Lever and Bolt Action

[Sarp]

I was wondering if lever action rifles have or can have the same accuracy as a bolt action rife being that when you squeeze the trigger it is like a bolt action, only hitting the primer and not ejecting etc.

 

[M. Sage]

Not quite. For one thing, bolt actions can fire spitzer bullets while lever guns (up until recently) can't without a horribly high risk of having rounds go off in the magazine under recoil.

Most lever guns are a tilting bolt lock up, which isn't as strong or tight as your average bolt action, and isn't usually as stiff. Lever guns usually use a hammer with a much longer lock time than your typical striker-fired bolt action rifle. Add to that the tubular magazine attached to the bottom of the barrel, and you probably won't be able to get as much accuracy out of a lever action.

There's almost always a trade-off.

I'm not saying that lever guns can't have great accuracy. I just doubt you'll see any that are sub-MOA.

That said, some semi-autos are just as accurate as any bolt gun on the planet. The AR series is capable of astounding accuracy due to the very thing that some people criticize it for - it's lack of a piston.

 

[Charlie]

My Browning BLR in .308 with a box magazine is very accurate.

 

[navyguy]

In general terms, a bolt gun will be more accurate than a lever gun. There of course are exceptions, but I've never seen or heard of a lever action used in any serious bulls eye competitions. I don't follow that much though, so maybe there are some.

 

[dee]

What about a Ruger #1 its a levergun of sort and very accurate.

 

[Big country]

I was wondering if lever action rifles have or can have the same accuracy as a bolt action rife being that when you squeeze the trigger it is like a bolt action, only hitting the primer and not ejecting etc.

What do you mean by this? Ony a semi auto or an auto would do this not a lever.
And isn't the .308 Marlin supposed to be a sub moa lever gun? I know that the leverevolution ammo closes the gap but the 308 Marlin is not a regular .308 either it was redesigned, and wont fit in a regular .308 bolt action rifle.

 

[brickboy240]

Depends on the rifle.

I have an early 60s Savage 99 in 243 that is bone stock and will shoot a 1" group at 100yds all day long with Winchester ammo I buy at Wal Mart.

If you ask me, thats pretty accurate for any levergun and most stock boltguns in 243 will do about the same. With some work and the right ammo and optics, yes most 243 boltguns will out shoot my 99 Savage but off the shelf, they're very close.

The Winchester 94 and Marlin 336 are not as accurate as the Savage 99 or the Browning BLRs. However the Marlin and Winchesters were not dsigned for this but to be short range saddle guns.

That said, I do have an old Marlin 1894 in 44 magnum that will group one ragged hole at 50yds with the right 44 mag ammo.

So yeah, SOME leveractions can rival boltguns in accuracy. It all depends on the design, ammo and caliber.

- brickboy240

 

[M. Sage]

I don't think the BLR is a typical lever-action. I'm pretty sure it's related to the BPR and BAR (hunting, not military) rifles with a same/similar bolt group including a rotating bolt.

Like I said, lever rifles will tend to be less accurate or will usually have less potential for accuracy. I'm not saying they always will, but I don't think we'll see a lever-action rifle taking 1000 yard shots anytime soon.