Most robust lever gun

1886/71 Winchester, or an 1895 depending on your calibre preference.

88 Winchester? Savage 99? Both great and sadly out of production.

Like a previous poster said, the BLR is a love/hate kinda of rifle but has enjoyed a long production run, so what do I really know about tastes!

Cheers.
 
I vote for the win 95.I have a miroku made win 95 carbine in 30/06 and love it.It is a butter smooth action and was the last lever action rifle designed by
J Browning
 
really like the marlins!

And I recently acquired a Savage 99EG in 30-30Win. It is in great shape and shoots around 1" with a variety of loads. Fun little rifle!





 
I love the lever actions. I started off hunting with a pre '64 94 30-30 (1949 model) and used it for many years. Still have it, along with an unfired '57 94 in 32 Spl. But, now I prefer a rifle with a HDM for hunting. I did like the Savage 99's, had a bunch of them, but I could no longer use them due to arthor ritus getting in my hand. It hurt like hell when cocking the action, so I sold them all. Got some BLR's and really love them, great rifles, they are! Got some short action keeps, for sure. Had a bunch of Win 88's, they were good, I collected and liked them for quite a while, then I got a Finnwolf! Awesome rifle, big bucks, but eventually the novelty worn off, I didn't take it out hunting, just shot it here at home a bit and it sat in the safe for the most part, so I sold it. Had a few Marlins, but found them to be bigger and bulker than the 94's, so down the road they went. I have a Ruger 96/44 lever action. It is for sale, as I now have a s/a 44 that suits my needs. I may try a Henry one of these days, hopefully before I go to the big gun place up in the sky!
 
After looking at dthunters pics I feel the need to add 30-30 Savage to keep my .308 company. Nice rifle.

What is that mount you have on it?
 
I own Winchesters, Marlins and a BLR. I really like them all. i am working on what I call the Valley Guide Gun. It is a Marlin 336 in 35Rem with a big loop lever added. The next step will be an XS sights rail with a leupold scout scope. IMO you need to buy at least a Winchester and a marlin and see what you prefer.
 
razorbeck said:
if you want my 2 cents, box magazines are the only way to go!

But that pretty much limits you to certain 99's and all BLR's

I own 1 of at least every manufacturer listed
Would love a Sako Finn Wolf but the cost and possible lack of spare parts has held me back
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Actually the Win 88 lever action in .308 .243 and .284 has a detachable "box magazine" - short lever throw - nice balance - get a pre-64 model - all around rifle hard to beat ....
 
klaus enuff said:
After looking at dthunters pics I feel the need to add 30-30 Savage to keep my .308 company. Nice rifle.

What is that mount you have on it?
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I picked this mount up from a guy in southern Alberta. He has been getting them from a guy in California. They are custom made, and very well crafted!

I hope this isn't against gunnutz policy, but here is his contact info.


Michael Watson
2449 Avenida Mastil
San Clemente, CA 92673
email: m1watson@cox.net
 
I had a blr in 300 win mag a while back... Traded it for a savage 99 in 308 and have not looked back. it(the blr) can get finicky if not cleaned alot and couldn't get dirt out of the mags. Jammed on me once infront of a nice whitetail. Great rifle when they work but the savage is better. Gunna get it (the savage) rechambered for. 358 and throw a peep sight on it. Make a nice little Mountain rifle.
 
BLR's are nice but if you ever had to take one apart you would think otherwise. In fact, my gunsmith charges more than usual for working on BLR's because they are such a pain to put together again. I own a Marlin 1893 dated around 1914, and I really like it. She's over a hundred years old and functions perfectly, locks up tight, is easy to take apart and is plenty accurate for me. Hope you find what your looking for.

Cheers
 
For robustness in a lever gun, the BLR , Winchester 88 & Sako Finnwolf top the bunch. Savage 99's and the Winchester 86/71's & Model 92's, along with the 94 Big Bore action, come in next as far as higher pressure cartridges are concerned. The Marlin 1895/336 models come in last in this catagory, but are in no way hindered by this for folks that know their limits.

They are all good at what they do.:)
 
People keep saying the BLR is a strong action, I can accept that.

How durable and crud-resistant is it? Are all those little gears vulnerable to jamming?
 
TravAce said:
I had a blr in 300 win mag a while back... Traded it for a savage 99 in 308 and have not looked back. it(the blr) can get finicky if not cleaned alot and couldn't get dirt out of the mags. Jammed on me once infront of a nice whitetail. Great rifle when they work but the savage is better. Gunna get it (the savage) rechambered for. 358 and throw a peep sight on it. Make a nice little Mountain rifle.
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Oh man jamming in front of deer!?! I'd put the thing under the back tire of the truck and use it for traction.
Those savages are nice. Can't figure out why they stopped making them. Maybe they couldn't jam an accu trigger in one, so they said screw it! lol
 
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Those savages are nice. Can't figure out why they stopped making them. Maybe they couldn't jam an accu trigger in one, so they said screw it! lol[/QUOTE]
They were discontinued because of cost to manufacture. They were losing money on the rifles and decided it would be better to stop production than raise the cost of the rifles to profitable levels.They were probably right because I would doubt a $1200-1500 savage 99 would sell very well.
 
nomad 68 said:
Those savages are nice. Can't figure out why they stopped making them. Maybe they couldn't jam an accu trigger in one, so they said screw it! lol
They were discontinued because of cost to manufacture. They were losing money on the rifles and decided it would be better to stop production than raise the cost of the rifles to profitable levels.They were probably right because I would doubt a $1200-1500 savage 99 would sell very well.
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I would have to say I agree with you that they wouldn't sell at that price range. But for $4-500.00 used, it's a heck of a lot of rifle...
 
SHELL SHUCKER said:
For robustness in a lever gun, the BLR , Winchester 88 & Sako Finnwolf top the bunch. Savage 99's and the Winchester 86/71's & Model 92's, along with the 94 Big Bore action, come in next as far as higher pressure cartridges are concerned. The Marlin 1895/336 models come in last in this catagory, but are in no way hindered by this for folks that know their limits.

They are all good at what they do.:)
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I remember reading that the modern model 95 Winchester was the strongest of the rear locking lever rifles. I have no source to quote it from but it was a rundown of lever action strength in one of the more reputable mags. the modern 86/71's were the next strongest in the list iirc
 
Finger Toes said:
I remember reading that the modern model 95 Winchester was the strongest of the rear locking lever rifles. I have no source to quote it from but it was a rundown of lever action strength in one of the more reputable mags. the modern 86/71's were the next strongest in the list iirc
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On paper the 1895 was the strongest but there were problems with locking lug setback in those chambered in .30/06 leading to excessive headspace. When the .30/06 was introduced it pushed a 150 grain bullet at around 2700 and this was gradually increased to around 2900 fps with newer powders. When the .300 Savage was introduced it was ballistically in the same ballpark as the original .30/06 Government load and was supposed to be a direct competitor with the 06. The newer Browning 1895 rifles have superior steel to the old Winchester 1895's so this isn't an issue. Of the older designed levers the 1899 Savage is the strongest action. Pretty amazing to think a rifle that was designed in the early 1890's can digest the .308 family of cartridges with no trouble.
 
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