Bolt vs Lever

Lever, in 44 Magnum for hunting.

If you must have a 357 Magnum, use the 180 gr cast or jacketed loads for hunting.

The Scout is a good all around rifle. Since the scope is forward and out of the way, the bolt is easier to work quickly.

 

After the duty rifles and shotguns I have carried, my Henry .44 Magnum lever carbine feels nimble and light. <smile>

 

My son bought one of those years ago and it is astoundingly accurate. He made the "mistake" of getting only a 4x scope, now he is looking at a higher power scope for longer range.... Even though it is "only" a carbine.

 

Get the lever gun if you haven’t. Recently I noticed I only have ARs and glocks. Decided to get the lever gun first and then the bolt gun. The lever gets used more

 

I have a 16" lever in 357 that is a hoot to shoot. I'm jonesing for a Henry Long Ranger in 308. Best of both worlds: box-fed spitzer-capable bolt accuracy in a lever form made in the USA.

 

Lever is faster than a bolt for the second shot, but as a person who has used Browning B78 single-shots for most of my rifle hunting and varminting, I do not see the need for a second shot if you have exercised due diligence in the first place. So, in my estimation, either is good enough.

 

What kind of issues, may I ask?

 

I’ve had various feed issues when cycling lever and chambering a round. One of my favorite rifles was a Winchester 94 trapper made in 1994. In 94 they were engraved 1894-1994. Took a few deer with that gun. Had it worked on twice under warranty but they never did get it to feed right. Hard to explain but it would intermittently lock up when chambering a round.

There’s also something called the “marlin jam” with pistol caliber marlin lever guns.

http://www.ktgunsmith.com/marlinjam.htm

Bolt actions can give issues also. But out of the half dozen or more I’ve had through the years I’ve never experienced any issues. My son has browning BLR, it’s the magazine fed lever action that’s been flawless.

 

Issues with lever actions are few but can be related to poor designs more than anything.

The "Marlin jam" is due to a sharp edge on the lever wearing the carrier and is considered a design flaw.

In a lot of cases, feeding problems are due to pistol calibers adapted to rifle receivers. The Winchester 94 for example was not meant to work with revolver cartridges. It's not too surprising that feed problems occur.

There are hundreds of thousands of old lever guns still out there, much like bolt actions, that still work fine after 80+ years. I think that's a testament to durability.

 

ETA: The Winchester 94 I had problems with was a 30/30. I've also heard of issues with the new Marlin's even so I would like a 336 if the price is right.

Not to mention with the popularity of cowboy action shooting there is a whole cottage industry dedicated to slicking up PC lever actions