[Restless28]

Between the manufacturers, how durable is the magazine tube? Is it as durable as a Winchester Defender 1300?

[SJ 40]

Originally Posted by Boats

All of these mentions of pistol caliber carbines without a mention of Henry? Scandalous. It's probably the best lever going in terms of fit and finish.

I did mention the Henry.


I left one out I don't even consider it a option
the Henry Big Pile aka Big Boy,I would rather have a decent muzzle loader than Big Pile as they are more reliable.

There is a lack of gun smiths even willing to work on them,the good thing is the factory is willing to work on them.
Although there is the cost of shipping them back and forth.

I have yet to see a Henry rifle make it through a 10 stage match,one lady did get 7 stages under her belt before her Henry wouldn't eject spent rounds. SJ 40

[awpk03s]

I have a Rossi 92 rifle in 45 Colt. Stainless, with 24" octagonal barrel, and Marble sights.

It's one of my most fun rifles.

[youngvr4]

Originally Posted by polyman305

Damn this is crazy. Since Christmas I've been glued to Encore Westerns...wth??? I've been looking at the rossi .357 in 20inch(10+1) or 24inch(13+1)-octagonal barrel. They were running between $475-$575 NIB at one point a few weeks ago on gunbroker. I don't really know if they stack up up there with Winchester/Henry/Marlin or maybe they do. But good luck trying to find a Winchester. They hold onto those babies.

How old are you? i'm almost 32 years old. outside of Taken and the tv show series 24 (Jack bauer) most action movies are missing something huge, True manliness!! I'm starting to like the idea of having a horse and acres of land. hunting within a mile of my home

[Aceman]

Hard not to love, and my personal favorite of all things. Fast, reliable, light, classic. Marlin would be my overall recommendation, but Winchester, Henry, Rossi...whatever. Handy for hunting, general woods use, and even HD for SHTF. Low key and likely not on the crazy gun ban lists (yet)

30-30 - just a great all around caliber for most all game most places. Great for deer in the woods. It's the 7.62x39 caliber of the old west. Great medium caliber in every way. Good to 150 yds+, which is further than most will shoot. Hornady Leverevolution ammo rocks.

.357 - I really like this. .357 from 16-20" is sporty fast. Capable of small/moderate deer to 100+ if you can shoot. The option for .38, 38+p, .357 is awesome for cheap or no recoil or business. Paired with a .357 pistol is great for SHTF purposes also.

.44 - same deal as .357, and superior boom/stop factor in every way.

.45 long colt - If you REALLY want to get your Cowboy on

.45-70 - consider if you want to shoot anything (and I mean ANYTHING) big. Not fun, but just awesome from a pure effectiveness factor.

Decision point: If you will be hunting deer, definitely get the 30-30. If you KNOW you will also get a pistol, get .357 or .44. Choose that based on your pistol preferences.

[Travclem]

A lot of people underestimate the .30-30. My cousin killed her first buck back in November at 206yds with a Marlin and a 2-7x Leupold compact. Dropped him in his tracks, I was with her. It takes a little work but the round has plenty of power if you know how to shoot it. The rifle was sighted in at 100yds, when the buck wouldn't come in, I told her to line the vertical crosshair up with his front leg and the horizontal with the top of his back. Boom! dead buck. I knew from years of hunting deer with a .30-30 that there would be 6-8" drop at 200 if sighted in at 100. It's not that the round won't kill at long range, it's that most people can't shoot it well enough to kill at long range.

[Fox]

The .44 WCF, also called the .44-40 is the real frontier era chambering for the Winchester lever rifles. The lever actions were not chambered in .45 Colt until the 1990s for the SASS competition shooters.

