Help for a lever action

Canuck Bob said:
I own and use a 444 Marlin. The Marlin is a fine rifle available in many cartridges that fit your need. The Browning BLR is a strong rifle capable of high pressure cartridges. The new BLR has an aluminum receiver but if that concerns you (it is not really a problem) older ones abound with steel receivers. Both are side eject with solid top receivers ideal for scope attachment. In a Winchester you need an angle eject model to best utilize a scope. I would go to a shop and find the rifle that fits best then shop for a cartridge.

Barrel length is limited to what is available and tends to the shorter 20-22" range for many lever rifles. Marlin does make a series that include a long barrel in stainless. Stainless makes a lot of sense for a working rifle.

If you are not a gun nut and will not be handloading be aware that new cartridges come and go just as quick. There are many orphan cartridges out there. Do yourself a favor and pick something you can walk into any gunshop or country hardware store and find on the shelf. My 444 is hard to find but I reload. 45/70 needs reloading for best results. The 30-30 is a little light for big animals but it sure has killed thousands of moose. The largest pistol cartridges will work but require handloading to rifle pressure in modern guns. A stout 300 grain bullet in a 45 Colt going at least 1600 fps will do the job.

If you are not attached to the styling of the tube magazine below the barrel of Marlins and Winchesters and the clones I highly recommend the BLR. 270, 308 and 30-06 are never wrong choices. The magnums, 7MM RM or 300 WM are good choices but I personally wouldn't buy a WSM cartridge yet. The magnums will kick hard in the light rifles.
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I do reload but I'm not really interested in picking up all the components. That's exactly what I'm looking at. Walk into any gun shop or country hardware store and find what I need. So a BLR 308 would be a good choice! I did not know they can be clip fed. Now between the 7mm and 300 WM. Which one out of the 2? I know someone who wants to sell a 7mm.
 
freshman said:
I do reload but I'm not really interested in picking up all the components. That's exactly what I'm looking at. Walk into any gun shop or country hardware store and find what I need. So a BLR 308 would be a good choice! I did not know they can be clip fed. Now between the 7mm and 300 WM. Which one out of the 2? I know someone who wants to sell a 7mm.
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Wow, thats a loaded question, pun intended. In the case of used guns I always consider the deal as well as the cartridge. The 7MM Mag is a fine cartridge and very common. The 300 Mag is just a little bit more of the same. Both will do anything needed done in my book. I had one years ago but factory ammo reduced a deer shoulder to dog food. If you hunt deer mostly it is a lot of gun and needs loading down in my opinion. If the rifle is a BLR it will kick a bit due to the light weight.
 
No one's mentioned a Marlin 336 in 35 Remington yet so i figured i'd throw it out there. It's not the biggest cartridge. Much bigger than pistol ammo though. Muzzle velocity is around 2000-2100 FPS. It hits pretty hard and makes a big hole in anything you shoot it at. I personally wouldn't shoot much over 150 yards with this cartridge but for a brush gun, this round is pretty much perfect.

I guess whatever gun you choose to buy should depend on what type of hunting you plan to do with it. If it's close quarters type stuff, a 336 in 30-30 or 35 remington is a really good choice. If you plan to hunt from a tree stand where your shots might be further than 100-150 yards, a BLR in 308 or 30-06 would be the way to go.

Dorian
 
i would disagree, but my saddlegun is a savage99 in 308 with 180 grain bullets- most of my highcountry shots are 250 or better, and it's MAGAZINE, NOT CLIP -i've seen a lot of elk felled by fellas on horseback with a savage 99 in 300 savage- the older version of the 308- you just don't GET closer than 200 yards or so with those guys
 
I guess whatever gun you choose to buy should depend on what type of hunting you plan to do with it. If it's close quarters type stuff, a 336 in 30-30 or 35 remington is a really good choice. If you plan to hunt from a tree stand where your shots might be further than 100-150 yards, a BLR in 308 or 30-06 would be the way to go.

Dorian[/QUOTE]

I'm looking at both Worlds. Close quarters 30 yards to max. 400 yards in Stainless as my work gun (hunting).
 
First you're looking for a lever action rifle chambered in a pistol caliber for deer, moose, bear... And now you're talking about wanting to make shots out to 400 yards... You've left me confused.
 
You want to look for a 99 Savage with the lever safety (pre one million) in .300 Savage or 308.

Dont drill holes in it and dont butcher the stock and you will be one happy hunter and the envy of all who cross your path in the woods and plains.
If you happen to find a takedown version in 38-55 fellow hunters will beat a path to your door and offer you gifts and money.

