Lever action rifle

J

jon1985

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Carleton Place, Ontario
I have always wanted a lever action and Im just about ready to pull the trigger....excuse the pun.

The problem I am having right now is settling on a caliber. I have been looking at the Rossi M92 Carbine in .44 mag and like the look of it in stainless. That said there are lots of nice looking lever action rifles in 30-30 and .22, but I have yet to find a .22 in stainless.

It seems that .44mag can be slightly cheaper at $0.65/shot, where as 30-30 seems to be about $0.90/shot at the cheapest. The other option is always .22.


This will just be a plinking gun so .22 would make the most sense, any one know of a manufacturer that makes a .22 lever in stainless?
 
For plinking, gophers, and other fun targets the 22 is the way to go. It is not so loud as to bother most. Rabbits are still eatable. Try them if possible and get the one you like, the price can be devided over the rest of your life. A good 22 will still be enjoyed by your grand kids.
 
Jabotinsky said:
For .44 magnum I would look at a Winchester 1892. Not cheap but they are a superbly crafted and almost an heirloom firearm.
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+1
I quite enjoy my 1892s. Amazing build quality...only problem is the hammer is a bit stiff to #### because of the rebounding hammer design. They're not as "correct" as the Rossi but they are built better (and almost double the price).

I purchased a lot of .44 magnum for 24$/50 all in so I'm set for a while. For plinking, it's a fun caliber and will plow through some stuff and make a nice splash. .357 is a lot more economical for plinking and recoils less. Have a Marlin 357 Cowboy chambered in that.
Some 1892 pics to entice
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Uberti Silverboy. Not quite stainless it's an aluminum alloy from what I remember but it's probably the closest thing to a .22LR / .22 WMR lever action that is stainless steel.

Uberti-Silverboy_001.jpg
 
I thought long and hard about getting a ranch hand or mares leg and probably will some day but my first choice is a Dominion Arms 1887 T2. They are only 370 bucks or less if you want a used one and you cant get more stopping power in a smaller non restricted package. It'll be a great bear defence gun loaded with slugs.

da1887-1.jpg
 
I have a few levers and find my Winchester 9422 22lr the best for plinking and gopher hunting. Plinking to me is shooting a 100 rounds in an afternoon. There are a number of nice lever action 22s and available used if patient.

The 92 Winchester or the Rossi clone are sweet handling and I would say 44 Mag if deer hunting and 357 Mag for cheaper shooting otherwise. The Marlin 94 can be scoped easily. The current new Marlins are suspect because of spotty quality control reports. I have friends who really like thier Rossis, affordable 92 clones.

The 30-30 models are fun and dandy hunting rifles. However if you want to shoot a lot stick with a 22lr or a pistol caliber lever.
 
I plink with my 30-30. I like the more stout recoil and usually just go through a single box of ammo, maybe two, before moving on to another rifle that I also brought out.
 
Look into the Henry Frontier in .22WMR (magnum). Great plinking gun and very accurate. It has the heavy octagonal barrel for lots of shooting. They're about $500 new.

That is if you want to plink with a rimfire lever gun.
 
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I was set on a rossi 44 till I learned the bore could be up to .432, meaning the standard .429 bullets are small, and inaccurate. But if you find one in .429, they're nice. I had a mares leg in 44, took some work to make it feed reliably.
 
Maybe should ask what your budget is, makes a huge difference in what your options are. If you don't mind dropping over a grand look at the Winchester 1873 or Uberti 1873. Both probably one of the most fun lever rifles to shoot and sure do look classy!
 
freddyfour said:
Maybe should ask what your budget is, makes a huge difference in what your options are. If you don't mind dropping over a grand look at the Winchester 1873 or Uberti 1873. Both probably one of the most fun lever rifles to shoot and sure do look classy!
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I agree freddy but trying to find a Winchester made 1873 is not easy. They are lovely rifles and the quality is top end.
 
I got a Marlin 1894 in .44 Rem Mag (well, Marlin 1894 is in .44 Rem Meg).

I love it. But it is not a .30-30. If you want a general purpose lever, get a .30-30. You will NEVER regret it.

I bought the .44 Rem Mag because I wanted less recoil (faster follow up shot), and I wanted to shoot .44 Special and .44 Mag. I have to still try it, but I think .44 Special won't do too much damage to snowshoe rabbit. Personally, I think the .44 in lever is a very versatile rifle. It will stop a mad grizzly bear charging you, it will shoot shoulder to shoulder through a moose, it will put down deer, and it will (pending confirmation) take bunnies. I have shot Hornady LEVERevolution through mine (which shoots flatter) and that is perfect for deer. I have shot bear defence rounds, pistol rounds, and .44 special through it (at the range).

It kicks more than a .44 LC. But it is less than a .25-06 Rem.

I had my reasons for my lever in .44 Rem Mag. But I did lots of research. I had a choice between .30-30 Win, .357 magnum and .44 magnum; and I went with .44 magnum.

What are your reasons? Any functions planned beyond plinking?
 
bmorsh said:
I got a Marlin 1894 in .44 Rem Mag (well, Marlin 1894 is in .44 Rem Meg).

I love it. But it is not a .30-30. If you want a general purpose lever, get a .30-30. You will NEVER regret it.

I bought the .44 Rem Mag because I wanted less recoil (faster follow up shot), and I wanted to shoot .44 Special and .44 Mag. I have to still try it, but I think .44 Special won't do too much damage to snowshoe rabbit. Personally, I think the .44 in lever is a very versatile rifle. It will stop a mad grizzly bear charging you, it will shoot shoulder to shoulder through a moose, it will put down deer, and it will (pending confirmation) take bunnies. I have shot Hornady LEVERevolution through mine (which shoots flatter) and that is perfect for deer. I have shot bear defence rounds, pistol rounds, and .44 special through it (at the range).

It kicks more than a .44 LC. But it is less than a .25-06 Rem.

I had my reasons for my lever in .44 Rem Mag. But I did lots of research. I had a choice between .30-30 Win, .357 magnum and .44 magnum; and I went with .44 magnum.

What are your reasons? Any functions planned beyond plinking?
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The 30-30 shoots flatter and retains energy further, but at regular open-sight lever-action distances, I'll take my .44 Mag. You can load some WARM .44 mag loads, plus hold 10+1 rounds with a 20" barrel compared to 6+1.
Within a 100 yards the 44 is damn powerful. Afterwards, my scoped 30-06 would come out.

I think the .44 and 30-30 have similar recoil.
 
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