OP, look at all of the above comments, all of them have valid points to consider.
IMHO, the best of them is "Luck of the draw."
I've owned Winchesters, new and old, Marlins, Uberti, Rossi, and the last, which I'll keep, a Chiappa.
Nothing was wrong with any of the others, especially the early Winchesters and Marlins, which always functioned flawlessly, but sometimes accuracy failed miserably. If you prefer the "nostalgic factor," look for one.
The offshore rifles also functioned flawlessly, but I had some parts breakage issues with the Uberti/Rossi, which were difficult to source, such as loading gates, firing pin, and a rear sight. Both of them had "railroad track" bore issues but were acceptably accurate with both cast lead and jacketed bullets.
I've heard a rumor, but can't confirm, "some" offshore clones have bores with rifling more suitable for cast lead bullets than jacketed. This may or may not be true, mine shot both well enough.
My biggest issue was fouling from lead/jackets because of the chatter marks in the bores, which made cleaning tedious, especially with cast lead.
When I first saw the M92 Chiappa, which was cosmetically beautiful, with excellent Walnut stocks and color case hardened receiver/lever, I was attracted enough to ask to look/handle it. The first thing I did was open the breech and try to look down the bore with my small flashlight.
It was still NIB, so when I first looked, it was full of a light but deceptive preservative.
The vendor was good enough to clean it out, so I could have a better look at the bore. It was perfect, not a chatter mark was visible. Maybe a bore scope would have turned something up, but I wasn't inclined to being that fussy.
The Chiappa, is a mid-priced rifle, shoots well, bore is smooth. it's likely the most accurate of all the mid-size lever-action rifles I've owned.
I'm not a fan of lever-action firearms. I don't find them ergonomically comfortable and have always had issues acquiring the sights under field conditions. Recoil also seems to be more substantial, because of stock design and length of pull.
I own a couple of Savage 99 types, simply because I can load/shoot pointy bullets from them. They don't get much use.
That doesn't mean lever-action rifles aren't good for you, or anyone else who likes/uses them.
Some folks won't shoot anything else.
Do some due diligence as to parts availability and ease of acquiring them if needed.
Then, because these rifles have become so popular over the years, and the manufacturers have critically changed their "quality" control levels, to increase volume at a competitive price, check the rifles over closely before purchasing.
That's one issue I have with buying online or from a store that has to ship the firearm to you. You can't look at it first.
I would not have purchased the Chiappa, chambered for 357 Magnum, if the bore had chatter marks, even if it was very pretty and functioned flawlessly.
IMHO, the best of them is "Luck of the draw."
I've owned Winchesters, new and old, Marlins, Uberti, Rossi, and the last, which I'll keep, a Chiappa.
Nothing was wrong with any of the others, especially the early Winchesters and Marlins, which always functioned flawlessly, but sometimes accuracy failed miserably. If you prefer the "nostalgic factor," look for one.
The offshore rifles also functioned flawlessly, but I had some parts breakage issues with the Uberti/Rossi, which were difficult to source, such as loading gates, firing pin, and a rear sight. Both of them had "railroad track" bore issues but were acceptably accurate with both cast lead and jacketed bullets.
I've heard a rumor, but can't confirm, "some" offshore clones have bores with rifling more suitable for cast lead bullets than jacketed. This may or may not be true, mine shot both well enough.
My biggest issue was fouling from lead/jackets because of the chatter marks in the bores, which made cleaning tedious, especially with cast lead.
When I first saw the M92 Chiappa, which was cosmetically beautiful, with excellent Walnut stocks and color case hardened receiver/lever, I was attracted enough to ask to look/handle it. The first thing I did was open the breech and try to look down the bore with my small flashlight.
It was still NIB, so when I first looked, it was full of a light but deceptive preservative.
The vendor was good enough to clean it out, so I could have a better look at the bore. It was perfect, not a chatter mark was visible. Maybe a bore scope would have turned something up, but I wasn't inclined to being that fussy.
The Chiappa, is a mid-priced rifle, shoots well, bore is smooth. it's likely the most accurate of all the mid-size lever-action rifles I've owned.
I'm not a fan of lever-action firearms. I don't find them ergonomically comfortable and have always had issues acquiring the sights under field conditions. Recoil also seems to be more substantial, because of stock design and length of pull.
I own a couple of Savage 99 types, simply because I can load/shoot pointy bullets from them. They don't get much use.
That doesn't mean lever-action rifles aren't good for you, or anyone else who likes/uses them.
Some folks won't shoot anything else.
Do some due diligence as to parts availability and ease of acquiring them if needed.
Then, because these rifles have become so popular over the years, and the manufacturers have critically changed their "quality" control levels, to increase volume at a competitive price, check the rifles over closely before purchasing.
That's one issue I have with buying online or from a store that has to ship the firearm to you. You can't look at it first.
I would not have purchased the Chiappa, chambered for 357 Magnum, if the bore had chatter marks, even if it was very pretty and functioned flawlessly.