If you find one with a full length stock from Montreal just send me a PM and I'll get you one lighter and more suitable to hunt with in exchange ......:D
 
Yup the Savage 99C 308. Carries like a Winnie 94 but packs a long touch.
In a levergun unless you are fortunate enough to find a 375 or a 35Whelen then just go with the 308. I guess thats just too simple a choice for some of us. The 308 is too common but in a levergun it rocks!! Keeping mine lemme tell ya. Leftie or rightie it dont care and will shoot well for either. Drilled and tapped for a scope too. Fortunately mine is nearly new. Slick and accurate but if I couldnt get one of those then I would be looking for a Browning. Then again if you wanna get really MACHO go for a Henry Martini in 577-450 Now THERES a big time whoopass mother of a lever. Even close with one of those monsters and it dies of shock or suffocation from all the air getting sucked out of the area...Now THATS Badass!! Imagine pulling on Bambi with a 410gr .45cal bullet in it. Damn!! Ooohh Im getting tingly all over
 
onedayaway said:
First you're looking for a lever action rifle chambered in a pistol caliber for deer, moose, bear... And now you're talking about wanting to make shots out to 400 yards... You've left me confused.
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Yes, you're right. I wanted a pistol ammo lever but I was informed that for hunting it's not strong enough to take down a moose, bear or anything big. Now, with that in mind. The suggestions were to go with a lever in a 45-70 for short to med. and a 308 for med. to long or just a 308 all around lever.
 
.308 BLR is the most modern, most practical all round use lever of them all. A .45-70 is a stone thrower from yester year and is hardly a good choice for moose which you may end up seeing at somewhat longer distances. I have a Marlin, a Winchester and a Browning in levers. The Browning would be my first choice by a large margin for all round use because it makes use of a modern designed cartridge that is very popular and easy to find, cheaper to shoot (than a .45-70), and with fairly good long range ballistics. And as mentionned earlier and repeatedly, the BLR is a magazine fed rifle that is very practical to load and unload.

The only negative thing that I have heard with some BLR's is that the trigger is not always as crisp as one would want when comparing it to a good bolt rifle. Try the trigger before buying one.
 
FYI the Savage 99 "C" has a removable mag as well and is a very positive feed. My first exposure to a 308 lever and it was love at first sight. Nice lines and tang safety. MOA out to 200m easy if I do my part.
 
and you call your selves gunnutz ,get a winchester mod 88 in 308 cal and own abit of history and an awesome firearm clip fed for fast loading and unloading, or i personaly shoot the blr in 270wsm as well.
 
The more I look the Savage 99 is a great deal. The rifle is available used for a decent price. It comes in some interesting earlier cartridges, 303 Savage for cast shooters, 300 and 250-300 Savage, 243, 308 and 358 (rare it seems). The rotary mag is nice with the round counter window. Hmmmm?
 
The 99 has a huge following indicated by their own website in the US. Easy gun to fall in love with. If you check thru the forums here there are lots of them just dealing with this fine rifle. I have had 5 so far and currently keeping 2 but there are so many styles, calibres, and stock types. Come in straight or pistol grip and the latter is my fave. Big advantage is the tang safety which makes them really popular with us lefties. A very friendly rifle to shoot. Apparently Savage looked into going back into making these but they would have to sell for $2000 so they didnt get it done. Look for sites with Maddog or 99trix and there will be mention of these fine rifles. They both probably have 30 versions of them. Winnie 88 would surely be another consideration but I much prefer the lines and feel of the 99. Better balance and nicer lines.
 
what happened with savage was that the machines that they used to make the 99 would all have to made from new- the originals were so heavily used so as to make them un-rebuildable
 
The BLR in 308 would be the most readily available. The larger calibers like the 7mmRemMag would likely have a far bit of push on the shoulder, due to the style and weight of the rifle. A clip is good, but an extra clip is better. With the pistol ammo It would be challenging to consistently achieve take-home-to-the-freezer results.
 
Highwind said:
The BLR in 308 would be the most readily available. The larger calibers like the 7mmRemMag would likely have a far bit of push on the shoulder, due to the style and weight of the rifle. A clip is good, but an extra clip is better. With the pistol ammo It would be challenging to consistently achieve take-home-to-the-freezer results.
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Pistol ammo was only to have a lever action that I can use with my 38/357 (S&W 686). You know, 1 round for 2 uses.
 
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