Best Lever Action Rifle

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finesse_r

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For decades when I thought about a lever action rifle I thought only of a Marlin. All the lever actions that I own are Marlins and I have no complaints about any of them. However they are well over ten years old, and none are the newer Marlins.

From the reviews and forums I have been reading it appears the newer Marlins are not up to the quality of the older ones. Today as I surf the internet and go to gun shows and look at retailers, I see Henry's every where and no so many Marlins.

Has Henry bumped Marlin out as the best and most popular maker of lever action rifles in the USA?
 
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The henry line of centerfires are clunky looking overly heavy lever guns. The rimfires are OK, but still not in the class of a Marlin 39.

There really is not GOOD leveraction maker in the U.S. Marlin was changed and moved by the Freedom Group acquisition. They aren't the same.
 
I keep hearing Marlin's QC has gone to hell since the Remington take-over, but can't testify first hand. I hope it's not as bad as the online buzz seems to be.

I think the Marlin 336 in .30-30 or .35 Remington has to be one of the all-time best. My son has taken a ton of Pennsylvania venison with the .35 version.

On the other hand, I see people praising the Henry line to the skies, and the Winchester 94 still has a huge following.
 
You may hear from people who remember the Savage 99...

Some also like the Winchester 88. The Sako Finnwolf was very advanced, but sold so few copies that few have seen one.
 
Besides my '73 clone and the wife's Marlin cowboy, we have several levers in the house. One is an antique 1894 Winnie in 32 spl. It's primarily a wall hanger.

We have an old Savage 99 in 300 savage. That's a camp/RV gun for camping where big bears ain't. It's bubba'd and worn but accurate to 100 yards.

My favorite all round rifle is a re-issued Winchester 71 by Browning in 348. Smoothest, very accurate and with plenty of punch. The bad news is it is the fancy version with engraving and plating. But I know where there is an original in good shape and I have some money coming, if it's only still there.

My other lever is an original 1895 Winnie in 30-40 Krag. Accurate to 200 yards, easily. Weird balance but not bad.

I've had Marlins in 44 mag, 45-70, and 30-30. Winnies in 30-30 and 45-90 but the ones above are the ones I kept, although another 1886 in 45-79 (lightweight) might be nice.
 
Best is a matter of opinion and use...

In large BP calibers, I'd prefer an 1886. Maybe one of the Pedersoli repros would be nice, but not when I can get a good, shooter grade 86 for not much more.

In large smokeless calibers the 1895 has the Browning BLR beat for style, but you can't mount a scope on it.

The Savage 99 is a great rifle too, but doesn't seem to embody the Edwardian era as much to my liking.

I haven't been fond enough to keep of the Winchester 88's, although I've owned a couple over the years, and they shot very well. A cousin killed one of the state record bears with one in .308.

Any toggle link Winchester or clone will have one of the smoothest actions, but the 1892 and even most, but not all clones will have a very strong action for it's size and be very accurate.

The 9422 has the best action of any good quality, steel-framed lever .22, but the 39A will more reliably feed shorts than the 9422, and may outshoot all in it's class due to the micro-groove barrel on guns built with it. Also, most 39A models have 24" barrels and therefore great sighting radius.

In .22 magnum the 9422 has it hands down. The action is like a Swiss watch. ;)

All in the eye of the beholder. ;)
 
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The Remington purchase of Marlin took place six years ago, in 2007.

Marlin diehards will never find a "Remlin" to be an acceptable firearm, regardless of their quality.

It's much like the pre-Bangor Punta S&W crowd who will not be seen in the same room as a revolver made after 1964!
 
I can say with conviction that the two new (Ilion, NY) Marlin 45-70s that I handled and inspected over the past year were QC disasters NOT Internet myth or urban legend. Both barrels were significantly canted, the rear sights were pointed at 1 o'clock, there were numerous machining marks on each rifle, and the actions were gritty. It was extremely disappointing in that I was very anxious to purchase a Marlin, but simply couldn't. There's some very knowledgeable folks on the Marlin Forum who can address the QC issues far better that I.

I've heard good things about Henry, and they are made here in the US which is a strong selling point. Winchesters are made in Japan now, no? The Rossi levers I've handled seemed cheap and unimpressive. Cimarrons are nice, as well as affordable. But based upon research and lots of discussion with lever gun aficionados, I think the best choice is a Browning BLR.
 
Some of us are a little old fashioned. For example, I feel that Marlin hasn't made a decent rifle since they stopped making the top eject Model 1888. Of course, some of you like the new-fangled side eject rifles, but then you also think that motor cars are more than just a passing fad.
 
I have one of the Henry H001's. It shoots s, l and lr. When I got it I was disappointed in the fit and finish. Has a lot of plastic and pot metal like the sights and side plates. But I tell you what it shoots great and I have a variable scope set at 75 yards and half inch groups are the norm. Action is great to. The night I got it I sent an email to Henry about my disappointment in the fit and finish and within 15 minutes or so the President of Henry emailed me back. This was on a Sunday night. Within 3 days I had a package of replacement parts to use if I ever needed them. Although they were made of the same material I was quite impressed with his interest and customer service. Great little 22 for the price. I believe they were shut down for a while by the hurricane but back in production now.
 
