Lever action repeaters

[SolidState]

Spyderco fans,

Due to your discriminating tastes, and likely overlap of interests, I ask you for suggestions on Lever action repeating rifles. I'm interested in something that's good for anything from black tail to elk. Who has suggestions, and reasons for them?

[yablanowitz]

My only levergun is a Marlin 1895 in .45/70. With Federal 300 gr hollow points it should be adequate for deer out as far as I can see (which I admit isn't all that far anymore) and Remington 405 gr soft points will take care of business on larger critters, at least at the aforementioned range. If you handload, the Marlin will take a fairly stout load, although 500 gr. bullets don't cycle through the action when loaded to their correct depth.

It isn't for everyone, but I've had a lot of fun with it.

[murphjd25]

I love lever action rifles. They are fun as all heck to shoot and also make great hunting rifles as well. I have two Henry lever actions, a .30-.30 and the .22.

[awa54]

I've wanted a Savage 99 for a long time, .300 Savage or .308 would do the job...

*disclaimer* only lever gun I actually own is a Ruger in .44mag

About those reasons.... side ejection, chambered in fairly powerful rounds that perform well at distances past 100 yards and the rotary magazine can handle pointed bullets, unlike tube mag. rifles.

[mb1]

My son has a Henry 30-30. They are very nice and come in many flavors...other calibers even. Well worth checking out. Mr. Gunsngear, Sootch00, Hickock45 etc all have YouTube reviews on them. Don't think I've ever heard anything negative.

I have a Marlin 30-30 I inherited. Lower cost option that's been around forever.

[Evil D]

I really like them but have never owned one. I've shot the Marlins and the Henrys but can't really say I prefer one over the other. I'm a bit more of a bolt action guy but lever guns are super fun.

[holeshot]

My only levergun is a Marlin 1895 in .45/70. With Federal 300 gr hollow points it should be adequate for deer out as far as I can see (which I admit isn't all that far anymore) and Remington 405 gr soft points will take care of business on larger critters, at least at the aforementioned range. If you handload, the Marlin will take a fairly stout load, although 500 gr. bullets don't cycle through the action when loaded to their correct depth.

It isn't for everyone, but I've had a lot of fun with it.

I have the same rifle and it is more than adequate for just about any game and is a hoot to shoot! :)

[yablanowitz]

My only levergun is a Marlin 1895 in .45/70. With Federal 300 gr hollow points it should be adequate for deer out as far as I can see (which I admit isn't all that far anymore) and Remington 405 gr soft points will take care of business on larger critters, at least at the aforementioned range. If you handload, the Marlin will take a fairly stout load, although 500 gr. bullets don't cycle through the action when loaded to their correct depth.

It isn't for everyone, but I've had a lot of fun with it.

I have the same rifle and it is more than adequate for just about any game and is a hoot to shoot! :)

If you want a real hoot, load up a few rounds with black powder and take it to a range where other people are shooting rifles in bottleneck cartridges. When you touch one off, silence will reign for a few seconds while all the other shooters wonder what blew up. :D

[OldHoosier62]

Try to find an older JM marked Marlin levergun (JM mark will be on the barrel just forward of the reciever.) The newer Remington made Marlins (known derisively as Remlins) have issues with sticking actions, accuracy issues as well as fit and finish problems. These issues are well documented online in various forums.

Marlin lever guns have a stellar reputation with hunters, recreational shooters and Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) competitors. Accurate, durable and chambered in everything from .22lr to .450 Marlin and .45-70. I've personally hunted everything from squirrels to brown bear with complete confidence using various Marlin rifles.

With your variety of game I would recommend nothing smaller than a .35 Remington up through the big bore choices, preferably handloaded to get the most power and accuracy from the rifle and cartridge combination. The relatively new .308 Marlin Express or .338 Marlin Express would both be good choices also with the edge going to the .338 ME.

I know many folks have jumped on the Henry bandwagon but as a gunsmith I've had to fix/return to the maker too many of them to be very enthusiastic so far. Winchester is overpriced for what you get and very limited in caliber choice. Browning's BLR is an excellent choice if price is no object and comes in several more modern calibers. The Savage 99 is also excellent but getting pricey now that the are out of production.

Good luck and good hunting.

[Doc Dan]

If you want something for blacktail to Elk, then you might want to look at a Browning BLR. It can be had in long range magnum calibers. You can often find pristine models on the used gun market far cheaper. http://www.browning.com/products/firear ... s/blr.html

You might get lucky and find one in 325 WSM, which would be perfect for what you want.

[Bloke]

I had a Winchester '94, 30-30 for donkeys years. I drilled and tapped the receiver for a set of Lyman peep sights which opens up the sighting radius a mile, sanded off the horrible varnish and waxed the stock to hide scuff marks and dints.

I shot more pigs with that old gun than you could poke a stick at. :eek:

In July 2001 we shot a 64,000 acre wheat farm out of a Bell 47 chopper and I couldn't count how many ferals the old gun tagged that long weekend.

I only smashed it a few years ago chasing pigs on a dirt bike after the bike and I parted company. It was riding in it's scabbard along the fork and it broke the stock and wrecked the sights so I left it with a young stockman who reckoned he could fix it.

Moral of the story, if chasing pigs on bikes stick to the tracks and avoid the long grass and hidden stumps! Ah, hahaha! :p

[Doc Dan]

Marlin also has a new cartridge that shoots at about the same velocity and trajectory as a 308 but with a heavier bullet called the 338 Marlin Express, or something. It would make a fine choice for the OP's rifle, too.

