Lever guns popularity

[Michaelp57]

Damn

Big Horn Armory 500 S&W and 460 S&W, the 460 has the checkering

I am so jealous. Mostly of the .460, but I would love the have either of these. Where did you find these? And how long ago?

 

[Michaelp57]

Awesome thread

As the OP of this thread, I'm glad I started it because it's gotten some great responses. I, too, am a fan of lever actions but only have a few. I have an original .38-40 Winchester 1873 (ca. 1891) and a .50-95 Winchester 1876 (ca. 1882). I also have a modern .45 Colt Winchester 94AE (Trail's End SRC), and a Century Arms PW87 (copy of a 12 ga. Winchester 1887). I once had a .45-70 Marlin 1895 (ca. 1975) that was pretty beat up and I used for gunsmithing practice...I later got rid of that one.

I'm glad that you started it too. So many beautiful guns in this thread. It looks like I got a lot of catching up to do on this so I can show off my loot too.

 

[Breadman1]

Found them in Phoenix last year, shot the 460, but not the 500, really was
Much more tame than I thought.

 

[SWFan27]

I have a Henry Big Boy Classic chambered in 357 Mag/
38 Spl, and I just love the thing. The wood on mine is prettier than the rifle in this video in my biased opinion. The original wood had a hairline crack near the barrel band, so Henry sent me a replacement stock and wood forearm. I think they upgraded my wood as a courtesy for my inconvenience. Henry does sell upgraded "fancy" replacement wood for $250.00. My rifle has the standard size lever and not the large loop.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8MszRoTD-0[/ame]

 

[HughD1]

I have been deer hunting for close to fifty years. I have never owned a bolt action or Semi-auto deer rifle. I have a Marlin 336 30-30, a Remington Model 7600 30-06, and a Henry 45-70. The Henry gets most of the work these days. Unlike a lot of lever action users I am not a big fan of a loading gate. I prefer the Henry tube loading. Still love the old Marlin but prefer the Henry.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Doug M.]

I ordered a Marlin 1894 in .357 just in time to be shut out by the bankruptcy. I am still waiting for the model I want to be reintroduced, which I expect will not be until next year. I can travel with a lever gun and not worry about stupid restrictions on AR platforms.

 

[Narragansett]

Never got caught up in lever actions. Had a Winchester 94 pre 64 in 32 special, and a Browning 92 in 44mag, both I should have never sold or traded. Also had a 70's marlin 39A traded that too. Do have a 39A second year that I inherited, still have that, family gun.

I am a bolt action guy. Give me a good action ( 700, Sako, Mauser ), and a 5, 6, 7 taper, and I am good. Weight is not an issue.......yet . Oh , and a nice walnut stock and blued steel.

I know, Dinosaur

 

[Faulkner]

Then there’s the Browning BLR. The lever moves the bolt via a rack & pinion mechanism. The bolt rotates into the locking surfaces of a barrel extension just like an AR, allowing an aluminum receiver. The removable box magazine means you can use modern bullets. And this one chambered in 308 Winchester is a takedown model:

I love my Marlin 336Y takedown with 16 inch barrel. Lee Hadaway does some good work.

 

[DWalt]

No one has mentioned the best lever action rifle ever made - the Savage 99 in all its forms.

 

[22shtur]

I never had a need for lever action in the Northwest, where the only big game you see during the season may be over 200 yards away. I always used bolt actions. I picked up a Winchester trapper in 44 mag for my jeep gun for bear season, that has worked okay the last couple of seasons. For reloading it's easier to resize a straight walled cartridge than a 30-30 cartridge.

 

[scott1970]

Here's one you don't see every day. It's a Marlin STP in .45-70 from a run of 501 rifles made for Davidson's in 2008.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

My first rifle at 12 years old (1970) was a Marlin 39 Century carbine. Still have it, plus a few: Marlin 1894 in .44 mag (1971) , a Winchester 71, .348, of course (1954), a Marlin 1894 in .218 Bee, and a Belgian Browning BLR .308 (1970). Ive always loved lever guns. When it comes to that, I guess I was cowboy before cowboy was cool. The '71 and the Bee are the only ones I have a handy pic of.



Well, here's a poor one of the BLR:

 

[sandog]

I liked levers right off, both for the history behind them and them being left hand friendly.
Plus, my preferred hunting in the Northern Rockies over 45 years was to get into the thick timber and get up close and personal. Also, from hunting during the early archery season with a longbow or recurve, I was used to getting close to elk.
So an Marlin .45-70 with a peep was perfect.

But I can't understand buying a .45-70 for the cool factor.
They aren't bad to shoot repeatedly if you are shooting blackpowder equivalent out of a 12 lb. Sharps, Hi-Wall or Rolling Block.
But even the lighter loads out of a 6.5 lb. carbine will get your attention.

If you want a fun, cheap to feed, low recoil but still potent lever carbine, get a .357.
I loved having the big boomers when I lived in Montana and Wyoming, but since retiring in Arizona, these days I'm down to a Rossi .357, A 1956 Mountie and a BL-22.

I carried the original half magazine 22 inch 1895 that came out in the 70's, but towards the end got a Remlin CBA, it has the 18 inch octagon barrel, so it is a shorter barrel Cowboy.
It was a fine carbine once I smoothed the rough loading gate edges.

Oh yeah, the 1883 and 1923 series would do a lot more for lever action sales than the current Yellowstone series, If more people had seen the prequels. Excellent shows.

 

[Robspeire]

Have Marlin Texan (.22) , Golden 39a & 30/30 & 45/70 SDT.
Like them guns.

 

[Bumpus13]

First gun I ever bought was a Marlin 336.

Gotta love the levers

 

[BigChief52]

I'm a cheapskate. For me, the Marlin carbine shared 357 ammo with my revolver and was far easier to shoot. But, that was back in the 80s. Even considering inflation, prices were much lower then especially for old retired police revolvers.

 

[Zoner]

My grandfather gave me his rifle when I was 12yrs old(he had cancer). It's a 1952 Winchester M94 .32 Special. The next day I killed a 5pt Pennsylvania whitetail with it. When I was 18 I took off to see the world and left the rifle with a relative for safekeeping. I think he leaned it in the corner in the garage with the rakes and shovels. After I reclaimed it I took the metal to be re-blued and I re-finished the wood. It looks like it came off the showroom floor. It is semi-retired(I don't hunt anymore) so I shoot it with a 170 gr PBFN cast bullet over 15 grs of 4759. Very good accuracy and a fun load to shoot. I shoot it with a Lyman tang sight and the front sight is a black XS post .100 wide with a .040 vertical white stripe. The sights help my old eyes out a lot. I will always have this gun...they will probably have to put it in the box with me when I take my dirt nap.I am currently looking for a Rossi M92 16" barreled .357 to use as another plinker

 

[Faulkner]

I too like the convenience of a carbine/handgun combo using the same ammo.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

I have about 8 levers, most in .45 caliber [one .22 and one 12 ga], love them. The leverguns are my cas guns and I love cas and WB. But I seldom shoot them just for the heck of it. I’m more likely to play with my M2 or M52 .22 rifles.

 

[SS336]

No one has mentioned the best lever action rifle ever made - the Savage 99 in all its forms.

Ok, I will. 1952 Savage 99 EG 300 Savage.