Big bore levers

m1978 said:
many choices, all good in their own way. for full power i like the .444. for a blunt cartridge a good trajectory and power, and recoil is not punishing like a full house 4570. i like the .4570 loaded down with softer cast bullets such as the gould bullet from lyman at black powder speeds. a 44 mag rifle is great and economical, plenty fine. if you want something collectible winchester has released a 405 1895 rifle which has lots of power and good trajectory. with a corbin canuluring tool you can even load in heavier bullets (sectional density), essentially combining the heavier bullets of the 4570 and the flat shooting of the 444. cheers
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this way roughly my thinking when i went shopping for a lever, side by side comparrison of the cartridges revealed the 375BB was the one for me, at the time.. i was a small framed early twenty or late teen and the size of the 45-70 looked full on, an the 444 being the sister, now days im really thrilled on my choice with the 375, plink, cast, hunt ir just tote.... its a beauty
 
as for hunting, you can see lots of videos where the .444 puts deer down on the spot hard and effectively. having said that, i've never seen a wild boar get hammered like i just did with the .405 in the link below. not only did it not even twitch, it got slammed down into the ground like nothing i've ever seen. combination of modest sectional density, wider diameter and higher downrange velocity than traditional lever actions. if you get a .405 it's pretty much the last word for levers. if you wanted something to take from deer to elephant (with special order bullets, or re-cannelured nitro express bullets), that would be your rifle.

https://www.americanhunter.org/arti...c3WJUS3xZelgY-qeyY-THiEP1NNvBWZ0dZv9xJEd64h7E

note: hornady 444 superformance has lots of power, on par with the .405 out to about 50 yards. a viable option as well, i'd get both :)
 
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I've found some good deer hunting hand loads that really don't damage much meat on bear or deer,400 grain Speer flat nose soft points 48 grains h322 and it seems to me very accurrate and minimal meat loss.

I'm not liking the htx 325 lever bullets for re loading,don't seem to perform like in hotter loads.Id like to try a .444 someday just for comparison
 
Claytom Magnet said:
I've been thinking about getting a lever for a bit, not for hunting or anything just for general plinking. I kinda want something big for the wtf was that if a buddy shoots it. I was thinking a 45/70 or 444 but was seeing what some other options. Ill be reloading so it seems that evens out ammo costs

Thanks
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444 fan here, hey Claytom, didn't you used to hang out down by the red rooster?
 
My new 1894 sbl 44 mag. Hope that’s considered big bore

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If you want harsh, a nice Jm stamped Marlin in .45-70 will do the trick. Cut the barrel as short as you can get away with and put a brake on it. It's like a cannon going off - great fun!
 
I like 45-70 a lot, but my winchester 71 is the hardest kicking gun I've ever shot. I had to learn how to hold a rifle better to keep it from bloodying my knuckles. After the first shot, I thought for sure I'd just had a round with a double charge. After checking everything out as best I could, and since it was winchester factory ammo, I shot again and realized that was normal. It's a 348 win, I think it's the only gun ever chambered for it and is the only caliber that model was chambered for. Most will probably be used, but winchester started making them in japan again so you can still buy new.

Both the kick and the price of the ammo will conspire to keep you from shooting too much. Your friends will definitely be wondering WTF happened. I can't promise they will be able to say it though. If they don't get a good cheek weld they might not feel up to talking.
 
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