As I am an old guy I respect the new generation views on firearms. How ever us old guys remember the good old days when we got closer to the dee & elk. The longest shot in those days about 200Yds. My 30-30 killed my biggest buck at 40 yds. elk was 50 yds. I hunted for years with a Model 95 35 Win. for elk that is older than I am. Knock a bull elk on his butt with a 250 Hornaday bullet. Now I hunt with Mod. 88 win 308. Did OK on elk so far. Deer also. My old Win. model 24 16 ga. Keeps the dove & quail in tact. My 44 SA Colt & my S&W 357 is a constant reminder to keep my guard up. I enjoy the forum, watch it every night. Keep up the New Breed, I like your input.

For years I thought about a rifle and revolver sharing the same ammunition. Finally managed to get a Colt SAA 'Frontier Six Shooter' .44-40 (1914) and a Marlin 1894 rifle .44-40 (1905). I enjoy these two very much. It has been an interesting project working up a load that shoots well in both, as the Colt needs a .427" bullet while the Marlin has a groove diameter of .431", and both guns being over 100 years old I tend toward mild loads. Got the Colt shooting 3" groups at 50 feet (within 1.5" of point of aim) and the Marlin does 2" groups at 50 yards, so I'm happy with those results.

I'd rather have just about any good gun made 50 years ago before I'd want any of the new stuff on the market.

Enjoy having/shooting revolver and rifle combo in 44 mag. The rifle is a 16 in Marlin 1894 accompanied by several differing 44 revolvers (sa and da). Mostly use a common mid power 180 jhp load for revolver and rifle. Have 357 combo, but not used as much.

Have a fair range of levers from 22 lr to 45-70. The first centerfire rifle bought was a Marlin 30-30.

W. Pa. is full of small fields and woodlots...... and while I have a Winchester Trapper in .357 it's been replaced in the field by a stainless Ruger 77/357 carbine with 1-3x20 Weaver shotgun scope...... often accompanied by a 4" 686 or a 3" 66.

I did the Marlin 44 mag and S^W 29 bit. I think the 44 mag in a rifle barrel is probably under estimated. I don't remember the numbers but the velocity and muzzle energy out of 16 is pretty amazing. However, my Marlin just absolutely refused to shoot the 300 gr without keyholing after about 10 feet.

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Randy
Provenance nerd

Three lever guns:
Winchester 94 30-30
Marlin 30TK 30-30
Rossi 92 .357

Lots of revolvers to go with them.

Even before I started CAS I had purchased new, a 4 3/4 and a 7 1/2 Colt SAA in 45. The day I heard Winchester was closing it's doors I went directly to a gun shop that I knew had a Model 94 in 45. Used them in CAS and have thoroughly enjoyed them.

Out of all my guns if I had to pick one that other people enjoy shooting the most it's my Rossi M92 .357 mag 20 inch barrel loaded with .38s. It has zero recoil and people who don't shoot much can typically shoot very well with it and they think it is "fun".

I also like the idea of having a handgun and rifle in the same caliber. I have Winchester 94 Trappers in .44 Mag and .45 Colt. I also have a 16" Rossi 92 in .357. Works for me.

I have shot most of my deer in S.C. at less than 50 yards. A 158grain Hornady XTP .357 works great in these conditions. I have never fired more than one shot per deer. You don't need a 7 mag to kill a deer. All you need is a bit of skill and marksmanship.

I am a strong believer in rifle/revolver combinations like a Ruger M77/357 and a GP100 in .357. I am stocking up on .357 ammo and reloading components while the stocking up is good.

Looked for a pretty good spell for an decent shooter grade in .357 that wouldn't require bank financing.
Found a good short Marlin made around 1980. My revolvers in 38 spl/ 357 mags are happy, I am happy and my wife will get over it.

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LEX ET ORDO

I've got 9 lever actions that are in my keeper rack. I picked up
a 1970 Marlin 94 in 44mag only because of new Ohio rifle season.
I also have a Marlin 95 from 1970. The 45/70 shoots extremely
well but It's a big gun for deer. I have had 44 carbines in the past
but never killed a deer with one. Doing most of my rifle hunting
in WVa there were better choices. In Ohio there ain't nothing to
eat you and game laws prohibit carrying two weapons. So I don't
feel the need to pack a 44mg revolver. I have old 3screw SBH &
a couple 29s. I have killed deer with SBH but not the 29s. I use
target loads in them. I had the 375win Marlin also but traded it
for #3 Ruger in 375win, which is now my official Ohio deer gun.
The levers for pistol cartridges will do for most deer situations in
my area but there has been a lot of missed opportunity for the
occasional long shot with them. Hunted Ohio for years with slugs
which are about the same as pistol cartridges for range. Those
200yd bucks are a pipe dream with these calibres. They may do
it off a bench but when the deer is at that distance and is dancing
on your front sight blade a off hand shot is a big gamble. You may luck out and hit the deer, but where? Not a responsible shot.

I am 29 years old. Of my 20-plus accumulation of firearms, only one gun is semi automatic and that is my Ruger 10/22 that I bought for my daughter to shoot. All of my handguns are revolvers and all of my rifles are lever action. I shot my first deer when I was 14 years old at 70 yards with an open sight lever action Marlin 30-30. I have owned a handfull of semi-auto handguns and rifles and bolt action rifles in the past, but they never stick around for very long. They are just not my style. I know that makes me a minority to my generation, but I am okay with that.

