes to the .357. Plus, the .357 is more fun to plink with, using cheap .38 special ammo.

Check out .357 ammo from DoubleTap and Buffalo Bore.

 

[goon]

I agree on the .357. It will take some research but most rounds should be going faster from a rifle. That gives more power but it also means that your bullets should expand faster which decreases the chance of overpenetration.

 

[Mr White]

There is only one true caliber for lever guns: .32 WInchester Special. Everything else is for sissies and little girls.

 

[redactor]

.303 Brit, with 180 grain round-nose bullets. <DROOL>

Oh, you mean one that exists?

 

[ChrisMG]

.300 Savage.

 

[Eyesac]

Gun weight being equal, the .44 Mag carbine will kick slightly harder then the 30-30 carbine

Hasn't been my experience at all...

Anywhoo, another vote for 30-30.

 

[RoadkingLarry]

If you reload, the .30-30 can be loaded for everything from chipmonks to black bear with power to spare.

Glockman19 - Everybody is waiting for marlin to bring out the 1894C in SS. Untill then my 1980 vintage will have to do.

 

[olhippie]

...Go with the 30/30, or step up to the 35 Remington round..

 

[Black Snowman]

Marlin in whatever caliber you decide on. I wish they made one in 454 to go along with my SRH. I might settle for the Rossi / Legacy Arms / whoever is importing it this week Puma 92. If I did I'd get the stainless with the fiber optic sights.

 

[Snubster]

Coming late to the thread but I have both a .357 and 30/30 Marlins. .357 is fun for cheap plinking. I'd go with the 30/30 for a general-purpose hunting lever-action.

 

[olhippie]

,...Another less common choice, and uncommon to find ,is the old 38/55 Winchester in the model 94. I have one in a WranglerII Winchester 94 and it is great fun to shoot when hunting medium game in heavy cover conditions. The factory loads (only loaded by Winchester) are very anemic, lofting a 255 grain bullet at a very modest 1230fps, it is in the lower end of muzzle loader ballistics with that load. Imperial (a Canadian ammo maker) used to put out a better load with the 255 grain bullet at 1650fps. Still these loads are mild because of factory fears that thier ammo will be shot in one hundred plus year old guns (which many 38/55's are). With my WranglerII model, manufactured by Winchester in 1984 , I can safely fire Buffalo Bore loads 250grain bullets at 1950fps. or load my own fodder at such levels. The old 38/55 is no flat shooter, but it'll lay a moose low with good loads. It has proven itself the equal of my 35 Remington for deer, bear, or boar, but brings more attention around hunt camps. Folks enjoy seeing such out of the ordinary combos, and it'll sure spur on the spinning of hunting stories around the campfire..

 

[Malamute]

"Leverevolution extends the range out to about 150 yards or so."


Dang! and all this time I've been sighting my plain old 30-30's in a couple inches high at 100 yard and holding about right on out to 200 or so, and a little high at 300. I didn't know they wouldn't shoot that far.

Ths info I've seen about the leverevolution ammo is, they compare the worst possible trajectory load in existance, (the Hornady 170 gr, which has the BC of about a full wadcutter) and the new ammo looks amazing. All regular 30-30ammo looks amazing compared to the 170 gr Hornady loads. Am I missing something?

 

[pinstripe]

For a lever action, there is no other round than the 30-30. Been around the block and back. Still going strong.

 

[brasskeeper]

Have you considered a 45-70? I have two and I love them. Of the three you mentioned I think I would pick the 30-30.

If you can find a Savage 99 reasonable take chris's advice and get one in 300 savage its a great round too!

 

[Jack Halloran]

Why is the Marlin 1894 so much more expensive than the 336?

 

[chad1043]

If you don't own a 30-30, you need to get one. If you already have a 30-30, you should get the 45/70...

You can load down the 30-30 to varmint loads and cover all your bases...

I say buy the 30-30 now, save up and buy the 45/70 later...

Chad

 

[Vic303]

Marlin 1894c in .357mag.

They're on sale thru the 20th at Big 5 sports in the West/SW states. $339, in the common calibers- .357, .44, 45lc & 30-30.

 

[Sagetown]

I favor the .30/30 for hunting, - - but I sure like this 92 .357 which I may try on whitetail deer.