I had a Stevens 435 in 32 Remington a long while back.

I thought that was a great rifle and would like to have it back.
It doesn't make it any better than the rest. Just different I guess.

Now I'm stuck with Winchester's and a couple Marlin 97's.
 
I have levers in .357, .44, 30-30 and .32 special. Best shooter outta the bunch is the .357, a Rossi '92. The .44 is a Marlin and it shoots well enough and the bottlenecks are both 80 year old Winnies. Have heard very good things about the new Mossberg levers in both centerfire and rimfire.


Mossberg & Sons | Lever Action
 
Check the lever forums back before the buy out. There were lots of unhappy Marlin buyers even then. The 39s were being trashed as bad f&f and also feeding problems. The 94 series were even worse, with 1/8 inch gaps between stock and metal.
I'm not sure the REMLINs are all that much worse.
 
I bought 2 new Marlins recently, an 1894C and an 1894SS. Both are REP guns, made in NY, and I see nothing wrong with them. Either QC has gotten better, or it's hit and miss.
My favorite lever by far is my Browning 1892 in 44 special, the action is incomparable to any of the many other levers I own.
Sebago Son turned me on to the Brownings, he was right.
 
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buck460XVR said:
I have levers in .357, .44, 30-30 and .32 special. Best shooter outta the bunch is the .357, a Rossi '92. The .44 is a Marlin and it shoots well enough and the bottlenecks are both 80 year old Winnies. Have heard very good things about the new Mossberg levers in both centerfire and rimfire.


Mossberg & Sons | Lever Action
Click to expand...

Love my .357 Rossi '92 !
 
levers

when I think of a lever I think of the more old fashioned saddle gun types like Winchester and Marlin. the more modern savage and Brownings are more accurate imo but not in the same category, again imo. to me it comes down to older Marlins and older Winchesters and I'd have to give the edge to Winchester for ease of carrying, better wood (in general), bluing, wood to metal fit, less rattle. the Marlins do disassemble easier for cleaning, and I love the 35 rem caliber, and the curved lever handle pinches me less. $ money wise a pre remlin Marlin gives the best bang for the buck of them all. a big +1 to the win 9422 magnum. I currently have a 1952 Marlin 336sc waffle top 35 caliber with a black walnut stock, that is beautiful, but so is my win 94 top eject 375 caliber. if I had to choose it'd be the Winchester. why have a clone or a remake of an original, when you CAN have an original.
 
Rgoodwin said:
Great little 22 for the price. I believe they were shut down for a while by the hurricane but back in production now.
Click to expand...

Yes hurricane sandy did shut them down and there is still a few inspection problems going on. They are located in Bayonne NJ 3/4 mile from my house ;)
 
I like my Henry Big Boy in .45Colt just fine. I'm not a fan of the tube magazine that loads at the muzzle. For the price it's a great gun.

I also have an older Marlin 1894C. It's a great little gun too.

I would like to get a Winchester 94 though.
 
I bought what was probably a "Remlin" .44 Mag. It was a miserable *** and an embarrassment to its manufacturer. If you must have a lever gun, the BLR is the most sophisticated and modern iteration I'm aware of. One I once owned was reliable, accurate, and chambered in a modern caliber, .308.
 
I have an older marlin 444S in 444marlin. And my brothers marlin 336 in 35 Remington. Both are solid rifles.
I just picked up a Henry 22 s,l,lr carbine with a round barrel. Now I want the 20" octagon barrels in 22 WMR & in 22 s,l,lr in blue. My last Henry will be the golden boy with octagon barrel in 22s,l,Mr with a 20" barrel.

I really want a lever action in 50/120 with a 30" barrel.
 
My take is that the Winchester's are prettier, have nicer wood and the name of course - - - BUT Marlin (at least the ones made in CT) just plain work better. I have 6 Marlin lever guns and never have problems with feeding, accuracy and they are a pleasure to shoot. No personal experiences with Henry's so I won't comment on those.

Shot Cowboy Action Matches (SASS) for 12 years and used a 1894-S Carbine in .45 Colt to complement the two Colt's in the same caliber. ALWAYS performed flawlessly and never jammed - even with re-loads that were loaded so many times I forgot how many. The Marlin also holds an extra round or two for the "Gamer's". Winchesters would sometimes jam and I have seen top ejected empties fall back into the action on more than one occasion.

ALL marlins are side ejection and only some of the Winchesters are the Angle Eject. Both brands have their following......... like Chevy / Ford pick-up thing.
 
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Years ago I purchased a new remington 1100 12ga on there anniversary sale. At the time it was $159. It took going thru three new ones till the
Slide would open. I sold the functioning one because I didn't trust it in bear
Country.
 
I always liked the looks of the Marlin, except for the pistol grip stock. I ran across this .30/30 a while back, and had to have it.

 
You'll have to explain that further Big Bill. What does an 1100 have to do with a lever gun? Neither does it have a slide. Did you mean the bolt?


BigBill said:
I really want a lever action in 50/120 with a 30" barrel.
Click to expand...
You are an animal. I thought a 45-70 hurt to shoot. A 50-120 will require a steel shoulder!
 
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