A present for my wife ...

BullOnParade

BullOnParade

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So, my wife's pregnant, and has been blatantly suggesting a "push present" is in order ... She has strongly indicated an interest in her own lever action (after I bought and customized my Mares Leg).

We own a small piece of hunting property in northern Ontario, my wife has her PAL and hunting license.

My wife has an over under 12 guage. I have (the above mentioned) mares leg, a couple of 870s, a sporterized Enfield and a few good-enough .22 bolts and semis. Most of my rifles were handed down from my dad. I also have a Stag 10 which I bought to hunt with, so now I only have the Enfield as a hunting rifle.

Her interest in a lever action, and me not having a good .22 makes me wonder what's out there for lever action .22s. Anything with a loading gate, or are they all tube loaded?
A 10-22 would be budget friendly, and could be improved as money allows.
A full size .357 lever action might be more what she's picturing, probably pushing the limits of my budget.
Or something in a deer capable caliber ... I have a few hundred rounds in .308 with nothing to legally fire them. My next purchase for myself is likely to be a BLR.

Make some suggestions? Money's pretty tight, but obviously not so tight I can't look around for a deal. Let's set a budget of $750 ... but remember there's a kid on the way and cheaper is better.
 
A lever action 'eh? In that case, might I suggest...

A Marlin 336SS in 30-30 with a Leupold 1.5-5x20 on it. It's what I bought my daughter so she can hunt with dad some day.

Sharp looking rig & a nice match to my 1974 vintage Marlin 336 in 35Rem.

Cheers
Jay
 
You're a brave husband for giving her firearms when she is all hormonal and nested.

There are lots of Win 94 Commemorative rifles out there in 30-30 and other interesting cartridges. Most owners figure they have a gold mine in the locker, when they have a very ordinary 94 that just looks fancy and was made to sell. You might get lucky picking up one that has been out of the box or has lost its box. They are usually quite pretty guns, and as a centrefire they should be good for the hunt.
 
BullOnParade said:
Doing some googling this morning. Marlin made an 1895 in .410?!?
Anyone seen these in Canada yet? MSRP is a bit high, but I think that's a do it all hunting gun shed like.
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.410 is a do it all caliber now?

If you want an affordable lever gun in 308 you could look at used Savage 99s, they can be had for $500ish.

Otherwise, you can't really go wrong with a marlin 336 or winchester 94 in 30-30. Just figure out if your wife would rather a straight stock or pistol grip and buy which ever she prefers.
 
Suther said:
.410 is a do it all caliber now?

If you want an affordable lever gun in 308 you could look at used Savage 99s, they can be had for $500ish.

Otherwise, you can't really go wrong with a marlin 336 or winchester 94 in 30-30. Just figure out if your wife would rather a straight stock or pistol grip and buy which ever she prefers.
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I'm less than knowledgeable about .410. Would a slug not be adequate for deer inside 200 yards? It certainly offers enough cartridge options for any small game we see on the property.

Edit to add; it is not something I would advocate for now.
 
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BullOnParade said:
I'm less than knowledgeable about .410. Would a slug not be adequate for deer inside 200 yards? It certainly offers enough cartridge options for any small game we see on the property.

Edit to add; it is not something I would advocate for now.
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Not really. If its even legal (which as axle375 points out it might not be), a 3" 410 slug is a 1/4oz of lead at 1800fps give or take. 1/4oz of lead is ~110grains, and a 110grain .410caliber bullet has terrible ballistics both in flight and on game - terrible ballistics will cause it to slow down very fast, and the sectional density would be downright atrocious which will mean poor penetration and a high chance of a non-lethal or barely lethal wound leading to a deer that takes off and suffers a slow painful death. In a survival situation it could work in a pinch, but I would never shoot a deer with one if I had other options. I'd take a 223 Remington over a 410 slug, but your enfield, or any of the 12ga shotguns you have around would be far superior in every way (at least every way except felt recoil).