[Wishoot]

Originally Posted by Travclem

A lot of people underestimate the .30-30. My cousin killed her first buck back in November at 206yds with a Marlin and a 2-7x Leupold compact. Dropped him in his tracks, I was with her. It takes a little work but the round has plenty of power if you know how to shoot it. The rifle was sighted in at 100yds, when the buck wouldn't come in, I told her to line the vertical crosshair up with his front leg and the horizontal with the top of his back. Boom! dead buck. I knew from years of hunting deer with a .30-30 that there would be 6-8" drop at 200 if sighted in at 100. It's not that the round won't kill at long range, it's that most people can't shoot it well enough to kill at long range.

Nice shooting!

[spcwes]

Anyone know of a place to a GS Marlin tricked out? Been wanting to get a new one and wanted it have it engraved, have the action smoothed and probably new sights installed. Thought maybe a nice rail on it with a quality red dot might be cool as well.

[klmmicro]

Bought a pre-64 Winchester .30-30 some 15 years ago for $100. Love the thing! Shoots straight and true, always feeds and always ejects. Cartridge is formidable and easy to find. Would not sell it, trade it or give it away for any amount.

Bought a Rossi M92 in .44 Mag a few years ago and love it as well. Easy shooting with even my heavy weight loads, plus it carries well. As my safe contains more than a couple of .44 revolvers, it just made sense. The thicker rim on the .44 Mag and Special rounds makes it very well suited to the '92 design. It is a comforting thought, having 11 300 grain full house loads and an 18" barrel to launch them from in hand.

[Berto]

Thereare still plenty of used Win 94s and Marlin 336 rifles on the used rack at my local haunt. In 30-30, they are hard to touch as an all around fast handling rifle out to 150-200yrds with the right ammo.
They aren't a half-bad combat weapon either, as the 30-30 matches up nicely to the 'x39' Russian and these rifles can be topped off as you go.

[Baba Louie]

Originally Posted by spcwes

Anyone know of a place to a GS Marlin tricked out? Been wanting to get a new one and wanted it have it engraved, have the action smoothed and probably new sights installed. Thought maybe a nice rail on it with a quality red dot might be cool as well.

While many smiths can do what you want, these guys... I hear they're pretty good with Marlins. They just opened a shop in Las Vegas (which is closer to to Texas than their Alaska shop).

http://www.wildwestguns.com/

[NMG26]

Yeah me too!

357!

.

[Morris]

Sheriff's Tip: Lever Guns for Personal Protection - YouTube

Sheriff's Tip: Lever Guns for Personal Protection - YouTube

Good video.

[GlockFanWA]

I've got a Winchester 94AE in .44mag, nice little rifle. Pairs well with my Ruger Super Blackhawk

[quake]

Big fan, especially the 1892 variants in magnum-handgun calibers.

Top to bottom; 20" stainless in .454 Casull, 16" large-loop carbine in .44 magnum, and 16" carbine in .357 magnum with scout-mounted red dot.


The .454 from a rifle, even though it has the stigma of being "just a handgun caliber" to some, is actually between the .30-06 and .300 win mag power-wise. Pushes a 240-grain bullet at 2430 fps, measured from my gun; for more than 3,100 ft/lbs of energy.

Even the lowly .357 from the short 16" barrel puts out more than a thousand ft/lbs of energy; more than adequate imo for a whole lot of things.

They can also be fun to tinker with. Same 16" .357 carbine, with suppressor in place:

Running just-subsonic 158-grain handloads, it's putting out slightly more power than a .45 govt model shooting hardball, yet is quieter than my gamo pellet rifle. Makes a great night-time nuisance-critter gun out in the country.

[DPris]

JM is NOT a guarantee the entire gun was built at the old Conn plant.
Remington continued using JM barrels from the old plant in the Remington plant till those barrels were gone.
There are Rem Marlins out there with JM barrels.
You still have to inspect carefully in person.
Denis

[curiousgb]

You can't have just one.