[SolidState]

Thank you Bloke for introducing me to the term "donkey's years"

Also, thank you to the rest of you as well. I just learned that Marlin has a deal going on which sweetens the pot a bit. Some of those more expensive models look like fun too. It's really a toss up between a 30-30 and the 45/70. I'm learning a lot here, so thank you everyone. There are a lot of guns showing up that I hadn't seen before. I'm going to stores near the elk ranges now, and there's a wider variety of guns for big game, and a wider variety of trophy B.S. salesmen as well, so some knowledge going in helps.

I also know that I want to go shooting hogs off a helicopter in Australia. That sounds like an awesome vacation.

[RanCoWeAla]

Browning used to make lever actions with clips that you could shoot pointed bullets in. I have a Marlin 357/38 and while not exactly what you think looking for I really like it. My Brother had a .444 Marlin that kicked like a Mule and you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it.I would go with 30/30 or one that will handle pointed bullets.Someone even makes pointed bullets with Rubber tips for the tube type magazine of most 30/30

[Bloke]

I also know that I want to go shooting hogs off a helicopter in Australia. That sounds like an awesome vacation.

Shooting out of a chopper was awesome no doubt. What surprised me most was how stable a platform they actually are. :cool:

With regard to your choice between the 30-30 and the 45/70 what you may like to consider is recoil recovery. Both rifles weigh about the same so the 45/70 will belt you a lot harder than the 30-30. :eek:

A mate shoots a SS Marlin 45/70 I like it a lot and thought about buying one but I'm only a little bloke 5' 9" and 147lb and having shot it a few times I decided against it because it takes me a lot longer to get back on target after each shot as compared to the 30-30. :)

[Doc Dan]

http://www.rifleshootermag.com/files/20 ... 22008d.jpg

Here is an article on the 338 ME:
http://www.rifleshootermag.com/ammo/amm ... _122008wo/

[JD Spydo]

Marlin also has a new cartridge that shoots at about the same velocity and trajectory as a 308 but with a heavier bullet called the 338 Marlin Express, or something. It would make a fine choice for the OP's rifle, too.

Speaking of MARLIN repeating lever action guns>>> I used to hunt and target shoot with a really good pal who used to have one their .444 cal. That bad boy flat out had some serious knock down power. I remember once when we shot a big barrel that was floating down a local river and it literally blew it upward out of the water :eek:

He never had to chase any of the deer he shot because that .444 would usually drop them immediately. They might have ran about 4 or 5 steps and that was about it.

The closest thing that I had to a lever action was a Ruger Model #1 with a falling block lever action. It was a .270 which is my favorite caliber. But that .444 Marlin was truly a beast of a gun. I even liked it better than the 45/70 that YAB spoke of.

[Doc Dan]

If I were buying a new rifle today, I would take a look at a Marlin in 338 ME. I would have the rifle accurized and hunt happily knowing I could take rabbits (!) to Elk.

[Eli Chaps]

marlins are something I know a wee bit about. :)

I own several and was a very passionate user and supporter of the Marlin Firearms Company for many years. Once Freedom Group bought them and put them under Remington control and manufacture, the love affair ended quickly and painfully. There is a slew of history, discussion, opinions, and facts out there on this subject but suffice to say I would not drop one dime on a Remington made "Marlin". Not only is the quality questionable at best, but their business practices are sketchy as can be and have fun with warranty work should you need it. They also saw fit to basically end providing parts to consumers. You used to be able to literally build a gun from parts but more practically, pretty much anyone with a little sense could repair most anything on the beautifully simple Marlin design. No more.

True Marlin lever guns are outstanding tools. Out to 200yrds, nothing you shoot will know the difference between a 30/30 or a .308. Elk are absolutely doable, heck, moose and more are routinely taken with a 30/30. But, you have to do your part and know your shots and ranges.

I also have 45/70's and they are freakin' awesome but really, you need to be a reloader to get into this caliber anymore. The .308 and .338 Marlins got a lot of attention but I don't know that it was truly warranted and again, restricted ammo availability/selection.

Me personally? Any of the JM stamped Marlin 336 models (2009 or earlier, 2008 is even better) married to a quality 4x scope is an awesome combination.

[bearfacedkiller]

Sadly the lever gun market isn't what it once was. I have killed more deer with an old Winchester 94 in 30/30 than any other gun. Unfortunately Winchesters and Marlins are not what they used to be and the older ones command a premium now. I won't buy a Remlin (Remington made Marlin).

The 30/30 has probably killed more elk than any other round. The internet will have you believing otherwise. When I lived in Colorado I knew lots of people who used 30/30s and .270s on elk. I had no problems dropping them with a .270 and the only bang then flop I ever saw on an Elk was with a well placed 25.06 to the heart. Don't get me wrong, they are big animals but they are not water buffalos. If you put a well constructed bullet in the boiler room they go down.

When you look at traditional lever guns you only have a few rounds to choose from and none of them have much range. While the 30/30 is certainly on the low side of the power spectrum it should drop an elk inside of 100 yards and is capable of taking deer out to 150 or even 175. For an elk specific rifle a .444, .450 or .45/70 would be better but they are all over kill on deer and when deer hunting they don't shoot anywhere as flat as a 30/30 so range and accuracy suffer.

My point is that for a deer rifle that you might take elk hunting someday get the 30/30. For a rifle that will hunt both equally or that will hunt elk often get a big bore. A 30/30 and a .270 have me covered but if I was in the market for a big bore I would get a Henry 45/70. I had a buddy who used a .35 Remington to hunt whitetail and black bear. Another cool round and due to its obscurity the guns can be found for reasonable prices. I like more common rounds.

If I was gonna get a Browning I would get a semi, not a lever. I prefer my lever guns more traditional.