Muzzle Energy of a 1/4oz slug at 0, 50, 100yds: 762 ft lbs, 432 ft lbs, 272 ft lbs. (Source: https://www.federalpremium.com/shotshell/power-shok/power-shok-rifled-slug/11-F412+RS.html)

As a comparison, a 30-30 is considered pretty weak for a rifle cartridge these days, and it spits a 150-170 grain pill at 2100-2400fps. These have better ballistics due to its heavier weight and smaller diameter, so they will retain velocity better and have better penetration.

ME of a 150gr 30-30 load at 0, 100, 200 yds: 1902 ft lbs, 1308 ft-lbs, 947 ft lbs. (Source: https://www.federalpremium.com/rifle/power-shok/power-shok-rifle/11-3030A.html)

A 30-30 has almost twice the energy at 200yds than a 410 slug does at the muzzle.

.410 isn't a bad small game gun, but its not the greatest either. Many consider them to be a youth gun, learners gun, etc. but in reality the small amount of shot they put out means you have to have a fair level of skill to effectively use one, particularly on a moving target. Considering she already has a 12ga, I'd be looking for a rifle over another shotgun that is in many ways a step down in effectiveness.
 
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Henry h001 for a cheap but well built 22lr lever. Or if your wanting to spend a bit more, and a bit better quality a browning bl-22 would be a good choice.
 
BullOnParade said:
Back to the drawing board.
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Do you want a 22lr for a small game/plinking gun? Or would a full size rifle thats capable of hunting deer or black bear be a better option?

Also, Tradeex sells 410 and 20ga inserts for cheap (like $20). You could buy two of those and turn the wifes 12ga O/U into a 410 or 20ga O/U.
 
Suther said:
Do you want a 22lr for a small game/plinking gun? Or would a full size rifle thats capable of hunting deer or black bear be a better option?

Also, Tradeex sells 410 and 20ga inserts for cheap (like $20). You could buy two of those and turn the wifes 12ga O/U into a 410 or 20ga O/U.
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Either one would be well received, I think. Since I don't have a good .22 or a second hunting rifle.
 
I have a Henry 22 and a BL22, but have never shot the BL, for no reason other than it's too pretty and I'm kind of saving for my son.
I'm looking for a "shooter" BL, but even those are in the +$600 range, where a plain jane Henry can be had new, on sale for $400 plus taxes, or even low $400 used. I like the tube feed, so I side gate is a moot point for me.

If your after a lever, I have very very nice Marlin 45-70 I'd sell you, lol.
 
i really like our 22lr henry carbine with large loop.
its great here on the ranch for critters.
my son and wife use it all the time.
i personally use the 3030 marlin. i reload reduced load, 150gr berrys plated bullets for everything ( 1750 fps, 16" barrel )and hunt big game with 170gr federal fusion.
both are serving us well here.
 
For the lever action 22 I would suggest the Browning BL22. My wife loves shooting mine and from a rested position my 7 and 9 year old also love it. The short throw lever is great for the kids.

Since you have a hunt camp in northern Ontario I would skip the 357 if you want a center fire and go straight to an older Marlin 336 in 30-30. Should be able to get a decent one for around $500.
 
BullOnParade said:
Either one would be well received, I think. Since I don't have a good .22 or a second hunting rifle.
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You do say you have "a few" 22s already, so I would go with that second hunting rifle. A marlin 336 or winchester 94, whichever she likes more, would be a fantastic choice and gets you one of the two most ubiquitous 30-30 lever guns. Plenty for deer, and very reasonable recoil. The Marlin is heavier (less recoil but more weight to carry), and generally considered easier to scope. I think newer Winchesters are easier to scope, but most people will tell you to get a pre-64 Winchester 94 if you want the real deal.

There are a few 308win lever guns out there too - namely the Savage 99 and the Winchester 88, but then you'd really be buying a gun for you not for her, and thats probably not a wise move given her current state emotionally, hormonally, and physically.
 
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