I quit hunting in 1995. Got soft hearted. But until then my deer rifles were a Model 71 .348 Winchester, a Model ‘86 Winchester .45-70 carbine and for sitting power lines, a pre-64 Model 70 Winchester in .300 H&H. Still have all three. Occasionally I’d pack a 5 screw 4” Model 29 as well. Yep, still have it.
Over the years I owned a number of semi autos but just never could warm up to them. Elmer Keith fan you know.
If I were to go back to hunting, my arsenal wouldn’t change.
The deer I shot with those guns remain dead.

I love lever guns and did take two deer with my first one only seconds apart, a pre-USRAC Model 94 .30-30 about two or three years into my life as a deer hunter (long story for another time in re how close they were and why, and I tracked them!). But I didn't start deer hunting until I was in my 40s and my tried and true Remington M788 bolt gun in .308 does most of my hunting. I did use my Navy Arms/Rossi Model 92 in .45 Colt to take a deer once - it was one of those cowboy action shooter bragging rights things.

All of the deer I ever shot, scoped bolt gun, or iron sighted lever gun, were taken at close range. I lured them in using rutting sounds, rattling, and putting out Tinks and similar items in an area that I could see from my chair. I never hunt from blinds, never go up high, I don't like to hide because I always tried to make it as far as possible and I don't like to climb trees regardless. I stopped that when I was a teenager and could climb like a monkey. Then I got to be a into my 20s and a dad and that was the end of tree climbing for me. Of any kind.

I just think long distance hunting is unfair. I understand I might be in a minority and I get the whole trophy concept and the hundreds of yards shots down senderos to get monster bucks. Just not my thing.

I grew up on the plains and rolling hills in western South Dakota and I well and truly detested the .30-30 in general and the Winchester Model 1894 as out dated ineffective rifles.

The average ranges for mule deer and antelope tended to be in the 300-400 yard range, and the Model 94 in 30-30 just didn't cut it.

Fast forward to about age 30, I moved to the Black Hills and found that carrying a larger bolt action rifle up and down hills in trees and jack pine that limited ranges to maybe 100-150 yards didn't make much sense. Neither did a scope.

I stumbled on a 1956 vintage model 94 in excellent condition and put a then just newly re-released Lyman No 2 tang sight on it. With hand loaded 150 gr RNs, it would shoot 5 shot 100 yards groups an inch and a half in size, and I decided it was my next deer rifle. It was light and well balanced to carry, and fast and accurate to shoot. It was...in a word...perfect.

I turned that one to money when finances got tight several years later but I have since replaced it with a 1950 Model 94 and 1960 Model 94, one with an original Marbles tang sight and the other with the newer re-make of the Marbles tang sight. They shoot just as well as my 1956 Model 94 did.





I also upsized slightly with an early production (low 4 digit serial) Big Bore 94 in .375 Win and it's great fun to shoot and my preferred rifle for the local North Carolina Black bear. It also sports a Marbles tang sight. Awesome with awesome sauce. More often than not I shoot it with .38-55 style cast bullet loads which are great fun and don't beat you to death.



And in the other direction I discovered the Rossi Model 92 and found over time that my preferences are for the 20" and 24" short rifle pattern in .357 Magnum. The .357 Mag hangs in there with the 30-30 out to about 150 yards and both of mine are 2 MOA capable at 100 yards with 125 gr XTPs moving along at 2,200 fps. Accurate, handy, and high capacity.





I also stumbled upon a 1978 Model 9422 XTR about a decade ago in like new condition and shortly after found a 2004 Model 9422 Trapper in the same condition mis placed and mis marked in a rack full of Henry .22 LRs. I told the owner I wanted to buy his 9422 and he said "What 9422?". He normally has the collectable stuff in the other end of his very large shop so I had to show him where it was mis placed. He looked at it, looked and the price and said "if you don't buy it right now, I'm going to re-mark it and put it where it belongs". I smiled, thanked him and said "sold".

I also have a Rossi Model 92 carbine in .45 Colt, a Armi Sport Model 92 take down in ,45 Colt, and a Winchester model 94 trapper in .45 Colt, as well as an 1859 Infantry rifle, an 1874 Sharps in .45-70 and a Browning 1885 in .30- 30.

It's pretty strange for someone who grew up hating lever action rifles. I guess they grow on you, or maybe you just have to grow up before you can appreciate them.

Like BB57, my first deer hunting rifle was a Mod. 94 (vintage 1954) my dad owned and passed down to me when I was 13. Coincidentally, I grew up in the Black Hills of SD, and took many whitetail with that .30-30 throughout the years hunting with my dad and friends.

In later life, I fell for bolt action rifles that have served me well, but I've always had a special liking for lever actions. Having been confronted with a couple of medical issues that gave me a new perspective on my mortality, I passed along the 94 to a close family member. The Mod. 94 is now an heirloom that I passed along to one of my nephews, who will hand it to his son when he comes of age to hunt with the promis that it will always stay in the family.

Missing having a lever action, I have since picked up a few others, including another Winchester Mod. 94 .30-30, a Browning BL-22, and a Winchester Mod. 73 Short Rifle in .357 magnum. I like having the 73 as a good match with my S&W 66, 686, and Ruger New Vaquero. Either Winchester is a perfect choice for Black Hills hunting, or anywhere else where thick timber and brush cover are the norm. They're easy to carry, and quick to put into action. Gotta love lever actions.