tactical lever
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Fox Creek, Alberta
And that's the issue. You can specify FLAT-NOSE 9MM until you're blue in the face and you just know that some yobs are going to use regular ammo and some lawyer is only too eager to take everyone's money. Any sort of ammo that isn't already normally flat-nosed is a non-starter in a tube-magazine design.
Meanwhile, you've got people wanting a detached-magazine lever gun, especially for a truck gun so you can go from totally safe and unloaded to fully-loaded in one quick easy clunk, or unload almost as easily and not have to cycle all remaining rounds through the chamber. I think that covering the 9mm/45 ACP/10mm/40 S&W calibers along with a detachable (1911, by preference) magazine is sensible, and continue with the traditional revolver/lever calibres in tubular-magazine lever guns.
The only factory ammo available for many levers is RN. I think people are overestimating the crushing recoil of the mighty 9mm... I think as long as Henry can keep the carbine weight over about 1/2 pound, all the RN stuff should be fine! Don't forget, Marlin and Winchester sold a lot of .219 Zippers, and if you look at old 30-30 Accelerators, there was nothing flat nose about those bullets. Recoiled quite a bit more than a 9mm carbine would, as well.
But I truly believe that using a popular pistol mag with a short throw lever is the way to go.