Lever action rifle questions

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  • popper

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    LeverE works with cast also. Marlin 30/30, clean from the chamber end, very strong. You can load down or max, whatever you want. BFR does 30/30 but nah. 357 would be fun but much more $.
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    Bambulance Man

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    In levers, Winchester is the name to beat. It's not that they make the best, it's just that it's the brand most identified with lever action rifles and so it commands the highest resale prices. Marlin makes a very good lever, as does Browning. The Henry is also a terrific rifle, and it's all made in America, and they have several different models to fit fashion (beautiful brass) or function (flat black for hunting). If you find an old Savage 99, those are terrific rifles and a bit unique in that they use a rotary magazine. In a used Winchester, you really, really want a pre-1964 rifle. After that, they changed to cheap parts and design to try to lower the price, and the rifles aren't as nice - and also not nearly as pricy.

    One thing to look for is how the rifle ejects. If it ejects out the top, that makes it hard to mount a scope. (That is, if you want to mount a scope.)

    As for caliber, pistol calibers are fun to plink and shoot small game. Rimfires are also fun for that. If you want to hunt larger animals, then I highly recommend the venerable .30-30. It's the oldest smokeless cartridge, and it has probably dropped more legitimate deer than all other calibers combined. (The .22 has dropped the most deer, as that's the midnight poacher's choice.) The 30-30 is easy to shoot, does a great job out to at least 150 yards, and is not expensive. If you decide to reload, Hodgdon has a powder called Leverevolution that is specifically made for lever action rifles and will give you absolute maximum velocity without high pressure. Varget and several other powders work really well also. Stick with round-nosed bullets for safety's sake, unless you are using a Savage 99. (Yes, I'm fully aware that someone will swear there's no safety problem with pointed bullets in a tubular magazine. I'm not willing to take that chance, so I will stick to - and recommend - round noses. Besides, within 30-30 range, you don't need spitzers.) Avoid the sabot rounds that may still be lurking out there. Everyone jumped on that bandwagon in the 1980's and nobody found them to be any better than regular bullets. Likewise, don't go too crazy on larger calibers. It's a light rifle by design and recoil can be brutal. Stick with the range of calibers it was designed for.

    Someone mentioned that he had a post-64 rifle and it was "good enough". There ARE things that a good gunsmith (or even a patient amateur) can do with a lever action rifle to make it work more smoothly. Check out YouTube for videos of some of the cowboy action shooters. Those lever rifles are super smooth!! A little polishing here and there can change a rifle from mediocre to fantastic in pretty short order.

    Lastly, don't buy a lever action rifle just because you're scared the bullies in Washington are going to confiscate your semiautomatics. Buy one because it's lightweight, reliable, and fun to shoot.

    you said it all my friend, perfectly spoken.
     

    Texasjack

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    You are aware that the leverevolution powder is for loading leverevolution ammo, right? View attachment 183713 pointy flex tip rounds are perfectly safe and seriously extend the flat shooting range of the 30-30
    I thought about mentioning that, but I was already on the verge of turning a response into a novel.

    Yeah, the Hornady Leverevolution ammo features Hodgdon's very cool powder and soft-pointed bullets that will give you max performance out of a lever rifle. They're not particularly cheap, but very good ammo.

    Also, Remington sells a .30-30 called the Hog Hammer that features a hollow point that is absolutely frightening. (Don't look for miracle rounds for a hog - shot placement is important on those tough creatures.)

    Since we're being sorta all-inclusive on levers, let's address the nomenclature for the .30-30. In the old days, black powder came in one variety for rifle cartridges. (There were different grain sizes for things like cannons or blasting stumps, but you didn't have the variety of powders like we enjoy today.) The first version of smokeless powder was the same way. So the .30-30 was a 30 caliber bullet (same diameter as used today on a .308 or .30-06 or .300 WinMag) with 30 grains of smokeless powder. Powder improvements have made the "-30" more or less irrelevant, but it stuck around as the description. (Before someone asks, no, the 30-06 didn't have 6 grains of powder. It was developed in 1906 to replace a problematic cartridge developed in 1903 and it was given that -06 designation to note the difference from the 1903 version.) The .30-30 has been around for 125 years, which is pretty amazing when you consider how fickle the public is with new products.
     

    Leadslinger

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    I guess it depends on what you want to use it for
    30-30 has been uses doe hunting doe a long time.

    Personally I went with a 16 inch 357 m92 rossi.

    I like the ability to top load if necessary.
    16 inch is a very convenient weapon.

    Parred with a ruger security or seevice six and you've got most of your bases covered .

    I recently picked up a coonan 357 as a retirement gift to myself. Sweet 7 rounds easy to shoot and quick to reload.
     

    Vaquero

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    I guess it depends on what you want to use it for
    30-30 has been uses doe hunting doe a long time.

    Personally I went with a 16 inch 357 m92 rossi.

    I like the ability to top load if necessary.
    16 inch is a very convenient weapon.

    Parred with a ruger security or seevice six and you've got most of your bases covered .

    I recently picked up a coonan 357 as a retirement gift to myself. Sweet 7 rounds easy to shoot and quick to reload.
    Damn hoss.
     

    Dawico

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    Marlin 1895 Dark in 45-70 will be the next lever gun I buy. Look it up.;) they also have them in 30-30.
    This. On my need list.

    8f6b813c7cfd757e35acc692d9032d84.jpg
     

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    GasGuzzler

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    I guess anything could be a self defense round but in my world I'll keep my 1951 336RC in .30-30 for 100-150 yard killing.

    I'm a snob so forgive me when I say please don't use top or side eject as a factor due to scope mounting because a lever gun should never have a scope, synthetic stock, fluted barrel, or any stainless steel. Of course to each his own.

    Anyway...I prefer the 1892 to the 1894. The 1892 is much lighter, has two locking lugs, and in my opinion a better designed bolt. For home or self defense I would recommend the .357 as others have. With 4.0 gr of Bullseye under a 125 gr .38 on one end of the spectrum and a 183gr gas checked .357 over about 18gr of Lil'Gun on the other you can do lots in between.

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    I would recommend the following order if cost is no object:
    Uberti
    Cimarron
    Winchester

    If cost is an issue and you don't mind tinkering, just go get a Rossi R92. Check the chamber on new production before you hand over the money and like any other modern manufacturer, look it over well end to end. You can get a new one for $550 or an '80's (pre-Braztec/Taurus) era no safety "real" Amedeo Rossi with better wood, better rear sight, and no plastic parts anywhere on it for about the same...but you'll have to search.

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    It makes ZERO sense to pay $1000 for a "JM" Marlin 1894 because:
    A) Marlin quality went to crap in the late '90's well before they sold out
    B) The 1892 is better in my opinion
    C) $1000 is a lot for a very plain mass produced rifle
    D) Actual working value is more like $600 as compared to other similar guns
    E) A current Marlin *Remlin is likely a better made rifle than one made in 2007.
     

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