[Darkangel1846]

Had Rossi 38/357....dumped it as it was a POS!
Have several LA in .45 colt, Navy arms ETC
Have a standard 336 Marlin in 30-30...great rifle. Have a Marlin in 45/70 CB....outstanding rifle but kicks like a mule.(gotta put a packmeyer decelorator on it.)
Best one I've see is this one
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/xlr/336.asp

it comes in several cals 30-30, 308, 444
There is a new 30-30 LA ammo called Leverevelution that adds an extra 3 or 4 hundred FPS to the standard 30-30.
You can't go wrong with these rifles.

[chewybaca67]

I love all my lever guns, Marlin stainless 45-70 guide gun, stainless 44-mag, 357 mag, 30-30, Henry .22 rf and Winchester Trapper in 44 mag (which I'm sadly selling). They remind me of summers on the Rez riding horse back and sheep herding with my uncles. Something special about having a long gun in the same cal. as a packin' revolver. Also something special about actually being part of the cycling action.

[Upstate Glocker]

I've got a couple Marlins in .44mag, but my Browning BLR is my favorite lever. IMHO Browning is much better manufactured, smoother action and built strong for .308 which you can upload or download depending upon needs. The BLR is available in a wide range of calibers. The Marlins are fun plinking guns and as has been pointed out the .44mag has harvested many whitetails and hogs. I just like the BLR in .308 as a top of the line lever.

[UtahIrishman]

Originally Posted by Upstate Glocker

I've got a couple Marlins in .44mag, but my Browning BLR is my favorite lever. IMHO Browning is much better manufactured, smoother action and built strong for .308 which you can upload or download depending upon needs. The BLR is available in a wide range of calibers. The Marlins are fun plinking guns and as has been pointed out the .44mag has harvested many whitetails and hogs. I just like the BLR in .308 as a top of the line lever.

I'm in agreement. I love my BLR. Only drawback is they are a bit pricey. If on a budget I think a Marlin is a good choice

[MrGlock21]

Originally Posted by quake

Big fan, especially the 1892 variants in magnum-handgun calibers.

Top to bottom; 20" stainless in .454 Casull, 16" large-loop carbine in .44 magnum, and 16" carbine in .357 magnum with scout-mounted red dot.


The .454 from a rifle, even though it has the stigma of being "just a handgun caliber" to some, is actually between the .30-06 and .300 win mag power-wise. Pushes a 240-grain bullet at 2430 fps, measured from my gun; for more than 3,100 ft/lbs of energy.

Even the lowly .357 from the short 16" barrel puts out more than a thousand ft/lbs of energy; more than adequate imo for a whole lot of things.

They can also be fun to tinker with. Same 16" .357 carbine, with suppressor in place:

Running just-subsonic 158-grain handloads, it's putting out slightly more power than a .45 govt model shooting hardball, yet is quieter than my gamo pellet rifle. Makes a great night-time nuisance-critter gun out in the country.

Nice guns!
Is your 454 a Rossi? The Puma seem to be discontinued, for a while I have trouble finding a new one.

[tedwhite]

I have one of those POS Rossi Model 92 38/357s DarkAngel1846 referred to. Oddly - must be an aberration of some sort - mine works flawlessly and is as accurate as any rifle I've ever owned. I like the handgun calibers as I have a Smith&Wesson Model 19 so I only need one kind of ammo. Recently, I also like the continued availability of 38/357. I like the iron sights. I like the fact that, when I'm hiking out in the bush here on the Mexican border I don't freak out the Border Patrol folks (as I did when I had a black rifle).

[countrygun]

Originally Posted by tedwhite

I have one of those POS Rossi Model 92 38/357s DarkAngel1846 referred to. Oddly - must be an aberration of some sort - mine works flawlessly and is as accurate as any rifle I've ever owned. I like the handgun calibers as I have a Smith&Wesson Model 19 so I only need one kind of ammo. Recently, I also like the continued availability of 38/357. I like the iron sights. I like the fact that, when I'm hiking out in the bush here on the Mexican border I don't freak out the Border Patrol folks (as I did when I had a black rifle).

You Sir, have it all together in a practical way