Lever action rifle for bear protection

[GooeyDuck]

Lever action because growing up my grandfather had one and thats what i learned to shoot...

 

[BigUglyMan]

Savage 99 C in .308 . Ammo everywhere , pointed bullets removable mag and with today’s Bullet construction it will what you need .

I want to be with you, but I don't have any real yearning for the detachable mag. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong and I hate the thought of a magazine catch deciding that today is the day it wants to go on strike.

 

[BigUglyMan]

I like my iron sighted #1 Tropical .458WM, a little heavy but it’s fast on target.

The last time that a single shot was considered an appropriate rifle for any kind of defense there was a bunch of upstarts in the Southern States that were getting cranky with Washington DC and decided to start their own country.

I love my #1H 458 as well, but it's a poor choice of defense rifle, unless it's your only choice.

 

[sidester]

modern Winchester 1887 with slugs.

 

[Johnn Peterson]

Tried again, but 'my lady' isn't at all interested in trying spring Bear. Oh well, I'll 'try' again at a later date.

 

[a j cave]

My Rossi 454 Casull , light and fast. A 45-70 is a better choice I think, but you have to carry it. A 12 ga slug is also formidable if placed where you want it. If can’t place the bullet none will work well, but most times a nose is all you need. ( I just don’t want the one time a noise maker is not enough)

 

[t-star]

I want to be with you, but I don't have any real yearning for the detachable mag. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong and I hate the thought of a magazine catch deciding that today is the day it wants to go on strike.

so carry spare mags- I typically carry 4- 2 of 165s and 2 of 180's there's not all that much extra weight

 

[Gatehouse]

For lever guns, here are my choices:

For just going out for a walk in the woods and mountains, the Mares Leg is my choice as it's the closest thing to a pistol I can take. With a red dot it's quite fast to get on target and accurate enough to do the job I want. Hung from a single point sling, it's ready when needed but still out of the way and it's easy to forget you are carrying it.

I've also got a Winchester Trapper that is a bit easier to handle well due to the full stock, I would take that if I was actually more concerned about running into a bear. With it's 16" barrel it's still a nice and handy gun.

Both of these shoot the same load -300gr XTP with the Mares Leg giving 1300 FPS and the Trapper around 1600 FPS.

I would leave both of these behind if I was spending any real time in areas with more grizzlies than around here. In that case I would bypass all the lever guns and use my 375 Ruger. The NEW KING has much more power than a 45/70 and doesn't weigh much more. I might be tempted to put a red dot on it if it was going to be used strictly as a defense gun.

 

[BigUglyMan]

so carry spare mags- I typically carry 4- 2 of 165s and 2 of 180's there's not all that much extra weight

I only worry about carrying spare mags at work. Blind mags never dump rounds at your feet.

 

[broadhead67]

I want to be with you, but I don't have any real yearning for the detachable mag. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong and I hate the thought of a magazine catch deciding that today is the day it wants to go on strike.

Fair enough , although I can tell you these are all metal and built by gun smiths to a degree that makes the weapon unfeasible to remake today as the cost would be far to high. To each their own though. To be honest as a younger man I hated the look ( liked the 94 so much more) but now I love them

 

[BigUglyMan]

Fair enough , although I can tell you these are all metal and built by gun smiths to a degree that makes the weapon unfeasible to remake today as the cost would be far to high. To each their own though. To be honest as a younger man I hated the look ( liked the 94 so much more) but now I love them

Don't get me wrong, the 99 is the finest lever rifle ever built and it's one of the few still high on the list of things that I really ought to own. But I'd have to go with one of the rotary versions, because I Fudd that hard.

 

[Bushbasher]

444 marlin

 

[medvedqc]

444 marlin

maybe call me an heretic but i ve seen a winchester ( i think) in 444 marlin with a synthetic stock and it was used by our blood tracker in the hunting association i was in france.

my own lever TD 300 savage saved my bacon with 2 black bears.

 

[Johnn Peterson]

maybe call me an heretic but i ve seen a winchester ( i think) in 444 marlin with a synthetic stock and it was used by our blood tracker in the hunting association i was in france.

my own lever TD 300 savage saved my bacon with 2 black bears.

Still have my Marlin 444 and especially with handloads using the 265gr Hornady, it's been a reliable performer over the years. It still gets the call as a spare rifle on Moose trips.

 

[Coreydainard]

A 44 magnum using 300 XTP would be a good choice. And good carbines out there to choose from - I have a Chiappa 1892 Alaskan takedown

 

[Gunnutz]

Savage 99 in 358 Winchester ( I need one)

Savage 99, pre million serial number, F ( featherweight) 300 Savage, 180 grain of most any brand ( Hornady) , round nose is fine

 

[Johnn Peterson]

Don't get me wrong, the 99 is the finest lever rifle ever built and it's one of the few still high on the list of things that I really ought to own. But I'd have to go with one of the rotary versions, because I Fudd that hard.

I had one, years ago. An earlier model in 30-30 with a rotary mag and shell counter. Somewhat similar in style, I've also had a couple of Winchester 88's, one in .243 and another in .308. Somehow, to my eye, a lever gun without an external hammer, just doesn't look right. All three are now history. Oh, and my all time favorite lever gun and calibre combo, is the Winchester model 71 in .348WCF, of which I have a deluxe model.